The Video Game Composer Podcast

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

In today's episode, composer David Fairfield talks about what he calls the creator's journey. Going from hobbyist, to time liberated, to mastery. David is a Music Composer, Sound Designer, and Audio Director who has worked in the gaming industry for 15 years. He has worked with some of the world's top companies and brands including Disney, Microsoft, Warner Brothers, and the Olympics. Most notably, David has worked with the Harry Potter, Minecraft, Disney Mirrorverse, and Club Penguin franchises. You connect with David through his LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/davefairfield/ or visit him at his website: https://fairfieldaudio.ca Shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com and let me know how your composer's journey is going, what topics you would like to hear covered in the podcast, who you would like to hear from, or just say hi. Go out and make it happen!

Today's guest is Kristofer Eng who is an award-winning composer for his work on the game It Takes Two. He is also the CEO of Elias software, which is audio middleware initially designed exclusively for video game music (sound design capabilities were added later). Kristopher talks about his musical upbringing, his entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, and how game composing led him to create his own audio middleware company. Kris is a big proponent of musical storytelling and using technology to aid, rather than get in the way of that process.

Maclain Diemer of Guild Wars 2, Salt and Sacrifice, and other great games joins us to share his valuable perspectives and experience on being a full-time composer for games.

Building strong relationships is crucial to any creative career, and it is especially true for game composers. A majority of the opportunities for game composers are freelance. With most of us working outside the "in-house" or company setting, having a robust network with solid relationships is essential. (It is also very essential to those wanting to work in a company setting as well). This is not an easy task; for most of us (myself included), it can feel unnatural, uncomfortable, and awkward. In this episode, I share 3 tips that have helped my networking feel more comfortable and genuine. I hope one or more of these suggestions can help you as well. I would love to hear from you about where you are at in your career and what is and isn't working for you right now, what you'd like to hear about in future episodes, and so on. Shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com connect with me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tysoncaziermusic/ or say hi using any of my contact info up on my website: https://tysoncaziermusic.com

In this episode, I share where I am focusing and what I am currently doing to grow my business. As video game composers our biggest problem, and the reason we don't have more work, is visibility. If every game developer on the planet knew who you were and was familiar with your music you would have more paid work than you could ever handle. Becoming less and less obscure, and more and more known should be the top priority to any of us that are a household - or at least an industry-hold - name.

Many good activities can be excuses that slow our progress toward great things. Forever tweaking tracks, learning more before you take the next step, doing it 'one day' after you update or buy this or that, on and on. Practicing, buying new gear, learning about the industry, and more can all be good things but sometimes we use them as crutches not to take the right actions. As you transition to doing these 'preperatory' activities AS you move forward, instead of 'before' you move forward you will make much better progress in your career. Reach out to me at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com and let me know what suggestions have or haven't worked for you, or what you would like to hear about in the future.

A great way to make more meaningful connections with video game industry leaders, add value, and have a lot of fun is by volunteering at industry events. This podcast tells a simple story of how volunteering can open doors and help boost your game composition career.

Well-crafted testimonials build trust. Trust is essential for having a solid video game composition business. The more people trust you, the quicker you will get deals and the more money your clients will be willing to pay you. In this episode, I break down six steps you can use to get killer testimonials of your own!

For many, networking is a word that induces stress and anxiety. A necessary evil that must be suffered through in order to find work. If only there was another way! There isn't. But an adjustment in how networking is approached could make all the difference. This episode will look at another way to think about networking that could turn it from foe to friend.

One role of music in media is to enhance the aesthetic appeal and goals of the project it is attached to. Our job as video game composers is to understand what the aesthetic of the game is and work to support it, as opposed to undermining or supplanting it. Reach out with episode ideas, comments, questions and so on at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

One fundamental role that music plays in video games as well as other media is through providing context. This is a very important role to understand and for composers to effectively use. This discussion comes out of chapter one of Chance Thomas' Composing Music For Games book, as a part of our CMFG study series. thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

