Emily Reese And Sam Keenan - Podcast Details

Shows

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 256: Lennie Moore (Outcast - A New Beginning)Composer Lennie Moore wrote such gorgeous music for Outcast - A New Beginning that it made me mad, no exaggeration. It's so pleasing harmonically with fantastic melodies and transitions, and outstanding musicianship from the soloists and performers. Live choir, live soloists, live orchestra - and you can tell. The music has breath and life. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Lennie Moore on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. PLAYLIST by Lennie Moore for Outcast: A New Beginning unless noted oth...2024-04-261h 41

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 255: Zac Tiessen(Vanitas + Viriditas)We're so happy to have Zac Tiessen back on Level to talk about a new project he worked on with his fine artist brother, Josh Tiessen! Zac wrote music for a series of paintings called Vanitas + Viriditas. You can hear the music here (and elsewhere). It's really gorgeous music, with outstanding live performers like singer Julie Elven, the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and more. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Zac on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. Find Level with Emily on Patreon. PL...2024-04-1255 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 254: Dom Palombi's Game Night! Vol. 2We loved having bandleader and drummer/percussionist Dom Palombi back to talk about his new album, Dom Palombi's Game Night! Vol. 2. There are about twice as many musicians on this album than on Vol. 1, with what Dom describes as more personal track choices than before. The musicianship is just beyond measure, and it's a fun, adventurous, delightful, funky romp through some great tunes. The three originals are fantastic. ENJOY! Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube. PLAYLIST from Dom Palombi’s Game Night, Vol 2 00:00 Wings That Cro...2024-03-291h 07

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 253: Chase Bethea (Stardander School for Witches)Composer Chase Bethea talks about his music for Stardander: School for Witches, a Harry potter-esque narrative turn-based battle adventure game where you learn spells and solve mysteries. The music is mysterious at times, with winding melodies and unexpected instrumentation. His mom sings too, which is great! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord. Find this conversation on YouTube. PLAYLIST by Chase Bethea for Stardander School for Witches unless noted otherwise 00:00 The Conjurations of Touchstone 3:46 Daily Activities 6:20 Daily Activities 9:28 Daily Activities...2024-03-2246 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 252: Thomas Brunet (Chants of Sennaar) Composer Thomas Brunet talks about his absolutely stunning music for Chants of Sennaar in this episode. We love how spontaneous the music sounds, and the colorful, creative instrument palette. In addition to the wonderful music, Thomas and I talk about a new graduate program he's created for music and sound design in Bordeaux, France, as well as his love for and knowledge of French literature. Composer Thomas Brunet talks about his absolutely stunning music for Chants of Sennaar in this episode. We love how spontaneous the music sounds, and the colorful, creative instrument palette. In addition to the wonderful music...2024-03-011h 22

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 251: Erik Desiderio (Last Epoch In Concert) A little more than two years ago, Erik Desiderio was on Level to talk about music he'd written for Last Epoch, which was in early access at the time. Erik is back to talk about all of the music he's written for the game since we spoke in 2022. Also, Last Epoch is about to get its official release, and the Game Music Ensemble of UCLA is going to play Erik's music from the game live, with Erik conducting. This gave us many reasons to chat! That concert, by the way, will apparently be streamed? Unsure, check here and here! The...2024-02-161h 10

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 250: Dale North (Astral Ascent) This is such gorgeous music by Dale North for Astral Ascent. Fully orchestral (a mix of real and samples), lush and full - and sometimes it ascends! Like the game! Definitely check out the conversation Sam and I had about it on Next Level. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Dale North on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. PLAYLIST by Dale North for Astral Ascent unless noted otherwise 00:00 Opening Cinematic 01:00 Main Menu 05:44 Fragmented Plains - Exploration 12:16 Crimson Highlands - Combat 18:54 Main Menu 23:24 Fragmented Plains - Combat 29:38 The Master - Pha...2024-02-0254 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 249: Lifeformed, Janice Kwan (Tunic) I loved talking with Terence and Janice so much about their wonderful music for such a fabulous game. The music for Tunic is a glorious blend of synths and acoustic piano, with waves of (often) consonant sound. Plus, you get to play as an adorable fox! Terence and Janice live in Taiwan so I got to learn a bit about that tropical island too, and got to meet some cats which always brings a smile! You get to see them in the YouTube video... PLAYLIST by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan for Tunic unless noted otherwise 00:00 Memories of Memories 07:19 Sunset Breakfast 14:32...2024-01-191h 05

