T O D D M A S T E N . C O M
G A M E S
To date, I've completed over two dozen gaming titles for PC, console, and social platforms with over 30 million units sold worldwide.
A S C E N S I O N
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer was my first foray into mobile gaming. I was responsible for all of the in-game audio assets including music and sound effects.
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer - Main Theme
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer - Background
S T A R R A I D E R S
Star Raiders was a remake of the classic Atari title by the same name. I was responsible for all music and sound design both in-game and for the cinematic cut-scenes. The game was released for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
I composed 15 tracks over several months for the Star Raiders soundtrack. Initially we were going to pick and choose which pieces to use but found a way to incorporate all of them into the game.
The tracks focus on electronic and techno styles geared for combat and exploration. The game engine chooses a random selection from a specified pool of music tracks for every new environment the player enters.
Star Raiders - Launch Trailer
Star Raiders - Main Theme
Star Raiders - Atar Academy
Star Raiders - Zylon Swarm
Star Raiders - Warp Signature
Star Raiders - Incoming
Star Raiders - Ares Major
Star Raiders - Hermake
Star Raiders - Battle for Isos
Star Raiders - Cutscene 1
Star Raiders - Parallax Station
Star Raiders - Toyama
Star Raiders - Falcon Missle
Star Raiders - Sector Sweep
Star Raiders - Salvage Operation
Star Raiders - SMCD
Star Raiders - Closing Theme
C A R S : R A C E - O - R A M A
This was an interesting project for me as I directed the audio along with being the Senior Producer in charge of the game from start to finish.
The music for the world is well established; basically straight ahead country rock and blues, but we added some new environments which allowed us to create some new music for the franchise. We introduced the areas of Motoropolis, Autovia, and Santa Carburera which have a distinctly modern feel.
The closing theme was originally written to be the opening theme and I composed it prior to the game being built. It was my attempt to predict what I thought the game would end up becoming. As the game changed and evolved over time we ended up going with something less aggressive and more passive that worked better. It was a fun experiment none the less.
I dusted my guitar off for a few of these tracks and got to play some pretty hard rockin' stuff which is always fun. A few of the tracks were co-written by Andy Powers who is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist who performed all of the instrumentation on the tracks. I recorded, mixed, and mastered the final versions for inclusion in the game.
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Cutscene 02
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Cutscene 17
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Cutscene 04
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Cutscene 25
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Main Theme
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Closing Theme
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Motoropolis Explore
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Motoropolis Race
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Autovia Race
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Santa Carbuerera Explore
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Radiator Springs Explore
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Ornament Valley Explore
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Autocross
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Radiator Springs Speedway
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Sheriff Chase
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Tailfin Pass Explore
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Tokyo Mater
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Crash Derby
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Dustbowl Race
Cars: Race-O-Rama - Tow Blues
S P O N G E B O B : G L O B S O F D O O M
Globs of Doom is a game based on a combination of Nickelodeon franchises all coming together to join forces. Both heroes and villains are included and many are playable here for the first time.
The story has a real 1950's sci-fi feel, hence the use of the Theremin spread across many of the game's tracks. The closing theme is a variation of the main theme played with more modern instrumentation. I was able to sneak in some 7/4 sections into the main theme which always helps mix things up a bit.
I based most of the tracks on the existing franchise music, but I took several liberties including the use of heavy techno instruments when the characters leave the world and head into space. I tried to give each environment and boss encounter a unique feel to help build suspense and tension.
SpongeBob: Globs of Doom - Cutscene 06
SpongeBob: Globs of Doom - Cutscene 07
SpongeBob: Globs of Doom - Cutscene 13
Globs of Doom - Main Theme
Globs of Doom - Closing Theme
Globs of Doom - Volcano Island
Globs of Doom - Bikini Bottom
Globs of Doom - Bubble Bass Fight
Globs of Doom - Amity Park
Globs of Doom - Ghost Dog Fight
Globs of Doom - Retroville
SpongeBob: Globs of Doom - Cutscene 09
Globs of Doom - Girl-Eating Plant Fight
Globs of Doom - Pupununu
Globs of Doom - Temple Fight
Globs of Doom - Invader Zim
Globs of Doom - Zim House Fight
Globs of Doom - Space Flight
Globs of Doom - Globulous Stage 1
Globs of Doom - Globulous Stage 2
V A N G U A R D : S A G A O F H E R O E S
I composed twenty hours of music for Vanguard over a period of about two years. During that period I wrote every day without fail which really helped me capture the size and scope of the massive game world.
The music for this game was designed and composed in a modular fashion for each distinct environment and was created to be interactive. Each piece is composed of twelve layers that are triggered on and off by a series of in-game events or actions by the player; as well as environmental variables such as time of day and the length of time the player spends in a region. Each region also had ten layers of combat music which was seamlessly transitioned when the player was in battle.
