The Creators of “Liberty/Tales from the Tower ” Discuss the Backstory of Fear and Creation
Hirota: Welcome, everyone! I’m Yoshitaka Hirota, a composer. For the upcoming audio drama *Liberty: Tales from the Tower*, I’m directing the Japanese version, overseeing the language, and composing some of the music. Today, I’ll be moderating this discussion.
In this talk, I’ll be joined by two incredible creators to share the passion behind the work and plenty of behind-the-scenes insights. The *Liberty* series is a dystopian sci-fi horror audio drama anthology that brings haunting stories to life through sound alone. Let’s dive into what makes this project so special from each creator’s perspective. I’m really looking forward to this talk myself!
I hope everyone gets to experience the thrilling world of Liberty!
First, a bit about myself: I’ve been a composer and sound designer for games and videos for years, with a love for fantastical and dark worlds. For Liberty: Tales from the Tower, I took on Japanese language supervision, voice direction, and music for the episode “黒脈: Infection”, starring the incredible voice actor Takehito Koyasu. Since I was so involved in directing, I also stepped up as the director for the Japanese version.
Alright, let’s hear from our two amazing guests—could you both introduce yourselves?
Kaitlin: Hello, I’m K. A. Statz, the writer and co-creator of Liberty: Tales from the Tower. I have been writing for audio for over ten years, and I am the co-founder of Fool & Scholar Productions along with Travis Vengroff. I write the vast majority of our shows, and I also work on the marketing, casting, website design, branding, and research needed to make these stories possible. As a horror writer I greatly enjoy creating the short tales of terror for Liberty, as I get to explore many types of horror.
My husband and I live within the Alps of Bavaria, Germany. I have a Master’s degree in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Oxford, and while I enjoy reading up on modern archaeology I am very lucky to now work in audio production. I enjoy owning my own business and growing Fool & Scholar Productions every year. In my spare time I go on walks with my large dog Eezo, play Dungeons & Dragons, and garden; I enjoy growing pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes for my family.
Liberty: Tales from the Tower means a lot to us; Liberty was the first audio drama podcast we created. It is older than our business, and it has grown into something wonderful over the last ten years. Liberty: Tales from the Tower was where I helped develop and grow my writing skills, and now I get to see and hear the show transformed into Japanese. We are extraordinarily excited to bring Liberty to the Japanese public, and we hope to entertain and bring frightening enjoyment to many more people!
Travis: I’m Travis Vengroff, the co-creator of Liberty. Unlike a TV show where many people handle specialized roles, my jobs include script editor, world-lore consultant, producer, assistant director, casting director, dialogue editor, co-sound designer, music director, (occasional) actor, and technical engineer. My partner and I imagine stories: she writes them, and it’s my job to bring her scripts to life. My background is in music, and the skills I learned while creating music albums are very similar to those needed to make audio dramas. We use the same editing software and techniques, but with voices and sound effects instead of instruments. Liberty: Tales from the Tower is like a home or comfort food for us. It’s the kind of stories that we really enjoy telling, and it’s where we are often able to be our most creative.
When I’m not making audio dramas, I enjoy creating music and playing roleplaying games. I’m also fond of hiking, and can’t stop myself from recording unique sounds that we find in nature.
[We travel to the edges of the world to record the perfect sound effects for our shows］
Hirota: Moving between different roles is quite similar to how I work myself. I’m also very interested in archaeology, folklore, and folk tales, so I’d love to talk with you both about those in depth another time. But today, let’s talk about Liberty: Tales from the Tower.
Why Audio Dramas Are So Captivating
Hirota: So, let’s start with this: what makes audio dramas such a unique medium, and what’s their appeal to you?
Kaitlin: Audio drama is such a varied and exciting medium. Before the invention of the written language, people told stories to one another and remembered them through generations. Audio drama (we specifically make audio drama podcasts) tell such stories through the use of modern technologies. We write scripts intentionally made to only be heard; we don’t write about how someone looks, but about how their footsteps fall or how their jewelry clinks. We see audio stories as a medium that surpasses time. Radio plays have been around for generations, and modern day fiction podcasts fill the role today. In today’s busy world, audio stories can be enjoyed in an immersive and intentional way, or they can help commuters pass time on a train or entertain listeners while they clean or cook. And because these stories are audio-first, listeners don’t need to worry about missing anything by not glancing at a video or stopping their work to read text. Audio entertainment, like a conversation, blends smoothly into one’s life.
