I am Chris Huelsbeck, video game composer of over 27 years, over 100 titles. AMA

What are your thoughts about the recent romanticizing of chip tunes?

Awesome! I am thinking of doing something with Chip Sounds again too in the near future. Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams also had some cool Chip Sounds.

That would be brilliant! Which software / hardware you recon, you will be using?

I really like reFX QuadraSID, for which I also made a factory sound bank, but there are a lot of chip sound emulation plugins these days and who knows, maybe I would even use some real hardware if I can get my hands on it.

I will just post this master piece by Chris here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvha_2hAzq0

Hi Chris,

Long time fan of your music, such as above even to this day this song in imprinted in by brain. You were a big inspiration when I was producing music back in the Amiga days and want to thank you for all these years of musical pleasure.

:)

Happy to have inspired you for your own music! :)

Thanks all for now, but I will also keep answering more questions later. This has been fun and I hope to do it again in the future! Meanwhile, please check out my sites:

http://www.huelsbeck.com/ http://www.turricansoundtrack.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Chris.Huelsbeck.Musician https://twitter.com/Chris_Huelsbeck https://soundcloud.com/chris_huelsbeck http://chrishuelsbeck.bandcamp.com/

Hey Chris! I am a music student who might be interested in getting into video game composing and sound design, but I'm not entirely certain. What might you suggest I do to "dabble" in this field or just get a taste for what it's like? Apart from interning, which I'm currently working towards. Thanks! (I go to Berklee if that helps at all)

Well, first of all, are you interested in games by themselves - are you a gamer? Because that is the most important point if you want to get into game audio/music. And if you feel this could be interesting for you, there are many resources online. Check out the Game Audio Network Guild for example: http://www.audiogang.org/ To dabble in the field, I would suggest to check out mobile games and smaller upcoming teams.

Hi Chris! Being a long time fan of your music I wonder, now, when you're looking back at your long career and all the different technologies you've used to make music, what was your favourite technology and time? I guess creating music nowadays without much limitations must be very rewarding but are you looking back sometimes to programming the SID, for instance, directly? ;)

There are some nostalgic feelings toward the old days when we just created music with cool programming tricks and a lot of hexadecimal numbers, but you're right that it is so much easier to make music these days and without all these limitations from back then. My favorite time was the jump from C64 to the Amiga computer, because I could finally use sampled instruments which opened up a lot of possibilities. I don't know if I could go back to the old ways, but maybe it could be a fun hobby project some day! ;)

Hey Chris, just wandering, what program do you use to compose? Finale, sibeleus, handwritten, or something else?

I also want to composing for movies or games, any composers I should study?

I use mainly Steinberg Cubase (currently 7.5).

About any of the popular movies or games and their composers are worth to check out. Unfortunately I don't have any specific recommendation...

With a franchise like Star Wars or Doctor Who, do you ever feel tied down/limited by the existing music by John Williams/Murray Gold? Or is it helpful creatively to have a starting point to work from?

Edit:typo

On Star Wars we used some of the original tracks, but also wanted new music in the game and it was a very daunting task for me, because I admire John Williams so much and had many doubts if I could create music pieces that would do the game and franchise justice. Looking back I am more happy with the result now than I was back then and the fans loved what we put together, including the music. With Doctor Who I just had fun and wasn't worried - more excited because the Theme is such a classic synth tune and synths have always been my favorite instruments.

Hey Chris. Congrats on all the success you have had over the years. I am interested in what would you suggest for providing direction for the future game composers - aka my 8 year old son?

Music talent is a must, and you also need to love games of course. Also a solid music education as a foundation is very helpful these days. Maybe piano or guitar lessons are a good way to start.

Hey Chris, I just want to say that I a fan since I read about you in "Aktueller Software Markt" in '91 or '92. It is crazy to think about the time that has passed since I played Giana Sisters and Turrican on C64 with your soundtrack in the background.

Which franchise would you like to make music for if you could choose? Do you think our brains a a bit "differently wired" after all those years listenting to "PC-Qäcker" (8-bit) sound? Would you ever do an album in the "Outrun" subgenre of synthwave music? I think it'd be awesome (for me to listen to while driving).

If I had total choice I think I would love to make music for something like Dead Rising 4... but there are some cool things in the works. An album in the style of the Drive soundtrack would be interesting.

