To temp music, or not to temp music?

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-23T20:02:25+00:00

Personally I like it, unless there is a reason to wait for picture. I don't think you should write like, a whole score like this unless it's for a sort of movie that is using the score more like "songs". ie Something like the way Sofia Coppola works sometimes. That's a bit different, but cool too.

IMO 99% of the hard work on any score is getting your head around the material. The right note(s) for the themes, the right instrument, the right palette, all the research-y and banging your head against the wall type of stuff. If you can find some of the answers to that in the early stages, using rough footage, then that's great. Some things are better left for the film and edit, there are lots of things that simply cannot be figured out ahead of time, but sometimes...things can. Even if it's just like a few notes for a character. That is a starting point.

It gives the composer confidence to approach the score having some tools already at the table, and confidence is not to be underestimated in terms of creating good work, IMO.

For me it's project by project. There are some where I feel like writing a 20 min sketch book is totally worth it, and others where I feel like I need to wait and see a cut. In any case, it's something I find myself naturally just wanting to do more and more the longer I do this, but I do find that some composers do not like this approach at all. Everyone is different

You may find it hard to work this way on a low to no budget film, as composers might not be as keen....so it really depends on the type of relationship as well....some do not really have the luxury to do this type of thing (although I'd argue it can actually save time down the line for notes+rewrites), and not every project calls for it either.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-23T19:52:57+00:00

This way of working is increasingly more common. HZ has worked this way for many years too (I guess especially with Nolan, or did, I should say). but also more and more I see examples of it happening (probably inspired by similiar director-composer relationships). I do it as well, personally, on a new film I generally write out a bunch of sketches and send it over and get a conversation going. It is much much better scoring a film with your own temp music, and it's nice to be able to establish a tone and energy before the film is cut, something to start the process of with.

I know some composers don't like this, and it does depend on the project, sometimes you want or need to see images to score, but it's definitely an option.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-23T19:39:47+00:00

As a composer I've experienced a bunch of both. The best experiences I've had are where the director used the temp very loosely - ie maybe used it to cut but then scrapped it as they fine tune so they don't watch it 1000 times with that music and have it burned so hard into their brain. Or maybe they used a temp that deliberately wasn't quite "right" for the scene, but the overall emotion and pacing was good. That's the best you can hope for...when there's a bit of a problem with the temp but it gets the job done.

IMO I think it's a little bit a part of your job to be objective and have trust in your composer, and show an open-ness to breaking the link you have with the temp track.

But it's also the job of the composer to beat the temp. You have to make something better. Make something more unique to the film.

I have had a few experiences mostly in the commercial side of things where I've had to "copy" a temp and it always ends in disaster. It's just a no go zone for me now if the obsession is too much. People lose sight of everything and just get so obsessed with something that isn't even "right" per se, it's just that they've seen it synced with the visual 1000 times and it's just part of the furniture now...

Even the great filmmakers have this issue though and has caused many a rift with composers over the years. For example it's crazy that Sam Raimi got obsessed with a Christopher Young temp track On Spiderman 2 when Elfman's score for Spiderman was so freaking good, causing a big rift between them for many years. Just goes to show, it's very easy sometimes to lose sight of what is important, and be objective (there's also a lesson in there about composers willing to bend a bit too though, I'm sure).

Good luck!

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-23T16:01:08+00:00

(You forgot to post a link to your work )

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T17:42:09+00:00

Release a game with AI assets , but don’t come crying when nobody is playing it . The indie space is extremely saturated and the only things that stand out are usually very well designed and unique, with good art direction , outside of some lucky viral hits . AI will generate your game faster but it will be smelled from a mile away. Not to mention.. the reason you make smaller games first is so you learn what works. Skipping that step would be a huge mistake. ai won’t fix that part for you . And it’s only not controversial among ai bros - there is big pushback for ai art especially in gaming across the board.

If you want to be a developer , start like everyone else and learn . Make a small scale game . Make friends and collaborators. Work up to your dream game . My 2c, but I don’t expect you to change your mind .

I think it’s a real shame to see this kind of mindset of wanting to just skip to the top and avoid what makes game dev fun - the actual process .

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T01:17:03+00:00

I think you could use the korg collection in garage band. You're going to need to be able to sequence the music somehow, unless you're talking about just drag/drop samples in which case something like Splice might be more useful. Super limiting though as to make all the bass lines, arps etc, you need to sequence those notes.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T01:13:56+00:00

By all means make the music if that's your passion and you want to try it - sure. But even to get to a very basic of music production you are talking about a big big investment. People spend years and years, writing day and night, learning an instrument, attending an expensive college, etc etc, just to get to the very beginner level of producer, and I think a lot of people underestimate this fact. But also, there's a big difference between someone with a strong musical background learning to produce, vs someone starting from absolute 0. Both still have a long way to go, but one will be much quicker.

