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What is your favorite instrument to use in your work? I noticed that in Dark Moon, the bass clarinet was used frequently. Was this because it fit the "creepy comedy" aspect, or do you just like that instrument? What about the harp plays when you get an item?

Hmmm, I don't consciously have favourites, but I think I probably have instruments that I gravitate to for specific feelings or emotions...learned associations from a lifetime of watching/listening to films/cartoons.  I often think woodwinds work well for sensitive characters or making scenes more lighthearted, brass sections for action and excitement, etc...

Yeah, I'd say the Bass Clarinet is a classic choice for "creepy comedy" along with Organ.  Yup, harp too, especially those major7#5 and diminished arpeggios are very textbook.

Thanks a ton for doing this! It's really inspiring!

But every time I read this:

It makes me realize how long this road really is...

Well, maybe a long road to get the dream gig working on the renouned game franchise you've always wanted to be a part of.  But I'd bet you could find and get involved with a student project or an Indy developer by the end of next week if you really put your mind to it!!  I think if you get doing it you'll be surprized how you can create your own opportunities.

How might one learn about all the technical things like how to get the music in the game?

Good one.  There are many ways that music can be implemented in games. There are common 3rd party solutions

Fmod - http://www.fmod.org/
Xact - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff827590.aspx
Wwise - https://www.audiokinetic.com/resources/videos/

Most have tutorials on their sites or on youtube which you can watch.  Also some games are made with proprietary tools that are only used by that developer but the principals are exactly the same in all of them. 

Also, I'm not sure if you skipped it on purpose, (which is fine) but in case you missed it, Deku asked a good question I'd like to know too:

Oops, just missed that one.  I don't think I have any advice specific to arranging.  If you have a specific question I'm happy to try to answer.  But from my experience, not many developers will hire someone just to do arranging.  They usually expect that is part of the composer's bag of tricks and will ask them for any arrangement specifics.  In terms of general advice on improving your arranging abilities I'd say two things, actively listen to as much great music in as many genres as you can and transcribe bits to get inside them to see what makes them tick.

[extremely]

How much should a composer charge for working on a project?

That's extremely variable based on style, genre, quality and how fast it has to happen...or other variables like if you're recording real instruments vs sampled.  Also once you have a reputation for delivering or people want "your sound" then pricing can be very different. 

I'd say the average for video games ranges between $1000-3000 per minute.  That includes the master rights buyout.  Simple 4 piece arrangements (pop/rock or synth) being obviously on the cheaper side and full orchestrations on the more expensive side.

The important thing to keep in mind when you're starting out is that you need to get a reel happening.  No one wants to pay top dollar for someone who's never done anything before!!  So you need to be flexible.  I'd suggest working on small indy or startup projects until you get a significant reel together of published works.  Then you can start to leverage you experience to ask for more.  Also asking for points or royalties can work great if you believe that the project will be successful.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Do not ever, under any circumstances work for free.

There is no end to "free" and believe me many projects will go on and on and on...asking for revision after revision as development gets delayed.  Ask for something reasonable for what the project can afford with specifics about what they will get for that and detailed specifics about if they want more.  i.e.  Even if you charge $1 for 20 pieces with up to 3 revisions.  Make sure your contract outlines additional revisions at $X/cue.

Which brings up another point...get a contract in writing.

I hope that answers the question. 

1. What made Nintendo choose you as composer over other people applying for the job?

Well in my case they didn't really chose me per se, Nintendo chose to work with NLG to develop games for them.  But to answer in a slightly different way, "why would anyone hire one composer over another?  I think the answer is usually the same, when you're hiring you want everything. 
  - Great composer/arranger
  - Knows how to collaborate with other creative leaders like the game and art directors
  - Knows how to scale the compositions and arrangements based on budget and time
  - Good technical foundation in how to implement music in games

2. Would you want those who aspire to be a video game composer to follow in your footsteps or take a different route?

Well either would be fine with me.  I think the reality is that to make a career out of music everyone forges a bit of a unique path. 

3. What mistakes have you made in your journey to where you are now?

Wow, well probably too many to list!  Underestimating how much work a project was, undercharging for my work, taking on bad projects, etc...

But the most important thing is to understand when you've made a mistake.  If you can, correct it, if not apologize and learn from it.

1. Is there a specific process you go through when composing music?

When I work on my own, I like to practice and improvise for a bit as a warm up.  Often I'll work through some tunes in the Real Book.  Or create an exercise in a really cool iOS app called iReal.  Maybe I'll make a small progression or vamp based on a specific mode like Lydian b7 that has a specific tone to it.  Then I'll just improvise over it until I feel warmed up.  Some times those improv sessions produce some ideas that end up as cues!!