Hi Chris! Apydia on the Amiga was the first soundtrack I listened from you and one of my biggest inspirations, specially The Pond. How many channels did it use? It seemed like more than than 4 to me.

That is interesting, because it's more like 3 1/2 channels, since one of them would be used a lot by the SFX and I could not put a lot of relevant musical info there. I often sampled all kinds of chord combinations to make it sound like more channels and I also often used very short percussive sounds (drums/hihats for example) directly followed by a bass sound (like 1 or 2 frames later) on a single channel that would then sound like more than one channel already playing.

How much work went into realizing your music on the different hardware platforms of the time? The abilities of each computers sound chips varied massively at the time and some of the systems such as the Megadrive which used FM synthesis really coloured the music heavily.

I'll always prefer the Amiga's rendition of your soundtracks though, there is something really distinctive about that machine.

Yes, the Amiga was my favorite too, but I also had actually a lot of fun working on the Sega Megadrive (called Genesis in the US), with the different options for the sound. I not only used the FM chip, but also the PSG (that was part of Mastersystem compatibility mode of the machine) and we also mixed 2 sampling channels for drums and voices. I wish I could have done another exclusive title for the machine around that time to create something that would stand on its own.

In your opinion, what is the best original videogame soundtrack that you have composed?

In your opinion, what is the best original videogame soundtrack of all time?

(In my opinion, Ecco: Tides of Time is greatest of all time).

My best game soundtrack... hard to answer, but probably the Turrican Series. Jim Power is also still one of my favs.

For other game soundtracks it's also hard to decide... maybe Actraiser by Yuzo Koshiro. Halo was great too. Recently I really liked what they did in Dead Rising 3 with the music score!

Hey mate thanks for all the awesome music. What Kind of music outside of games do you enjoy the most? Also, whats your favourite drink?

Thanks mate! I love film soundtracks and electronic music - one of my favorite bands is Hybrid. My favorite film soundtrack as of late was Tron Legacy. And my drink of choice would be Coca Cola (I don't like the US version much though, because they use High Fructose Corn syrup as the sweetener, so I sometimes get the Mexican version which is still made with real sugar). I don't drink beer, which is why they probably kicked me out of Germany... ;)

Just wanted to say Turrican level 1.3 (Outpost) is one of the best video game tracks.

Thanks, I enjoyed working on all those tracks! I assume you know about the Turrican Soundtrack Anthology (turricansoundtrack.com)?

what is the best song you produced?

Usually I feel very attached the last one that I've worked on, but otherwise maybe the R-Type Title from the Amiga version.

Have you ever met Zircon? Any chance for a collab in the future, on anything? You two are my favorite Video Game composers. :D

Yes, I know him and we just talked at GDC about all kinds of things. There is nothing specific, but a collaboration would not be out of the question, I think! :)

Hey Chris, fancy seeing you here - I went to your masterclass at the FSHamburg and won a big Turrican package at your panel. Been meaning to say thank you! Keep on doing what you do! So what are you up to right now?

Happy that you enjoyed the Turrican Soundtrack and thanks for taking part int he FSH Masterclass, it was a great experience! I'm currently working on a casual game that is not announced yet, but should be released in a few weeks from now. My latest released project is "Doctor Who: Legacy", a free to play puzzle game for iOS and Android in the Doctor Who Universe.

What are the essential skills you would recommend learning, to move from being a composer of music for listening, to a composer of music for film/moving image etc?

Or more succinctly - What skill makes a film/movie/game composer different to someone just writing an album?

First of, there is still quite a difference between general music, film and game music composition. In film for example you are working to a linear medium, whereas games are interactive, which means the music needs to be composed and produced in a way that can change according to the state and flow of the game-play and the players input. There are different ways to achieve this and it would probably be a bit much to go into details here, but you prepare interchangeable parts, layers and scripting logic to change the music while the game is running. There are probably quite a lot of resources that can be found online on sites dealing with game development. There are some similarities to film composition in that you would be trying to match or create a mood of a scene or action which is again quite different from pop music creation, where the music is the central point of focus.

Oh, yeah, it's not linear. Instead of going ABCD the player might go ABADC or any variation and you have to make sure the music flows from one scene to the next. Of course back in the day it was pretty much "start a new track when the player goes through this door" but now that everything's so open-world more seamless transitions are needed. I've played some that flow just like a movie, so they're getting better at it.

Yes, there are amazing interactive scores now, recently Peggle 2 was very impressive. It's definitely an art to make a good interactive score.