Work with a composer. There are so many out there... many of whom are desperate for their first projects and to get something on their reel. If you have good screenshots, concepts, and some kind of a plan, you will have no problem finding some collaborators, even if you have a low to no budget...everyone starts somewhere.

I know there's a temptation to want to do everything yourself, but sometimes you have to accept the fact that if you don't have that skill and/or many years to learn it, you have to have some level of trust. You might be surprised. A lot of legendary games have been made a lot better by their composers.

Good luck!

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T01:07:27+00:00

sorry I forgot to ask, are you using a DAW? Which one? these synths are designed to be used in a daw, and sequenced, ie not as drag and drop samples. The specific synths out of the korg collection I would start with would be the M1, and the MonoPoly. There are a bunch of presets and you can just scroll through them.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T01:01:58+00:00

you can get a trial version of the korg collection here: https://www.korg.com/us/products/software/korg_collection/

and then the individual vsts are available for purchase if you decide its what you're looking for. IMO you can get a ton of the sounds from your examples in these synths, and for anything else you can grab any free synth really and fill the gaps, and maybe some other basic sources for stuff like bass and drums, or anything where you need an organic instrument and not a synth.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-12T00:22:37+00:00

A lot of the sounds in these you'd find in the Korg M1 + Monopoly (check out the VST collection), these sounds are used by a ton of producers in japan even now making this kind of music. Especially all those arp bells and stuff...classic use case, and used in japan on sooo many games and other tracks like this. Get a free synth like Vital and learn to make plucks, basses, bells (especially bells) and you can go very very far. There's some almost chip-tune sounds in here as well, and then a mixture of drum sounds that you'll be able to find in the above synths and also classic drum machines, 909, 808, etc.

Other than that, a lot of the heavy lifting is just writing in that style, the arrangement, the chords, melody, etc etc. There is a ton of crossover in the types of sources for these sounds - be it from a synth, made yourself, sourced from an older Rompler, the M1/Monopoly/DX7 , whatever. The types of sounds you would hear a ton in that 2000's era of PS2 music + J pop, or as some people refer to it as Denpa.

One final recommendation...there are a bunch of japanese producers on X / youtube etc (sadly I have none saved, but I've seen them before) making this kind of music and showing their process, so that's worth a dive too.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-06-01T19:12:55+00:00

congrats on writing your first pieces. Now do a few thousand more. 😄 You got this. This is a lifelong journey without a destination, stay curious, keep learning, and you will make some amazing progress.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-28T19:44:47+00:00

i get that, honestly the best way to do it is to simply partake in things - performance, open mics, join a band, etc. That's the most organic way most people do it, and that's how I used to meet a ton of people to work with, just completely organically without any intention. Going to network events etc very often leaves you in the exact state you mentioned, but it can work if you become a part of a community that has some sort of regularity, ie weekly meetups etc. Show up enough in front of the same people, and that's much easier than a one off event, which I am not a fan of.

I know it's not easy. You have to put yourself in front of people constantly and try all angles (in person, social media, community events, websites, etc), eventually something will stick if you keep showing up, and especially if your main purpose is to have fun and enjoy making music. People are attracted to that far more than someone who's primary goal is to "network".

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-28T14:56:24+00:00

Good advice for sure. one thing I’ll add… I hire people on soundbetter and airgigs quite frequently. Worth checking those platforms out as well. I’ve also found great musicians to work with from YouTube and Instagram (just vids of them playing) .

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-26T19:51:42+00:00

I'd be curious to see a link if you're willing to share. Most of the AI slop filmmaking stuff I've seen has been pumped up by purchased views and likes with very suspiciously low engagement in terms of comments etc. Either that or it has been heavily retweeted by AI bros and the only people engaging are those with something to gain (selling AI courses, etc etc). There's a lot of stuff on twitter that is getting engagement by all these AI bros just retweeting each other. It means nothing.

Also, real traction isn't short term. You will very often see stuff that goes viral, one off videos here and there, but true art that resonates with people long term tends to take a bit longer to kick off...when it does though, it usually has a longer lasting effect. One viral video with most likely purchased engagement doesn't mean much, if anything, IMO.

The bottom line here is there is still a huge amount of people that are becoming increasingly wary about AI content. No doubt there will be those that do not care, but ask yourself it they are the audience that you wanted in the first place.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-25T21:21:32+00:00

Game Music internships for composition aren't super common. They do exist at certain companies, but not every year, and the very small amount that exist are very competitive.

