Experienced Composer with 8/16bit speciality (indie-friendly rates, BSc Trained)

Hello everyone!

I'm currently seeking paid work in games composition or design. A list of my related skills is below, and I can offer a full CV on request.

While I am currently tied to an NDA project in a few lead composer roles, I still have room in my schedule for another project. My recent work with the game Way of the Red (another lead composer role) has completed, with the game getting through greenlight and released on steam, which gives me plenty of hours to allocate to you if you need it.

"Daniel is an absolute pleasure to work with. He is professional, communicative, and his passion really shows through in his work. As the musician for Way of the Red, Daniel went above and beyond with his creative and memorable soundtrack, while still adhering to the project's stylistic goals. If you need a musician who is fast, highly communicative, and will show their passion through their work, then take my advice as a fellow indie developer and choose Daniel."
- Corey Hardman, C.E.O & Project Lead for "Way of the Red"

Two years ago, I finished a university course in video game development at Somerset College of Arts and Technology, and graded the highest in my class with a 1st degree honours - Bsc (hons). I have experience with implementation of audio in Unity, UE4, and Game Maker Studio. Whilst I have a wide range of skills and experience (seen below) I am specifically interested in filling a composer role. My specialisation is in retro/chiptune music, though I also have experience composing classical and contemporary tunes.

"I've loved working with Daniel. He knows how to make solid, memorable songs, but what separates him from other composers is that he really understands what's most important for game development. His songs are catchy, loop seamlessly, don't get tiresome after repeated plays, and have a consistent tone that strengthens the game's identity. Many composers can make great music, but Daniel's one of the few that makes great GAME music."
- Mark Radocy, C.E.O & Project Lead for "Vision Soft Reset"

In order to further my employability, I'm currently offering a free demo to your specifications - If you send me some details of your game, along with a sample of other media you have, I can gauge the feel of the game and create a sample composition for you. This will help you to decide if I'm a good match and allow you to better gauge the speed and quality of my work. I obviously have no problem signing any NDA your may have with regards to documents you send to me.

I understand the difficulty in attaining funding for indie studios, so I am willing to negotiate a competitive rate, and let you know what can be achieved with your budget. I will be happy to walk you through any steps that you're unsure of with regards to audio implementation or licensing, and will be able to offer you a detailed time-sheet of how your money (and my time) is being spent during development.

"Daniel is an amazing guy and it was a pleasure to work with him. He responds fast and is very professional. With just a few hours of conversation I was sure that I could trust the music of my game to him. He helped me with a lot of things and was very flexible, always ready to listen to how I wanted the music, which turned out very good and catchy. If you are looking for a composer for your project, I really recommend Daniel."
- Leonardo Prado Cosenza, Developer, Creator of "Alpacapaca Dash"

Some samples of my work and more details can be seen here:
http://danielstoker.jimdo.com

More recent samples (including the work I make for fun) can be found here:
www.soundcloud.com/zigauche

With regards to management of audio assets, I have an excellent knowledge of project management frameworks and industry-level documentation, gained through my university course; during a 6 month period I was required to create a game (alongside my dissertation) which needed to be documented and organised to incredibly high standards.

"I've known Dan for many years and he's one of the most hard-working, commited people I know. During Uni, he not only helped me deliver stellar music for my project: he also had a lot of useful feedback about the design of my game and helped me to squash a tonne of bugs with his know-how. I owe my degree to him. Hire him!" - Alan Hope, creator of the student project "Gakin Surasato Racing"

With regards to previous experience - Other than Way of the Red and the NDA project, I have recently completed another NDA project, which will be released some time next year. Prior to that I worked on Death Whimsy by Squidblink Games, and, as the only audio specialist on my degree course, also composed and implemented the music for 15 student projects. These were all varied projects, incorporating racing, platforming, horror and adventure genres, implementing science fiction, 8-bit, orchestral, drum & bass and rock themes, as well as creating a narrative-driven cyberpunk exploration game for my own dissertation.

I have confirmed that all of my recent project leads will give me glowing references, and offer more details about their project if you wish.

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My Skill Set

Audio
- Experience working as an audio designer/composer for 4 indie projects and multiple student projects
- Excellent knowledge of Cubase, FLStudio, Audacity and most soundwave-editing programs
- Excellent understanding of signal recording and processing
- Proficient in guitar, keyboard, vocals and saxophone, as well as a specialisation in 8-bit/16-bit "retro" sound
- Has own studio space for recording (ideal for indie projects on a budget!)

VISUAL
- Some experience in level design and game flow theory through one indie project and creation of a functional game for my dissertation, which included a 1x1 mile open-world cityscape with a lot of vertical exploration, created in Unity, modelled in 3DS Max.
- Excellent understanding and ability in Photoshop and GIMP
- Some technical ability with regards to 3D modelling, both low and high poly
- Some ability in pixel art
- Some 2D animation ability
- Basic 3D animation ability

TECHNICAL
- Some experience of coding/design via the creation of a game for my dissertation
- Some experience of modding/editing of code through minecraft/skyrim mod building
- Excellent understanding and ability with Unity and CryEngine
- Strong understanding of SDLC frameworks
- Some experience with issue-tracking software and a lot of research into QA roles and programs, including JIRA, as well as participation in Beta testing for some AAA titles
- Can create industry-level concept/design documents
- Basic understanding of java and C#

PERSONAL
- Organised, efficient, problem solver
- Excellent team player and easy to get along with
- Passionate and committed to games design and development

BONUS
- Like all English people, I make an excellent cup of tea
- I can moonwalk, but choose not to in polite company.

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If you are interested in discussing further, the best way to contact me is via email ([email protected]).

Thank you for your time, and I hope to get my teeth into some exciting projects soon!

- Dan