Aug 4, 2010 6:12 PM, By Matt Gallagher

Rod Abernethy composes and records in his personal studio.

Photo: Curtis Brown

In July, Universal Pictures released the animated 3-D CGI feature Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, a mean-spirited villain who endeavors to steal the moon—only to be thwarted at every turn. In Despicable Me: The Game, players assume the role of Gru to pursue evil schemes. Award-winning composer Rod Abernethy crafted the game’s score—which is playful yet suspenseful—working in his project studio in Raleigh, N.C.

“It was really fun and different from a lot of scores that I do, which are harder-edged,” Abernethy says. “[Videogame developer D3Publisher/Vicious Cycle] wanted a sneaky feel—more of an Incredibles, Pink Panther, James Bond kind of feel, with orchestra, electric guitar, vibes. But it couldn’t be too despicable [laughs]; it had to be kid-friendly.”

Abernethy worked in Digital Performer, played all of the guitar parts and drew sounds from his arsenal of soft synths and sound libraries, including EastWest/Quantum Leap’s Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Complete, Vienna Symphonic Library, ProjectSAM’s Symphobia, Toontrack’s EZdrummer and Abernethy’s custom libraries.

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