When I work with Darren and Mike we all sit around with our instruments in the studio and bounce ideas off each other.  Write a quick lead sheet or even verbally communicate a concept, someone starts to improvise the changes, the others improvise melodic ideas or rhythm section feels.  I think because we studied Jazz together it is quite natural to improvise in a group setting.  On a personal note I think this is the most amazing luxury.  The depth you get from having several people contributing ideas allows us to work really fast.  There is no second guessing whether an idea is good or not like when you are working alone.  If all three of us think an idea is good, then it is pretty likely going to work.  If even two of us question whether an idea will work, then it might not be a good path to keep pursuing.

2. Do the songs you compose go through multiple drafts before getting into the game? If so, how different is the first draft of a song compared to the final draft?

It depends.  A lot of the scoring for NIS or cinematics happens pretty fast and so they often end up being the first draft.  Gameplay cues tend to go through more drafts.  Most often tempo changes or tweaks to the arrangement to accommodate the various game states that are tuned by the Game Designers.  Remember that the game is still being made while we write this stuff.  So the gameplay is changing underneath us all the time.  I'll come back to a Boss Battle a week after we score it and it may have completely changed.  Some of the Bosses in LMDM were completely redone from the ground up several times!!

1. Do you think it is difficult to get a job as a video game composer? Are there many people trying to get in it?

Yes and yes.  I get around a dozen composer reels a day from people who want to get into video game composition.

2. What do you think is the best way to become a video game composer? I've heard the best way is to set up your own booth or something at an E3 conference.

The best way is to get working.  Now more than ever there are tonnes of small iOS and Android games getting made.  They all need music and SFX.  Search out and find some local developers and strike up some conversations.  In some cases agree to work on spec deferring payment until the game ships and taking points on each sale.  I've seen this work for many guys around Vancouver. 

3. How long does it take to make a soundtrack such as that for Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon? Would soundtracks for a more mainstream system (if you will, (e.g. WiiU)) usually take longer, or about the same?

Top to bottom I was making music for LMDM for about 3 years.  There is not much difference composing a Soundtrack for 3DS vs WiiU.  The time consuming part is the composing/recording.  Implementing them into the console is almost exactly the same process for both.

4. Does all coding for a game need to be programmed for a deadline set before the release date? (For testing purposes I imagine) How long is this gap between finished game and release date usually?

There are many checkpoints along the way to finalling a game.  Like most software development we follow a milestone process.  Alpha (content is complete)>>Beta (code is complete)>>RTM (Release to Manufacturing - Bug fixing is complete).  Alpha to RTM is usually around 8-12 weeks

5. What is the process by which a game may wind up with it's own soundtrack CD? Does this process involve you in collaboration with the other staff? If so, with who (specifically) and in what way? How are publishers for such CDs found?

That is really up to the Publisher (i.e. Nintendo) to decide, as they own all of the content, whether or not they want to release the content.  Usually their marketing department would be driving how/when it would be released.  Remember, once you've created it, they own the rights to chose how they want to distribute it.  It's not your decision to make.

6. Have you ever worked on a game that ended up with it's own soundtrack published and distributed as a CD?

I have worked on many published CDs, but I don't think Nintendo has released any NLG game soundtracks.  They have sold the tracks as ringtones in some countries I believe.


7. When writing a song, do you write the melodic line and add the accompanying parts to it after? Or start with chords and add melody after? (I'm mostly asking this because you said your prime instrument is guitar, and my guitar teacher starts his compositions with chords)

I think most of the time it is something I hear in my head first.  Usually melody against some sort of bass motion. Sometimes I write on an instrument, but you have to remember that your abilities on that instrument may limit what kind of ideas you create. 

When I do write on an instrument it can start off either way, melody first or just a riff ...or small vamp that gets the ball rolling.  I try to use the guitar as just a vehicle to get the ideas out.  I use a Godin classical guitar with a 13 pin output into a midi converter to get the ideas into ProTools. 

...and drop 2 and drop 3 guitar voicings are really great for Big Band, Brass and Orchestral writing!!

1. Do you feel that Punch-Out!! on the Wii is a worthy successor to the NES classic?

I like to think so!

2. Who is your favorite character in the Punch-Out!! series?

Don Flamenco

3. Not counting the ones that you composed, which video game/video game series would you say is the biggest inspiration to you music wise? (i.e., which game franchise has your favorite soundtrack?)

