[expand title=”Show Transcript”]
00:00
hello everyone and welcome to episode 20
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of composer cast on this episode I chat
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to the lovely Tony Manfredonia a
00:07
composer and orchestrator based in
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Michigan his music has been played
00:11
across the United States appeared in
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video games used in live theater
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productions and is now published through
00:17
both music spoke and new music shelf so
00:24
yeah you’re at your composer and an
00:27
Orchestrator correct so what’s the
00:30
difference between those two just for
00:31
anyone listening yeah well you know
00:37
composing is purely original I you know
00:40
or in a sense arranging or incorporating
00:44
something that’s public domain you know
00:46
I consider that composing now
00:48
orchestrating you know I’ve not done it
00:52
too much admittedly but I’m always
00:55
studying and I’m always kind of pushing
00:58
for it but orchestrating for example the
01:01
last time I did it someone sent me about
01:04
four minutes worth of music for piano
01:06
that he wanted to you know for full
01:09
orchestra okay what he’s done with what
01:11
he’s done with the music I have no idea
01:12
but it was sort of like you know he saw
01:16
my orchestration tutorial series and was
01:18
like hey like I saw you do orchestration
01:19
like could you orchestrate this so it
01:21
was not any of my music necessarily it
01:25
was his notes his harmony his melody and
01:27
so forth arranged orchestrated for
01:31
Symphony Orchestra essentially so you
01:35
know that I guess that would be the
01:36
difference yeah that makes sense that’s
01:38
cool right yeah um so what was what was
01:41
your experience growing up like what was
01:44
your first instrument how early did you
01:46
start playing ah yeah so I guess so I
01:51
was in second grade which means I was
01:54
roughly seven years old my mom is the
01:57
pianist okay and my dad is a guitarist
02:00
he doesn’t do it professionally but my
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mom does she plays organ and piano for
02:06
church music basically oh yeah and so I
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mean I grew up
02:13
kidding like I was based I would be
02:15
sitting behind her organ like throughout
02:18
church services and stuff so like I kind
02:19
of grew up with a lot of liturgical and
02:22
sacred music um and so she she taught me
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piano when I was roughly seven or eight
02:29
years old so that was like the first
02:31
instrument but I eventually kind of
02:34
leaned more towards the like singing and
02:38
so I still play piano but I didn’t
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really like it wasn’t my secondary
02:43
instrument if you will when I was in
02:44
college like I was composition major
02:46
with a vocal concentration yeah so
02:50
mainly a mainly a vocalist I guess you
02:53
could say but I dunno can oh yeah that’s
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really cool
02:56
I mean yeah piano for me I I know the
03:00
theory behind it I know I think I
03:02
started off with them my mum made me
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take organ lessons so I was doing the
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whole waffle church organ kind of thing
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I never got to play in a real church as
03:10
to one thing I never managed to do but
03:12
on the electric organ and had one of
03:13
those at home but now awesome yeah it’s
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really cool instrument but now when it
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comes to it I know the theory but I
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couldn’t I can’t perform so I don’t
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class myself as like a pianist or an
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organ player I just know how to I can
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write for it but I can’t perform if that
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makes sense right now that makes total
03:30
sense I’m a total sense yeah how did you
03:33
get into composing so what was the first
03:36
sort of inkling that you had that you
03:38
thought oh I really want to write
03:40
something myself yeah and you know it’s
03:43
it’s honestly it happened very late you
03:47
know you think of there’s like the
03:49
composer’s these days oh you know
03:50
they’ve been writing since you read
03:52
their BIOS in writing since age 2 and
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I’m like ah that was not me at all
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I was in high school I was a junior high
04:01
school so my third year and at that time
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I really I was my brother went into
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engineering school I was thinking about
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maybe going into law school but I was
04:13
still I mean I was still like performing
04:15
even the musicals and concerts and
04:17
things and I would cover a lot of rock
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music like piano and singing like
04:23
singer-songwriter type stuff yeah
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I would cover a lot of that and then my
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girlfriend at the time she was like oh
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you should totally try writing something
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and I was like you’ve got to be kidding
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look at that’s never could happen and so
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I just I gave it a whirl I gave it a
04:39
whirl and I loved it
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no granted I don’t write that kind of
04:43
music much anymore
04:45
I do for fun if I ever get it like time
04:47
and a chance like singer-songwriter or
04:49
like alternative rock type but that was
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sort of my origins and so then I went to
04:55
my first year of university and for
