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Video Game Music: Lines, Loops and Layers

Matthew Sweet looks at how you set about composing music for a video game and visits composer Stephen Baysted to discover some of the unique techniques the medium demands.

Exactly how do you set about composing music for a video game? As part of Radio 3 and 6Music's exploration of video game music - "High Scores" - Matthew Sweet visits the studio of composer Stephen Baysted, who is presently engaged with major Hollywood gaming franchise - to discover some of the unique composing techniques that the medium demands.

Matthew also features a selection of music from some ear-grabbing contemporary gaming scores including those for the remarkably popular Final Fantasy, God of War, Assassin's Creed, Civilisation, Skyrim, and Call of Duty franchises.

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37 minutes

Last on

Sat 2 Mar 201915:00
BBC Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Nubuo Uematsu

    Final Fantasy VII (Bombing Mission)

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack.
    • DigiCube.
    • 2.

  • Bear McCreary

    God of War - Title

    Orchestra: London Session Orchestra. Choir: London Voices. Choir: Schola Cantorum. Choir: City of Prague Philharmonic Choir.
    • God of War.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 1.

  • Sarah Schachner

    Assassin's Creed Origins (Main Theme)

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • Assassin's Creed Origins - The Soundtrack.
    • Ubisoft Music.
    • 1.

  • Christopher Tin

    Civilisation VI (Sogno di Volare)

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Choir: Studio Choir.
    • Sogno di Volare (Civilization VI Main Theme) - Single.
    • Tinworks.
    • 1.

  • Jesper Kyd

    Assassin's Creed II "Earth", "Ezio's Family"

    Performer: Brian Trifon. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • Assassin's Creed II: The Original Game Soundtrack.
    • Sumthing Else Music Works.
    • 3.

  • Yasunori Mitsuda

    Chrono Trigger (Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross)

    Orchestra: WDR Radio Orchestra, Cologne. Conductor: Arnie Roth.
    • Chrono Trigger: Original Soundtrack.
    • Decca.
    • 4.

  • Jessica Curry

    Everybody's Gone To The Rapture (All the Earth/Finding the Pattern)

    Singer: Elin Manahan Thomas. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Choir: Metro Voices.
    • Everybody's Gone To The Rapture (Music composed by Jessica Curry).
    • Sony Classical.
    • 1.

  • Jeremy Soule

    The Elder Scrolls 5 - Skyrim (Dragonborn)

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Choir: Studio Choir.
    • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Original Game Soundtrack).
    • Bethesda Softworks Inc..
    • 1.

  • Brian Tyler

    Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (End Credits)

    Orchestra: Studio Orchestra. Choir: Studio Choir.
    • Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Soundtrack).
    • Activision.
    • 20.

Broadcast

  • Sat 2 Mar 201915:00
    BBC Radio 3

Podcast

  • Sound of Cinema

    Your weekly roundup of the finest film scores and movie music with Edith Bowman.