Yesterday, my YouTube feed blessed me with a great-looking video about how video game soundtracks are made over at Capcom. It features a full interview with composer Nao Sato (Resident Evil Village, Monster Hunter Rise), and has barely over 120 views. Now go ahead and boost those numbers up, thank you very much!
Rudy, a fellow Frenchman and former video game journalist now living in Tokyo, shares his passion on his podcast, Tasty Bits. There are already six episodes, and most of them are about VGM. The vibes are very chill— the interviews always happen in cozy cafés, and guests are asked to pass along a playlist to the next guest, which is really sweet.
As mentioned above, the latest episode is about how the Capcom Sound Team actually works, and Nao Sato (whom I really envy for his fluent English, damn) provides some really valuable insights. I loved learning that, for Resident Evil, they almost never expect musicians to play their instruments the "normal" way. They have to make them screech, verging on sound design territory to build a massive sound library arrangers can then dip into. Capcom also relies heavily on foley to add texture and ruggedness to their music — which is particularly evident in Resident Evil.
Other episodes feature the delightful Asuka Sakai (Katamari Damacy, Ridge Racer Type-4), singer Chloe Kibell (Final Fantasy), rapper Sagawa Don (SONOKUNI), singer Imani J. Dawson (Foamstars), and Dmitry Cluev (inKONBINI). Be sure to check those out, too!
