This episode comes from my interview on Tom Snively’s podcast Inside Video Game Music. I thought I’d share it here, since it’s in the same spirit as my other music production lessons. In our talk, I pull apart the different layers of my video game track “Moto Hekalu.” You can find the finished track on the Star Reaction Soundtrack at untiedgames.bandcamp.com. To hear my full interview with Tom, visit insidevgm.com/007

For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

If you can create authentic-sounding chiptune music, you’ll have a leg up in the video game composing world. Plus, it’s just fun to see what you can do with very limited musical materials. In this episode, I share my first adventure in creating chiptune music. My finished song is a jingle for one of my Composer Quest patrons, Rob Waite.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 98 with Jeff Russo. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

I sometimes wonder how much sound designers think in terms of music theory. For example, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard microwave drones that sound like a major chord. In this episode, I talk about my own experience applying my music theory knowledge to designing some video game sound effects.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 89 with Silas Hite. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

As a producer, one of your main jobs is deciding when to add and when to subtract. In this episode, I explain my process of sifting through musical layers until you’re left with only the golden nuggets. The track from this episode, Kítrinos, can be found on the Star Reaction Soundtrack at untiedgames.bandcamp.com.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 82 with Disasterpeace. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

Sidechain compression. You may not know the term, but you’ve definitely heard the results of this technique, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years. If you’re aspiring to be a pop or dance music producer, this is going to be one of your cornerstone effects. I’d say you can find a use for sidechain compression in almost any kind of production, so I’ve dedicated this episode to explaining how it works.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 77 with Tom Snively. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

One of my secret weapons in my productions is randomness. I often try to set up a system that generates random pitches and rhythms. If you’ve never tried this kind of music making, just Google “generative music,” and that should give you more info on how to get started. In this episode, I show how I use randomness in one of my video game scores. The finished track, called Glibberigwald, can be found on the Star Reaction Soundtrack at untiedgames.bandcamp.com.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 61 with Michael Chadwick. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

How do you start an electronic track? With a synth sound? With a sample? In this episode, I talk about building a track from a single electric guitar strum.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 60 with Brooke DeRosa. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

Have you ever tried making a song that has both a swung section and a straight section? In this episode, I show how I gradually morphed from a swung beat to a straight beat in one of my video game scores. The finished track, called Sumendi, can be found on the Star Reaction Soundtrack at untiedgames.bandcamp.com.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 56 with Ducked Ape. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

I love making ambient music, because it feels like the equivalent of finger painting – you can smear things around by stretching out long tones and soaking them in reverb. No sound seems out of place if you bring it in gradually and keep it there for a while. In this episode, I talk about how to create tension in ambient music by holding notes longer than you think you should.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 54 with Marc Weidenbaum. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably stumbled upon a song that made you think “Hey, this would be really fun to remix.” But how do you even start a remix? In this episode I share a few of my mixing techniques to get you going.

This production lesson originally aired in Composer Quest episode 50 with Desmond Simmons. For more music production lessons and composer interviews, visit composerquest.com.