Hirota: I see. To me, audio dramas are this incredible art form that sparks our imagination through sound and hits our right in the heart with its stories. I love how music, sound effects, and the power of voices paint a vivid world in your mind—kind of like a movie, but it’s all in your head. What’s really cool is how listeners get to create their own visuals, just by imagining.
Kaitlin: You have captured my idea perfectly in your question. I am foremost a horror writer, and audio stories are so well suited to horror. Through description, sound, and dialogue, I can help listeners imagine a frightening monster or situation and the listener’s mind will help to make it scarier than I could write because they will take their own terrifying ideas to build on. Everyone has different fears, and because of this every imagination will envision my written horrors in a different manner. This is one of the strengths of audio drama and the audio fiction medium.
Audio drama is also a very intimate medium, as the actors and actresses are directly in your ear; you hear them whisper, notice the sadness in their tone, feel the changes in their breath as they become frightened. It really connects listeners to the story.
Travis: Audio dramas possess the same appeal as books, where the imagination of the listener plays an important role in telling the story. Because we never “see” the story, our own creativity as listeners fills in the missing visual, making the experience personal and interactive.
Exploring the Global Rise of Audio Dramas
Hirota: Since Liberty got its start overseas, I’m curious—how do people around the world enjoy audio dramas these days? Could you tell us about some recent trends, the go-to platforms, and the genres that are really taking off right now?
Kaitlin: While Japan may have Drama CD and Voice Drama culture, these forms of entertainment quickly died out in American and Europe when CDs died. In its place rose the popularity of podcasts; audio shows you can listen to on your phone or computer, mostly for free. Podcasts are vastly popular in America and Europe, and people listen to podcasts of all kinds: comedy shows, news, lifestyle commentary, and of course fiction (including audio dramas)!
Podcasts are available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and a multitude of podcast-specific apps. In fact, every iPhone comes with the Apple Podcast app pre-installed! Those with an iPhone just need to open the app and look for a podcast that interests them! We hope they will check out Liberty: Tales from the Tower of course.
Travis: YouTube, which is one of the top platforms for audio fiction in Japan, has only recently become known for audio drama in Europe and the Americas. Spotify is currently the most popular app, followed closely by Apple, and they both offer cool features like keeping your place (in an episode, or within a series) across multiple devices. They also can show unique episode artwork, they offer automatic transcription, and you can sort shows by season. These features make audio dramas (and podcasts) easier to enjoy. They also have ‘Top 100’ charts by genre (science fiction, drama, comedy, etc), and recommend other shows fans may enjoy.
There are also a number of super-fans like “TheEnd.fyi” (a list of audio dramas that have completed stories), The Cambridge Geek (who compiles a list of all audio dramas, sorted by genre), and the Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter, which bring the community together. Online groups like the Audio Drama Hub (on facebook), /r/AudioDrama (reddit), and numerous smaller groups on Discord and Tumblr also formed their own fandoms around audio fiction, and are vast resources of information.
It still surprises us how friendly and inviting our community is, especially the people who work in horror. Many creators, such as ourselves, can be found in these online communities, and it’s not uncommon for superfans to create their own audio dramas after a few years. In fact, the head of one of the largest podcast networks (the Bloody.FM Podcast Network) was a fan of Liberty, and worked with us on half a dozen stories before starting their career producing stories like Dead Space: Deep Cover. There are also sporadic meetups and live shows, though they’re mostly in England and the coastal United States.
[Audio Drama meetup in Seattle, USA]
The Popularity and Momentum of Audio Dramas
Hirota: How popular do you think audio dramas are among Western users? Could you share specific examples or anecdotes about the enthusiasm of listeners and the recent surge in interest? I’d also love to hear how works like Liberty are gaining attention!