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 248: Jon Everist (The Lamplighters League) Composer Jon Everist's music for The Lamplighters League is a great blend of noir and adventure. The soundtrack paints such a perfect picture of the vibe of the game (which is a turn-based tactics game). So many wonderful solos and soloists, with an orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, and they all sound fantastic! Also, I swear I know what a trombone sounds like. Or I used to think I did. PLAYLIST by Jon Everist for The Lamplighters League unless noted otherwise 00:00 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 02:38 Heist Prep 04:04 Nicastro Theme 07:51 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 12:38 Jungle Quiet 16:42 Nicastro...2024-01-0549 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 247: Cris Velasco (Lords of the Fallen) It's always a joy catching up with composer Cris Velasco! This time around, we chat about his epic music for Lords of the Fallen, a souls-like action RPG with plenty of boss battles. He also clues me into another one of his recent scores, for a game called Fae Farm, He and I will talk more about that in a future episode, because it's delightful. Also couldn't be more different than his music for Lords. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Cris on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. ...2023-12-1555 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 246: Tom Salta (The Outlast Trials) Composer Tom Salta talks about his extremely frightening music for The Outlast Trials, the third installment of the Outlast series. It's always a joy to have Tom on, and I manage to learn something new every time we talk! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Tom Salta for The Outlast Trials unless noted otherwise 00:00 Let the Trials Begin 05:03 (in background: John Carpenter, Halloween Main Title) 06:00 Let the Trials Begin 07:24 Let the...2023-12-0254 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 245: Jason Graves (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone) During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we've had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level's friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level, and this marks the 13th ep dedicated to his music. Best part is, we know there will be many more! This time, it's all about battle royale and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II DLC called Warzone. The Warzone maps are DLC for Modern Warfare II players, and Jason's released a soundtrack of the music from them. It's always great...2023-11-1739 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 244: Steve Pardo (Cypher 007)Composer Steve Pardo got to write music for one of the most musically famous franchises of all time in Cypher 007, the newest game from James Bond. And it's great! I love how the soundtrack fits seamlessly into the fabric of the stealthy Apple Arcade game. Steve and I talk about how neat that is, how great John Barry's original music is and a lot more in this week's chat. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive...2023-10-271h 00

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 243: Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Cyberpunk 2077) Composer Ross Tregenza is back for a deep dive into the music and sound he created and composed for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We also talk about his music for Deathloop, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and his ubiquitous music in Cyberpunk 2077. I love every minute of all of it. And I loved talking with Ross about these projects, including his industrial band Goteki. Hot tip, all of their music is available as a FREE download on Bandcamp. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and...2023-10-201h 13

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 241: Darren Korb (Hades)Composer Darren Korb's music for Hades properly beloved. It's a great blend of metal with acoustic Mediterranean instruments to take you through the deep story of the game. Darren adds his voice acting talents to the game as well, voicing the main character, Zagreus, and the training dummy, Skelly. Hades is one of my favorite rogue-lite dungeon crawlers, and the music is the best. Darren and I had this conversation about his music and acting in November 2021. For a handful of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Darren, we are s...2023-10-061h 06

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 240: Brian Schmidt and Marty O’Donnell on Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The person largely responsible for how audio worked in that original Xbox and what the Xbox would “sound” like was Brian Schmidt. We’ve had Brian on the show in the past, most recently to talk about Game Sound Con, which he runs in LA every October. In the late 1990s, Brian was working for Microsoft and began working on the Xbox right away as he’ll tell you, and achieved many technological breakthroughs in this work. One of the launch games for Xbox in that winter of 2001 was Halo: Combat Evolved, with music by Marty...2023-09-291h 38

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 239: Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure) It's always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG. The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2, we spoke of the End of Dragons expansion. Maclaine's music for End of Dragons was heavily influenced by Korean traditional music (called gugak) with synth undertones. The music for Secrets of the Obscure is quite different, as you'll hear Maclaine discuss, driven by a tight timeline. It's beautiful orchestral music - a very traditional Western orchestra - with few soloists, just...2023-09-221h 23

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 238: David Housden (Disney Illusion Island) It's been far too long since we had composer David Housden on the show. Last time, we talked about Thomas Was Alone and Volume. David's music for Disney Illusion Island is quite different from those scores, as you'd expect. Complete with cartoon humor and sweeping melodies, it fits perfectly. The game is a multiplayer platformer/Metroidvania and it is SO. FUN!! I highly recommend it, as much as I recommend the fantastic music. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch...2023-09-151h 08

