Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Best Music?!
Hey there! So we just got back from our Xmas vacation and I’m thrilled to share that SkateBIRD won Best Music for Nintendo Force’s Game of the Year 2021 Awards! The news broke on Dec 23rd but I wasn’t able to update my website until we got back home. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement! I really appreciate the response, support and love the SkateBIRD game and soundtrack are getting and am very excited to see where things will go from here. Below is the quick blurb they wrote about the OST from the issue #57 (learn more here):
If you’ve not had the chance to hear the soundtrack, you can find it on all major store fronts and streaming services. You can also stream and purchase the OST here: https://madsenstudios.bandcamp.com/album/skatebird-official-video-game-soundtrack.
To celebrate winning Best Music, I’m knocking $2 off the total album price on Bandcamp. For a limited time only! Please note – this is only for Bandcamp. It’s not very easy to change pricing on other storefronts like iTunes and such.
Additional Solo Piano Music
I’ve also been busy writing and producing more solo piano music and you can hear “Deciding Moment” which is available on all major store fronts. Check it out below:
Writing for solo piano is an intentional change up for me. Whereas most of my music for slots or video games is more action-y (is that even a word) I enjoy the challenge and opportunity that comes with writing with just one texture. Just one instrument. It’s an interesting exercise and, being a long time pianist, something I really enjoy. This piece and 13 others are available for streaming and purchasing on the usual platforms.
Lady of the Wood
Strange women, lying around in ponds distributing swords…. oh, (clears throat) sorry. Wrong lady. Writing the music for Lady of the Wood was a really fun experience because it let me create an orchestral setting that was vast and dynamic but not intense or doom-n-gloom. This isn’t an action film, this is an enchanted, fantastical world. Changing that approach was quite engaging for me as a composer/producer and I hope you like it!
LoFi to Solo Piano and then to Fantasy Orchestral
One of the things I pride myself on is being able to write in several different styles. Of course there are styles I don’t feel like I could do all that well but I’m more than willing to give it my best shot! This is one of the bits of advice I often tell young(er) composers wanting to break into industry. If you can only present one flavor, you’ll be limiting yourself. How many people go to the “Just Vanilla Ice Cream” store? Not many!
Most folks want a variety of flavors and even like to combine flavors!
Consider that the next time you’re creating your own branding and demo materials. Are you showing just one flavor or a nice mix? Are you attracting just one kind of client/listener or multiple?
Resting Up
Resting doesn’t come easy to me. I’m always trying to learn more, do more, create more. While this drive is useful in many situations, so is being restful. So I’m intentionally taking on less during this holiday season and spending more time with my family and more time just chilling. Watching some movies, playing some video games, getting in some extra work outs (MY GOD DO I NEED TO WORK OUT AFTER THE XMAS FOODS I’M EATING!!!) and restore myself. I urge you to do the same. (And yes I totally get the irony of advocating resting and such… while I’m updating my website and other materials while on holiday…)
2021, much like 2020, was a hard year for so many. Getting together with the people I love and treasure is very calming, grounding and reminds me of what’s important in life. So I hope that you get to experience that same kind of restoration as we begin the march towards 2022. Happy New Year!
BIO
Nate Madsen is an established composer, sound designer with 16 years experience and over 870 credits. He’s worked in-house at FUNimation Entertainment, NetDevil, Bee Cave Games and is currently a Principal Composer, Sound Designer for SciPlay. He also helps out often with creating sound design, mixing and mastering anime trailers and commercials for FUNimation. Two of his recent side projects have been Great Wolf Lodge’s Magiquest and Glass Bottom Game’s SkateBIRD. He lives in Austin, Texas. Be sure to reach out to Nathan with any audio needs you may have!