Travis: While no one formally compiles this information, much of the English-speaking audio drama community have become friends over the years. We talk, and celebrate our accomplishments: We’re Alive and The NoSleep Podcast both passed 250 million downloads each, the limited run series Batman: Unburied was the #1 podcast on Spotify (the most popular podcast app in the US at the time) during its release. Over the last 10 years, our own audio dramas have passed 50 million downloads and we’ve been fortunate enough to receive dozens of awards for writing, sound design, acting, and music from judges and audiences around the world.
Liberty has a “diehard” fanbase in the west that is quite active in our “corner” of the internet. We’ve seen Liberty fan art, memes, people have recorded their own Liberty fan-stories and submitted them to us, and a few folks even have Liberty tattoos of the ‘Mark’. Our most recent release from Liberty – “Below Us” was just nominated for a dozen awards at the New Jersey Web Festival, the T.O. Web Festival, and the Signal Awards.
[Liberty fan art by Christopher August Imhof]
Hirota: Really? That’s amazing! So much passion! For our next topic, I want to fully immerse you all in the world of Liberty. I’m looking forward to hearing about the appeal of this series and the unique touches of the Japanese version from both of your perspectives.
The ‘Liberty’ Series: The Big Picture
Hirota: What kind of audio drama series is ‘Liberty’?
Travis: Liberty is a horror series, where each episode is its own self-contained story. Every story takes place within the same setting and explores a different horror within the futuristic colony-city of Atrius. It’s a science fiction world, and Atrius is both the name of the planet and colony where our tales of terror take place. Since planetary travel is no longer possible, Atrius specifically refers to the central part of the colony, a utopia of likeminded Citizens working under the watchful eye of their leader, the Archon.
While there are no animals or plants on Atrius, and its Citizens have forgotten Earth, there are many parallels between this future and our own reality. The Citizens of Atrius are formal and polite, and they all work toward the betterment of their collective home.
We suspect that students and people who commute on a daily basis will be the first to discover Liberty. If they aren’t hooked by the first episode – Floor None (personally my favorite story), I really think that “The Narrow” will pull them back in. The English version of The Narrow remains one of the most popular stories we’ve created. We’ve performed it in front of audiences in the US, and it has the most downloads of any Liberty story… And the Japanese version is so much better – much more than a simple adaptation!
[Liberty “The Narrow” performed live in Boston, USA]
Hirota: I love every episode for its unique qualities, but I totally get why “The Narrow” is especially popular. The setting and story are grand and fantastical… The Japanese voice actors’ performances were incredibly passionate and amazing. It’s also quite lengthy, making it a major production. That made the translation and supervision challenging, but I was able to enjoy the process and take my time with the work.
The Story of ‘Liberty’
Hirota: Could you tell us the core of the story and themes of Liberty without giving away any spoilers?
Kaitlin: Liberty: Tales from the Tower is presented through the narrative framework of the radio broadcast that plays horror tales in the evening hours. The broadcast studio, called AB3, is set in the fictional sci-fi city of Atrius. The city of Atrius is supposed to be perfect, safe, clean, and well protected from the frightening ‘Fringe’ beyond, but through the horror tales played on the broadcasts, listeners can slowly begin to peer through the shining facade to the dark underbelly of the city.
We hope listeners can begin to understand the important choices the people of Atrius make to maintain their lifestyle: they choose to close their eyes to certain horrors in order to protect themselves from others.
Additionally, I hope listeners enjoy the frightening tales as the individual stories that they are. In this way, the stories can be enjoyed individually and as a whole.
Travis: Our hope is that these stories will allow listeners to forget about their own stressors in the real world, at least for a little while.
[Atrius – Jacob West Park]
The World Setting of ‘Liberty’ and the Appeal of “Omnibus Sci-Fi Dystopian Horror”
Hirota: ‘Liberty’ is categorized as an “Omnibus Sci-Fi Dystopian Horror” or “Sci-Fi Horror Anthology.” What do you think makes the setting and themes of this series so compelling? Could you explain why you chose the omnibus format and the unique appeal of the Atrius world? What are the key points that draw people into this world?
