The Video Game Composer Podcast

Michael Sweet is a video game composer, sound designer, audio director, and all around audio pro. He has also been teaching game audio at two of the top music programs in the world.

He has worked on over 100 award-winning games and has basically done it all in the world of game audio.

In our conversation, we talk in-depth about what interactive or adaptive music is, the fundamental building blocks of interactive music, how and when to use it, and how to compose it. This conversation is a masterclass on how to plan and create adaptive scores. Sweet also mentions different resources for improving as an adaptive music composer.

Youtube channels to check out:

• Michael Sweet - https://www.youtube.com/@michaelsweet5043/videos
• Olivier Deriviere - https://www.youtube.com/@oderiviere
• Austin Wintory - https://www.youtube.com/@awintory

Games that are good examples of adaptive audio:

• Peggle 2
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Mass Effect
• The Batman Arkham Series
• God of War (every recent version after the reboot)
• Almost any Sony Product has terrific adaptive music systems

Books

• Interactive Music for Video Games: A Composer's Guide - Michael Sweet
• Composing Music for Games - Chance Thomas
• A Composer's Guide to Game Music - Winifred Phillips

Today's episode is taken from module 3 of the START course. Module 3 is all about how to write demos that can help you find video game scoring work. This episode discusses the how and why of creating targeted demo music, and how targeted music is different than making music as an artist in general.

If you are interested in taking the START course head to thevideogamecomposerhq.com/start and join the waitlist. The course is completely free and you will be given access as soon as the course is launched.

Today’s Guest, Ryan Ike, is a very accomplished indie game composer and an all-around awesome dude. You can hear his music in indie game hits like Wizard With a Gun, Shadows Over Loathing, Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, Gunpoint, and more. We had a great conversation about Ryan's diligent method for becoming a strong game composer. I learned a lot from this conversation and had a lot of fun.

To follow or reach out to Ryan Ike:

Instagram: @ryanikeaudio

Website: https://www.ryanike.com

Ryan’s Microjams project that he speaks about: https://soundcloud.com/ryanike/sets/microjams

Want hands-on training to get your composer career off the ground, and off to a strong start? I am creating a new course called the START course. Through seven modules you be walked through setting up shop and getting started as a game composer. The course is completely free. Pre-register for the course to get automatic access as soon as the course is live.

https://thevideogamecomposerhq.com/start

Jeff Broadbent is an award-winning game composer who has worked on many of the industry's largest franchises, including Diablo, Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Assassins Creed, and many more. Not only is Jeff a talented composer but he is an effective networker and strategic business person. He has so much great information to share. I hope you are ready to take notes and implement some ideas.

We talk about how to improve the quality of your music, the importance of networking, and why you should study freelance business strategies as much as you can.

If you are looking for more guidance to get your video game composing career off the ground, I am creating a free START course. It is all about how to Start your career as a game composer. Many podcast listeners have had a lot of success applying the principles that will be covered in the START course. If this free resource is interesting to you click the link below to automatically be added to the course as soon as it is live!

https://thevideogamecomposerhq.com/start

If you are a mid level composer in your career, you have already been paid to write for games, tv or film and you are looking to reach the next level here is a great opportunity from Grammy composer/orchestrator Penka Kouneva.

Emerging and Mid-career composers for film and games: check out this Masterclass in Soundtrack Analysis and Media scoring. The class is presented by the Hollywood studio composer and orchestrator Penka Kouneva. 10 weeks of intense study (weekly composing & feedback, analysis lectures, private mentoring sessions, independent score study & tons of curated reading). The objective of this experience is to give you a competitive edge and to propel you forward on your artist and career path.www.penkamasterclasses.com

This episode discusses three areas of focus that can help you make great progress in your video game composing career. Having a system and goals for music creation, building up a team of people around you, and tracking your progress are all powerful tools to help you achieve and succeed in this competitive and exciting journey.

For even more detailed and hands-on help to kickstart your composing career and land your first gigs, sign up for my FREE Start Course (Start Your Composer Career). The course is expected to be released in late February or March 2024. Use the link below to get instant access to the course as soon as it is out:

For more advanced composers:

Grammy-nominated composer J Scott Rakozy talks to us about his background in music, his process for creating convincing midi mach-ups, how he got to do the music for Hogwarts Legacy and much more!

Check out more about Scott at his website and Instagram:

https://www.jscottrakozy.com

https://www.instagram.com/rockinrakozy/

Emerging and Mid-career composers for film and games: check out this Masterclass in Soundtrack Analysis and Media scoring. The class is presented by the Hollywood studio composer and orchestrator Penka Kouneva. 10 weeks of intense study (weekly composing & feedback, analysis lectures, private mentoring sessions, independent score study & tons of curated reading). The objective of this experience is to give you a competitive edge and to propel you forward on your artist and career path.www.penkamasterclasses.com

Enjoy this special edition episode celebrating my 5-year anniversary as a video game composer. I give career highlights and share the big lessons I learned each year. If this episode is helpful or inspiring please share it with another game audio person you know. If you don't know any, meet someone. You can start with me, shoot me an email at [email protected]

Vinicius is an LA-based composer for film, tv and video games. He was nominated for an Emmy with his music editor work on Go Go Cory Carson. Vinicius reveals what he did to build connections and start working with well-established composers on major projects. There are a lot of invaluable and fresh ideas shared in this episode. Listen carefully and be ready to take notes and then take action!

Be sure to reach out with questions or episode ideas [email protected]

Nate Madsen is a long time veteran composer in the video game industry, with extensive experience as a freelance and in-house game composer. Nate shares really great insights and personal experiences on networking, prospecting for projects, personal improvement and so much more.

Follow Nate at his website https://madsenstudios.com