Every time i talk with my friends I try to get them to play the turrican games or Apidya! Also proud owner of the Anthology!

Which Turrican did you enjoy playing the most, and did you ever beat Apidya :P What software do you use for your game sound tracks?

Keep up the work! :D

Thanks for the kind words! :) My favorite is Turrican 2 and yes, I have played through Apidya many time back then (I was a better gamer back then). My music software of choice for years (if not decades ;) is Steinberg Cubase, which does everything I need and more.

Hello there, Chris!

I actually am pretty curious how you made it into the industry. How difficult was it to be recognized and what did you have to do to get where you are today?

I was very fortunate to enter the industry at a time when my combination of skills was something very special that not many people did at that time. Back in the Commodore C64 days you had to program your own music software as well as being a composer and there were only a hand-full of people in Europe and the rest of the world who did this kind of work. I got my start when I won a competition in a famous C64 magazine, which also helped to establish my name. Today, a solid music education and special courses in game audio (which are now available) can help to prepare for a career as a game music composer.

I definatley do! When you set out to write a piece of music. Where do you take your inspiration from and do you do any background research?

Of course something you look what other people have done with similar games or scenes, but then I also sometimes go into a totally different direction, just to set a counter point of view. And a single unusual sound can also be a big inspiration.

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Thanks for your participation! It's always a possibility to copy something unintentionally, but hopefully it would be more of an inspiration than a 1:1 copy. There are still many ways to make something your own with all the sounds available today. I usually start with just a melody or a specific sound that I think would fit to a scene in a game or a mood that needs musical support and I develop things from there...

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Happy to be able to answer your question. You can also check out my music on Spotify.

Hello! I've heard from many different sources that composing is a hard job. What would you say is the hardest part about your job, both in a musical sense and a business sense? Thanks!

Often music in my profession is created on a time crunch and the hardest part is getting a piece started. Also, as a freelance composer you have to constantly promote yourself and there is always a worry about where your next gig will come from... but it can be very rewarding line of work.

What is your favorite soundtrack from any video game?

There was a similar question already asked and I answered Actraiser, Halo and Dead Rising 3. :)

Love the Anthology. Turrican 2 is properly my favorite overall of the 4 cd's, but tons of good tracks.

Did you have a debate with yourself to repeat the great theme at the end of Traps (after the built up in the end), or did you go for the do it like the original?

Almost every time I hear this track to the end I rewind to hear the main theme again. So I hear it 0:00 to 3:24 + 0:10 to 0:50. :)

I think the main reason was that the whole CD number 2 was already way over the time limit (79 minutes) of the CD Redbook format and I had to make some tough choices... ;) Maybe I'll create a special extended remix of it for my Soundcloud one of these days.

When composing an orchestral piece what do you start with first?

Melody on piano? Chord progression on strings? Bassline on an oboe?? I don't know lol

Oh & so you have any advice on how to change up your song. Like how to make the B section sound enough like the A section, but not completely change. Anything would help

Thanks for doing this!

I often start with a piano melody, but I also get inspired for new stuff by just browsing sounds or playing some chords. Sometimes I search for a totally unusual sound (maybe even something that I recorded with my portable Zoom H2) and start with that. If your B section is too far off from the rest of the tune, why not split it into a separate piece and create another B section. One tip would be to listen carefully how other composers go about B sections and try to match some of those changes (be it instrumentation or rhythm... there's always a lot to learn from other music).

What are your thoughts on the Assassins Creed 2 score?(My favorite game soundtrack)

Yes, Assassins Creed scores are all great, specially love the ones by Jesper Kyd!

Thanks for the AMA, my question is: How does one get into this industry?

These days it's definitely a bit more difficult to break into music and audio for games, because there are already a lot of very talented people competing for gigs, but if you got the talent and will, there is a way. There are many media colleges, and even some university courses for this specialty as well as a lot of information online. One way to get started is either try to create your own games (maybe on iOS or Android platforms) or try to connect with upcoming teams. It's not easy and quick to break into the industry, but it can be very rewarding.

I wanted to say that Turrican 2 on my Atari ST was one of the soundtracks of both my, and my brother's childhood.

My wife has been asking for some ideas for my birthday, and looks like I will be shooting her a link to the anthology.

