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[HOFFY]

Hi everyone! My name is John Hoffman, and I'm a chiptune composer from Canada. My specialty lies in working with tracker programs such as LSDj and Famitracker to compose songs that sound like they came from games on the Gameboy or NES. I use my extensive musical theoretical knowledge and ear to make unique, catchy music that invites audiences to listen over and over.

In Progress

• SUPER RETRO MAKER is a game where you design stages based on the styles of your favorite NES platformers and share them with your friends. It's a an 8-bit smorgasbord of epic proportions that is sure to entertain retro aficionados in 2018 and beyond. Listen to the preview of the OST here!

Completed Portfolio

• "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WHISKERS MAHONE" is a full-length chiptune album that musically summarizes the life of a beloved pet that I had to put to rest in May of this year. In this album, you'll hear prog rock, jazz and cinematic influences that seamlessly combine to paint a unique sonic experience you will NOT find anywhere else.
• "BOUNDARYMEN VOLUME 1" is part one of a duology that's essentially a love-letter to the retro games of my childhood. Or at least, it started out that way before I felt it needed to also stand apart from the games that influenced its composition (Mega Man, Castlevania etc). By combining my progressive rock tendencies with jazzy chord progressions, I feel I've achieved that.
• "FLIGHT OF SHIRODEYARU" is a sprawling, epic single that ties into the Boundarymen duology. Moving through multiple time signatures and musical motifs, it stands as my longest and most favorite chiptune composition to date.

Musical sketchbook

• SOUNDCLOUD: This is where I post all of my composition sketches. From time to time I might even post things that are WIPs.

Reviews (as of February 1, 2017)
   "The Life and Times of Whiskers Mahone is a great album, with a strong love for progressive rock throughout the ages. I definitely urge you to listen along and if you’re a fan of progressive music like Danimal Cannon, Virt, or Fearofdark I highly recommend this release." -- Tuberz Mcgee, https://chiptuneswin.com/blog/fives-and-nines-tuberz-mcgee-reviews-the-life-and-times-of-whiskers-mahone-by-hoffy/
   "‘Boundarymen Vol. 1’ is a remarkable debut album [...] if you're in need of an experience from a new face in the scene, I would strongly recommend checking out HOFFMAN's Bandcamp, as this young man can only continue to impress going forward" -- Bronx Kuma, http://chiptuneswin.com/blog/kumas-quick-shots-round-13/#more-15789

Why should we work together?
   As your game's composer, the atmosphere and narrative you are trying to convey is my number-one priority -- and I communicate extensively with my clients to get a very deep sense of what the game's soundtrack requires. My second priority is making your game have the very best soundtrack that it can have, given your budget. Music is currently my full-time focus, so you'll get nothing less than my undivided attention until your soundtrack is complete.

Pricing
   I charge on a per-minute-of-audio basis. My pricing varies based on my current workload. Please contact me for more details!

Get a hold of me!
   Website: http://hoffy.rocks
   E-mail: [email protected]
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/hoffymusic
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hoffymusic

Looking forward to working with you in the future!

Cheers,
John

[HOFFY]

An update, I suppose. I try to avoid these as the amount of bumping in the portfolio section is incredibly unnecessary, but I realize that not everybody likes Soundcloud or Bandcamp as a means of playing back music. Have to give you fine folks more options to listen to what I've made, right?

So, here's a full stream of Boundarymen Volume I which is available on my YouTube page!





For those of you not so intimidated by Soundcloud, I've also begun to work heavily on my next chiptune album which is due next month or later in July. Here's a fun toe-tapper that's sure to evoke a latin/bossa nova kind of feel: https://soundcloud.com/hoffman_iv/language-of-sirens

[Zizka]

20$ a minute doesn't seem like a lot in my opinion. Isn't the industry standard like 60$ a minute or something. I think you could probably ask for more than this and still get gigs.

Good luck!

[HOFFY]

Thanks Ziska. I probably could ask for more, but seeing as my portfolio is made up of passion projects, I need to give devs that extra bit of incentive to try me out. I'm currently short on work, so anything is better than nothing.

In most circumstances I would just add the completed OST to my bandcamp (unless devs are able to buy an exclusive license to the music).

[HOFFY]

We're getting dangerously close to the release of a new chiptune album I have coming out soon, entitled "The Life and Times of Whiskers Mahone". It's a pretty personal concept album that tells the story of my pet cat who passed away in May.

In fact, here's a teaser with footage of the program I use to make this kind of music!





Want something like this for your project? Leave a PM or email me at [email protected] and let's talk!

[HOFFY]

How about another teaser of the album while it's in post-production? This time you're going to hear something different ... there's a bit of jazz! Although I really like metal, I also consider myself to be an eclectic composer who doesn't limit himself to just one genre.





If you'd like to get something like this done for your game, contact me right away at [email protected]. Put my skills to good use!

[HOFFY]

Well, I guess my label is releasing my album way sooner than I expected! Over the weekend I'll be posting more of these. Pretty stoked to have this project done as it's one of the most intense pieces of work I've ever made.

[HOFFY]

My new album just dropped! Check it out here at https://cheapbeatsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/whiskers-mahone

[HOFFY]

UPDATE: for future communications, please contact me at [email protected]. Still looking for new projects!

[HOFFY]

UPDATE: As a result of some major changes in my life, I must now change my rates to $60 per minute of audio.

In the spirit of always having something new and fun to listen to when I update my portfolio thread, here's something that is sure to tickle the ears.

https://soundcloud.com/hoffy-music/swill-city

[HOFFY]

A belated merry christmas, everyone! It's a time for giving, and I'd love to give more people the chance to own an album that I've sunk my heart and soul into. So here's the deal! If you sign up for my mailing list at this special promo page, you could be one of twenty-five lucky people to get Whiskers Mahone for free.

Free stuff for the win! Cheers everyone. I'll have something new for ya'll to sink your teeth into in January, hopefully. \o/

[HOFFY]

Happy New Year! Everyone who signed up for the mailing list and confirmed their subscription should have received a free link to Whiskers Mahone ... thank you for participating!

It'll be a while until I finish my next two project releases, which I'll talk a little about as follows.

- "The Frozen Cathedral": an eclectic blend of electronic, chiptune and rock sounds. It'll still predominantly be a chip-driven album, but I wanted a larger palette of sounds to work with.

- "Famikit": a sample pack for chiptune producers who work with DAWs, and aren't pleased with what 8-bit drum VSTs have to offer. This pack should work really well for people who are into making heavy-hitting chiptune tracks. They will also layer together really well with real drum samples too, for those who want a hybrid approach of sounds.

Still looking for great people to work with! Get a hold of me at [email protected] ...

[HOFFY]

Hey guys! It's a little known fact that I do a bit of sound design as well. On my itch.io page, I'm hosting a free set of sound effects you can use for a retro-styled title screen menu. They were all made with NES limitations in mind.

You can find it here!

Here's a preview of the samples, if you'd like to audition them before downloading them.

[HOFFY]

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've posted anything. I don't have anything new to share at the moment, but I am still looking for more projects to get involved with. Get a hold of me while I'm still free!

[HOFFY]

Still looking for projects while I have time open here. Let's help each other out!

[HOFFY]

Hey everyone! I'm pretty excited to share a slice of what I've been working on for the majority of 2017: an OST for an NES-styled game where you build your own levels in the style of famous retro platformers and then share them with the world. It's called Super Retro Maker.

https://soundcloud.com/hoffy-music/sets/super-retro-maker-ost-preview

I'm prospecting for some new potential projects in 2018. Please consider contacting me if you're interested in my services!