We may be living in the golden era of video game music. Not only do these soundtracks attract talented musicians and substantial budgets, they are also getting the recognition they deserve as a legitimate genre. Composer Eimear Noone, who has worked on World of Warcraft, is soon hosting her second season of High Score on Classic FM, a show exploring everything from orchestral music and chanting monks found in many games like Halo through to the classic 8-bit tunes of the Commodore 64.
Meanwhile there are plenty of good podcasts on this topic. I received lots of recommendations on Twitter and checked out Level with Emily Reese. At random, I chose her interview with Tom Salta, the composer behind Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and was not disappointed.
We learn that Salta is a hardcore music nerd who set out to create an 1980s synth-heavy score using only technology available in 1981 when Castle Wolfenstein came out. Remember that distinct reverb effect from movies and games of this era? It’s from pieces of vintage kit like the Lexicon 480 reverb unit from which Salta uses licensed recreations. His score tugs at your music memory and embodies the essence of these classic games.