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 237: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART TWO This is Part Two of my chat with scntfc / Andy Rohrmann about his music for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. And it's another episode packed with music and back stories. We can't wait to have Andy on the show to talk about more music in the future! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST / PART TWO by scntfc for Oxenfree (I) or Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (II) unless noted otherwise 2023-09-081h 17

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 236: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART ONE Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals are fantastic games with phenomenal music. The games are scored by scntfc, a.k.a. Andy Rohrmann. And I can't ever get enough of Andy's music. I love these games so very much, from the art and story to the music. If you haven't spent time listening to these scores, treat yourself. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST / PART ONE by scntfc for Oxenfree...2023-09-011h 19

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 235: Doyle Donehoo (Aliens: Dark Descent) Composer Doyle Donehoo wrote a fantastic score for the newest game in the Alien franchise, called Aliens: Dark Descent. His music shares several hallmarks but is uniquely his music, and his fandom for this franchise runs so deep it comes off as a gorgeous, if not appropriately creepy, love letter. Doyle saw the first film, Alien, in the theater in 1979. I've told many friends about the story of his experience that night - hilarious. And much later in our conversation, we chat about how he was one of the first in the world (yup) to see Star Wars, an equally...2023-08-251h 07

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 234: Antfood/Wilson Brown (Let’s! Revolution!) Composer Wilson Brown is part of an audio studio called Antfood, and the studio is responsible for the delightfully chill soundtrack for the Minecraft-esque roguelite, Let's! Revolution! One of my favorite parts of the soundtrack is the percussion - a lot of organic sounds, like body percussion, Latin, South American and other world instruments, mixed with synthetic samples. It's a cold drink on a warm day or a warm drink on a cold one, take your pick. It's pleasing! PLAYLIST by Antfood for Let’s! Revolution! unless noted otherwise 00:00 What An Adventure 07:26 Crowns & Loafers 11:21 The Ki...2023-08-181h 11

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 233: Oleksa Lozowchuk (Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores) It's always a delight having Oleksa Lozowchuk on Level. This time, we're talking about his music for Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores. I love hearing him dig into his process for composing. We talk about the important soloists on the soundtrack: singers Julie Elven and Melissa Kaplan, along with cellist Blair Lofgren. Quick ask: we're getting close to monetization on YouTube, so send some friends over to our channel and watch our videos, including this one with Oleksa! And thank you, as always! PLAYLIST by Oleksa Lozowchuk for Horizon: Forbidden West Burning Shores unless noted otherwise 00:00...2023-08-111h 14

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 232: Vinicius Barbosa Pippa (Composer, Music Editor, Score Supervisor) Composer Vinicius Barbosa Pippa has held many jobs as a musician working in media. In addition to his work in games and film, he garnered an Emmy nomination for his work as a music editor on an animated show called Go! Go! Cory Carson. And he was the music supervisor on a different animated show that aims to introduce Star Wars to kids called Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures (definitely check this out if you haven't, they're fabulous shorts!). I loved chatting with Vinicius about his music, his projects, Portuguese and more! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon...2023-07-0751 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 231: Brent Meyer (Katoa) Composer Brent Meyer talks about his music for Katoa, a mobile game where you build and manage an underwater ecosystem. A portion of the money spent through microtransactions goes toward charities that support the climate. The main theme Brent wrote is a sweeping, melodic orchestral romp. Once you begin gameplay, the texture simplifies and the music becomes more ambient to support the visuals. I loved the gentleness of the more ambient tracks, and thoroughly enjoyed talking with Brent about his music, and our shared geography :) You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find...2023-06-3049 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 230: John Robert Matz (Tchia) It's always a great time having John Robert Matz on to talk about his music. This time, we discuss Tchia, an open-world adventure of a young girl on tropical islands inspired by the real location, New Caledonia. The music is such a joy. John Robert captured a colorful, simple and memorable island vibe with his soundtrack. The game is fantastic too. This isn't some hundred hour open world sprawl either; it's digestible and easy to take breaks. Music is woven into the gameplay is unique ways, and you can play chromatic triads on your ukulele using the controller. You can...2023-06-231h 33

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 229:Sander van Zanten (Deliver Us the Moon, Deliver Us Mars) I love these games! And Sander van Zanten's music does a fantastic job capturing the wonder, loneliness and splendor of being in space. If you haven't played Deliver Us the Moon, I highly recommend it. And then play Deliver Us Mars! The gameplay is so engaging and Sander's music is a great part of it all. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Sander van Zanten for Deliver Us the Moon (Moon...2023-06-161h 18

