1980s: Level_1

I composed this piece as if it was from an arcade game from the 1980s. Inspired by soundtracks from the games Super Mario Bros. and Dig Dug, I tried to achieve a nostalgic arcade sound by limiting the amount of channels I could use. Because arcade machines at the time could only play around three to five channels or voices for music I utilized three channels for the melody and harmony, and one channel for percussion. This restriction posed a great challenge to me, as I usually utilize quite a few more instruments in my production, but I feel it also encouraged the creative process in the composition of this piece. 

1990s: The Promise

I wanted to change things up and try a new genre with this composition, so I decided to base this piece around a hypothetical horror game inspired by the soundtracks from Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Hoping for an authentic 90s video game sound, I tweaked the instruments I used through digital signal processing to give them a distorted quality and thin frequency range. Through simple minor piano progression and sparse instrumentation I tried to give the listener/player a feeling of isolation and loneliness. 

2000s: Pirate Bay

This piece was a bit of an experiment for me. Inspired by a little-known Pirates of the Caribbean game from the early 2000s, I wanted to try yet another different genre. By combining the culturally-infused themes of pirate music with Rock n Roll guitars and drums I tried to achieve an exciting and intense piece that could play during an action segment of a game. The “authentic” 2000s sound was difficult to achieve because of how music quality differed from the early to late years of the decade. I tried to find a balance between the thinner frequency range of the early 2000s and the much wider and complex sounds of the later 2000s. 

2010s: Champion

The final piece of my thesis was the most fun for me to compose because I was able to really do whatever I wanted. There were no technological restrictions on composers in the 2010s, so I had no limitations on what instruments or techniques I could use. For this composition I was inspired by the games Skyrim and Breath of the Wild, which feature prominently orchestral fantasy soundtracks. I wanted this piece to feel like a grand epic, something that would inspire players as they face challenging battles in a hypothetical fantasy setting. 

Thesi Motif Solo