Kaitlin: I write stories in both long-form and short-form, and there are benefits to each style. The short-form stories used in Liberty: Tales from the Tower are beneficial to the type of story we want to tell and the type of experience we want to convey. By using an anthology format, which means each episode is a self-contained story, I can explore multiple takes on horror and showcase the world of Atrius through many viewpoints.
Stories told through the eyes of a child will explore different relationships and themes than those told through the viewpoint of a scientist. We want listeners to experience Atrius in this way so they quickly grow to better understand the world. Additionally, short stories allow for Liberty episodes to better fit into someone’s schedule; they are long (and short) enough to listen to on a commute or while doing chores.
We frame all of the smaller stories of the anthology within the ‘radio show’ framework, helping to tie the narratives together and to give the listener a layer of Atrius to interact with: the radio show hosts act as though the audio drama listener is a Citizen of the sci-fi city. We hope that listeners feel immersed in the soundscape and stories this format and medium provides.
[Liberty showcases the world of Atrius from many diverse perspectives]
The Evolution of the Liberty Series
Hirota: How has Liberty evolved over time? From the early episodes to the latest ones, could you share the changes and growth in storytelling, sound design, and technical aspects? What are the creative challenges that have pushed the series forward?
Travis: When we first started Liberty, our team was very small, and we were creating the show as a hobby. Statz and myself even voiced many of the characters like the broadcast hosts, or the various monsters. As the show’s popularity rose, and as our own careers grew with it, we started working with more collaborators like Brandon Boone (Slay the Princess) and Steven Melin (Monster Sanctuary) on the soundtrack, and mixing engineers like Finnur Nielsen and Rikke Rømer from the Sonic College of Denmark to ensure that the audio balance would be at the highest possible standard.
The stories started out almost exclusively narrative, with few voice actors, and grew with each release. By the end of our first season, we incorporated more dialogue, and recognized that as our listeners became more used to hearing audio dramas, the less narration they required to understand the story. Our most recent stories contain no narration, and we have to find creative ways to have the protagonists describe what they’re seeing, like talking to someone on a radio while entering a mineshaft. This process has become natural to us, and it’s a lot more sound design intensive.
From a technical (or nerdy) perspective, as I’m the sound designer, we’ve also expanded our sound design process. Our first episodes only had a simple ambient soundbed that went under the actor’s narration, and about 50 sound effects. We completely reimagined a few of those episodes for the Japanese release of Liberty, which have numerous layers of ambience for each location (which are affected by where the character is within the scene), full soundtracks, a larger cast to incorporate more dialogue into each episode, and more than 10 times the number of sound effects. While I am capable of making these sound effects, the hardest job is our mixing engineer’s. Mr. Nielsen pans each sound (left and right in stereo) to create “3D audio.” This isn’t only to make the stories more immersive, but also allows the listener to hear more sounds simultaneously.
Kaitlin: Liberty was our first ever audio project, and we have grown so much since then. As part of our 10-year anniversary as podcasters, we decided to not only renew our oldest Liberty stories, but we also wanted to bring them to a new, open audience: Japan.
My writing has matured significantly since 2015, and when we first began I wrote many more audio stories in a narrative format; focusing on a single narrator. Today, my audio stories are written more like a film script; they are conversational and the action happens in real time, without the aid of narration. The stories we have adapted for Japan include stories showcasing both types of storytelling.
We have also incrementally developed more of the history and setting of Atrius over the last decade. The looser ideas from the original Liberty have been refined and researched to make a better story today than we could have imagined all those years ago.
[The Liberty team as of 2020. Note: Travis is much shorter than this image implies]
Hirota: Listening to both of you, I can really feel your deep love for the Japanese version of Liberty and your spirit of challenge. The evolution in the script and sound design is incredible too. I’m truly happy to be part of a project filled with such love and passion.
Bringing ‘Liberty’ to Japan: Passion and Challenges
Hirota: As the Japanese language supervisor, I was particularly focused on how to handle the unique expressions in the original work that might be unfamiliar to Japanese readers. Simply cutting them out might have made the translation and reading easier, but I felt it would lose the story’s distinctive atmosphere and visceral feel. So, I spent time converting them into expressions that Japanese readers could understand as much as possible while preserving the original nuances. The source text was in English, but the story’s atmosphere felt reminiscent of German or European films.
