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

Composer Code

5 Things I Learned from Gareth Coker

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

Oozing into Game Audio with Jason Graves

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

The Principles of Orchestration with Eric Buchholz

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

Monetizing Your Passion with Sydney Kjerstad (Smart Game Piano)

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 SoundCloud Tom's TEDxTalk 

Ep 24: Tapping into Your Playful Side and Embracing Relationships (Tom Salta)

Darren Korb is a game composer working for Supergiant Games. He's composed the soundtracks to smash indie hits like Transistor, Bastion, Pyre, and Hades. His upbringing as a singer/songwriter and bedroom producer laid a foundation for his work in game audio. He boldly challenges the mostly-instrumental world of game audio by infusing narrative lyrics that tell rich stories and expand the lore of each game world.We talked about how he got started, the art and science of writing non-cheesy songs for video games, and why Logic Pro X is his favorite DAW.Darren's soundtracks are incredible, and can be found anywhere music is streamed or sold.Enjoy the conversation!

Ep 23: Infusing Songwriting with Game Audio (Darren Korb)

Daniel Koestner is a newcomer to the game audio space, but his style draws influences from some unusual places and culminates in a sound unlike anything else. He composed the soundtrack to the lovable indie game, Donut County. The playful vibe of his music sends up folk artists like Sufjan Stevens and Beirut with the rhythms of lo-fi hip-hop and producers like J. Dilla.  He shared some really valuable info on how he's gotten gigs by going above and beyond with clients, the details of his creative process, and his self-imposed constraints (like insisting on making his own samples). I highly recommend checking out the Donut County OST for some succulent jams. You can find it on Spotify, iTunes, or Youtube.  Enjoy the conversation! -- Enter your email below to get future content delivered fresh to your inbox as soon as I release it. Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates requiredEmail Address *   

Ep 22: Ukuleles, Dank Beats, and Composing Under Constraints (Daniel Koestner)

Nathan Madsen is a seasoned game audio composer with years of experience in both in-house and freelance roles. We chatted about best practices in landing gigs, the pros and cons of freelance vs. in-house work, and how to balance a family with VGM ambitions. He's got a real heart for mentorship and helping other composers succeed, aided no doubt by his previous work as a school teacher. You can learn more about him and hear some of the fantastic music he's made at his website here. Also, check out his vlog on game audio here. -- Enter your email below to get future content delivered fresh to your inbox as soon as I release it. Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates requiredEmail Address *   

Ep 21: Landing Game Audio Gigs with Class (Nathan Madsen)

Chad Seiter is a game composer that I met at the recent VGMCon in Minneapolis, MN. He's an experienced and really humble dude that shared a lot of his own experiences, both personal and professional. We talked about some of the lessons he learned from studying under renowned composer Michael Giacchino, how he faced some of his personal demons by making music about them, and his particular process for writing epic, orchestral music. You can learn more about him and hear some of the fantastic music he's made at his website here. -- In other news, Composer Code now has a Patreon!! If you'd like to help support the show or just learn about my goals for the future, check out my Patreon here. Thanks for listening! Don't forget to give me a rating in iTunes, if you would be so kind. It helps a lot with visibility. Enter your email below to get future content delivered fresh to your inbox as soon as I release it. Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates requiredEmail Address *   

Ep 20: Harnessing Creative Anxiety Through Music (Chad Seiter)

Steven Melin is no stranger to the podcast. He's a good friend and a great composer, and he's been quite busy for the past several months... writing a book! In this episode, we chat about the "why" behind Steven's new book, Family-First Composer. He shares some practical tips for building a career in media composition without sacrificing the most important things in life like health, faith, and family. If you're interested in reading the book, you can check it out on Amazon. Thanks for listening! -- In other news, Composer Code now has a Patreon!! If you'd like to help support the show or just learn about my goals for the future, check out my Patreon here. Thanks for listening! Don't forget to give me a rating in iTunes, if you would be so kind. It helps a lot with visibility. Enter your email below to get future content delivered fresh to your inbox as soon as I release it. Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates required Email Address *

Ep 19: Succeeding as a Family-First Composer (Steven Melin)

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.

Ep 18: Starting with a Soundscape (Cajsa Larsson)

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.

8 Things I Learned from Grant Kirkhope

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.

Ep 17: Cool People Attract Cool People (Matthew Carl Earl)

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.

Ep 15: Connecting with your Instrument and Crushing Writer’s Block (Chase Bethea)

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.

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Composer Code

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