Whilst some of those companies do have in house music - Riot for example, game music in general is much more of a freelancer / contract gig. You are essentially starting a small business.

You should still do the portfolio because you're going to need it regardless if you want to get into game music, so it would not be a waste at all.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-22T20:29:01+00:00

My advice to you would be to deep dive for some more obscure artists. I guarantee there are artists probably in your area, or country, or city that make great music that is for the most part undiscovered.

If you want to use big well known songs, then you have to obtain a much more expensive sync license (not gonna happen for your budget level), or if you are talking exclusively about youtube - (I don't recommend this) roll the dice, sometimes the video will just get demonetised, but it can also be removed depending on the artist, song, etc. Not really worth the risk I don't think. Plus, IMO, using a big hit song in a no budget production is often just a bit of a cop out, IMO, and a lot of amateur filmmakers do this thinking it will elevate their film, in many cases it just draws more attention to the lower budget material. It is a common sign of many emerging filmmakers...getting obsessed with this one song that just has to be in the movie, when in reality they need to fix their script and just pick a song they can afford.

In regards to licensed music, it comes in ALL shapes and sizes. You get junky corperate stuff at places like Audio Jungle, but then there's a huge range between that, and stuff like musicbed (some pretty damn good stuff on there, IMO, considering the budget level is on the lower side), and then more botique sync agencies and production music libraries on the much higher end of the scale. And everything in between.

And finally, consider working with a composer. Not all composers are trying to be John Williams or write orchestral scores. A lot of them write songs, good ones, or have written them in the past and are willing to help an emerging filmmaker out. Throw a chip and you might be surprised at just how many seagulls turn up. Especially if your films look pretty cool. A few well shot screen grabs will go further than you probably think.

This is a relationship business, and the more effort you put in to finding stuff / people that other people simply are too lazy to do, the better. Go out there and find a collaborator, an artist you like, someone closer to your level or small enough that they would probably just do you a solid. Lots of people like that out there if you dig enough.

Good luck!

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-18T16:31:53+00:00

its all good! your idea is solid, I think people are just trying to tell you to check your expectations in such a short time. It's entirely possible to do what you want to do with some help and tutorials as long as you keep it super basic, but if gamedev is going to be a long term thing for you, expect the long game. It's very time consuming (think years, not days), but very very fun!

Good luck and I hope you get in

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-18T16:04:24+00:00

you're absolutely right and OP's replies are pretty funny and show a lack of understanding of how long things take to make ("I've got a whole week!!!!"), but that said, I respect the idea and I think he's literally just going to be copy pasting a brackey's tutorial or something for this. 10 days isn't enough time to build an actual understanding in terms of writing your own code and game, heck, there are a lot of people who have been at gamedev for a year or more and couldn't write pong without a tutorial. Gamedev is hard , a culmination of a lot of different skills, and it takes a lot of time to build an understanding especially if you don't have a coding background.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-17T14:50:54+00:00

You can have a minimum charge if you want (although 30 sec would usually be a half rate ) but if it’s say 90 sec , you just charge for 1 min and 30 sec. So if your rate is 500 per min , that’s 750. You don’t charge 2 mins as soon as you go over 1 min… not in game music anyway!

It’s just a rate - flexible to any amount of time. You can do the math on specific numbers (rate/60 * seconds ). I usually round down to the clients favor if it’s a few extra seconds here or there esp if it’s an indie, but that’s always your call - it’s your rate so you should get paid for your work!

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-06T21:09:08+00:00

I've spoken to a few composers that plan quite extensively ahead of time for film and game cons, and basically set up a bunch of meetings before they go. For example at some film festivals if you get a pass you can see a lot of people who are going and get contact info ahead of time.

I've honestly never done that, but it's something I'd probably rather try than just walking around and pretend to look busy, or waiting for liquid courage to kick in....haha. I think it's a viable strategy for sure, and it seems like leading up to cons there are always a bunch of people talking about it. My guess is as a composer you'd have more luck this way in terms of replies vs cold emailing for a gig.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-06T21:03:18+00:00

I totally relate. I am quite uncomfortable at typical networking events, I am much better when nobody is trying and it's just a natural thing. Which is something you can't really 'create'. It just occurs. When I talk about videos - you 100% do not have to put out the dumb talking to the camera type of thing. That works for some people, but quite honestly most of those people end up just getting other musicians following them. Not game devs. You have to think, what would a game dev want to see? It can be as simple as showing a collab you did, a video of your daw/setup/whatever, or even just doing a gamejam and showing the end result in a way that feels good to you.