I believe that “discomfort” and “raw feel” are part of the work’s charm, so striking a balance—not cleaning it up too much while preserving those elements—was crucial. Losing that unique flavor would defeat the whole purpose. And yeah, figuring out how to weave in Japanese idioms like “defeat the whole purpose” was quite a challenge. I think every localization team struggles with this, but finding the right balance for uniquely Japanese onomatopoeia—like “my knees were shaking like crazy (Hiza ga ‘GakuGaku’ Hurueteita：膝がガクガク震えていた)”—was also tricky.
Also, arranging the characters’ “way of speaking” was a part that was both challenging and enjoyable. Japanese can express age, gender, occupation, and even personality just through tone of voice, so figuring out how to make the most of that was really interesting.
On the Unique Language of ‘Liberty’
Hirota: The unique phrases in the Liberty world are fascinating too. For example, “Archon watch over you” or “The Reeve endures.” These are idioms, right? What culture did these words originate from?
Kaitlin: “May the Archon Watch Over You” and “Reeve Endures” are greetings and phrases of well-wishes in Atrius. They stem from the fictional city’s history and political structure. The leader of their city is called Archon Reeve. The term Archon comes from ancient Greece, as an archon was a magister who led the people and enforced the laws of the city of Athens. The culture of Artius pulls a lot of influence from ancient Greek and Roman cultures: given names are Greek and Roman while family names remain the same, and the name Atrius comes from the greek “Atreus”, referring to the cursed mythological family of the Atreides. Those with a bit of knowledge on this ancient myth may notice early on the dark cycles that plague the city of Atrius.
“May the Archon Watch Over You” is a saying in Atrius which can mean things similar to ‘Good luck’, ‘Best Wishes’, or even ‘I hope you are safe’. It refers to hoping someone is being protected by the powerful government figure, almost as if that government figure were a deity.
‘Reeve Endures’ is usually stated as a farewell or to denote Atrian success. Archon Reeve, the leader of Atrius, has been alive for centuries through the use of advanced sciences. The people of Atrius believe that as long as Reeve lives, or ‘Endures’, then Atrius will remain happy and safe. For the average Citizen, saying this phrase as a polite farewell has become a natural way to hope for a long and peaceful life under her rule.
[Archon Reeve ]
Hirota: I see, so it’s not derived from any specific religion or anything, but rather a phrase that’s naturally evolved over time. What about “mark” and “meal”? “Meal” literally means food, but is it like a scientifically engineered instant meal or something?
Kaitlin: The Mark is a government issued tattoo on the right hand of Atrian Citizens. The Mark is designed to help convey information about the individual; different designs on the Mark indicate if someone has medical training, security clearances, military history, or more. Additionally, the technology of the Mark tattoo allows it to be scanned! Citizens just scan their hand and the Mark tells the scanner whatever it needs. It can bring up medical history when at the doctors, or allow Citizens to unlock a locker at their place of work. It also works to access a Citizen’s bank, so a simple scan of their hand is all they need to buy a nice drink or pay for a new sofa. It’s like identification, an all-use key-card, and a bank card all in one!
In the context of horror, Citizens view the absence of a Mark as a sign of fearful things: all Citizens have a Mark, and if someone does not then they are an anomaly, or possibly even a frightful Fringer.
‘Meal’ is rather straightforward; it is the edible, physical currency of Atrius. The colony of Atrius can only create a limited amount of Meal every year, and without access to plants or animals, the algae used to make Meal is one of the colony’s most protected resources. Meal is packaged and issued by workplaces and government institutions. Most Citizens receive their payments not in Meal but in Credits, the digital equivalent in use because holding onto massive amounts of Meal canisters would be inconvenient. Meal is nutritionally dense and comes in eight flavors; tofu, lemon, shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, pumpkin, and chocolate. There are no animals or plants on Atrius, so modern Citizens don’t know what these names mean, they only associate them with different flavours!
[The Mark]
The Joy of Collaborating on ‘Liberty’’s Japanese Edition
Hirota: For me, this production was a creative and incredibly exciting experience. But how did you two feel about my role and the chemistry this three-person collaboration brought to the work? Were there any particularly enjoyable or memorable moments while working together?
