Composer Code

It'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!

Monetizing Your Passion with Sydney Kjerstad (Smart Game Piano)

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

07-02
27:00

5 Things I Learned from Gareth Coker

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

08-27
01:20:03

Oozing into Game Audio with Jason Graves

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

07-08
01:28:00

The Principles of Orchestration with Eric Buchholz

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

07-06
42:21

Ep 18: Starting with a Soundscape (Cajsa Larsson)

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.

03-30
32:10

8 Things I Learned from Grant Kirkhope

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.

02-28
57:06

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

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.

02-13
48:38

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

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.

01-21
44:19

Ep 14: Contrapuntal Chiptune, Orchestration, and the Power of Notation (Tony Manfredonia)

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.

01-04
46:27

Ep 13: Analyzing Video Game Music with 8-bit Music Theory

This 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.

11-20
50:05

Ep 12: Strategies for Getting Gigs and Playing the Long Game (Emmanuel Lagumbay)

We 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.

08-08
54:09

Ep 11: How to Build Worlds with the Orchestra (Garry Schyman)

We 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.

07-11
56:14

Ep 10: Scoring A Galaxy Far, Far Away (Gordy Haab)

Gordy 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."

06-29
40:18

Ep 9: Where VGM and EDM Collide (James Landino)

We 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.

05-30
34:03

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