Also, Impulse tracker was in the news a few weeks back for going open source after 20 years, and I was wondering, do you start your process with those sort of low tech/sequencer apps, or do you start with more hi-end/studio tools or traditional instruments and then 'digitize' what you have come up with?

Thanks so much! :) Give her this link: http://www.turricansoundtrack.com/

These days I almost completely work in Steinberg Cubase, which I find perfect for my needs.

Hi Chris, I was a visitor of "Symphonic Shades" and it was one of my greates gaming moments ever. It was also great for me to be able to help you with the creation of the CD release for the concert (we met at "Boris' Hotelzimmer" with the "Spieleveteranen").

Is there any chance of having another classic music concert with your music in the future? (in Germany)

I would definitely love to have another concert and it could very well happen as some point (hopefully soon).

Hey Chris, great to see you doing this. Also congratulations again on the amazing package that was the Turrican Soundtrack Anthology! Couple of questions if I may: when are you next in London - think we're still due a lunch date for my kickstarter funding tier (Symphonic Legends maybe?) And also, last weekend the UK's biggest commercial radio station, Classic FM, ran a two hour special playing nothing but orchestral video game music. The response was incredible with an overwhelmingly positive response to the music. Do you think video game music is under-represented in mainstream media and would you agree it deserves to be on a level footing with the best music other entertainment genres offer? Thanks Chris!

I really hope I can visit the UK again soon (the last time it wasn't just a layover was in 2005 I think ;) and I would be more than happy for a lunch. I also hope that video game music will become more popular (the signs are pretty good recently).

Well fingers crossed you can come to London in July then. Maybe Mr Bocker can sort you a ticket to Symphonic Legends!

Unfortunately I don't think it's going to work this time, but hopefully in the not too distant future - I always enjoyed London. Especially during the good old ECTS days! :)

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I did Super Turrican 1 & 2 as well as Jim Power and another conversion (a game called Jaguar XSJ). My favorite SNES game was definitely Actraiser.

What is your favorite game/s to play?

The last really cool one that I loved and played intensively was Portal (1 & 2).

I was on my way to bed when I saw your post on Facebook, and I just HAD to come here, what a great honor! I can't possibly explain how touched I am by your music, so all I can do is just thank you.

Since I'm a nostalgia addict, here's my little attempt to take another glance at the past. What got you into making game music? How did you start off, did you have anyone to guide you, or have you found your way on your own?

I wanted to make music with synthesizers, but I could not afford the expensive machines, so when I found out about the C64 and its synthesizer sound-chip (the legendary SID), I had to have one. After 2 years of just gaming, I wanted to become a game programmer/designer, but my love for music was stronger in the end and combined with my by then acquired programming skills (assembly language) I had an edge.

Hi Chris, since lots of people are calling you a legendary videogame music composer (wich you truely are :)) How do you think people will look at your work in, let's say 100 years from today?

I have no idea... I guess time will have to tell ;) Maybe if we're really lucky we will live as long (due to some future rejuvenation therapy) to see it for ourselves!

Your Turrican music really inspired me since I first booted it up on the C64. It seems that a new game in the series is not happening soon. But, is there (musically) still a future for Turrican? Or did making TSA felt like closing a chapter for you?

Definitely not a closing chapter and never give up the hope that there may be another Turrican in the future! :)

What was it like working with Machinae Supremacy?

Those guys are crazy cool and working together was awesome... I have yet to meet them in person, but I hope I will in the not too distant future.

Hey Chris, No question just wanted to say thanks! The great giana sisters theme was the wedding march at my wedding. I found a Midi version online and used some software to tranlate that to sheet music. Then the organist played it on a huge church organ. It was great!

Hey that is awesome! Do you have a video of it by any chance? :)

There might be some video on a VHS tape somewhere but nothing online. If I find it and put it up Ill find a way to let you know!

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Hey, he didn't say when he got married... could have been 10 or 15 years ago... ;)

Your title theme for Turrican brings me to tears every time. Up there as one of the all time greatest.

Thanks, very appreciated! :)

FM synth or MIDI?

Can you specify more? FM is a synthesis, whereas MIDI is a musical interface protocol. I prefer to work with MIDI more than tracking old-skool style these days because it makes for an easier work flow. And I still use FM sounds often in my pieces.

1.) What is your stance on Creative Commons, remix culture, etc. Do you actively endorse remixing of your tracks? 2.) Given all the limits that using trackers, little memory, early sound cards, etc. brought that musicians had to find ways of dealing with - would you say that making computer music back then was more creative / creative in a different way?