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 228: Grant ”Stemage” Henry (Card of Darkness, Narrowband) Grant "Stemage" Henry is a composer, a session guitarist and a remixer. In 2003, Grant created Metroid Metal (you can still download all the tracks, just follow the link), and so began his lengthy career in the VGM remix community. Grant and I don't talk too much about remixing, but we focus on a couple of original projects: his original soundtrack for Card of Darkness, a mobile game from the creator of Adventure Time and a solo project he released in 2016 called Narrowband. I loved talking with Grant about (some of) his original music! We also briefly chat about his music...2023-06-091h 12

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 227: Mustin (Producer, The OneUps, remixer) Mustin's remixes and albums lift my spirits, and I hope they do for you too! Mustin has an ability to capture juuuuust the right sound to make a track pop and nail the nostalgia. His latest album, Mario Mixtape, resulted from a challenge issued by his son: to create a Mario remix album within a matter of months (about 4 months). Mustin delivered, with the assistance and approval of his son, his daughter, and their "people," as he puts it. Mustin also co-founded The OneUps about 20 years ago, the 2nd longest-running video game music remix band in the world. He's got...2023-06-021h 14

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 226: Joe Newman (Composer, Remixer, Saxophonist) Joe Newman is a saxophonist who remixes and covers video game music. He's been a regular participant in Dwelling of Duels and recently released an album of some of his favorite submissions. By day, Joe is a lawyer in the video game industry (in consumer protection, if memory serves, he explains it in the chat). We talk about his music, playing the EWI, his passion for games and more! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special...2023-05-2658 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 225: Maclaine Diemer (Firmament) It's another delightful chat with composer Maclaine Diemer about Firmament from Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst and Riven. The score is entirely synth with the exception of two or three other instruments, including an esraj and a Fender IV (technically a Squire, which only matters to people who know the difference). It's atmospheric, ambient and round, but with industrial grit thrown in occasionally. Maclaine calls it "industrial ambient." Or maybe "ambient industrial," you'll have to listen to find out. One of the best parts: Maclaine grew up playing and revering those early games and the music Robyn Miller wrote...2023-05-201h 14

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 224: Peter Chapman (Workin’ Moms, Guacamelee) Composer Peter Chapman talks about his music for the Netflix comedy Workin' Moms, which just aired its 7th and final season in April. Peter worked with composer/singer Maylee Todd to create music for the series. The music has this energetically fresh, crisp and clean vibe, although there are many examples of grit and grime as well. We chat about that, we talk about his work on Guacamelee and Guacamelee 2. He did the music for Wynonna Earp, and under his pseudonym Coins, created a viral album of Beastie Boys remixes using only Daft Punk samples called Daft Science. I loved...2023-05-121h 08

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 223: Logan ”Biggoron” Tucker (VGM Cover Artist) I stumbled across Logan "Biggoron" Tucker's music in early April ahead of VGM Con (which would be worth your time if you can attend next year!). He regularly participates in the monthly video game music cover contest held at Dwelling of Duels. Cover artists submit their piece anonymously and winners are chosen by the community. For TWENTY years, Dwelling of Duels has held this competition, and all submissions are archived on their site. It was great talking with Logan about his style and how he got into making game music covers. You can find many of his covers on Bandcamp (na...2023-05-0556 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 222: Lennie Moore (Mentors, Outcast 2) Composer Lennie Moore talks about his newest passion project, a big band album called Mentors that pays tribute to his musical mentors, like record producer Arif Mardin, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and drummer Peter Erskine (who plays on the album). While we do briefly discuss the upcoming Outcast 2 (Lennie scored the first Outcast in 1999), most of the conversation centers around the album and the people who aided Lennie musically along the way. You can hear Sam (Level's producer) and I discuss it in Next Level on YouTube. This is long conversation but we make no apologies; you're going to learn a...2023-04-291h 56

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 221: Wes Keltner, Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) Wes Keltner is the CEO of Gun Interactive, creators of the upcoming game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Ross Tregenza composed the music and worked on sound. The game is in the canon of the original film from 1974. We talk about how they pieced together a handful of working chain saws to get the perfect sound from the machine, the same models used in the original film. And Wes had an instrument made specifically for the soundtrack (pictured on Patreon). He had an Apprehension Engine created. Invented by composer Mark Korven, the instrument is able to create a wealth of...2023-04-141h 18

