I'm a Composer at Harmonix, AMA!

[KgZ]

Hello Newgrounds!

My name is James Landino (previously known as KgZ) and I am a game composer and sound designer working full time at video game developer, Harmonix Music Systems. Our company has released big franchises such as Rock Band and Dance Central.

I've had numerous people asking me questions about the game industry, how to break in, what tools I use, and so on. I'm happy to offer my advice and wisdom to you folks who want to learn more about anything you could be curious about.

You can check me out here:
www.soundcloud.com/jameslandino
www.twitter.com/jameslandino
www.facebook.com/jameslandinomusic

Ask away! I'll be on the internet forever :D

[KgZ]

At 12/2/14 05:51 PM, NekoMika wrote: Pretty cool stuff. Any updates of music in the Amplitude remake?
Also, pic of where you tend to work on musics?

There's 3 audio guys including myself creating in-house music, as well as SFX and level design. As someone who heavily grew up on Japanese music rhythm games, I think you will notice the songs I've composed for Amplitude HD to have a good amount DDR/IIDX inspiration and influence here!

Unfortunately, I just left work and back home but I can show you my home studio setup, don't mind the mess though.

[LunyAlex]

Hey there!
Dope home setup and really awesome work!

Qs:
What would you say has been the best (happiest/proudest/most fulfilling) moment in your musical career?
and
What's your go-to #1 Tip for any aspiring musician?

Cheers!

[KgZ]

At 12/2/14 08:44 PM, LunyAlex wrote:
What would you say has been the best (happiest/proudest/most fulfilling) moment in your musical career?

Hmm... I would say one of the most fulfilling moments was when SEGA composer Jun Senoue (Sonic 3, Sonic Adventure 1 + 2) reached out to me personally to say kind words on the original music I wrote for a fanmade game called, "Sonic the Hedgehog: After the Sequel." The game had over 4 hours of brand new music based on the Sonic ethos between myself and 6 other composers. To be recognized by one of my idols and inspirations really holds close to me.

What's your go-to #1 Tip for any aspiring musician?

Cheers!

Brand yourself, be yourself. Don't imitate or emulate your favorite composers, other else people would rather just hire the original. I found the most work in my career because I made a sound that was unique to myself, and people approached me because of what I can produce.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to do most audio skills, to some basic degree. My personal motto is: "Be good at everything, but be known for being really good at one thing."

[Bosa]

At 12/2/14 09:18 PM, KgZ wrote: That doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to do most audio skills, to some basic degree. My personal motto is: "Be good at everything, but be known for being really good at one thing."

Wow, somebody on this site who has some really good advice! I just wanted to say it pleases me to see somebody who is living their musical dreams in the industry offering their insight and assistance on Newgrounds.

[stunkel]

Thanks so much for doing this AMA!

Here are some questions:

Many people have said that connections are just as or more important than the art itself. Do you agree or disagree and what is your personal experience regarding that?

Most of us are at a place where people are asking for free work from musicians, most of the time because they don't have the money. Do you have any thoughts on this and do you have any ideas of what to do when a developer can't afford to pay?

Also, in regards to sound design, how important would you say implementation is for gaming? I am well-versed in sound design but as for anything programming related I am definitely behind.

Thanks again!

[KgZ]

At 12/2/14 11:16 PM, stunkel wrote: Many people have said that connections are just as or more important than the art itself. Do you agree or disagree and what is your personal experience regarding that?

Boring answer would be "they are both equally important," and that's true. If I was forced to pick a side though, the art definitely holds more value. I'd say 65/45.

You need to show your content to all kinds of people. But at some point there's a limit. For all of the content I produce, I create an appropriately sized marketing plan to reach out to audiences. Knowing when it's time to stop selling "old news," is key. In the internet age, artists can become forgotten or irrelevant very fast. I believe that by making new content constantly, you kill both birds with one stone.

That being said, I wouldn't have gotten my job at Harmonix if I didn't network at my local city's game developer meetups.

Most of us are at a place where people are asking for free work from musicians, most of the time because they don't have the money. Do you have any thoughts on this and do you have any ideas of what to do when a developer can't afford to pay?

Every veteran composer has been there. I heard a cute strategy once, called the Three E's. "Experience, Exposure, Expenses. If you believe the gig will be helpful toward -two- out of the three, it's potentially worth it."