I had a personal goal of composing at least half of the pieces outside of standard 4/4 meter so many of the pieces are written in 5/4. 7/4, 6/8, 11/8, and other non-standard meters. I also experimented with whole tone scales, and twewlve tone row composing.
The game world inhabitants were as culturally diverse as our real world, so I was able to use instruments and voicings from around the globe.
I enjoyed working on a game which offered so many opportunities to the composer to experiment and push the envelope. During the last eighteen months I stepped in to join the production staff and get the game focused and shipped before moving on.
Vanguard - Arwawk Island
Vanguard - Bastion of the Dead 1
Vanguard - Bastion of the Dead 2
Vanguard - Beranid Downs 1
Vanguard - Beranid Downs 2
Vanguard - Cobalt Deep
Vanguard - Palace of Flowers
Vanguard - Frigid Range
Vanguard - Frosthorn Shores
Vanguard - Mount Stiirhad 1
Vanguard - Mount Stiirhad 2
Vanguard - Pit of Souls 1
Vanguard - Pit of Souls 2
Vanguard - Steppes of the Sunset 1
Vanguard - Steppes of the Sunset 2
Vanguard - Tharidon's Scar
C R A S H N I T R O K A R T
I was contracted to do Crash Nitro Kart just after leaving Vicarious Visions and returning back to California from New York.
Universal was so happy with the music that they asked me to remix a custom soundtrack disc that was part of a special package deal with WalMart. This was the second time a game I composed for received a soundtrack release and everyone was very pleased with the results.
Propellerhead had recently released Reason and I used it extensively in my writing. I believe this was my first entirely digital score; where the tracks never left the digital domain.
The Crash Bandicoot series has a very recognizable sound palette and it was fun working with lots of percussiive tonal instruments to create this score.
This was also one of the first games that supported an entirely 3D score; where the music was delivered in 5.1 surround sound format.
Crash Nitro Kart - Android Alley
Crash Nitro Kart - Clockwork Wumpa
Crash Nitro Kart - Deep Sea Driving
Crash Nitro Kart - Electron Avenue
Crash Nitro Kart - Inferno Island
Crash Nitro Kart - Meteor Gorge
Crash Nitro Kart - Out of Time
Crash Nitro Kart - Tiny's Temple
Crash Nitro Kart - Victorious Velo
S N O C R O S S
Snocross was an interesting project for me as it provided me with an opportunity to really cut loose creatively and use varying instrumentation that I might not otherwise get to use. While there is a heavy techno bend to the entire score I was able to crank up the guitars on several of the tracks as well as incorporate some live drum and vocal elements.
This was the last project I used a Mac computer on, and it was mostly written using Digital Performer. I had purchased a Roland MC-505 when the project started to help provide the tech feel.
I was living in New York at the time and my good friend Corby flew out to assist me. While he was in New York he came to the studio and helped lay down the vocals for the final two tracks. We had a request for a Rammstein influenced piece so we did the best we could creating Der Wanderpries. We had a lot of fun creating that track.
One of the best things about working on this game was taking a trip up into the mountains of Vermont where I spent the day riding Snowmobiles to get a feel for how they operate.
Snocross - Black Ice
Snocross - Frostbyte
Snocross - Green Funnel
Snocross - Never Look Back
Snocross - Rev it Up!
Snocross - Thinning Ice
Snocross - Trick Shop
Snocross - Der Wanderpries
Snocross - The White Phantom
T E R M I N U S
Terminus was my first large scale project and I poured my heart and soul into the compositions. The game was a space flight and combat simulator for PC, Mac, and Linux. The creators were big fans of Babylon 5 so I did quite a bit of research into the music of the show which was written by former Tangerine Dream founder Christopher Franke.
The music became a fast paced blend of orchestral instruments layered over heavy percussion with some techno elements sprinkled in. Terminus was one of the first titles to ship with a separate soundtrack disc included with every copy of the game.
I recorded the project using Digital Performer and the main instruments were a Roland JV-1080 and a Roland D-70. I included some guitar on a few tracks where it seemed to fit; mostly minor melodic lines played using an e-bow.
Once the score was complete I joined the company as their Audio Director and remained there until Activision bought us out four years later.
Terminus - Main Theme
Terminus - Closing Theme
Terminus - Abandoned Station
Terminus - Beyond the Belt
Terminus - Escape Pod
Terminus - Losing Gravity
Terminus - Photon Volley
Terminus - Rings of Saturn
Terminus - The Terminus
Terminus - Space Opera
Terminus - Station One
Terminus - Starship
Terminus - Wing Formation
Terminus - Shore Leave
Terminus - Venetian Ale
