- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 composer Jason Graves shares his secret tool he used on the soundtrack
- He reveals that it’s “an aluminum garbage can lid that I save for special occasions”
- Graves also used it for 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 composer Jason Graves has revealed the unusual, secret tool he used for creating the game’s soundtrack.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Graves discussed his creative process for writing the game’s multiplayer music, which he said is usually “an afterthought,” and even offered some insight into the coolest technology he used for recording the tracks.
“It’s definitely not considered any kind of tech, but it’s definitely entertaining,” Graves replied when asked what his secret weapon was.
But if you expected something along the lines of interesting studio equipment or fancy tools to capture the multiplayer’s tone, you’d be dead wrong.
“I have an aluminum garbage can lid that I save for special occasions,” the composer revealed, “and the last time I used it was in 2022’s Modern Warfare [2]. So naturally, I had to bring it out again and play it for Modern Warfare 4.”
Graves also discussed how the multiplayer music is “completely different” from the campaign, which has more story beats and dramatic moments, saying “you play a lot of multiplayer” to truly understand its tone.
“It’s a completely different vibe from the campaign, and the music needs to make you feel like anything could happen at any point in time,” Graves said. “A lot of what I was trying to capture was forward momentum and pure adrenaline.”
“There’s definitely a lot of aggressive percussion, distorted electronics, and organic textures that help give the music its identity,” Graves added. “I love combining real-world sounds with electronic processing, especially when you end up with something that’s difficult to identify.
“It creates a sense of energy and unpredictability that fits perfectly with multiplayer.”