I think the Mario side scrollers will always hold a special place in my heart because of their innate "catchy-ness" and the fact that you can listen to those themes over and over without getting tired of them.

What advice do you have for those beginning to nosedive into the realm of Game Audio?

Other than the stuff I've talked about already I think games require you to be very diverse musically.  Learn to authentically write and arrange in as many styles as you can.  Not only because you will get asked to score in specific styles, but because those tools will help broaden and deepen your ideas in the styles you are already proficient at.  i.e. writing walking bass lines in jazzy ragtime pieces can add some unique elements to your palette of ideas when you're writing more traditional or classical string arrangements.

1. Is there any song in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon that you're not very convinced with or would want it to be different?

Yeah, there are a couple of NIS's that I wasn't completely thrilled with...or we had to compromise creatively with another opinion on the team.  But mainly because sometimes they're so short it is hard to develop/complete a coherent musical thought.

2. What is your favorite song of the game?
I'm really happy with how the Intro Movie turned out.  Love the flow of ideas and themes.  I also love the final cadence with the Polterpup at the end of the game...also the NIS intro leading into the Haunted Towers Boss (B6??)

1. How much experience did you need as a musician to get where you are today?

I suppose all of it.  I started playing music as a kid and I'm in my forties now.  I think one missing skill that a lot of musicians don't think about when they leave school is life experience.  There isn't really a short cut to living life and having experiences that you learn from...and most importantly learn about yourself. 

Being an Audio Director has a lot of aspects beside creating Music, Dialogue and SFX.  The first one being that you have to mentor and manage people.  Know how to get the best from them.  Get 4-10 people creating music or sounds that work together and sound cohesive.  Remember these are creative people with their OWN ideas.  You need experience to be able to give them feedback that makes the work consistent with the rest of the team but doesn't kill their creativity or ego. 

You also need to know that composing music for media is about understanding the humanity of a character and what emotion needs to happen at each point in the scene.  It's not just sitting down and writing a "cool piece of music" when you feel inspired.  That means personally knowing what it's like to fall in love, having your heart broken.  Losing a loved one.  Traveling to see some of the world.  Having a child.  All of these things give you perspective and empathy that allows you to create what is needed musically.

Other skills...you need to be able to budget both money and time effectively so you can communicate to your clients how much x will cost vs y.  How many minutes of cinematics can you score in a week and be happy with the quality.  Know which battles to pick and which ones to let go of when there is disagreements on direction. Understand project management and QA.  All of these skills have to be second nature so that you have the confidence to stand up in front of a group and get them excited and motivated to do their work...and also be confident enough so you can enjoy the process and not be stressed out!

I definitely could not done the Audio Director gig when I left college.  I made opportunities for myself and slowly gained these skills over years and years.  I learned pretty early that making a career with music is a lot more than just understanding music.  You need to learn the business aspecst of the industry. Working with people is a skill, get better at it.  Take risks.  Sometimes you hit a home run and sometimes you stumble and fall on your face.  The trick is to have the humilty to learn from your mistakes and not make excuses.  There are plenty of bitter and cynical people out there.  But I think if commit to making yourself better and learning every day the rest will fall into place. 

2. Are you working on any other "big" projects right now or in the near future?

Yeah, you bet!!  Of course Nintendo holds the reigns on when games get announced...not me. 

What inspired you to get into music and how did you get into the career you're in now?

I think just my love and passion for music made me chose it as a career.  I just love every part of the process.  Writing, performing, engineering, mixing.  Every aspect has its fascinating and creative parts to it.

 The getting here is a long story of course, but after I graduated college I did a lot of playing/writing in all kinds of bands from country, jazz, funk, rock, lounge to pop.  Worked on the Cruise ships for a couple of years.   I also did a lot transcribing which I think taught me the most about composition.  I grew up in a techy house as my dad was a Comp Sci guy and we always had computers around the house in a time when most didn't.  After a lot of live music venues started to dry up in the 90s and it was harder to make a living as a working class musician.  I built a studio and started doing more freelance producing and arranging as well as recording engineering to make ends meet.  Over the years I've filled some slow times with teaching at AI and Vancouver Film School.  I've been working with Nintendo at NLG for over 7 years now!  In that time I've made Mario Strikers Charged, PunchOut!! Wii, Ticket To Ride XBLA, Ghost Recon (for Ubisoft), and Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon.

I guess you need to be flexible and comfortable with change to make a go of it as a composer/musician. 