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music composition because I decided I
05:01
wanted to major in it but I was very
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naive to the whole thing at my first
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year of college I was like wow there’s
05:06
so much more than the writing music than
05:08
just like what I have been doing right
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um and so I eventually you know kind of
05:13
learned the ropes there and then
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transfer it out and started at a
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different University for the next four
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years because it was it was oh I almost
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feel like that first year of university
05:20
for me was like really learning what
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music composition was okay and then
05:24
actually taking it much more seriously
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the next four years so oh yeah yeah
05:29
that’s pretty cool um so you you’re
05:33
writing some stuff for some video games
05:35
at the moment which I’ll mention in a
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bit
05:38
were there any games of when you’re
05:41
growing up or in adult life that got you
05:43
interested in Brighton for games
05:45
specifically what was the did you have
05:47
anything that really jumped out at you
05:48
yeah oh well my brother might say
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because I have a sister too my siblings
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and I we loved not only the legend is
05:58
all the music but we were like hooked on
06:00
Final Fantasy so you may even remember
06:03
her like if you went to like your local
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game like video game store I know we
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have Game Stop and there was like eb
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games and all the other ones back in
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like the early two-thousands like you
06:12
could go and buy like the Final Fantasy
06:14
soundtracks like on CD at least in the
06:17
at least in the States and you know we
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would we would get soundtracks for games
06:22
for Final Fantasy games have you never
06:23
even played so it was totally like the
06:25
Final Fantasy series and then Legend of
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Zelda Majora’s Mask for me was it was
06:30
like life-changing I still go back to
06:33
that song is that because you you listen
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to it or did you play the game as well
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and then
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that new thought this is amazing play
06:41
the game as well but there was something
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about anything now it’s just so
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distinctly well it’s it’s so distinctly
06:47
koji kondo hmm but it’s also distinctly
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not like any of the other Zelda titles
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there’s so there’s like weird like it’s
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got an e area so she you know the
06:55
darkness to it as well yeah yeah and I
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saw I loved the game but then the music
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too I mean growing up I was what maybe 8
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or 9 whenever that came out and I was
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but I would just I fell in love I was
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like this is unlike anything I’ve heard
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or played before so it was it was really
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cool yeah we didn’t I don’t think in the
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UK at least I didn’t come across any
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place selling like video game music
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there were no CDs or anything like that
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around nothing my yeah I think listening
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to stuff all I could do was play the
07:24
game and be like this is so cool yeah we
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didn’t have no CDs to buy I remember
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sitting there with the Gameboy and my
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friend who had on the podcast two
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episodes ago I think he reminded me that
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we used to sit there together with a
07:39
gameboy between us with the speaker and
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listen to the Zelda soundtrack oh my
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gosh that was how we could that’s how he
07:47
could listen to music whereas now he
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just Spotify you just bring it up you’re
07:50
under fire and it’s done yeah it’s it’s
07:54
a different world now but game there a
07:56
lot of quiet means the Pokemon probably
07:59
one soundtrack to I mean it yeah I just
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kind of grew up always admiring and
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wanting to play the tunes on the piano
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or like banjo kazooie music I’ll always
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go and try to play like treasure trove
08:08
Cove on the piano and never quite able
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to do it but so um you say so you said
08:15
you mainly a singer as well as imposer
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mm-hmm and also you play piano do you
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find that playing an instrument and
08:23
singing do you find that helps with
08:25
