Soundscape was contracted through its partner Charlesberry Productions to provide a new audio production of the children's classic The Polar Express for publisher Houghton Mifflin. Working with Susan Boer of Charlesberry and Anita Silvey from Houghton Mifflin, actor Liam Neeson was chosen to read the book. Susan Boer made booking arrangements to record the actor at The Audio Department in New York City.

Susan and Soundscape principal Michael Moss directed the recording in New York, and then loaded the digital masters from the session into Soundscape's Sonic Solutions Digital Audio Workstation in Boston to select and edit voice takes for an ideal reading of the story. Working closely with Susan and Providence-based author Chris Van Allsburg, a suitable theme was chosen and Michael began scoring the production.

A seventeen-piece orchestra, which was to be overdubbed to sound like thirty-five, was hired for a recording session at the Sonic Temple in Boston, a large studio, formerly a Masonic temple. Due to manufacturing deadlines, Michael had to work very quickly, scoring the music demos on MIDI instruments by night as he and Susan configured music, narration and sound effects on the Sonic by day. Michael conducted the orchestra which rehearsed and recorded 18 minutes worth of music, later enhanced at Soundscape with overdubs of strings, percussion and piccolo. Engineer Carl Beatty (Frank Zappa, Talking Heads) was brought in to record the orchestra and preside over the music mix. The demo music on the Sonic Workstation was then replaced with the actual orchestral recording and finally mastered and mixed by Michael.

The Polar Express audiobook was nominated for both a Grammy award and an Audie award that year, and has consistently sold well each holiday season.

"We have reason to believe that Liam Neeson liked it as well," says Michael. "He ordered thirty of them for Christmas presents that year!"