Music I've written-
Entire Portfolio-
Instrumentation: Orchestral-
Instrumentation: Piano-
Instrumentation: Acoustic Ensembles-
Instrumentation: Chiptunes/Popular Genre/Misc. Things-
Mood: Bright-
Mood: Calm/Beautiful-
Mood: Dark-
Mood: Agitated-
Mood: Mysterious-
Mood: Minimalist-
Mood: Romantic-
Everything, including the kitchen sinkGames I've done music for (that have actually been released)-
Only If (2014) -
Music-
Hub Sweet Hub (2013) -
MusicFilms/Videos I've done music for-
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Ze Frank's True Facts about the Angler Fish (2013-
Ze Frank's The Time You Have (In JellyBeans) (2013)-
Buzzfeed's Colonel Meow Takes Over The Internet (2013)-
CNN/Buzzfeed's Amazing Rescue Moments On CNN (2013)-
Intel/Buzzfeed's The 2-in-1 Combinations We Dream Of (2013)-
Various videos for Movieclips (2013-)-
Various videos for the official Heroes of Newerth channel (2014-)-
Adventures in Deustchland series (2013)-
Preconceived Notions (2015)-
VMComix's Steve - Thinking Creatively (2014)-
A quick look inside the ATS (2013)-
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The Trickster (2010)Who are you and what do you want from me?!?!?! 
My name is
Steven O'Brien. I'm a composer based in Clonmel, Ireland, and I want to write music for your game!
I've been writing music since I was 13 (I'm 21 at the time of writing). I did not attend college, but have received private training in Music Theory, Music History, Ear Training, Orchestration, Audio Editing/Engineering/Mixing, etc.
My
musical tastes are varied, but tend to revolve around a combination of classical (mostly late 18th, early 19th century), prog rock and game music, with a bit of Beatles and 80s synthpop thrown in for good measure.
My
tastes in games (this doesn't include the 10,000 hours spent in Minecraft) tend to revolve around sandbox, strategy, and multiplayer FPS games.
Games have always been extremely important to me. I've been playing them since I was 2, and making them since I was 10. While I don't do much solo game development any more, I have quite a bit of experience using Unity, Gamemaker, and various C/C++ based engines, as well as some familiarity with engines such as UE4. (To prove I'm not buttering your bread,
here's my last unfinished weekend project - an attempt to combine Minecraft with varying block sizes and destruction physics. There's also some other old crappy games listed in the sidebar). Because of this, I'm very comfortable getting knee-deep into your project to implement complex adaptive soundtracks (something I'm very interested in working on), but I'm also very familiar with tools such as FMOD studio and Wwise for something less involved.
What can you do for me?I'm capable of writing music in any style you want me to. The music on my
portfolio and my
last.fm should give you a good idea of what I have the most experience in (classical-inspired melodies, harmonies), but if you want me to make a thrash metal soundtrack, or a soundtrack based on folk music from 12th century Mongolia, or better yet, a thrash metal soundtrack infused to sound like it would fit into 12th century Mongolia, I'm up for it.
If you have absolutely no idea how to approach your game musically, that's fine too. I'm happy to spend months with you discussing possible musical directions and trying different things with you.
As I said, I have experience in game development, know how game music works/its limitations, and can create complex adaptive soundtracks if requested (either working with a programmer, using something like FMOD Studio or Wwise, or implementing it directly into the game myself). I know how to create seamless loops, and I know that it's unreasonable to put 96KHz/24-bit music into a flash or mobile game.
I'm able to do sound design/audio programming in addition to music for an extra fee.
Rates/TermsMy standard rate is €100 per minute of music (~$105 USD at the time of writing and probably dropping fast). Any layers added above/below the base track that would fade in/out over the course of gameplay are included for free. Any variants/rearrangements of previously composed music will cost €25 per minute of music.
Regarding rewrites/revisions; for each track I write, I will generally discuss the intended direction/mood/pacing with you first, and then send a rough sketch of about 10 to 30 seconds to get your opinion on it. I am happy to redo this step as many times as you wish without any extra cost. Once you're happy with the preview, I will complete the track and polish it up.
After this, I will grant you
either two free revisions (<50%), or one free rewrite (>50%) of the track. On the third revision or second rewrite, an extra charge of €40 per minute of music will be incurred for the track in question. On the fifth revision or third rewrite, it will increase to an extra €80 per minute of music, and so on. Incidentally, if the entire soundtrack is rejected, €40 per minute of music will still be expected for the work done.
(I understand that game development involves a lot of "try it and see if it works", and I generally try to avoid bringing these extra costs up unless it's becoming an issue for me. Unfortunately, I've had some filmmakers expecting me to redo entire 20 minute soundtracks for free after suddenly deciding on a change of direction, and then paying me nothing at all when I decide to leave the project over it. I will always disclose extra costs before they're incurred.)These rates will generally only increase under the following circumstances:
- You want the soundtrack to include live musicians (this can range anywhere from a single guitarist/pianist/singer to a massive 120-piece orchestra/choir). I would have to get a quote from the musicians to give you a precise number, but you can assume the price to be an extra ~€50 per minute of music per musician.
- You need the music very quickly (i.e. at a rate of over 1.5 minutes per day)
- You want something <1 minute (i.e. a theme tune or jingle), in which case I'd have to give you a specific quote based on the amount of work involved (a 10 second theme can be more work than a 1 minute one!).
- You want to buy out the copyright (to sell/license the soundtrack yourself for profit etc.), in which case the rate will double. (I'd just note on this that I tend to be lenient when it comes to, for instance, including a soundtrack as a Kickstarter/Special Edition perk)
Regarding revenue sharing agreements and full-time employment, I will certainly consider them. Regarding working for
the experience and a place on the credits free, no thanks, I have to put bread on the table.
Regarding free tailor-made samples of music for your game to evaluate my services, I'm absolutely happy to do them, but you will of course have to pay to use them in the final game.
Regarding sound design/audio programming in addition to the music, it really depends on the type/scope of the game. Contact me for more information.
How to get in touch with meEmail me at
[email protected]Skype me at
stevenup7002 (I've had this name for 12 years, give me a break)
Facebook me at
https://www.facebook.com/SELOBrienSteam me(?) at
stevenup7002I'd be very happy to discuss your game with you and write a free, tailor-made sample of music for your game to allow you to evaluate my services. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for reading,
-Steven
Jobs