writing music and composing yes I
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innocence use my voice for faint
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thinking about thinking of melodies so
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if I’m if I’m writing a lot of content I
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will often find myself humming or just
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you know vocalizing and when it comes to
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harmony and voice leading if I want to
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do a lot of intro
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counterpoint or just even spacing
08:56
between notes the piano was like my
08:58
go-to I rarely ever like kind of play
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and compose at the same time if you will
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like I rarely ever just like place
09:06
nothing and then just write it down
09:08
I will typically just use the piano as a
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tool for where’s the Harmony line
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where’s again counterpoint especially is
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huge I just like to see it very visually
09:19
I work very visual you know but melody
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for me always comes first I always think
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of I’m always singing something you know
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or I’ll be driving and think of a
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melding them record it you know while
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I’m driving or something you know just
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just to document it well that’s really
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cool that we can actually do that now
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for that phone to drive along you know
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it’s done cool but then you get home and
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you’ve still got it there because you’re
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bound to forget right no half an hour
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later yeah oh yeah if you don’t write
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these things down it’s just like I fall
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into that trap too many times I’ve like
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forgetting to document it and I’m like
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dang it
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well you mentioned counterpoint ah could
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you explain to people like me and other
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people listening me exactly what it is
10:03
like I’ve heard the word I might know
10:05
what it is
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yeah good would you be able to explain
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so the best way I like to explain it is
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imagine if you have like let’s say you
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have singer a and singer be okay sing
10:20
your a is singing your melody and then
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sing or be singing a counter melody
10:24
right now it’s two separate lines that
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are interacting with each other
10:29
counterpoint you know as a whole when
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people reference that they often
10:34
reference the rules in a sense that it
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were sort of established by Bach back in
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the 18th century
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okay but really what really when it
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comes down to is basically just musical
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voices a single musical a single line of
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music interacting with other lines of
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music that’s basically the definition so
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for example melody versus baseline or
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you know kind of a harmony line versus
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the base line so it’s basically yeah
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that’s the best way to sum it up that
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makes sense that’s I like that go now I
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understand and hopefully some other
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people who maybe were like me and too
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scared to actually ask what it was they
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understand as well yeah do you have a
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favorite composer by Dead or Alive
11:31
modern anything do you have someone that
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you go back to listen to a lot yeah a
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composer he’s actually become a new
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favorite composer of mine he teaches at
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University of Michigan
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in Michigan but his name is Michael
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Daugherty and he writes the most
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cinematic concert music I think I’ve
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ever heard well he has a lot of music
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for like Wind Symphony or concert band
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and also a lot of stuff at work astre
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but so for example just to put into
12:05
perspective he wrote I forget when he
12:07
wrote it but it was it’s called the the