Travis: For the work that we do – telling audio stories (audio dramas), it was vital for us to work with a Japanese director that would always have the “audio” of the story in the forefront of their mind. Anyone reading this will know that Hirota-san is a brilliant sound designer and musician. I am a fan of your work and knew that you were THE person to bring Liberty from the script pages to the ears of our audience seamlessly. Working with you helped us transition from “this is a project we are adapting to Japanese” to reimagining what these stories could be. We were also able to properly navigate the work protocols of Japan (things can be somewhat less formal overseas but convey the same level of respect) and ensure that everyone on our project really understood our vision. As Kaitlin said earlier, audio drama is an intimate medium, and to sound realistic it demands a more muted performance from actors than television or video games.
A lot of what we do seems strange at first: telling actors to “exhale as if you’re standing up from a seated position” or “talk slightly louder as if you’re talking over loud machinery” (in a perfectly quiet studio). You were able to quickly hear what we hear, and explain it to the cast within the first few minutes of our recordings together. I also will never forget when you were explaining to one of the actors “we need you to sound like you’re talking out loud while texting your boss with a distressing update.” Part of directing is being able to sometimes give an example and your example was good enough to have been on our show.
Kaitlin: Working with Hirota-san was wonderful. Hirota-san has a great creative presence as a director and effectively takes control of recording sessions, all while politely putting up with Travis’ and my input along the way. As the writer, my job was almost completely done by the time the scripts were translated and being recorded, so I had a lot of time during the recording sessions to observe and record the events. Hirota-san’s focus is admirable, and I certainly hope to work together again in the future.
Executive Producer and Sound Designer’s Vision
Hirota: I’m thrilled to hear such glowing praise (laughs). I’d love to work with you again too! So, Travis, as the Executive Producer and Sound Designer for the *Liberty* series, what vision do you have? Tell us what kind of worldview and emotions you want to imbue this work with! For example, how are you expressing the sci-fi worldview through sound? Also, please tell us about the other creators involved in the music and sound effects besides me!
Travis: The sounds of Liberty are intended to be “quiet, clean, and devoid of life.” Ambiences are wind, air conditioners, well-maintained fans, the muted conversations of Citizens, and the order of the colony. Computer sounds are a mix of electronic and tactile – it’s futuristic but you can hear when a button is pressed. By creating a clean soundscape, it’s easier for audiences to “feel” the terror in the form of corrosion – an audibly flickering light, the scraping or bumping of an elevator long-overdue for service, or the sound of something else walking in a room that should be empty. This dynamic establishes an aural “rhythm” across our stories so even before the scary things happen, listeners will already feel uneasy as the sounds they encounter change. The more stories you hear, the more cues you can pick up on. We don’t always explain what the obstacle was in each story with words, so these sounds help fill the unspoken story elements.
I have always been the primary sound designer for Liberty, but on certain episodes I collaborated with sound designers like Kasch Wilder, Sarah Buchynski (Polarity Audio Works), Marisa Ewing (Hemlock Creek Productions), Pacific S. Obadiah (now at Bloody.fm), and Dayn Leonardson (award winning sound designer). During our re-imaging of Liberty for Japan, Rikke Rømer (Sonic College) did quite a bit of field recording for us in Denmark, capturing the sounds of elevators, carts, buttons, syringes, straps, metal grinding sounds, and more. She also recorded some of the new monster sounds before passing them off to me for editing.
Our creative process is a lot of fun. We pass the episodes back and forth to see what we can add. Ultimately we send the final mix to Finnur Nielsen, who mixes our 70+ layers of audio into a crisp story where the voices need to be clear, above all else.
