Composer Code

What the composer of Ori and the Blind Forest and Halo Infinite taught me about making music for games.

Jason Graves is a game audio veteran with numerous AAA titles under his belt including Dead Space and Tomb Raider (2013)

Eric Buchholz is a talented composer and orchestrator who offered a glimpse into his illustratious career as well as valuable orchestration principles.

Sydney Kjerstad is a talented pianist, arranger, entrepreneur and VGM geek with tons of arrangement and business wisdom. Listen to our conversation now.

Tom is an ASCAP winning and MTV VMA-nominated composer who’s been in the biz for a long time and has an impressive list of both TV and game credits including PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Red Steel 1 and 2, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Prince of Persia, Wolfenstein Youngblood, and the Halo Anniversary Edition soundtracks.  In our conversation we discussed the importance of having an R&D period in your mind before you begin composing, what he calls the “sandbox” phase of composing, where he allows himself to just play, incidentally sort of tricking himself into composing (this is a huge pro-tip for composers, you don’t wanna miss this). He also offers some really practical advice for building meaningful relationships in the game audio space. As all my guests always do, Tom brought a ton of value to me personally and whether you’re just starting out making music for games, or you’re a seasoned pro, I guarantee you’ll find something helpful in this conversation. Resources from Tom: Tom's website Tom's S

The post Ep 23: Infusing Songwriting with Game Audio (Darren Korb) appeared first on Composer Code.

The post Ep 22: Ukuleles, Dank Beats, and Composing Under Constraints (Daniel Koestner) appeared first on Composer Code.

The post Ep 21: Landing Game Audio Gigs with Class (Nathan Madsen) appeared first on Composer Code.

The post Ep 20: Harnessing Creative Anxiety Through Music (Chad Seiter) appeared first on Composer Code.

The post Ep 19: Succeeding as a Family-First Composer (Steven Melin) appeared first on Composer Code.

We talk about Cajsa's unique approach to starting a song, how she founded a game company with friends from her university (Forgotten Key), and how she uses a very cool sound-stretching plugin to create banjo soundscapes. The post Ep 18: Starting with a Soundscape (Cajsa Larsson) appeared first on Composer Code.

Grant Kirkhope is a man who needs no introduction. He’s the talented composer behind some of the most beloved classics on the N64 like Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Goldeneye 007, and Perfect Dark. The post Ep 16: The (Inevitable) Interview with Grant Kirkhope (Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye 007) appeared first on Composer Code.

I talk with Matthew about some of the benefits of full-time employment vs. freelancing, but also some really organic, practical ways to build relationships and ultimately get paying work as a composer. The post Ep 17: Cool People Attract Cool People (Matthew Carl Earl) appeared first on Composer Code.

I talked with Chase about how he got into video game music, how he practices "connecting" with his instrument, and he shared some incredible techniques for beating writer's block. Seriously, every creative person needs to hear this. The post Ep 15: Connecting with your Instrument and Crushing Writer’s Block (Chase Bethea) appeared first on Composer Code.

I chatted with Tony about his origin story, the indelible impact of games like Majora's Mask, and how he approaches orchestrating a piano sketch. The post Ep 14: Contrapuntal Chiptune, Orchestration, and the Power of Notation (Tony Manfredonia) appeared first on Composer Code.

This episode is a little special, as we actually analyze a few video game pieces in real time (download the transcriptions below to follow along) and talk more about the value of transcription.

We talk through Emmanuel's composing process, his personal experience networking with game developers, and he shares some practical tips for building your career as a video game music composer.

We talked about mastering the orchestra, breaking into the video game music industry, and he imparted valuable lessons about the difference between film and game composition.

Gordy Haab is a multi-award-winning film, video game and television composer who has written music for many well-known titles, including most recently: Microsoft’s “Halo Wars 2, and EA’s “Star Wars: Battlefront II”, and “Star Wars Battlefront I."

We chatted about James' current freelance journey, the intersection of game music and electronic music, and the power of being really good at one single thing. He shared his perspective on how to break into the industry and habits that hold beginners back from success.