12:09
metropolis Symphony and this is before
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they were like you know a bunch of
12:15
superhero movies this was when it was
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mainly like comic books and the
12:18
occasional Superman or Batman like old
12:20
school movie yeah but he wrote a
12:21
symphony to kind of coincide with like
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the story of Superman based on the
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comics so like movement one is called
12:28
Lex
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you know like Lex Luthor yes and it is I
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mean it it is the epitome of like
12:33
superhero music before superhero movies
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were a thing it’s incredible
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Michael Daugherty and I honestly like
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because I live about five hours from him
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like I want to just say hey like I’m not
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going to eat University but I will pay
12:46
you to have a less because you’re
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awesome
12:48
you know yeah so he’s great he’s great
12:52
that’s pretty cool oh do you have a
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favorite piece that you’ve composed in
12:59
your career so far is there one piece
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that you you’re really happy and proud
13:03
of wow that is a hard question
13:08
I’m definitely quite proud of and this
13:14
is like I could not normally wander like
13:15
well I could I beat myself up for my
13:18
music you know it’s like I yeah this is
13:21
a horrible question and you composed the
13:22
total question I’m thinking there was
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one well
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yeah it’s like to try to pinpoint the
13:31
most I think what I’m definitely quite
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proud of is my most recent piece for a
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symphony orchestra which is actually
13:38
it’s called sweet from Karen script
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which is a game I’m writing our game I’m
13:44
scoring basically yeah and it’s
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essentially just an orchestral medley of
13:49
three primary tracks all of which you
13:52
can kind of hear on my soundcloud and so
13:55
I wrote it for a Chamber Orchestra where
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I went to school for college they asked
13:59
me for a big alumni concert you know
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would you want to write us a new piece
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sure
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so I wrote a suite of music from Karen
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script which is still in development
14:11
actually as we record this public demo
14:14
just launched today which is exciting
14:17
so I wrote it for chamber courser but I
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also wrote a symphony orchestra version
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which should hopefully be performed next
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October so about a year from now in my
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immediate area like there’s a local
14:29
regional Orchestra that we’re in kind of
14:32
figuring out when it would be best to
14:34
perform it but we’re thinking next
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October
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but uh and I’m very I feel like it’s
14:38
almost like innocents like the magnum
14:40
opus of my vision of like video game
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music meets concert music and it kind of
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like really combines that you know so
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I’d have to say that there’s a lot of
14:49
things to that’s a hard question that
14:52
must be that must be such a good feeling
14:54
to hear your music performed by people
14:57
and especially in your local area to
14:59
have people playing your music that must
15:02
be so good it’s very it’s very humbling
15:04
to be honest because it’s it’s you know
15:06
you think that they could have chosen
15:07
the girl chosen anyone but they chose
15:10
someone you know nearby it’s yeah it’s
15:14
it’s quite surreal at times
15:16
[Music]
16:48
so you learn orchestration at at
16:51
university at college so right correct
16:54
yeah yeah are there any any books or
16:57
anything or youtube tutorials or
16:59
anything you’d recommend people who want
17:02
to learn orchestration that they they go
17:03
find absolutely and you know I have it
17:06
right here
17:07
so you mentioned um you know I learned
17:11
like orchestration 101 at college but
17:14
just given given the style of music that
17:16
I write I mean since then I have read
17:19
this book almost at like literally
17:21
annually and it’s one I’ve recommended
17:23
to you way back when you did but this
17:25
book is like this is like the best
17:29
starting point its principles of
17:31
orchestration by rimsky-korsakov and I
17:34
mean I haven’t highlighted and dog-eared
17:37
and bookmark it’s it is a scent
17:40
I personally think it’s essential if you
17:42
want to learn how to effectively write
17:43
for the orchestra because it gives you
17:46
the foundation of like what
17:48
orchestration was like in the Romantic
17:50
period so like the 19th century 20th
17:54
century really and you can apply the
17:58
knowledge to so many different styles
17:59
then I just can’t I can’t live without
18:01
it yeah I think like if you’re starting
18:04
out orchestration that’s your best one
18:06
because there’s other ones like there’s
18:07
another one I’m reading right now called
18:09
textures and Tambor’s by Henry Brandt
18:14
okay and it’s a little bit more complex
18:16
it’s definitely like you want to be able
18:18
to be it’s almost like like that’s after
18:21
you level up and gain some experience
18:22
points then because it’s like it’s it’s
18:25
very I mean even for me it’s just hard