-a bit about your musical education
I did a Jazz Performance Diploma at Grant MacEwan in Edmonton.  After I finished that I finished the Recording Sciences program in the same dept.

-musicians that inspire you
Wow.  That's a big one.  Too many to list, but probably the biggest ones are the guys I get to work with Darren and Mike.  Alex our other Audio Director at NLG.  These guys are so great to work with and really make the whole process a lot of fun and inspiring!!

In terms of other inspiration (in no order):  Miles Davis, Paul Simon, John Scofield, Stravinsky, John Lewis, Mozart, Shoenberg, Elmer Bernstein, John Williams, Michael Giacchino, Sting, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Astor Piazolla, Paco De Lucia, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, ...the list is endless as long as it's good, I get inspired!!

-your primary instrument
Guitar

-some of your favorite musical works(any genre)
Another hard one, not much of a favourites guy, but I still love the score to the original Star Wars Episode IV.  So classic.  I've learned a lot about arranging by transcribing bits from that.

-and for fun, your favorite video games
Super Mario 2 and 3, Alley Cat (one of the first games I owned), Mario Strikers Charged, my wife and I used to play Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo every Sunday morning before we had kids 

Hey guys

Thanks having me.  I'll do my best to drop by and answer questions when I can, but if I miss your question it's probably because I'm working hard on our upcoming games!

1. Could you describe the process of writing the music for Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon? That is, how long it took, how many people worked on the music, how much creative freedom you had, etc.

I started writing style pieces back in November of 2009.  At that point it was really just 4 of us (Bryce - Game Director, Neil - Art Director, Ken - Producer and myself) at NLG locked in a small room blue skying ideas with NCL.  We would have daily video conference calls with Ikebata-san and Nakada-san discussing our high level ideas and potential concepts for the game and style it would take.  A few of the notable pieces that ended up in the game from this time period are the Main Theme that Luigi hums as well as the music that plays when the ghosts are pulling Luigi around the room with the Poltergust.

Darren and Mike came on board around August of 2010, if I remember correctly.  The three of us worked together to create all of the content.  We all studied music together in the early 90s and have worked together in various musical incarnations for over 20 years.

Nintendo has always given me a lot of latitude in terms of direction...which of course I really appreciate.  But of course like any game there are a lot of stakeholders.  So I presented and discussed the intended direction and pieces with Miyamoto-san, Ikebata-san and Nakada-san.  Totaka-san and Inagaki-san also chimed in with some written feedback from time to time through the development.

2. How inspired were you by Kazumi Totaka's score for the original 2001 Luigi's Mansion? Was the development team able to collaborate with Totaka for this game?

Well we paid homage to it by remixing "EGadd's Theme" in a couple of variations.  I think that both this game and it's predecessor fall into the style of classic spooky cliches.  We drew a lot on old classic cartoons of which there are probably too many to name.

3. Which parts of Dark Moon were easiest to compose for? Which parts were most difficult?

I think Luigi was easiest to compose for.  Any areas that focused on him where pretty straight forward once we had established the bass clarinet as "his voice" in the game. 

The most difficult...hmmm...probably the Slammers as the 3DS speakers don't pass a lot of low frequency information.  Characters that are tough bullies are easiest to characterize with low register instruments.  But the problem is getting those musical ideas to be heard when the speakers don't cooperate.  We ended up using a lot of divisi to get the motivs to speak through the 3DS without headphones.

4. As with the original Luigi's Mansion, Luigi begins humming the theme music if left alone for too long. Did the audio team work with Charles Martinet during the recording process? If so, could you describe that briefly?

Yes, we spent a week in Seattle recording with Charles.  I've had the pleasure of knowing him for quite a while now so it is very comfortable and collaborative vibe working with him.  We bring in literally hundreds of animation and storyboard sequences in ProTools sessions.  I usually talk him through the context of the scene and what we're thinking of.  We watch it together and then start doing takes.  He'll usually do a couple, then we'll stop iterate with some feedback, or maybe he has an idea.  We'll do a couple of more takes, then maybe he'll just improv.  That may spawn new ideas from me...  We're constantly bouncing ideas around.  The localization team from NOA is usually around, sometimes my sound design team will be around for some sessions that they have a vested interest in...  All in all, it's just a LOT of fun!!


5. Is there any music from Dark Moon that you like in particular, or that you'd like to talk about?
No, you know.  As they say, it's like having kids, I like all of it, hard to pick favourites.

6. Many people on this site have dreams of becoming video game composers. Do you have any advice for those people?

Be a good person and work hard.  =)