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 220: Chris Rickwood (Brawlhalla) Composer Chris Rickwood gets to write in the style of some of the most famous franchises in games and other media like TV, anime and more for Brawlhalla, the free-to-play platform brawler from Blue Mammoth Games and Ubisoft. In this episode, Chris and I talk about what it's like to take the Brawlhalla main theme and rework it in the style of other characters from places like Castlevania, Tomb Raider, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Street Fighter and so many more. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and...2023-04-071h 12

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 219: Hrishikesh Hirway (The Red Lantern) ** The soundtrack to The Red Lantern is getting a vinyl release. Anyone who is a patron of Level with Emily by midnight (12:00 AM CDT) on April 17, 2023, will be eligible to win one of 5 records. ** Hrishikesh Hirway is a composer, a recording artist, a podcaster (Song Exploder, Home Cooking, The West Wing Weekly) and all-around busy creator. He wrote the music for The Red Lantern, a narrative survival dog-sledding adventure, with warm, relaxing music to counter the cold landscape. Hrishikesh describes his music as "secular Christmas," and that is such a fantastic description; his music is a weighted blanket with hot c...2023-03-3159 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 218: Rob Kovacs (Straylight) We've had composer Rob Kovacs on Level in the past to talk about his alter ego, 88bit. This time, he's here to discuss his Prophet 5 modern 80s soundtrack for the VR game Straylight, and I love every minute of it. The music is fantastic, and Rob sits at his piano during our chat to demonstrate some of the musical choices he made. It was so much fun! You can support Rob in many ways, whether on his Patreon, on Twitch, Bandcamp and many other places! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find...2023-03-241h 29

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 217: Greg Nicolett (Potionomics) Greg Nicolett's music for Potionomics is as colorful as the game, weaving in and out of various styles and palettes depending on characters and locations. The game is a 3D deck builder/management sim, where you (as Sylvia) brew and sell potions out of your own shop. And go on dates :) Much of the score was recorded with live orchestra, and there are a lot of soloists that stand out, like past Level guest Kristin Naigus and Greg Nicolett himself playing a fabulous trombone solo in Muktuk's Slumber. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord...2023-03-1700 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 203: Nuno Fonseca (Sound Particles) Nuno Fonseca grew up with an equal love for music, audio and technology. He's a former university professor in Portugal, and he's published more than 20 papers on computer audio and 2 books on sound and computer design. His interests led him to create Sound Particles, which is immersive software capable of generating thousands or millions of sounds for 3D audio. It's a tremendously efficient way for a composer or sound designer to multiply the sounds they're working with, and to generate other effects for audio. Nuno generously provided our producer, Sam Keenan, with the Sound Particles software so he could learn...2022-12-0252 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 197: Maclaine Diemer (Salt and Sacrifice) Composer Maclaine Diemer's music for Salt and Sacrifice is grimy and unpolished. As producer Sam Keenan says, "You can make a cello sound a lot of ways, and he found a bunch of fun ones." Of course, Maclaine is best-known for his gorgeous, lush, epic orchestral music for Guild Wars 2. And this is definitely a departure from that in all the wonderful ways. I loved all the grit, and all of the guitar too. Maclaine, inspired by Led Zeppelin and Game Boy Star Wars. Loved it! Buy on Maclaine's Bandcamp! You can find a playlist and support Level with...2022-10-2157 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 191: Nainita Desai (Immortality, Telling Lies, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,The Reason I Jump) Composer Nainita Desai is all over my playlist these days, whether it's her game music or film music. Most recently, it's for Sam Barlow's new interactive film/game called Immortality. In Immortality, the player sifts through footage of 3 unreleased feature films, trying to solve the mystery of missing (fictional) film star, Marissa Marcel. As a result, the music shifts through several different moods throughout the experience. We also discuss Nainita's Emmy-nominated scores for 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible and The Reason I Jump. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free...2022-09-161h 16

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 173: Robert Wolf (Arknights, Call of Duty Mobile, Honor of Kings)A song by composer Robert Wolf is nominated for Best Original Song in the upcoming Game Audio Network Guild Awards on May 25, 2022. He composed "Immutable" for the game Arknights, a mobile tower defense/ tactical RPG from Hypergryph. Robert is a composer for Hexany Audio, a company that provides music and sound for many different game projects around the world. Robert also composes for Honor of Kings and Call of Duty Mobile. Visit the Level with Emily Reese YouTube channel to see our conversation. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Find us...2022-05-1334 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 171: Mason Lieberman (Tencent Games)Composer Mason Lieberman works for Tencent Games, and writes music for all types of games and projects, like PUBG Mobile and Teamfight Tactics. He's composed for tons of different anime projects too, like RWBY and Beyblade Burst Evolution. Mason has a keen ear for composing J-rock, and other J-styles and C-styles, and was exposed to these styles starting at a young age when his family had a foreign exchange student from Japan. You can view the conversation with Mason on the Level with Emily YouTube page, and subscribe to be notified of new videos from us. 2022-04-2945 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 170: Dom Palombi (Game Night!)Drummer Dom Palombi talks about his new album Game Night! with game music covers and three original tracks. The album features several seasoned video game, anime and all the J-styles performers like Patrick Bartley (J-Music Ensemble), Carlos Eiene (insaneintherainmusic), the Super Soul Bros., Charlie Rosen (8-Bit Big Band) and more. Dom and the Game Night! band recently traveled to Minneapolis for VGM Con to perform. Dom and Emily talk about that experience, Dom's background and his KILLER Game Night! band and album. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon! 2022-04-221h 07