18:26
to read his phrasing sometimes like it
18:28
you have to really think about it yeah
18:31
it’s need the first one you recommend it
18:33
I mean I’ve read a little bit but I was
18:36
reading it while composing a piece and I
18:39
have to say it helped massively because
18:40
it said oh well this instrument goes
18:42
with this one and why don’t you try
18:43
using the clarinet at the same time he’s
18:45
using the yes viola or something and
18:47
they go well together so they’ll really
18:49
use actually and these let’s up and do
18:52
he’s got the string and
18:53
in the Browse section as well I think so
18:55
everything’s not clear about how to do
18:57
it right and then you get to see it
18:59
visually too like he’ll give you samples
19:01
of like his his own works yeah kind of
19:04
seeing it in action if you will and it’s
19:07
yeah it’s very I mean it’s it’s one of
19:09
those books for when you read it once I
19:10
don’t you read it again because if you
19:12
don’t you want to make sure you don’t
19:13
miss any bit yeah so well this leads on
19:16
nicely to my next question of why do you
19:19
think the orchestra has lasted such such
19:22
a long time like all the way from 17th
19:24
century to being used in like modern
19:27
films and games there that’s a great
19:30
question I mean I personally believe
19:34
it’s because the orchestra encompasses
19:36
you know all acoustic instruments if you
19:40
will not all of them of course there’s
19:42
there’s hundreds I mean hundreds of
19:44
instruments out there but generally
19:47
things that the most widespread acoustic
19:50
instruments that don’t require any type
19:52
of electronic interface yeah you can go
19:56
from you could literally have in a piece
19:58
of music well I just want this section
20:00
to be this just like the single flutist
20:02
in the back of the orchestra just one
20:04
flutist to two seconds later how the
20:07
entire orchestra playing the same exact
20:09
thing but I mean it fills the room yeah
20:12
so I think it’s lasted so long because
20:13
of not only its versatility but it’s its
20:16
power both in large and small scales
20:19
it’s flexibility and how to create
20:22
certain sounds I just think it is the
20:26
essential ensemble to achieve the most
20:31
like the widest array of sounds colors
20:35
emotions and everything in between
20:38
and I think that specifically as whites
20:41
lived on so long because it’s it’s it’s
20:43
almost become like ingrained in our
20:46
culture like yeah it won’t die out yeah
20:49
no I completely agree um it blew my mind
20:53
when I realized if you have a full-size
20:54
keyboard or piano like that is the range
20:58
of the orchestra as well you could write
20:59
for the whole orchestra on that piano
21:00
and all the different pieces right oh
21:02
yeah oh yeah it’s crazy yeah I really
21:05
like that but I think you’re right the
21:06
orchestra can be
21:07
so dynamic like going from the tiniest
21:09
little thing to something massive
21:12
I mean I’ve saw one of the best
21:15
performances I saw was a gladiator at
21:18
the Royal Albert Hall the film oh wow I
21:20
had the orchestra like full size
21:22
orchestra performing performing that and
21:25
chills just thinking about it that’s
21:27
amazing and din the Royal a behold as
21:30
well with that sound and the acoustics
21:31
and everything that was I’m not sure how
21:33
I could top that experience but yeah
21:36
yeah that’s cool
21:38
that blew me away that’s really good
21:40
right what do you find the the most fun
21:45
thing about composing and what do you
21:47
find the most challenging thing yeah
21:50
that is an awesome awesome question most
21:53
fun I find to be like the actual
21:57
creative process so the actual writing
22:01
the melody writing the I mean error I
22:03
mean the actual writing process of
22:04
putting notes on a page figuring out the
22:06
counterpoint the structures start to
22:08
finish how it begins and ends that I
22:10
find the most fun I could do that day in
22:13
day out without complaint
22:14
so do you where I physically write it
22:16
down are you there but the manuscript
22:18
like no so I don’t do manage to convey
22:20
per but I do directly notate into
22:22
Sibelius so i do i always use notation
22:24
software first yeah and I love that is
22:28
that helps you officially just see it
22:31
better or just that’s what you’re used
22:33
to and yeah cool you know that’s that’s
22:37
sort of how I learned to compose was and
22:39
how I mean if you study a score by
22:41
Stravinsky yeah you’re looking at music
22:43
so if you want to like kind of think
22:46
about their orchestration their I also
22:48
it also helps translate the knowledge I
22:50
learned by also working in sheet music
22:52
if that makes sense yeah you can hear it
22:54
almost while reading it yeah right and
22:58
then of course you can then I export the
22:59
MIDI and go into Cubase so all the notes
23:02
all the harmony all that is there and
23:04
then it’s just a matter of adjusting the
23:06
MIDI data and the key switches and all
23:08
all of that stuff for the virtual
23:10
instruments would I find most
23:13
challenging and granted there can be
23:14
creative blocks and that could be
23:15
challenging but what I find most
23:16
challenging in the field of writing for
23:18
games as really
23:20
like the production side of things okay
23:22
so compression EQ you know mastering
23:26
mixing like I’ve been doing it for a
23:29
while a so I can get on down I’ve gotten
23:31
a hang of it you know there’s always
23:32
room to improve don’t get me wrong like
23:33
I have a lot of room to improve in that
23:35
department but it’s because it’s not
23:39
it’s not like what I sort of went to
23:41
school for it’s almost like us it’s B
23:43
it’s been very much a self-taught
23:45
process I guess over the last four or
23:48
five years that I’ve had to just kind of
23:51
figure my way up through it through
23:53
talking with others and reading books
23:54
and watching videos that I can I can
23:58
find myself getting frustrated when I I
23:59
can’t do something as naturally as I can
24:01
like actually notating the music you
24:04
know yeah like that side comes very it’s
24:06
almost like second nature whereas the
24:08
production is like like this isn’t quite
24:11
what I’m trying I have to like just
24:13
takes me a little bit more time to kind
24:15
of weed my way through the mud oh yeah
24:17
nice like the music is already there as
24:19
well you just I want it to sound good
24:21
why does it sound good right yeah you
24:23
