FFM the Soundtrack Podcast with George Strezov and Seth Tsui, S3 E1

05/17/23 • 61 min

Four for Music the Soundtrack Podcast is a series of podcasts for film and game scores that George Strezov from Four for Music is hosting.
This first episode of S3 is with Seth Tsui, a musician and composer who has written scores for various films and games including China’s most popular game (王者荣耀) Honor of Kings. He has also been involved in creating sample libraries and is currently working as Composition Supervisor for Riot Games.
The conversation begins with a couple of words for Jade Evolutions - a sample library which gives the possibility to morph between different sounds on XY Pad and thus create playable textures. Seth Tsui is talking about what it was for him to be able to work on a signature library and shares some insider information on how it was recorded.
In this first part of the podcast you will also hear about Seth's background as an instrumentalist and how it has affected his career and work. He also mentions how playing in a jazz band has helped him reading and responding to the audience's reactions.
The specifics when it comes to game music composing is the next theme on focus. How people's expectations about the character influences the score, what kind of freedom composing for games gives compared to writing scores for films and TV series - George and Seth share some thoughts.
Later, in the middle part of the conversation, Seth is telling a bit more about his professional path, which began with playing a trombone in an orchestra. He talks about the challenges and inspirations in his career and gives insights on how he had succeeded in starting to work in the game industry. George and Seth are discussing the opportunities that a young composer can take advantage of, especially when it comes to locations outside LA and London.

Some of the topics in the second part include: the differences between Eastern and Western companies in terms of technology used and the composing process. Seth is also talking about his current work and shares some details on how he got hired at Riot Games.
The final minutes of the podcast are reserved for our Blitz questions from which you’ll learn what is Seth Tsui's dream project and which his favorite soundtracks are. Enjoy listening!

Previous Episode

FFM the Soundtrack Podcast with George Strezov and Jamie Christopherson, S2 E6

This episode, the finale of the second season of the FFM podcast, is with Jamie Christopherson - a composer of music for games and films such as: Total War: Warhammer II & III; Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance; The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II; Troy: A Total War Saga; Watch American Wrestler: The Wizard; A California Christmas; Born to Race and many more.
Jamie is talking about the role of the technology in making game scores and the technology as an element of game music as a result. How the use of engines is an active part of the music production and how they act along with players - this is one of the topics discussed during the entire podcast.
Differences between composing music for film and TV shows and game music is a theme mentioned in the first part of the conversation. The speakers are also talking about the combination of metal band, synths and live orchestra in Metal Gear Rising score.
In the middle part of the episode Jamie and George are sharing their experience and stories about: how composers are credited on projects and how video game music can be capitalized in various ways; when orchestra recording is essential and when someone can “get away” with using synths and libraries; what the advantages and challenges of live orchestra recording are and more.
Jamie is telling a bit about his work on Lord of the Rings game score. He also speaks about how this type of music is “curated” and made unique and recognizable. His approach when composing for games, movies and TV series is also a theme on focus.
Our 3 blitz questions - what Jamie’s favorite soundtracks are, what his dream project is and what would his advice to a younger version of himself be - are answered in the last minutes of the podcast, so don’t miss hearing them out!

Next Episode

FFM the Soundtrack Podcast with George Strezov and Robin Hoffmann, S3 E2

Our next guest on FFM The Soundtrack Podcast EP2, S3 is Robin Hoffmann - a composer, arranger and orchestrator with vast experience. His recent credits include the scores for the award - winning films Hero and the international World War I feature A War Within. In the past years he’s written the music for A Father’s Job, which won several awards, including Best Score at Hollywood Gold Awards and Best Score at Long Story Shorts International Film Festival. Robin has orchestrated the score for an episode of Star Wars Visions and the blockbuster Anime feature Suzume amongst dozens of other projects he has participated in as an orchestrator.

In the beginning of the podcast you’ll learn how Robin found his love for orchestral music and the way he shares the knowledge gained in a series of tips about composition and orchestration (patreon.com/robinHoffmann).

Searching for unique sound, a way to put one's “stamp” on the score in time when sample libraries are dominant - hear what Robin and George have to say on the topic and find out more about their composing process.

One of the themes in focus, in the second half of the talk, is challenges during a recording session and the practices and strategies that Robin has developed over the years in order to accelerate the process and achieve better results. Speakers are sharing some interesting observations concerning the recording aspects, the work with the musicians, sight reading, orchestration when combining a band with an orchestra and more.

“Gazing at the Night Sky” by Robin Hoffmann and the answers to our blitz questions - which are his favorite scores, which is his dream project and what would his advice be to a younger version of himself - occupy the last minutes of this episode, so don’t miss to hear them out!