I think there's a lot of truth in this. One of the best gigs I ever worked on professionally was a non-commercial fangame called "Sonic the Hedgehog: After the Sequel." Everyone on the project worked on this massive game for free, including the developers. Knowing that they we were all trying to gain experience and exposure, it was worth it to collaborate and contribute to something that eventually became an incredible portfolio asset.

As hard as it may be, you need to know your limits when you approach a developer or they come to you. If you can't say "No" in a negotiation, they're going to take advantage of you, and you're going to regret it.

I would recommend negotiating for an appropriate size of the game's sales total revenue (between 5% to 10%). This was how the game developer of "Aces Wild," agreed to compensate my work.

Also, in regards to sound design, how important would you say implementation is for gaming? I am well-versed in sound design but as for anything programming related I am definitely behind.

Thanks again!

Developers love it when you can be completely self sufficient. Learning up on audio middleware such as FMod and Wwise are your best bets to get into audio implementation. Going beyond with specifc scripting such as C# is even better. Unity is a great sandbox for learning and experimenting with basic implementation. 99% of all audio is implemented pretty straight forward - it's definitely not as bad as one might consider.

[MattOHaira]

Thanks for those advices James, you're work is great!

Matt

https://mattohaira.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/matt-ohaira

[KgZ]

At 12/3/14 05:09 AM, MattOHaira wrote: Thanks for those advices James, you're work is great!

No problem, I'll keep giving you guys information for the rest of the week (or until you guys stop asking questions haha)!

Thanks to everyone who's asked so far :D

[frootza]

WOW! Dude, I cannot express how cool this is. I was a huge, HUGE fan of Frequency and made tons of tracks on that when I was a kid (I'm not sure if you were working with them back then due to your age, but still so awesome!)

1) Do you think that composers who are truly monetarily stunted have a chance at competing with other composers who can afford the more high end VSTs and Plugins? I haven't been able to afford anything at all to further my composing sound just yet and it can be disheartening to see artists who are putting stuff out there with the full Kontakt library where no matter what I do I feel like I can't compete based on my own small sound library.

2) Has working with Harmonix helped you with regard to live gigging? I think that for some of us bringing our music into a live setting whether that be full band or just DJ-ing is an important goal. If not, any tips in this realm anyway?

3) This one is going to be tricky, but I think these two questions. How, and more importantly (if you can answer) why do you think you were selected or were able for you to get the full time job at Harmonix? Knowing the answer to these specific questions may be able to help other artists understand how you got there which may help them get there themselves :)

Usually mods would go for threads like this as a self advertising threads, but considering your status and willingness to open this as a bit of a Q & A I think they are leaving it as is haha.

[KgZ]

At 12/3/14 12:28 PM, frootza wrote: WOW! Dude, I cannot express how cool this is. I was a huge, HUGE fan of Frequency and made tons of tracks on that when I was a kid (I'm not sure if you were working with them back then due to your age, but still so awesome!)

Hahah! Nah, I would've been probably 11 or 12 when the original Frequency came out.

1) Do you think that composers who are truly monetarily stunted have a chance at competing with other composers who can afford the more high end VSTs and Plugins? I haven't been able to afford anything at all to further my composing sound just yet and it can be disheartening to see artists who are putting stuff out there with the full Kontakt library where no matter what I do I feel like I can't compete based on my own small sound library.

In regards to more acoustic music like Orchestral, I believe better libraries make it easier and faster to create a better sound. However, I have personally gotten far with default or basic libraries included in my DAW or in the basic free Kontakt library. What makes something sound realistic isn't necessarily the quality of the sample recordings- it's how you shape and give the instrument realistic expression. By manually adding automation such as vibrato, expression, after touch and volume you will quickly notice how far you can push the limits of the basic libraries that you most likely have. The secret to creating convincing music using "fake" instruments is purely automation.

2) Has working with Harmonix helped you with regard to live gigging? I think that for some of us bringing our music into a live setting whether that be full band or just DJ-ing is an important goal. If not, any tips in this realm anyway?

I agree- it's a very important goal for sure. As an EDM producer and game composer, my efforts have been to be a musical bridge where I can combine both audiences of EDM with Video Game Music. I aim to create a palatable art-form where the general audience could instantly hear my song in a live setting, while recognizing that it has a "video game aesthetic." I think you will find greater success of getting into a live setting if you continue to brand your music in a way that people could easily identify as "live music."

