Jeremy Soule Interview

G4 brings us an interview with video game composer Jeremy Soule (whose work includes many RPGs) about how his career began, how he goes about putting together a musical score, and more.

For someone out there who is learning music, reverse engineering as you say, is that the most challenging part of the learning process? And what has been most challenging for you as you have emerged in your career?

The biggest challenge with music for me is having the kind of control to create something at 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up the next morning and still like it, like (hey, I wasn’t completely crazy and out of my mind at 4 in the morning! That was actually a good idea!) That extends beyond the 24 hour cycle. I look back at some of the work I’ve done, and I will say there’s a period of time in my career where just the economics of the business and scheduling worked against me where I wish I would have had a little more time to work on a couple of these games. To create something that stands the test of time not only in the composers mind but in the mind of the audience, that to me is the holy grail.

I think the big challenge is being persistent. Calvin Coolidge, great president, I’ll paraphrase, he basically said (talent isn’t enough, intelligence isn’t enough, persistence is really the thing that gets through) and I think for anybody just getting started.once you’re far enough along in music you can do something. I think for the people just getting started, you have to find a way to have the sticktuitiveness, the diligence and get to the next stage.