have to go through all the tweaking and
24:24
everything here so that can be
24:27
frustrating and again it’s it’s would
24:30
have been different if I went to like
24:31
Berkeley for you know audio production
24:33
or something but right so it’s been just
24:36
a process again I’ve gotten to where I
24:38
am which is which is great but it’s
24:41
still like I have to do so I always have
24:44
to be learning about it and that can be
24:45
time-consuming and tasking and you know
24:48
yeah one on that topic do you have any
24:51
favorite well first of all any favorite
24:54
like maybe virtual instruments that you
24:56
use for orchestration and have any
24:58
favorite plugins when you are sort of
25:00
mixing and mastering yes so if I’m doing
25:05
orchestral music I’m doing a test for
25:07
music I have been using East West
25:12
Hollywood strings Hollywood brass
25:14
Hollywood woodwinds
25:16
I mean basically their entire Orchestra
25:18
library I have been using East West for
25:20
I guess the past was it 2018
25:22
past three years I bought before they
25:24
did the cloud before they did a catalyst
25:26
or cloud I bought one of those they
25:28
would do like these composer collection
25:29
like USB hard drives yeah
25:32
that’s exactly oh really yeah
25:37
so I’ve been using them just cuz and
25:40
I’ve learned how to make them sound in
25:42
my opinion at least sound pretty good
25:44
just because I sort of know it inside
25:46
and out you know I know all the key
25:48
switches I know how it all works I think
25:50
that’s a really good point right there
25:51
is that you know you spent the time with
25:54
that library and you know how to use it
25:56
and make it do what you want it to do
25:58
whereas I think a lot of people fall
26:00
into the trap of all new string
26:02
libraries come out so they’ll buy that
26:03
and like they’ll hear Albion barn and
26:05
they’ll get that one because it sounds
26:06
so lovely and lush but then they bring
26:09
another one right oh yeah and don’t get
26:11
me wrong like if I had the extra money
26:14
to buy fire right now yeah like and when
26:17
every single one of their libraries is
26:19
about a thousand dollars it’s like wow
26:22
that would be great because really it is
26:24
a brilliant library and it does sound
26:26
better probably than the string library
26:28
I’m using it would it would take so much
26:31
more time and money to figure out how do
26:33
I now how do I make this sound as good
26:35
as I’ve been making these other things
26:37
sound good with the strings that I’ve
26:39
been using yeah
26:40
and it’s a tough it’s a tough gamble you
26:42
know it’s like ah but I really should
26:44
get it because everyone uses it but I
26:46
don’t really want to
26:49
so yeah this it is it is almost like
26:52
making the most out of what you do have
26:54
you know it doesn’t make sense to do it
26:56
especially financially you know to
26:57
invest in all these libraries yeah well
27:00
completely like with my um my box with a
27:02
pillow shoved in it that I’m using right
27:03
now making exactly what I’ve got you go
27:07
there you go
27:08
Karen’s crypt is coming out for steam
27:12
and did I see it’s coming up for this
27:13
switch as well absolutely yeah that’s I
27:16
mean loads of indie games are coming up
27:18
for the switch at the moment is this
27:19
have really it’s funny yeah oh it’s
27:21
amazing
27:22
yeah the from what I’ve heard so I went
27:25
on the website had a listen and I’ll
27:26
link everything in the podcast notes it
27:29
has a very like old-school kind of video
27:32
game sound like ps1 that kind of era for
27:35
someone who writes a lot full orchestra
27:37
how did you achieve that more like retro
27:39
sound was there a difference or did you
27:41
yeah you know you saw if I buy my mind
27:43
like notation
27:44
template for Orchestra you know has the
27:46
fluids plug you know all of that so I
27:49
will I would I would start with that but
27:52
when you when you go for the old-school
27:54
video game sound you can’t accomplish
27:56
that full you know all the instruments
28:01
in a sense playing at the same time
28:02
because then it just sounds like a mud
28:04
of like sine waves so you know I kind of
28:09
had I kind of had to break things down
28:11
like sometimes I’ll even just put like
28:12
okay here’s the woodwind line for this
28:14
track not the flute not the clarinet I’m
28:16
a name it clarinet or something but you
28:19
know I think of like okay maybe two
28:20
wooden lines two brass lines because if
28:23
you want to sound in a sense kind of
28:25
like authentic but also a little bit
28:26
modern yeah you know I kind of have to
28:28
break things down a little bit and of
28:31
course the retro sound that I’ve been
28:32
using has been from the super have you
28:37
heard of super audio cart yes I love
28:39
super audio cut it’s amazing yeah so
28:43
I’ve been using that because the
28:45
graphical style is shooting for like the
28:48
gameboy color
28:48
you know it definitely has a little bit
28:50
of a modern flair to it but at the same
28:53
time the music in a sense reflects that
28:55
so it has you know almost like Super
28:59
Nintendo
29:00
so like 16-bit samples yeah sort of
29:03
mixed with 8-bit chiptune moments like
29:07
there’s various moments throughout all
29:08
of the tracks where I will have either a
29:11
little bit like a little fugue or a
29:13
little cannon going on of just like
29:15
8-bit almost like it I literally haven’t
29:18
listed as 8-bit organ is what I would do
29:20
almost like I’m writing an organ 16 bar
29:22
phrase for organ yeah it’s kind of in
29:25
the style of Bach cuz that’s sort of
29:26
what the developers want it that it’ll
29:28
it would sound like it’s just you know
29:30
four channels 8-bit chip tunes basically
29:34
yeah and so it’s almost like a it’s
29:37
almost like a retro modern blend if that
29:39
makes sense
29:40
yeah definitely well I’ve yet that stuff
29:43
I’ve heard so far sounds pretty good so
29:44
definitely the thank you to listening to
29:46
the rest of it thank you yeah I won’t
29:49
spoil too much but uh I like toward the
29:52
end like I know I’m working on I’m not
29:53
done the soundtrack yet I have a few
29:55
tracks left but you know there are
29:56
moments where now I’m starting to
29:57
incorporate
29:58
like a touch of a hint of like live type
30:03
sounding instruments were button like
30:05
slightly bitch bit crushed so it’s not
30:08
like it’s just orchestra but it’s almost
30:11
like well that doesn’t sound like either
30:13
16 bit or 18 bit instrument but
