Here’s a quick piece of music that I composed for Mark Hayes’ short animation Taking It For A Spin.

Check out Mark’s website here!:

http://markhayesblog.tumblr.com/

I wanted to create a sense of speed and excitement for the car so it seemed logical to write a piece of rock-inspired music. I had a listen to Mutato Musika’s Crash Team Racing soundtrack; the combination of drums, the organ and the rock bass guitar seemed perfect for setting the scene to a quirky race, so I took inspiration from this instrumentation. 

I was surprised to see Nobuo Uematsu’s name come up as I was researching racing game music! Despite being a huge fan of his RPG work I’ve never really heard his music for other games, and as expected his score for Rad Racer is marvellous; very upbeat and uplifting, which is what I wanted to inject my composition with. I used the retro-sounding synth’ for good measure :)

I checked out various other soundtracks to racing games because, to me, the animation had that video game-y feel to it due to the CG. Some of my influences were:

The starting point for my composition was actually the 3..2..1.., which I just had to do in the traditional game-like way! At the end of the piece I decided to create a ‘game over’ feel, and also bring the music to a sudden crash to reflect the car’s crash.

I also wanted to set myself the task of composing a piece of music in a very short amount of time, something I am still practising. I spent one hour researching, an hour drafting some ideas and a couple of hours composing and mixing. It’s very simple but I think it turned out ok, I’m pleased with the results and I think Mark was too!

Don’t forget to check out Mark’s YouTube channel where you can watch his other animations:

http://www.youtube.com/user/haymrk

Hope you enjoy his animations and my score :)

-Adam

Q:I know that this won't be a question, but whatever! First, I must say thank you for following me, because if you didn't I wouldn't have discovered you. I listened to some of your compositions and must say that they are amazing! You have an enormous amount of talent and I hope any big video game company understands that and hires you.

downfallparodyspecial

Wow, thank you so much! Such a wonderful compliment, you’re very kind. And thank you for listening to my work, I appreciate it greatly :)

Welcome to the Pokémon Center! :)

With this arrangement I wanted to relax the Pokemon trainer and put him/her at ease because this is a place to feel comforted and in safe hands. However, this is also a place where many sick Pokemon are found and this can create a very sad and unsettling atmosphere, much like a hospital. 

I used light and heavenly sounding instruments to create an angelic mood, but the cello adds a feeling of doubt and uncertainty. I wanted to create a sense of determination as the piece progressed, which is what the trainer would feel as he/she watches the nurse do her best to heal the poor Pokémon. Of course, in this world, each trip to the Pokémon Center is always a success, so I’ve reflected this in my arrangement.

I wrote the first part in 7/4 because it just felt right! ;)

Thanks for listening, I hope to see you again! :)

Welcome to Pewter City :)

With this arrangement I wanted to begin by capturing the atmosphere of a new and unknown town. Pewter may seem foreign at first, but the Pokémon trainer will soon realise that this place is just as friendly as the last city.

As the piece continues the feeling becomes more settled, upbeat and welcoming as the trainer becomes familiar with the surroundings and watches as the friendly locals go about their daily business, such as the man tending to his garden.

With the third part I wanted to reflect the feeling the trainer may have upon seeing his/her first (open!) Pokémon gym! Pewter City hosts the rock-type gym and so for this entire piece, I’ve tried to keep to a raw and primal sound with the instrumentation, whilst maintaining the friendly mood. The third part of the piece is the determination the trainer is feeling as he/she gazes at the towering gym doors, contemplating participating in the gym battle.

For the natural and primal sound I chose to use pan flutes and acoustic guitar, and taiko drums and a xylophone for the third part. The bass is a bit too heavy on the guitar and using sampled pan flutes means it’s difficult to create the sound of a realistic performance. Still, I’m happy with the way my Pewter City arrangement has turned out, and is actually my personal favourite so far :)

Hope you enjoy this arrangement :)

- “I’m spraying REPEL to keep POKéMON out of my garden!”