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 167: Lee Jackson (Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad)Composer Lee Jackson's legacy in the world of game music includes the theme song for Duke Nukem 3Dcalled “Grabbag”. Lee talks about writing music for Duke Nukem 3D and other Duke projects, as well as how quickly he wrote music for Rise of the Triad, and how he made sounds for Balls of Steel (all games from Apogee Software / 3D Realms). Lee also takes commissions to write new music, and his albums on Bandcamp include music he wrote inspired by Duke Nukem, and other Duke projects. No video for this interview, but please do head over to the Level with...2022-04-011h 09

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 164: Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons)Maclaine Diemer talks about his music for the newest expansion for Guild Wars 2 called End of Dragons. The music is inspired by traditional Korean music and instruments, a much needed educational dive into a rich tradition! Emily and Maclaine talk at great length about the special instruments he chose to use and the beautiful music for GW2: End of Dragons. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2022-03-0155 min

Level with Emily ReeseThe Audio of Half-Life: Alyx from Level with EmilyIn June 2018, we began interviewing five of the people responsible for audio in Half-Life: Alyx from Valve Corporation. The Audio in Half-Life: Alyx introduces you to each person involved in the creation of sounds in the game, and highlights their individual roles for bringing the game to life. Mike Morasky wrote the music for Half-Life: Alyx. Roland Shaw made audio for the creatures and monsters, and for all of the physics objects like matchboxes and lockers and footsteps. Dave Feise did the ambiences, UI sounds, and some of the tools like the...2021-11-232h 21

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 145: Gordy Haab (Star Wars: Squadrons)Gordy Haab's music in the Star Wars gaming universe is fantastic. His new addition is Star Wars: Squadrons, a space combat game that fulfills most Star Wars fans' dream of flying X-wings and TIE Fighters. The music is so great. Enjoy! Support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2021-01-1438 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 142: Steve Pardo (Signs of the Sojourner)Signs of the Sojourner is a narrative deck-building card game about communication. This is easily one of my favorite soundtracks of 2020 and one I know I’ll return to for years to come. It was a suuuuuuuch a pleasure to talk with Steve about his music!! You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2020-11-1248 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 140: Jesse Harlin (Mafia: Definitive Edition)Hear composer Jesse Harlin talk about his music for Mafia: Definitive Edition. The game is a remake of the first Mafia game, which came out in 2002, but with completely new music written by Jesse. We’ve had Jesse on the show twice before; once was for Yoku’s Island Express in 2018 and in 2016, Jesse was on Level to talk about his work on Mafia 3. That was mostly a blues score, but the score for Mafia: Definitive Edition is entirely orchestral. Support Level with Emily Reese and see a playlist on Patreon. 2020-10-2934 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 137: Cris Velasco (Carrion)Composer Cris Velasco's music for Carrion is fantastic, and definitely check out the story about the album art. Find the playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2020-09-0336 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 136: Charlie Rosen (The 8-Bit Big Band)Charlie Rosen talks about running The 8-Bit Big Band. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-08-1327 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 134: Nick Marinelli (Video Games In Concert)Nick Marinelli talks about leaving MAGFest after so many years to run Video Games in Concert, a video game band booking agency. We also talked about how he achieved his most recent platinum trophy, which he got in Horizon Zero Dawn. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-07-0231 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 133: Eric Buchholz (on orchestration)Orchestrator and composer Eric Buchholz talks about what it means to be an orchestrator, and how that job fits into the pipeline of getting a soundtrack recorded. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-06-1820 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 132: Edward Patrick White (Gears Tactics)Edward Patrick White talks about the music he composed for Gears Tactics, a new game in the Gears of War franchise that turned the third person shooter into a turn-based tactics game with an overhead view. Support Level with Emily on Patreon! 2020-06-1321 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 131: Thomas Parisch (Biped)Composer Thomas Parisch talks about his music for the Biped, a co-op action adventure game. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-05-1836 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 130: Gareth Coker (Ori and the Will of the Wisps)Gareth Coker wrote a giant score for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the sequel to 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest. It’s fabulous, and we talk about several aspects of it. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-04-251h 10