30:15
something in between yeah I don’t know
30:17
I’m certain experiment a little bit as I
30:19
finish the sound track to close off with
30:21
a bang yeah
30:22
you’re also writing for is it cool of
30:25
Saron go ah well so the it would be call
30:29
of stearic nor so okay that’s okay yeah
30:35
call of Sarah Connor yeah so that is
30:38
that that is probably that is like it
30:41
the long term project I’ve been using or
30:43
working on so I’ve been working on sort
30:46
of a few and like carrot script is a
30:47
little bit smaller and scale that coughs
30:49
I ignore I did like I’m working on sort
30:51
of a zombie like Vox will call rot purge
30:55
much smaller scale than call us a ganar
30:58
so called Sargon was kind of like the
30:59
thing that’s always going on in the
31:00
background that I’m working on kind of
31:04
in the style of the game itself is kind
31:07
of in a style if you think of like
31:08
Daggerfall or Mike magic sort of like
31:11
those early 90s games like yeah yeah so
31:20
the music though is not we were toying
31:24
with like doing it making it sound like
31:27
it was straight out of the 90s like
31:28
speakers like a theater speakers with
31:31
sort of like a loaf i early MIDI type
31:34
sounds but it wasn’t working like it
31:38
just didn’t really beat sound pleasing
31:39
to kind of listen to okay so like hours
31:43
on end you know
31:46
so we sort of really reappropriation
32:01
realistic sound now again using a lot of
32:05
the east-west libraries for that so I am
32:08
approaching the music for call us Eric
32:10
and are like as if I were scoring it for
32:12
a live ensemble you know it like just as
32:14
if I’m writing an orchestral piece of
32:17
music yeah yeah so definitely a little
32:20
bit different than Karen script and that
32:21
it’s I don’t feel like I have to limit
32:24
it now it’s I’m almost just okay well
32:26
here’s the orchestral soundtrack you
32:28
know pretty straightforward
32:30
[Music]
32:50
[Music]
33:09
it sounds cool um do you have any I mean
33:13
I went to an event yesterday called
33:15
screen music Connect and it was all
33:17
about writing music for film and TV and
33:20
games and one of the things that they
33:22
said there was that you should always
33:24
have if you have the time you should
33:26
always have a passion project like a
33:28
site thing that you’re doing just for
33:30
you I was wondering if you have
33:31
something like that going on
33:33
oh yeah well in a sense you could say
33:37
that well I wouldn’t say called stars of
33:42
a passion project it is what it is a
33:44
long-term project that kind of fits its
33:46
way in between everything else yeah but
33:48
that is that I mean that is a that is a
33:49
job you know but in terms of like a
33:51
passion project to be honest I have
33:56
recorded so I know I said I don’t really
33:58
write much singer-songwriter type stuff
34:00
anymore but I did last I guess it was
34:02
like in February so almost like a year
34:04
ago now I do whenever a fine time I will
34:07
write stuff that like you know you you
34:10
throw on pop radio or something where I
34:13
do have fun doing that and I do that
34:15
whenever I’m just kind of feeling stuck
34:17
with my other stuff I’m like you know I
34:19
just need to take a break and have fun
34:20
with some music so I am right now I’d
34:24
say it might take a while but I have
34:25
recorded music and I’d like to kind of
34:28
start just rating it a little bit I have
34:30
like virtual drum libraries and guitar
34:32
again also east-west and some other and
34:35
other other companies to just like
34:37
orchestrate them and put and just
34:38
produce an album basically so that’s it
34:41
started I haven’t really made much
34:43
headway but that is sort of my next in a
34:46
sense like background project yeah so do
34:49
you would you go to that let’s say I
34:52
don’t know if you have any tips for if
34:54
you get like writer’s block if you’re
34:57
trying to write something and you just
34:58
get a bit stuck would you if there’s no
35:00
deadline looming would you go to that
35:01
and maybe play around with that sort of
35:04
stuff for oh yeah oh my goodness yeah
35:06
absolutely play around with that or even
35:09
just sometimes it just to be honest just
35:13
like stepping away like in terms of
35:15
creative with no looming deadlines again
35:17
if you have one of those just that’s no
35:19
time good yeah drink a can a Red Bull
35:21
and good luck but when there’s nothing
35:25
really looming you know just I’m I think
35:28
you I’m an advocate of just go outside
35:31
like go just you know if it’s nice out
35:33
under if it’s not just just go and do
35:36
something that doesn’t involve that side
35:38
of your brain because in my experience
35:39
it’s like the ideas will come if and if
35:45
you’re like trying to force it you’re
35:46
probably just gonna end up like throwing
35:48
it out tomorrow which can be fine maybe
35:51
that means you get rid of the gunk which
35:53
is good but sometimes I find just you
35:55
know doing something fun entirely
35:57
different reading reading fiction is
35:59
huge I’m just like or just like reading
36:02
short stories yeah just to kind of use a
36:04
different side of my brain and then it I
36:06
tend to just kind of feel more ready to
36:09
come back to the music yeah well that
36:11
makes that makes perfect sense right we
36:14
are on the penultimate question so this
36:17
is this is your egg one and what are
36:19
your dreams and goals for the future
36:21
what what do you want to achieve say
36:23
it’s 20 years from now what would you
36:26
have liked to have achieved this is a
36:29
big question I know I know that is a big
36:32
question and you know I I really truly
36:34
don’t want this to come off as as
36:35
sounding pompous or or or anything but I
36:39
would love to score and this is like a
36:42
huge goal that who knows I would love to
36:45
score some game that’s actually
36:48
published by Nintendo and have it
36:50
recorded by the orchestra you know you I
36:53
don’t have you’ve seen the little clips
36:54
they’ve been posting of like you know
36:56
recording the music of aqua path
36:57
traveller or recording the music over
36:59
like Super Mario Odyssey alright
37:01
Illinois’s king that oh yeah you
37:03
probably have to sift through some
37:04
history with a Nintendo of America or
37:06
Europe um Twitter page but they they do
37:09
post them from time to time okay and I’m
37:11
like ah like that would be the that
37:14
would be the biggest dream of mine if
37:17