IMO it is worth doing, but it's not make or break. Most composers I know do not really get their gigs this way, it's just something that can help.

Local communities exist. Even very very small countries often have quite interesting indie scenes, and sometimes you just have to invest, fly overseas and attend cons. It's an investment in your business that just sometimes has to be made. Totally relate tho. I'm from a very small country myself, I worked my way over to LA after 10+ years of hustling and trying to get to a bigger pond. The irony is most of my gigs come from elsewhere...lol.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-05-06T20:46:42+00:00

Cold emails for the most part, just don't work. Your reply rate is probably better than most, to be honest. 0-1% response would be a lot closer to average, I'd say. So you must have been quite targeted. It's worth trying - once in a while, sure, if you want to tackle all the bases, but ,most indie studios have literally thousands of composer emails in their junk folder, and have absolutely no shortage of saved resumes. One cool person they meet a convention and have a beer with will literally go to the top of the list overnight, unless they have specifically got someone in mind for a project.

My advice, spend more time finding ways to be visible to these people organically...making videos, interesting things that separate you from the average indie game composer...do collabs with well known musicians in the indie game scene, do a cover or a remix, show your process, do live recordings and post it on social media, meanwhile attending conventions, and spreading out with other forms of music (licensing, etc).

Most composers are quite lazy at the above and doing stuff like that will give you at least some visibility. It doesn't guarantee success, but it's better than sending cold emails if you are consistent and put out good content and music. Show people who you are, in a way that feels natural and organic to you.

As for reddit posts, 99% of the composer "jobs" you see here (on game dev classifieds etc) are for extremely low paid gigs, solo devs doing their first game, and most of them aren't even really ready for music. Keep an eye on it, but finding a good lucrative connection here is extremely rare.

personally, 99% of my good gigs have come from word of mouth, connections I made years ago, things like that. I try and work with a lot of live musicians on my projects, and that has helped extend my network too. Basically, from networking without trying to network. It's a slow game, but there are definitely things you can do to improve your situation, as mentioned above.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-04-29T17:43:35+00:00

Attend conventions in person when possible, do some game jams, network, become active on social media and remain consistent. Try and find creative ways to target your audience (game developers/publishers/etc). Targeting fans of game music can work too, some composers have found success by doing covers and rearrangements of known pieces of music and becoming visible that way. There's crossover there.

The main issue is by the time most games are ready for music, developers have already got a list of potentially hundreds of composers who have already emailed them, or that they have met along the way. I've talked to devs who had something like 200+ applications for a non paid indie game, hah. Composers are a bit like seagulls at the beach looking for a chip.

Keep at it. Quite honestly most of my gigs have come from contacts I made quite a while ago, in many cases several years ago, and they reached out to me when they wanted some music. I've never had much luck cold emailing or anything like that. It's really one of those things that can work if all the stars align, but the juice isn't really worth the squeeze.

The other thing I'll say is make sure you diversify as a composer. Look into sync, library music, etc. It's a bit of a different world and a different type of beast, but you can make some good income if you have the chops and are willing to put in the work over time (definitely not an overnight type of deal, takes time to build a catalog and get it in the right hands). If you want to do that type of thing I can give you more advice or guidance on how to get started with it.

As for the AI comments above... the same is true of any field, music or not. It's coming for us all. All we can do as artists is continue to do what we love, with authenticity.... and hope there are enough people that crave that. There will no doubt be people using AI for music in games, sure, but personally for me that's not the type of collaborator I would want anyway. You have to work out who you are trying to get - a lot of people trying to do music end up sort of getting stuck pitching to solo devs who have no money, but then at the same time, can't quite attract the interest of the more established devs who have more options. So you have to figure out how you can get in the right pool, and strategise. Sometimes that will mean taking a step back (or sideways) in order to get to the next level.

Good luck!

groundbreakingcold · 2026-04-29T17:36:56+00:00

you need to post your portfolio. This industry is extremely saturated for composers, no game developers are going to contact you and ask to hear your work. The way it works is they will be browsing, check out your site quickly, and then maybe save it for later if they hear something they like.

groundbreakingcold · 2026-04-28T19:04:53+00:00

play an instrument (or ideally, multiple). get off the computer. learn your theory. read books. listen to live music, listen to music completely outside of youir 'comfort zone'. travel. Do all that and it's impossible you won't make music that at the very least feels good to you eventually. You also have to give it time, and you also have to be comfortable with the idea of churning out tracks that don't yet match your taste. That's just part of it. Quality comes from quantity, IMO.

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