Hi all! I’ve recently released the 4th installment of my Waveform series, titled “Waveform 4”. It’s made up of 4 original Jazz-Fusion-style SNES/FM chiptunes, and my 3rd arrangement of Turtle Dance, which made its debut on Waveform 2.
If you like Waveform 4, then be sure to check out the other Waveforms:
I also arrange music from various video games and write music for them, too. Check me out on my Bandcamp page, like me on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter for more!
Hey everyone, Ben Briggs here! I’ve just released my latest album, “The Briggs Effect 2“, chock full of video game remixes and assorted chiptuney goodness for your earholes. Seriously, there’s a lot to go around here… Super Mario 64, Super Mario RPG, Harvest Moon 64, Golden Sun, Mega Man 2… the list goes on!
Most of these tracks were requested/earned by my fans and friends, be it from fundraiser donations or public Facebook votes, and the others are simply shining examples of my work over the years. Covering a wide range of styles, I’ve gathered these songs onto one album in order to more fully expand my discography, and to provide a convenient medium for discovering and downloading my best music. Many of these tracks have not been available for download before today, so be sure to jump on this opportunity to finally get your hands on some of my hottest new remixes!
Before I go, I’d like to add a personal note: Thank you to all my fans for their continuing love and support; without you guys I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now. If you’re a new listener and you like what you hear, please consider donating via PayPal or purchasing the album on Bandcamp to support me and my dream of surviving as a full-time musician.
Getting started in any career is not easy. You need to get hired to get experience but most people are looking to hire those who already have it. Fortunately, it’s a little bit easier getting started as a freelance musician. A little upfront work for free will get you up and running with an impressive portfolio. Some of the quotes in the next few articles are based on actual posts I’ve seen or actual conversations I’ve had. The average post for a serious, commercial music job usually looks like this.
Need 5 songs created for an iOS game and also SFX. Please post at least 3 examples of published commercial work that you have worked on along with attached demo reel of similar sounds and music to this style of game.
Clearly, you won’t get the job if you haven’t done any commercial projects. Someone else will. But by doing a game for free, you can probably land a job you wouldn’t otherwise and then you can start applying to jobs like this.
Your First Game
I didn’t make much off my first game, but I am quite proud of it and it has lead to tons of other work.
Your first game project is going to be stressful and full of surprises. One thing I was not used to is dealing with a group of outsider’s opinions on my music and my vision of how their game should sound. I was used to being the driver, now I was sort of a copilot with specific skills. You can lessen your stress and make things easier when you start looking for paying clients by making a game for free when starting out. Obviously, you’ll want to do this before you’re relying on freelancing for income.
Your first game doesn’t need to be a huge hit or even be on some major platform, it could be a little flash game or a game for a friend. My first game was Robo Hero, a game that I’m still immensely proud of. The founder of Bravado Waffle was a friend of mine and asked if I could help him out. Although I didn’t make much off the game, it was the foundation of my resume and gave me a great starting point for a decent portfolio. My skills have come a long way since then, but I am still proud of that little game.
If you don’t have a friend to hook you up, here’s a few great places to find your first pseudo-client:
GameJolt.com – Lots of indie gamers collaborate here. Find a game you like that needs music and email the team. Most are on tight budgets or no budget, so they’ll welcome the free assistance.
NewGrounds.com – Keep an eye on these forums for anything from short indie film scores to new video games.
Machinima channels on YouTube – Machinima folks are usually not making any money of what they do but very passionate about it, they’re always looking for some composers to spice things up.
RPG Maker Forums – This is another group that creates some epic stuff and usually have little budget for anything paid for. They’re doing it for fun and looking for musicians who will too.
Who Not To Work For
Not everyone who is willing to give you work is worthy of it, even if it is free. You will see a lot of posts like this in the places I’ve recommended above:
Hi! I’ve got this great idea for a game, it’s like Zelda where you have this sword and go out to look for these diamonds. My friend Kyle from school got Photoshop on his laptop and we’re trying to come up with some art. We need 12 songs created right away for each of the game’s cities. We don’t have a whole list yet but you can start making one to get an idea. We’re still looking for a developer who will work for free to build this MMORPG.
This type of post is a red flag. A serious developer would not even be looking for a sound guy that this point. If the game doesn’t even exist and those involved has little experience, no clear vision of what the game is and most likely have zero budget to make it happen, you don’t want to attach yourself to the project. Most likely, it’ll never get finished. Your goal on your first project is to get your name on something that gets out there, be it in the app store, Youtube or even just a flash game. It needs to be something people can go and look at and see your work, even if it’s not super popular.
You might be surprised at how your first free game leads you to more work. Robo Hero has put me in contact with tons of other developers and artists who worked for Bravado Waffle. These artists get contracted into other projects and refer me to do the music and sound. These other developers move around to different companies and bring my name with them. Next time, we’ll look at how to build a great portfolio and how to avoid getting scammed.
The J. Arthur Keenes band continues to impress me. Their previous abum, Computer Savvy has what I consider to be the finest piece of chip/ska ever written, a bouncy little 2 minute piece called Cluck, which I’ve listened to on repeat while jogging over 20 times straight without noticing. I’d have been happy to have a whole album of nothing less than these great ska and reggae influenced chiptune tracks. But you get so much more from a J. Arthur Keenes album.
On trying to describe their latest album, The Social Lion, I find myself referring to bands that are the furthest thing from chiptune; M. Ward, Pedro the Lion, Beck, early-Wilco come to mind, mixed in with bits of swing, cowboy music and of course more ska and reggae. The chiptune influences are still there, little reggae upstroke ARPstabs, occasionally swirly bending notes and most prominently a low, crunchy bass, however they are a lot less prominent than they were on Computer Savvy. It sounds as if someone took the instruments away from half M. Ward’s backing band and replaced them with Gameboys.
The most distinctive thing about Social Lion is the vocals. The lyrics are clever and memorable and you’ll find lots of memorable choruses and melodies. This album is a lot more cohesive than Computer Savvy. You can get a digital copy for $8 and for just $2 more, an awesome hard copy album. It may be the first chip/folk/reggae thing in your collection!
A blog for video game and chiptune music, retro gaming, and live events. Created by Dj CUTMAN.
Hi all! I’ve recently released the 4th installment of my Waveform series, titled “Waveform 4”. It’s made up of 4 original Jazz-Fusion-style SNES/FM chiptunes, and my 3rd arrangement of Turtle Dance, which made its debut on Waveform 2.