Concerning 1.) I love the remix culture and have no problems at all if remixes of my music are released in a non-commercial manner and with a credit attached. However, if they make money with it, I'd like to be contacted first and negotiate a fair cut.

About 2.) I'd say some of the creativity back then was to work within or find ways around the limitations, but you can still be equally creative about music making these days. I'm pretty sure if you would play some new and classic game music to a group of unbiased (younger) people, there wouldn't be much preference if the music itself is not total garbage. But we who grew up with C64 and Amiga have of course a strong nostalgic feeling about the music of those days.

Hi Chris,

when is your next appearance at the "Spieleveteranen Podcast"?

Btw i've won the Sound of Games Vol.1 CD and it is a great compilation with the old classic in new arrangements!! Great work!

Greets from Germany :-)

Rainer

I hope soon! Keep bugging them! :)

.

Thanks! :)

How does one get into composing music or sound design for video games? My brother already has a degree in audio recording, what would be the next logical step?

Very important question and I would like to point you to this post, which was very similar: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/213jxl/i_am_chris_huelsbeck_video_game_composer_of_over/cg9baom

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet, but what are your favorite VST's to work with? To broaden the question a bit, what are your favorite VST brands? (Native Instruments, ReFX, 8Dio, etc.)

I have a lot of plugins, but notable are the Korg Legacy stuff (with MonoPoly and M1 as my favs); Native Instruments Komplete (currently I have 8 Ultimate), from which I most use Kontakt, Battery and FM8; reFX Nexus 2 and QuadraSID, Spectrasonics Stylus RMX and Atmosphere (would like to upgrade to Omnisphere soon), Waldorf PPG Wave 3.v and the Waldorf Collection. Another favorite is SQ8L, a faithful freeware emulation of the Ensoniq SQ80, which is the synth I used for a lot of my Amiga work (along with the Korg M1). I also use quite a few of the build-in Cubase plugins, like Padshop Pro (which is totally awesome) and HALion Sonic SE. For sample libraries I have East West Orchestra Gold and Silver, Choirs Gold, Stormdrum 1&2 and RA, Spitfire Audio Albion I, 8Dio Dubstep, Steven Slate Drums EX and countless other as well as older libraries.

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Yes, the ST sound chip was a bit behind the curve at the time, but you could still make some fun music with it... ;)

My childhood wouldn't have been the same without you. I cannot get over the awesomeness of your tracks, and those of David Whittaker.

Is the Amiga R-Type tune also yours? because that one is great too and doesn't get as much love as it should. I used to play the intro to Turrican II in my old Amiga 500 for hours on end.

I missed your Kickstarter. Can I get that soundtrack somewhere?

Regards

Yes, the Amiga R-Type was my first tune using samples made with the Korg M1, which inspired me to do a different composition than on the C64. That's why it's a bit more film soundtrack like. About the Turrican Soundtrack Anthology album: it's available in 4 volumes on Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon and many other online music stores. If you are looking for the 4-CD Album - I am currently selling the last remaining reserve units from the Kickstarter limited edition (which will never be manufactured again)... more info on http://www.turricansoundtrack.com/

Speaking of Bandcamp; you can also find all my old albums as well as some newer EPs including the R-Type Themes EP in lossless FLAC format: http://chrishuelsbeck.bandcamp.com/music

Unity5: What's your take on Unity5 for just starting out?

Unity is a great game development tool for sure.

Might be a little late but what is your favorite video game soundtrack? Outside of your own work of course.

The latest one that impressed me was the soundtrack of Dead Rising 3. All time favorites are Actraiser (SNES), Halo and the Assassin's Creed series.

I love that you're offering some of your old music through Bandcamp, it's something I really wish more composers and labels would embrace. But I'd also really like to get my hands on are some of your old school C64 and Amiga soundtracks, and some other more obscure credits of yours. The only way to get most of that stuff nowadays is through direct audio rips which usually degrade the quality. Do you have any plans to make some of that available in the near future?

Yes, I do have plans for that, but it needs time to put it together properly... ;)

Hi Chris! Wird es den Quick & Silva OST im original mal geremastered geben?

Maybe! Definitely possible as part of a compilation or EP. ;)

Will there ever be anything that beats Halo or Skyrims soundtrack?

I just hope, I'll write it! ;)

How do you feel about Ghandi?

Cool Dude! :)