Composer Code
36 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsIt’s dangerous to go alone! Take this: namely, the knowledge, expertise, and best practices of established VGM composers, arrangers, and content creators. Join Matt Kenyon, VGM geek extraordinaire, as he interviews some of the most creative creators and dives deep into their thought processes — and how we can all make better music!
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Episodes
5 Things I Learned from Gareth Coker
August 27, 2021 17:01 - 1 hour - 124 MBWhat the composer of Ori and the Blind Forest and Halo Infinite taught me about making music for games.
Ep 27: Oozing into Game Audio with Jason Graves
July 08, 2020 14:39 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBJason 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
July 08, 2020 14:39 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBJason Graves is a game audio veteran with numerous AAA titles under his belt including Dead Space and Tomb Raider (2013)
The Principles of Orchestration with Eric Buchholz
July 06, 2020 04:00 - 42 minutes - 24.1 MBEric Buchholz is a talented composer and orchestrator who offered a glimpse into his illustratious career as well as valuable orchestration principles.
Ep 26: The Principles of Orchestration (Eric Buchholz)
July 06, 2020 04:00 - 42 minutes - 24.1 MBEric Buchholz is a talented composer and orchestrator who offered a glimpse into his illustratious career as well as valuable orchestration principles.
Monetizing Your Passion with Sydney Kjerstad (Smart Game Piano)
July 02, 2020 05:00 - 27 minutes - 38.8 MBSydney Kjerstad is a talented pianist, arranger, entrepreneur and VGM geek with tons of arrangement and business wisdom. Listen to our conversation now.
Ep 25: Arranging VGM for Piano and Monetizing Your Passion (Sydney Kjerstad, Smart Game Piano)
July 02, 2020 05:00 - 27 minutes - 38.8 MBSydney Kjerstad is a talented pianist, arranger, entrepreneur and VGM geek with tons of arrangement and business wisdom. Listen to our conversation now.
Ep 24: Tapping into Your Playful Side and Embracing Relationships (Tom Salta)
June 29, 2020 03:21 - 46 minutes - 65.3 MBTom 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 al...
Ep 23: Infusing Songwriting with Game Audio (Darren Korb)
June 06, 2019 15:41 - 45 minutes - 69.8 MBDarren 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...
Ep 22: Ukuleles, Dank Beats, and Composing Under Constraints (Daniel Koestner)
May 31, 2019 20:11 - 50 minutes - 78.8 MBDaniel 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 c...
Ep 21: Landing Game Audio Gigs with Class (Nathan Madsen)
May 25, 2019 00:45 - 42 minutes - 66.2 MBNathan 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, c...
Ep 20: Harnessing Creative Anxiety Through Music (Chad Seiter)
May 24, 2019 23:41 - 49 minutes - 75.1 MBChad 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 fantasti...
Ep 19: Succeeding as a Family-First Composer (Steven Melin)
April 16, 2019 09:30 - 47 minutes - 71.8 MBSteven 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 lis...
Ep 18: Starting with a Soundscape (Cajsa Larsson)
March 30, 2019 13:43 - 32 minutes - 44.2 MBWe 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.
8 Things I Learned from Grant Kirkhope
February 28, 2019 01:34 - 57 minutes - 89.1 MBGrant 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.
Ep 16: The (Inevitable) Interview with Grant Kirkhope (Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye 007)
February 28, 2019 01:34 - 57 minutes - 89.1 MBGrant 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.
Ep 17: Cool People Attract Cool People (Matthew Carl Earl)
February 13, 2019 01:46 - 48 minutes - 74.6 MBI 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 15: Connecting with your Instrument and Crushing Writer’s Block (Chase Bethea)
January 21, 2019 13:29 - 44 minutes - 85.5 MBI 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 14: Contrapuntal Chiptune, Orchestration, and the Power of Notation (Tony Manfredonia)
January 04, 2019 21:00 - 46 minutes - 103 MBI chatted with Tony about his origin story, the indelible impact of games like Majora's Mask, and how he approaches orchestrating a piano sketch.
