BY CHRISTOPHER LEON
Kyoto-born composer Manami Matsumae was there during the “golden era” of Japanese games, crafting the soundtracks from as early as 1987 when she joined the Capcom studio. And it’s this era in gaming that she says laid the groundwork for everything we have today.
Whether produced through her studio or freelance work, Matsumae’s titles reflect a gaming industry that has travelled across waves of genres and technologies — some of those titles include the original Mega Man (and the more recent Mega Man 10), U.N Squadron, Dragon Quest Swords, Shovel Knight, and Mighty Fight Federation.
Matsumae celebrated three decades of composing music with her Three Movements album, released in 2017 through her label Brave Wave Productions (which also released Lingua Franca — you can read more about that album in our interview with games composer Takahiro Izutani).
In this interview, Matsumae tells us about her career and creative process when writing music for games.
Hi Manami Matsumae, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. You have worked with Capcom and mentioned that a mentor once told you: When scoring for video games, it is best to keep things simple. What elements do you like to keep simple?
Back then, we only had three sound channels plus noise available to us. Also, regardless of whether we were dealing with music or sound effects, we had very little memory available. In such an environment, all we had at our disposal was to use repeating short motifs in order to make the game exciting for players. That would be things like repeatedly playing short sounds, or repeating noise for two measures.
I paid much attention to the melody line. I would think of catchy, easy-to-memorise melodies, and repeat those as well. By creating catchy melodies, my songs would exhibit a range of emotions. Stages would have refreshing tracks, while boss fights would have tension; all these would be in the form of short motifs.
Basically, with data limitations, we had to keep everything simple.
When writing music for video games, you have so many aural elements you can work with. How do you select the right synths and sounds, and how they all work together?
First off, when I make music, I need material containing information on the game’s world, the feel of the stages and their environments, how they appear, and so forth. And that’s when I think about what kind of music should go in it.
For example, in simple terms, if the stage is the Earth, then the synth sound should be very rich or heavy, while a stage with water as the main theme should have transparent-like synth sounds.
I make these choices based on my own perception and feelings. I then have the planner listen to the track, and if that person agrees with my take, then that’s great. But if not, then I gather feedback from the planner and then make adjustments to the sound.
Do you always compose using a real piano first? These days, how do you go about creating music for games that utilise 8-bit or low-fi sounds (such as your 2010 game Mega Man 10) by first composing on a piano — an acoustic instrument?
First, I use the piano to create a rough rendition of the track, and after that, I choose sounds that go with the song.
When making 8-bit or chiptune tracks, I use 8-bit sounds as-is. It makes it easy to imagine what an 8-bit track would be like. I made Mega Man 10 in 8-bit using this method.
On a broader level, you have been composing for video games since the late 1980s. How have changes in technology also changed your composition process over the years?
In addition to the evolution of game consoles, there have been large-scale advancements with music composition environments, as well. I started with PSGs back in the day, but now we can make music on par with what appears in movies. Even if the melody isn’t really as noticeable, as long as it fits the game — whether the music consists only of drums or sound effects — then it should be considered game music just the same.
People who’ve enjoyed recent game consoles often want to have games that are realistic, so the music needs to go with that; but people who have enjoyed games from way back in the day place more emphasis on melody lines, so those people want music that sounds catchy.
There’s a large generational gap here, and I’m from the generation that goes way back, so I tend to make music with notable melodies. I’m worried about how I can [make] music that tries to make both types of fans happy.
What else does your creative process involve?
I watch and listen to various genres of music, movies, anime, and TV dramas. It allows me to research what kind of music fits in certain kinds of situations. If I don’t have ideas in my head, I can’t imagine what kind of music I want to make, so I think it’s important to have ideas, which can come multiple places. Even a commercial only a few seconds in length can be a source of inspiration.
How would you describe the “golden era” of early video games, and the culture of ’80s and ’90s Japanese gaming industry?
I think this was the era in which we saw the most energy from the industry. Without this period, we wouldn’t have what we have today.
We have a variety of platforms today, like VR, smartphones, traditional consoles. The fact that this golden era laid the groundwork for what we have today makes the period quite remarkable.
You’ve worked across a lot of different genres in video games. Is there a particular genre you find is the most enjoyable to compose for, and why?
I like all genres, whether it’s shooters like U.N. Squadron, action RPGs like Dragon Quest Swords, or simulators like Derby Stallion. I can make different music for each of them, which is fun. But, in my case, Mega Man is the one that left the strongest impression, which has led me to composing for a lot of action games recently.
Of course, I like making music for action games as well. However, I’d like to work on a large-scale simulator akin to Famicom Wars or Fire Emblem someday.
Where do you draw inspiration when composing for video games? Are there other game music works you admire, or certain sounds you know will work well?
Nothing really comes to mind as far as specific inspirations are concerned. But, when making game music, I pay close attention how to make something that enhances the ‘mythos’ of the game and allows for it to pull the player in, giving that player the opportunity to focus entirely on what’s happening on screen.
I think it’s important for my music to make the player more excited. I don’t just decide that a certain sound is more appropriate than another; as I said earlier, I need to know what the game’s world is like, what its stages feel like, how the characters move, etc. in order to do a good job.
Manami Matsumae was selected to deliver the joint keynote in the APRA AMCOS High Score: Composition for Sound Art and Gaming event (October 5-6, 2019) for Melbourne International Games Week. It marks her first visit to Australia.
You can listen to Matsumae’s music on Spotify.
READ NEXT: Takahiro Izutani shares his experiences and thoughts about the evolution of the Japanese games industry.
Image supplied. High Score illustration by Jennifer Reuter. Matsumae captured by Miguel Hasson.