I wrote the original title theme for Liberty, and worked with Brandon Boone (Slay the Princess) to make it much creepier. I initially approached him as a fan of his work on the NoSleep Podcast, and we’ve become good friends over the years while collaborating on (and expanding) the larger soundtrack for Liberty and our other podcasts. Steven Melin (Monster Sanctuary) writes almost all of the “in world” music – the anthems and jingles that the Citizens of Atrius hear in broadcasts. He surprised me by orchestrating the music we use for the Archon titled “Atrius Endures,” and he’s unbelievably talented at creating memorable melodies. We worked with James Adam Cartwright and David Yasenski on individual in-world radio tracks. It was also really great to have you join our team of composers. It was unreal having you create a 20+ minute episode soundtrack for the episode voiced by Takehito Koyasu! It was like a Shadow Hearts reunion!
We should also mention that we worked with a team of translators, Japanese recording engineers, and our talent agency rep at Japan’s Up & Ups who also made this story possible.
[Photo by Rikke Rømer – recording a cart in an elevator]
Crafting the Music for “黒脈: Infection”
Hirota: It’s wonderful that such talented people are genuinely enjoying creating this. Oh, I checked and the track I composed ended up being 29 minutes and 14 seconds long! (laughs) I wrote it as one continuous piece spanning the entire episode from start to finish. I felt truly fortunate to contribute to the episode starring Koyasu-san, who played Nicol in Shadow Hearts II Covenant. It was truly enjoyable to set music to his incredible performance.
As Travis mentioned about ambient sounds and effects, I think I also unconsciously created “quiet, clean” sections and “corrosion” sections in the music. I feel I was able to establish my own vision of the Liberty world, and it was surprising how perfectly it aligned with Travis’s ideas.
I’ve heard the soundtrack is scheduled for release, so I hope people can enjoy the world of Liberty through the music alone. If possible, I’d also like to create an arrangement version separate from the soundtrack.
Uniqueness of the Scenario
Hirota: By the way, Kai, what do you think is the special appeal of the scenario for Liberty: Tales from the Tower? For example, the ingenuity of the story, or how it highlights the dystopian vision and horror elements?
Kaitlin: There are many aspects to the setting of Liberty that make it an opportune location to tell tales of terror. The colony of Atrius is on a distant planet, and as the people of Atrius learn more about their planet, we learn alongside them. This means that some discoveries may lead to upsetting and disturbing events. Also, Atrius as a colony is alone. They have been cut off from the rest of humanity and they do not know why. This also leaves many possibilities to be explored.
As for the city itself, it is plagued with a history of violence and propaganda. With the historic documentation of Fringers breaking into the city and the current fears of Fringers sneaking in through underground tunnels, everyday Citizens have a collective boogyman that they fear. Then there are the human horrors: what lengths will people go for those they love? Who stops someone from taking science too far? Does a colony lost to space live under the same laws that we have on Earth? What is possible in Atrius that is impossible elsewhere?
Horror deals with the unknown; the things we do not fully understand and which may be better left unspoken. Within Atrius, we explore these horrors together.
[Atrius’ history is marked by violence and propaganda]
The Amazing Voices Behind ‘Liberty’
Hirota: For the voice recording, we primarily worked with voice actors from Naoko Matsui-san’s agency, who I had the pleasure of collaborating with on the 2024 game Penny Blood: Hellbound, where I composed the music. Additionally, we were joined by Takehito Koyasu-san, who worked with us on Shadow Hearts 2. How did you both feel about being present for the recording session?
Travis: When a seasoned voice actor like Koyasu-san or Matsui-san enters the room, it feels like the temperature changes, and there’s electricity in the air. (a sense of excitement) They enter the booth as themselves, and transform instantly into their character the moment the recording light turns on. Koyasu-san was delightfully creepy and excelled in what I felt was the most difficult role to adapt tonally – our favorite night host, Petrus Claerhaut. Matsui-san brought an incredible realism to her roles that I feel far exceed her international counterpart. We were also so delighted to meet her!
Hirota: Recording remotely with Hinako Matsumoto at the London studio was exciting too! What did you think of the Japanese voice actors’ performances? Did you notice any differences compared to overseas voice actors?
Travis: Japanese voice acting is generally more energetic than international voiceover. It was a challenge initially to bring the energy levels down to those found in daily life in Japan, but once the cast understood the tone they brought an enthusiasm and intensity that I can help but smile every time I think about it. The emotions were real, they feel real, and even with my VERY limited Japanese vocabulary, I could understand the tone of each scene. Statz and I also jumped in surprise and bit our nails during a few particularly intense moments. It quickly became clear that English-speaking audiences will be missing out on some of our best work. We cannot wait to share these performances!