not published like a game published by
37:19
Nintendo because the indie game industry
37:21
is now becoming such a big thing that
37:23
I’m really and I’m really enjoying it
37:25
that I’d be happy just to
37:27
recording a soundtrack for an indie game
37:30
you know fund a funded recording session
37:33
with an orchestra for the soundtrack of
37:35
an indie game like that that alone is a
37:37
big enough dream and goal for me
37:39
you know I had to kill that I’d love to
37:42
have that happen you know there’s
37:44
something there’s something about you
37:47
think of when you you can because you
37:48
can always tell when it when the game
37:49
has a live orchestra recording versus
37:52
something that’s sampled yeah that was
37:55
another day yeah yeah it can still sound
37:58
brilliant but there’s there’s still such
38:01
an expression that gonna be achieved by
38:03
humans that can’t be accomplished by you
38:07
know programming definitely they said
38:09
their point was that with and they were
38:12
talking about AI at the time as well
38:14
about the whole you know AI writing
38:16
music but they were saying that if
38:18
you’re recording with like MIDI
38:20
instruments planned samples and
38:22
everything you you just can’t get as
38:25
much emotion in there as you do with the
38:28
life yeah you don’t get all the squeaks
38:29
you don’t get the little slightly out of
38:31
tune and everything’s just everything’s
38:33
100% quantized and perfect at the moment
38:35
right right and you know you can you can
38:39
tweak it in ways but again it’s like if
38:43
you think about you know a conductor
38:46
standing in front of an orchestra rarely
38:48
is it rarely are they so on point that
38:51
the tempo never fluctuates yeah you know
38:54
I think of something that’s more legato
38:55
and evocative the tempo marking maybe
38:58
what like quarter equals 84 like all 16
39:01
bars but if a conductor is doing that
39:03
it’s not gonna be that specific you know
39:06
and it follows the inste the conductor
39:10
as well oh yeah oh yeah and so like when
39:13
you lose that again it gets still sound
39:16
fabulous but there’s something I mean
39:20
you know and Zoey will know there’s
39:22
something about a live orchestra that
39:23
just it’s like the ultimate experience
39:26
yeah yeah all right so to finish if you
39:32
had one tip for your younger self or
39:34
maybe a composer out there who’s just
39:37
starting out and wanting to get into
39:39
orchestration and videogames what would
39:42
you tell them don’t be afraid to just
39:48
just work with someone don’t be afraid
39:50
to do a game jam don’t be afraid to just
39:54
like start making music even if like a
39:57
year or even six months later you’re
39:59
like wow like I’ve really improved over
40:02
this I’m just not gonna show this
40:03
anymore but just start making stuff like
40:06
don’t be afraid to say I want to work in
40:09
this industry and I’m gonna write music
40:12
for game jams or it just saw uh you know
40:14
a developer friend just something for
40:16
fun if you’re just starting out the best
40:20
thing you can do is to just get that
40:21
experience you know the reality is
40:24
you’re not gonna be able to just start
40:25
out you know well I just learned how to
40:27
write you know on on sheet music now I’m
40:29
gonna get paid a hundred thousand
40:31
dollars a year like that just doesn’t
40:32
happen but let me not just what’s that
40:37
it would be nice if it did but yeah oh
40:39
yeah oh my gosh yeah you get your degree
40:41
and here’s your salary for the rest of
40:43
your life that would be great
40:45
but it’s just it’s digging into the
40:49
music and learn as you go
40:50
you know just learn as you go you’re not
40:53
gonna know everything from the get-go
40:54
and you’re gonna be doing yourself a
40:55
disservice if you just say well I have
40:57
to wait till I learn more it’s like no
40:59
like apply with apply what you know now
41:02
yeah and just keep making it keep
41:04
getting that portfolio rolling and
41:06
eventually just you learn as you go and
41:08
you just you you improve your a year
41:10
after year yeah I think not being not
41:13
being afraid of other people’s opinions
41:15
is important as well because you can get
41:17
so scared at the beginning of putting
41:19
anything out there because someone on
41:21
YouTube some person you don’t know is
41:23
going to comment and say well this was
41:24
crap I don’t like this and yeah I think
41:26
what really holds a lot of people back
41:28
yeah and that’s this it’s a you kind of
41:32
have to in a sense toughen up a little
41:35
bit drive for those cup
41:36
I mean it’s win-win and if they do come
41:38
I mean you don’t know then that’s the
41:39
scary part you just don’t know if you’re
41:40
gonna get a comment like that yeah
41:42
but when you do you just can’t really
41:44
take it to heart you just to say you
41:45
know what I’m still learning I’m so I’m
41:47
still growing people comment on like
41:48
people’s people now say some of the
41:51
final thing
41:51
see soundtracks are awful I’m like you
41:54
know it’s it’s like the people people
41:56
will make a stink about it just about
41:58
anything so it’s like you just kind of
42:00
have to just deal with tastic yeah yeah
42:03
cool
42:04
well I just want to say thank you very
42:06
much for coming on the podcast it’s been
42:08
a real real pleasure chatting with you
42:09
hey well thank you for having me thank
42:12
you for this podcast it’s huge
42:14
I mean I I know I’ve been listening here
42:16
and there and I know some other folks
42:17
are listening to so this is it’s really
42:19
something special so thank you
42:20
so thank you very much again to Tony
42:23
Manfredonia for being such an awesome
42:25
guest go and check out his music check
42:27
out the games cool of sarig na and Karen
42:30
script and I will leave you with a track
42:33
from call of Serignar that Tony wrote
42:35
called a deadly encounter see ya
42:50
[Applause]
42:52
[Music]
43:44
you
43:46
[Music]
[/expand]
Show Notes
On this episode, I chat to Tony Manfredonia, a composer and orchestrator based in Michigan. His music has been played across the United States, appeared in video games, used in live theatre productions and is now published through both MusicSpoke and New Music Shelf.
You can find out more about Tony on his website manfredoniamusic.com
Check out the games Tony is composing the music for:
Listen to more of Tony’s music over on SoundCloud
Read the orchestration book Tony recommends in this episode: Principles of Orchestration
—
