Composing for computer games
Composing for computer games
22 July 2008Chris horkan asks if video games are killing off the film music stars – and creating opportunities in the process
There are over 2,500 games that come out each year and I personally know over 600 composers who just do this for a living,' says Tommy Tallarico. The California-based 40-year-old is one the of the leading lights of the video game music industry, having composed music for over 270 games and scooped nearly 50 awards.
Tallarico's 19-year career spans the history of console games - from Prince of Persia and Cool Spot through to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and SpongeBob SquarePants. Back in the 1980s, he says, 'the idea was to get the music into a tiny amount of space'. He had four monophonic voices at his disposal, one of which only made white noise, meaning at most he could produce a triad at a time.
The Sega Mega Drive later offered six voices, while the advent of the CD-Rom in the mid-1990s meant multiple recorded instruments could feature. 'It went from computer programmers doing audio to opening the door for musicians,' says Tallarico.
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