One of the six most common roles of music in media is for music to propel the action forward. Understanding the essential role of music can inform a composer's craft and improve their ability to create effective and artful music for the media. Send an email with your ideas for future episodes to thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I share some of the things I learned at my first year going to the Game Developers Conference, GDC, in San Francisco. I got to meet a lot of artists, designers, programmers and fellow game audio folks. I made a lot of friends and it was a really valuable experience and I hope to share a little of that value with you. Please reach out to me with any suggestions for future episodes at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Music has a powerful ability to heighten our emotions. Experienced directors and game producers take advantage of this by creating great relationships with composers and getting the right kind of music in their media. Knowing about this important characteristic of music can help you when you speak with potential clients and can also help you pay more attention as you work on and develop your craft. Be sure to check out other episodes of the Video Game Composer Podcast and let me know what kind of content is most helpful to you! thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this interview, music business and networking master Akash Thakkar shares powerful tools on how to cut through the noise and build genuine relationships and connections. Use these strategies to prepare for big conferences like Game Developers Conference, GDC, or even local meetups or zoom conversations. Learn How to ask the right questions, give better answers, have better mindsets to adopt, and much more! Send in your comments, stories, questions, and episode suggestions to thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, we are talking with solo dev Jack Breen of Hybrid Studios who is the creator of Gigasword. Not only has Jack done all of the art, design, and coding but he is also the composer for Gigasword. In this interview, Jack gets into his influences, workflow, and philosophy on music and games. He also talks about what he does to cut through the noise in a crowded market. Connect with Jack, follow what he is doing, and support Gigasword: Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/726600008/gigasword-an-action-puzzle-metroidvania Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hybrid_Games_ Discord: https://discord.gg/ZXH6XPUaKh Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh1fijKgdW9n0rSUngWkHOw

There are 6 important roles that music can fill in media. The first of these six, setting the mood, is what we will be discussing today. Knowing the purpose of your music within a game will help immensely when digging into the planning and composition processes and help you to be a much better composer and asset to the game team.

Quick episode defining the term "Diegetic." Knowing the lingo in an industry is important, especially when you are new and you don't know as much.

In this episode Tyson Cazier gives 5 exercises you can practice to improve your effectiveness at using the scoring language. These exercises can help you to understand harmony on an emotional level and use chords with more sophistication, write melodies that can better express complex emotions, and know how to write music that directly speaks to the emotions of others. Send examples of your exercises to thevideogamecompserpodcast@gmail.com to share what you have been working on. Remember to go out and make it happen!

Imagine being able to captivate audiences' imaginations and emotions with your music just like a great novelist can do with their words. Mastery of the rules and grammar of the scoring language can help you achieve those ends.

Music scoring is a language that you are already fluent in, this episode explains how. This is a very exciting and freeing concept for those of us that are struggling to become full-time video game music composers and sometimes wonder if we have what it takes. I love to hear if this message resonates with you or not, if you have questions, or requests for episodes. Shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Introducing a new study series! When I first got started composing for games, and knew basically nothing, I had the great opportunity to meet game composer icon Chance Thomas. He told me about the text book he wrote to help young composers like me and recommended I study as if I were getting a Master's Degree in game composition. I read through the book back then and it was very helpful, if you've listened to earlier episodes you've heard me talk about it. I have decided to start the book again and do an even deeper dive and share my studying and insights with you. I recommend you get the book to study along. At the time of recording this podcast episode I don't have any kind of affiliate marketing set up, but if I do I will paste a link right below. If you missed the interview where I interview Chance it's right here: https://anchor.fm/tyson-cazier/episodes/Interview-with-Chance-Thomas-Composer-for-DOTA-2-and-Lord-of-the-Rings-Online-e102ufe

Writers block is super frustrating!!! In this episode I share one strategy I use to get my ideas flowing.

I share 3 production tips to start doing (if you're not) to immediately improve your music production quality. Layering samples, automation curves, and recording live instruments are three no excuses techniques that can really improve your sound.

In this episode I share four tips on how to stay organized and on top of your business.  It is far too easy to get unbalanced and give to much focus on one are of your business at the expense of other areas.  This episode offers some ideas to help get your composition business back in balance while maximizing productivity.

The monthly report! This is my first monthly report episode.  In my monthly reports I report on how my business is performing and progressing in the four core areas of my business: Learning, Producing, Networking, and Visibility.  Starting in June 2021 the monthly report will happen the first episode of each month and report on the previous months efforts.  These reports are a great way to take a peek inside my business, see what is and isn't working, track my progress over time and apply what you learn to your business.  Shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com and let me know what topics you would like to hear about in the podcast.