Where and How to Listen to Liberty: Tales from the Tower – And What’s the Cost?
Hirota: For Japanese listeners, on which platforms can Liberty: Tales from the Tower be enjoyed? Is there a fee?
Kaitlin: Listeners can find Liberty: Tales from the Tower on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and almost every other podcast app! Finding the show is simple: open a podcasting app and type in the name of the show. If you have an iPhone, then Apple Podcasts was already installed on your phone when you purchased it!
Listening to podcasts is free! We recoup our production costs through the ads that play on the podcast, but all a listener needs to do is find us, hit play, and enjoy!
Regarding the Release Schedule
Hirota: What’s the current status of the release schedule? For example, when will the first episode be released? What’s the overall release pace for the season? Please tell us!
Travis: We plan to release an episode every 2 weeks starting in October. The only question is the start date, which we’re hoping to finalize in the next few weeks.
(October 23rd has been set as the release date for Episode 1! )
Future Developments
Hirota: Could you tell us about the future plans for the Japanese version of ‘Liberty’ and the possibilities for related projects? For example, are you considering continuing the series or developing other audio dramas? If we gather a lot of fan support, what kind of future do you envision unfolding? Please share your outlook!
Kaitlin: Travis and I both hope whole-heartedly for the success of Liberty: Tales from the Tower in Japan. We want to share this story and our love of the audio drama medium with others, and entertain and frighten a greater audience! If we create a solid foothold in the Japanese market with our first season, we look forward to adapting further seasons of Liberty into Japanese as well. We also have other audio projects, such as Dark Dice and one as-of-yet-unnamed project (very relevant to Japan), that we think people would enjoy hearing in Japanese… but first we must focus on Liberty! In German we would say, “Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben,” which means we should not get ahead of ourselves or our situation! We are happy to do the hard work and try our best to make Liberty a hit in Japan!
Hirota: In Japan, we say “counting the pelts of Tanuki you haven’t caught yet” (laughs).
Travis: I’ll just add that we flew to Japan from Munich and recorded in the studio for 22 hours over 2 days. But even exhausted, we were genuinely sad when it was over and hope that we have the opportunity to tell more stories in Japanese – adaptations or brand new works!
To our listeners in Japan, a heartfelt message
Hirota: Thank you for this fascinating conversation today! Finally, could you share a message for listeners and fans who will be tuning into the Japanese edition of ‘Liberty’ from now on?
Travis: If you would have told me 20 years ago that I could listen to a TV show while cooking or commuting, and that it would be freely released, and available on my phone, I wouldn’t have believed you, but this is exactly what we make. If you enjoy horror, even if you scare somewhat easily, give Liberty a try. I think that the voice acting in particular should be appreciated and celebrated, and if you enjoy our work, you will literally make it possible for us to create more stories just by listening.
The Japanese podcast (and audio drama) industry very closely resembles the US/UK/EU industries of the early 2000’s. With time and interest, we hope to see this medium grow within Japan, and for future Japanese creatives to find careers in fiction podcasting.
Kaitlin: We are very excited to bring our audio drama podcast to a Japanese audience. As a horror writer, I hope I can scare and entertain many and that the world of Liberty brings people both joy and nightmares.
If you enjoy scary stories or want to fill your mind with a story, please give Liberty a listen. Much love, dedication, and hard work has gone into creating this audio drama; work from around the world has culminated in a new Japanese story for you all to try.
Working with so many talented people in Japan has given me a new viewpoint on this story as a whole. As we rode the train in the morning alongside others going to work, we watched them enjoy videos, music, and more. It is our deeply-held hope that one day soon our stories may be what entertains you on your commute, during your chores, or while relaxing on a calm day off. We look forward to what Liberty: Tales from the Tower has to offer here in Japan, and we want to thank you all for reading and (maybe) choosing to listen.
[“May the Archon Watch Over You”]
Liberty: Tales from the Tower Official site
Interview/September 2025 TTS PRODUCTS CO., LTD.