Ep 13: Analyzing Video Game Music with 8-bit Music Theory
November 20, 2018 00:32 - 50 minutes - 30.9 MBThis 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.
Ep 12: Strategies for Getting Gigs and Playing the Long Game (Emmanuel Lagumbay)
August 08, 2018 14:46 - 54 minutes - 86.2 MBWe 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.
Ep 11: How to Build Worlds with the Orchestra (Garry Schyman)
July 11, 2018 19:45 - 56 minutes - 88.5 MBWe 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.
Ep 10: Scoring A Galaxy Far, Far Away (Gordy Haab)
June 29, 2018 17:10 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MBGordy 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."
Ep 9: Where VGM and EDM Collide (James Landino)
May 30, 2018 23:31 - 34 minutes - 49 MBWe 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.
Ep 8: Music Theory is Math That Makes Art (12tone)
May 25, 2018 01:02 - 1 hour - 60.1 MB12tone is one of the leading content creators in the music theory space, consistently delivering value with his signature top-down hand-written style of teaching.
Ep 7: Practical Advice on Getting Gigs and Creative Constraints (Taylor Ambrosio Wood)
May 20, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 130 MBI had the pleasure of speaking with Taylor Ambrosio Wood, a Berklee grad, marimbist, and talented video game composer.
Ep 6: The Sage of VGM Metadata Will Help You Get Paid (Sebastian Wolff)
May 11, 2018 02:10 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBIn this dense episode of Composer Code, I chat with the guru of music business knowledge: Sebastian Wolff.
How to get paid as a VGM artist with Sebastian Wolff
May 11, 2018 02:10 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBIn this dense episode of Composer Code, I chat with the guru of music business knowledge: Sebastian Wolff.
Ep 5: Creativity, Deadlines, Spreadsheets, and VGM Jazz (insaneintherainmusic / Carlos Eiene)
May 11, 2018 01:59 - 1 hour - 91.9 MBSuccess = consistency over perfection. That's the biggest takeaway I took from my value-packed interview with Carlos Eiene, aka, insaneintherainmusic.
Putting a deadline on creativity with Carlos Eiene (insaneintherainmusic)
May 11, 2018 01:59 - 1 hour - 91.9 MBSuccess = consistency over perfection. That's the biggest takeaway I took from my value-packed interview with Carlos Eiene, aka, insaneintherainmusic.
Composing for Cuphead with Kris Maddigan
May 11, 2018 01:54 - 59 minutes - 82.3 MBI had the privilege of interviewing Cuphead composer Kris Maddigan.
Ep 4: Cuphead Composer Interview (Kris Maddigan)
May 11, 2018 01:54 - 59 minutes - 82.3 MBI had the privilege of interviewing Cuphead composer Kris Maddigan.
Ep 3: Dealing with Creative Burnout (Steven Melin)
May 11, 2018 01:38 - 48 minutes - 67.1 MBI sat down with my good buddy and fellow composer Steven Melin to chat about creative burnout. This recorded conversation was recently featured on his podcast, Sonic Storytellers.
Ep 2: Stealing – the Only Path to Originality (8-bit Music Theory)
May 11, 2018 01:29 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBI had the awesome privilege of interviewing my favorite YouTube content creator, 8-bit Music Theory.
Ep 1: How to Become a Video Game Composer (Steven Melin)
December 07, 2017 21:34 - 52 minutes - 83.3 MBSteven Melin is a multi-talented video game composer out of Atlanta. I discovered his YouTube channel through poking around for some video game music theory resources.
Ep 0: 21 Ways to Compose Better Video Game Music (Super Marcato Bros)
October 03, 2017 00:08 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBThe Super Marcato Bros are Karl and Will Brueggemann. They are prolific video game music composers, podcasters, performers, enthusiasts, and all-around nice guys. Their Bandcamp boasts a catalog of over 30(!) albums, each demonstrating reverence for the formative melodies of their youth. The crown jewel of their creative careers seems to be their long-standing podcast, The Super Marcato Bros Video Game Music Podcast, in which they critique and explore video game music of all stripes. I sa...