3) This one is going to be tricky, but I think these two questions. How, and more importantly (if you can answer) why do you think you were selected or were able for you to get the full time job at Harmonix? Knowing the answer to these specific questions may be able to help other artists understand how you got there which may help them get there themselves :)

Well, I started at Harmonix working in QA (aka game testing) and I worked in that department for about a year. Meanwhile, I was simultaneously trying to build my brand as an independent artist outside of Harmonix, meanwhile hounding the Audio Director for any sort of audio I could contribute towards (for free, by the way). QA was an awesome experience though. It strengthened my understanding of the game development production cycle and the collaborative environment. Developers particularly care that you have experience and knowledge in both of these. QA is a the ultimate entry level position to get your foot in the door and learn -exactly- how game development operates.

I think it's also important to note that I am still the youngest person at the company. Most employees (and this is true for most game devs) are older veterans, who worked there for many years because naturally - it's hard to get a job as a musician and artist. I came into Harmonix already having a strong understanding of the latest cutting edge software tools and skill sets within digital audio. Because I lack years of experience working inside a company, In the perspective of a business I am cheaper than the other senior level audio guys who've been around for 5+ years because of their accumulated experience. As morbid as it might sound, a business would naturally keep the employees who can produce the same quality of work at a cheaper expense.

Toward the end of my experience within QA I had already contributed a small amount of audio to a few games, people enjoyed working with me, and I had a basic well rounded understanding of game development. Combined with my strong background in audio and my perceived cheaper value as a young artist, I believe were the defining reasons.

[Calamaistr]

At 12/2/14 09:18 PM, KgZ wrote: Brand yourself, be yourself. Don't imitate or emulate your favorite composers, other else people would rather just hire the original. I found the most work in my career because I made a sound that was unique to myself, and people approached me because of what I can produce.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to do most audio skills, to some basic degree. My personal motto is: "Be good at everything, but be known for being really good at one thing."

Finally someone from 'the industry' that actually gives good advice. :)
I wholeheartedly agree.

greets. -cal.

[Will]

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Can you walk us through your songwriting process? What comes first, how do you expand an idea into a song, etc?

[KgZ]

At 12/5/14 04:30 PM, Stupor wrote: Thanks so much for stopping by!

Can you walk us through your songwriting process? What comes first, how do you expand an idea into a song, etc?

For me, the most important part is figuring out my sounds and instruments, before I start writing. I get inspired by making a really cool synth pad or lead line.

I find that if I create my own patches or build my own sampler instruments (recording something from my microphone and pitching it) I get more involved and inspired to use it and make something cool out of it.

Generally, I'll start a session building my own drum loops or patterns, then export to audio. Then I start a new session and build the synth tools. From there I combine my drum loops and start seeing what I can do with what I've created. I find that the best way to be productive is to set the boundaries. An empty DAW session is daunting and intimidating to me. Trying to concentrate and just burn out a track from nothing is even more stressful. If I just make cool sounds while distancing from the actual composition experience, I find myself more inspired and productive as a result.

[tiscur]

first off, thanks for taking the time out to do this.

my question is, how would you suggest some one living in an area where there is little to no community for gaming, get out there and introduced to developers. is there a site that has forums of people looking for things? (maybe like this one, but more active or more suited for developers seeking composers)? just like small projects or even gmod / source filmmaker videos

https://soundcloud.com/tiscur

[KgZ]

Thank you all for the kind words! :D

At 12/14/14 08:07 PM, tiscur wrote: first off, thanks for taking the time out to do this.

my question is, how would you suggest some one living in an area where there is little to no community for gaming, get out there and introduced to developers. is there a site that has forums of people looking for things? (maybe like this one, but more active or more suited for developers seeking composers)? just like small projects or even gmod / source filmmaker videos

That's a great question. In my opinion, the best approach is to make friends with developers, whether it's through the internet or in real life. Try not to think of it as "networking," but a genuine interest in meeting and getting to know people. For your case where it's difficult to meet these people IRL, I've found some of the best ways to get yourself introduced online is honestly platforms like Twitter and then following up with email or Skype. If you do detective skills you can hit them up on Facebook too. Today's internet generation makes it incredibly easy to contact your favorite developers and make friendly conversation.

The reality of the game industry (indie or AAA) is that more often than not, people hire their friends or people they respect. Most of the time, you will not be hired solely because of your audio but that they like you as a person and would enjoy collaborating with you.