In this episode I had a great conversation with Chance Thomas. Chance has been entrusted with prestigious titles and high-value entertainment properties again and again in his career - The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Warhammer, Marvel, King Kong, Dungeons & Dragons, DOTA 2, Star Wars, Monopoly, Heroes of Might & Magic, Left Behind, Jumanji and many more.  Follow chance by visiting his website https://hugesoundrecords.com

It is very important to value your work as a video game composer. This episode talks about how you can do that by discussing how much to charge and why you should charge your clients.

The two common shortages are money and time.  Most of us are often looking for more of these two things.  In this episode I talk about how to find more of both of those.  This is one of the small and simple principles, that most people don't take the time to do, that can be a big game changer in your personal life and career path.  I would love to hear your experience trying this challenge, shoot me an email at thevideocomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Getting your first gig is so important!  It's your initial 'foot in the door' experience to the game industry.  Once you get your first video game composition gig you can officially call yourself a video game composer.  Use these 3 suggestions to make it happen and get your start in the industry.  If you have tried these and haven't gotten your first gig yet, feel free to reach out to me and I would love to troubleshoot, problem solve and strategize with you.  Send me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

If you don't have clients, you probably weren't doing enough prospecting 3 to 6 months ago.  In this episode I will give a couple tip on how to use prospecting to get video game clients. I would love to hear what has worked or hasn't worked for you with prospecting. Send me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I share the four pillars or cornerstones that I've found that you can use to build a successful video game composition career (or any career for that matter).  The four pillars are 1) Learnung 2) Producing 3) Networking and 4) Visibility.  I hope some of these ideas will be valuable to you and help you achieve your dreams faster!  I would love to hear how you are implementing these ideas, send me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Invterview with accomplished composer Stephen RIppy. Stephen is currently the audio director for Boss Fight Entertainment.  He has composed for many projects including Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Age of Empires III, Age of Mythology, Halo Wars, CastleVille, Dungeon Boss and many more.  He shares his experience and knowledge that he has acquired from over 25 years as a full time video game composer. Check out Stephen Rippy at his website: https://www.stephenrippy.com/index.html As always, I would love to hear from you.  Shoot me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we have special guest Rachel Robison. Rachel is a composer for games, film and visual media.  She also has this magic about her where she seems to know everyone.  I brought her onto the podcast to share with us her experiences and journey with building a strong network within the gamine and game audio community. Follow and connect with Rachel via her social media channels: https://twitter.com/robel_rachison     https://www.instagram.com/robel_rachison/     https://www.facebook.com/robelrachison I would love to hear from you! Send me an email at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I share my thoughts about scarcity versus abundance mentality.  I don't talk too much about music in this episode but I think the principle is very worth listening to and exploring, especially when trying to carve out a place for yourself in our competitive game audio landscape.

Sometimes I focus too much on growing my business and don't allow myself to practice and improve on skills that I need to work on. In this episode I share a story that was shared with me to help put things in perspective and bring more balance to life.

In this episode I will talk about a principle I use from Atomic Habits by James Clear, called a habit contract, to get more done and be a better version of myself. This has been a powerful strategy in my life and I hope you will find great use for it in yours as well. I would love to hear from you about your experiences trying the habit contract. Email me at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we will talk about the why and what of a morning routine. Why they are important as well as what to include to help get your day off to a powerful start.

This episodes is starting the conversation about the business side of composing. Sales, prospecting, strategy, all the good stuff will be talked about! Take care of your business so your business will take care of you!

This is what it's all about! This episode discusses strategies for getting your first gig(s) doing music for an actual video game. It also talks about what you need to look for and why you need to be choosey and particular in accepting your first project with a video game developer. This step will help you launch your career and give you an outlet for your passion

Creating a solid demo is essential for launching your career as a video game composer. This episode discusses actionable strategies you can use to et your demo made quickly and effectively. I'd love to hear what you create or suggestion on what you would like to hear in future episodes. Email me at thevideogamecomposerpodcast@gmail.com

Learn about four action steps you can take that will get you started strong in becoming a video game music composer. These are not the only steps you can take when getting started but all four ideas presented are powerful and can help you yield great results.

This episode is step zero to becoming a full time video game composer. Step zero talks about helpful mindsets to have before you take your first steps to become a full-time composer. Thus, step zero!

The Video Game Composer Podcast is a discussion on how to become a full-time video game composer. Strategies, tips and even some interviews all aimed at helping you in your journey to become a full-time video game composer.