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 129: Igor Nemirovsky and Kenny Wood (Amoeba Battle)Composers Igor Nemirovsky and Kenny Wood talk about their music for Amoeba Battle. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-04-0930 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 127: VGM Con 2020 panelHere is a panel Emily did at this year's VGM Con. We hope to see you there again next year!! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-03-1528 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 19: Civ VI and stuffEmily talks about upcoming episodes of Level with Emily Reese and what games she's currently playing. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2020-02-0607 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 124: Justin E Bell (The Outer Worlds)Enjoy the chat with Justin E. Bell about his music for The Outer Worlds. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2020-01-3134 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 18: "Edgewater" from The Outer Worlds (Justin E. Bell)Into the weeds, perhaps a bit too far, on a portion of a delightful track by Justin E. Bell called "Edgewater" for The Outer Worlds. On the Official Soundtrack, "Edgewater" includes both of the themes that are heard in the town called Edgewater. This video contains the second half of that full track from the OST, which is what I focus on for this demonstration. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2020-01-0912 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 122: Steve Levine (HyperBrawl Tournament)Composer and Grammy-award winning producer Steve Levine talks about creating the music for HyperBrawl Tournament. Special thanks to Universal Audio #UAD for making the introduction to Steve. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2020-01-0243 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 17: Update (with Cal Tjader)Quick update on our work on Half-Life: Alyx, our roles at Level, Emily's woes with Clash Royale and what she's playing, underscored by Cal Tjader playing "Tanya" off his Soul Sauce record. Tasty! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2019-12-0704 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 16: Half-Life: AlyxSam and I are thrilled to announce we've been conducting behind-the-scenes interviews with the audio team at Valve Corp. while they create the sound and music for Half-Life: Alyx. Here is an introduction to the audio team. You can learn more and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-11-2111 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 14: The Confessional, Part 1Emily confesses her love for the mobile game, Clash Royale, generously interrupted by Jesper Kyd's Borderlands 3 music (Kyd and BL3's music supervisor, Raison Varner, are guests on Level next week). You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2019-09-2611 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 11: Kenny YoungA brief rundown of composer Kenny Young, who is the subject of next week's long-form episode. Next week, you'll hear his newest soundtrack, but in this Level Bit, you'll hear some of Emily's favorite music of Kenny's from the past. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. 2019-08-1606 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 112: Wilbert Roget, II (Mortal Kombat 11)Composer Wilbert Roget, II talks about his music for Mortal Kombat 11. See a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-08-0939 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 08: Melismatic Music. Sort of.An unexpected trip down the rat hole of pre-tonal music from the 12th century that's emulated beautifully by Jeremy Soule in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The track highlighted is called "Imperial Throne" along with music by Pèrotin and a track from the 21st century. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-07-0411 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 109: Arkadiusz Reikowski (Layers of Fear 2)Polish composer Arkadiusz Reikowski talks about his music for Layers of Fear 2. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-06-2829 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 06: BorderlandsIn Level Bit 06, Emily talks about the greatness of the Borderlands series, looking forward to Borderlands 3 scores from Jesper Kyd and Michael McCann. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-06-0708 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 05: Sky Force AnniversaryHear some music from Sky Force Anniversary by Jacek Dojwa in Level Bit 04. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-05-2406 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 106: Sophus Alf Agerbæk-Larsen (Deep Rock Galactic)Composer Sophus Alf Agerbæk-Larsen talks about his music for Deep Rock Galactic. See a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-05-1632 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 04: Inon Zur (Into the Storm)Composer Inon Zur talks about his new stand-alone album Into the Storm, inspired by his music for the Dragon Age universe (and he's recently posted the entire Dragon Age 2 soundtrack on YouTube. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-05-1023 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 105: Finishing Move (Crackdown 3)Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White form a composing duo called Finishing Move. Hear them talk about their music for Crackdown 3. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-05-0242 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 03: Heaven's Vault (Laurence Chapman)In Level Bit 03m you'll hear a track from Heaven's Vault called "Under the Eye of Kibenya" by Laurence Chapman. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-04-2511 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 104: Olivier Deriviere 11-11 Memories RetoldComposer Olivier Deriviere talks about his music for 11-11 Memories Retold, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. You can see a full playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-04-1854 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 02: Themes from FalloutA comparison of the themes Inon Zur wrote for Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-04-1109 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 103: Matthew Carl Earl, "Legend of Xuan Yuan"Composer Matthew Carl Earl talks about his music for two Chinese games made by Tencent, Legend of Xuan Yuan and King of Chaos. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon, and see a full playlist. 2019-04-0546 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel Bit 01: Woody Jackson "Revisiting Downes Ranch"In the first Level Bit, Emily talks about a track she loved from Red Dead Redemption 2 by Woody Jackson called "Revisiting Downes Ranch". You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2019-04-0208 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 101: Tim Larkin, ArtifactComposer Tim Larkin from Valve Corp. goes behind the scenes of the recording sessions for his music to Artifact, a new digital card game based on lore from Dota. You can support Level with Emily Reese and see photos of the sessions on Patreon. 2018-11-3057 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 99: Alexander Brandon (Aven Colony)Composer and voice actor Alexander Brandon talks about his music for Aven Colony, and how he became a voice actor. See a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-08-3042 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 98: Jesse Harlin (Yoku's Island Express)Composer Jesse Harlin talks about his music for Yoku's Island Express from Villa Gorilla. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-08-0239 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 96: Julian Kwasneski (Bay Area Sound)Sound designer Julian Kwasneski started Bay Area Sound in 2000 after he left LucasArts. He's worked on audio for Star Wars games, Firewatch, nearly every Telltale Games project, and many more. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-06-2840 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 95: Olivier Deriviere (Vampyr)French composer Olivier Deriviere talks about his new score for Vampyr (hint: it's wonderful). You can see a full playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-06-0642 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 94: Garry Schyman (Torn)Composer Garry Schyman (BioShock series, Dante's Inferno) talks about his music for the new VR game Torn; the difference between a scoring stage and a recording studio; and why it's unusual to record a game score in L.A. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-05-2240 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 92: Kirk Hamilton (Kotaku)Kirk Hamilton, Editor-at-Large for Kotaku.com, talks about some of his favorite video game scores from the last few years. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-03-2033 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 90: Kenny Young (WonderWorlds)Composer Kenny Young talks about the music he wrote and sounds he created for WonderWorlds, an iOS game with thousands of user-created levels. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-03-0635 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 91: Wilbert Roget (Call of Duty WWII)Composer Wilbert Roget II talks about his score for Call of Duty: WWII, played by the Nashville Scoring Orchestra. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-02-2239 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 89: Kris Maddigan (Cuphead)Composer Kristofer Maddigan talks about his music for Cuphead, a game stylized like a cartoon from the '30s. Performed by members of the Boss Brass. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2018-01-1540 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 88: Stephen Baysted (Project Cars 2)Stephen Baysted pays tribute to Ayrton Senna and Formula One in his new score for Project Cars 2. Patron of the Week Lasse Anderson talks about his favorite video game music. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-11-1947 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 87: Chase Bethea (Reality from Fancy Fish Games)Composer Chase Bethea talks about his music for the interactive novel from Fancy Fish Games. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-11-0422 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 86: Danny O'Dwyer (NoClip)Video game documentarian Danny O'Dwyer talks about his career, his favorite game music and more. You can support Danny O'Dwyer and Level with Emily Reese on Patreon, and see a playlist there too. 2017-10-021h 04

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 85: Narcosis writers David Chen and Jeff MattasWriter David Chen and writer/actor Jeff Mattas talk about the script for Narcosis, a deep-sea underwater survival game. Jeff voices the lead, and Emily Reese had a part in the game. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-09-2739 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 84: Gareth Coker (ARK: Survival Evolved)Gareth Coker is back to talk about his incredible score for ARK: Survival Evolved, recorded at Abby Road by the 93-piece Philharmonia Orchestra. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-09-1853 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 83: Frederic Heath-Renn and QuizzingFrederic Heath-Renn talks about appearing on the British quiz show Only Connect and some of his favorite music. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-09-1026 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 82: MalukahSinger/songwriter Malukah talks about how she got from this video to singing and composing for video games. See a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-09-0336 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 81: Stephan Schütze (Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles)Composer Stephan Schütze talks about his music for Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, and his new book about audio in VR and AR. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-08-2654 min

Level with Emily ReeseLevel 80: Stephen E Cox (Farpoint)Composer Stephen E Cox talks about his music for the VR game Farpoint. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon. 2017-08-2126 min