This is the track I wrote for my first gig as a game music composer!
The brief: write an upbeat, chiptune character theme for Beri, an excitable hamster mechanic with electric abilities, to be played as a modded character for the game Rivals of Aether.
I reimagined the funky character theme I shared last week as a boss fight theme:
The character theme version was slower and inspired by 70s funk music. For the boss fight version, I kicked up the tempo and drew from 90s rave and house music to add energy and grit while retaining the groove!
I wrote this funky track as a theme for a game character that has astronomical levels of cool – the kind that would steal the show the moment they're introduced.
*But* you could also use this theme ironically for a character who thinks they're cool, but aren't.
Congrats! Well deserved 💪
For this track, "Glimmers of Goodbyes", I went for a complex mix of emotions: neither happy nor sad, but rather a bittersweet mix of loss, acceptance, and hope.
The last video I posted was about creating adaptive music; in this one, I show you how to implement music into an adaptive music system in FMOD.
That flute melody sounds just like "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!" by Vengaboys and I'm 100% here for it.
Are you kidding?! That looks amazing and it fits perfectly!
So... there's a secret society of crabs in your game? How do I join?
Thanks! It would look even better with some purple crabs.
Looks like you really came out of your shell!
Here's a breakdown of how I created an adaptive system for a jam game – in the game, you transition through four different realities, so I made four different versions of the same composition:
I recently wrote a track called "Moon Lake" as an exercise in creating music for a very specific type of location: a mystical, ancient forest constantly under the moonlight:
This synth patch uses randomness to create an endlessly evolving sound:
For every new note, the volume, panning, fine tune, octave, and waveform of some of the oscillators are randomized. I could let this section of music loop for hours and get something slightly different every time!
Had the opportunity to play a DJ set last week for the 15th anniversary of @atlangames.com, my local video game cluster!
I played a collection of synthwave and cyberpunk tracks I've released over the years. Always appreciate putting my background in music performance to use for this kind of events!
I created an SFX "instrument" that allows me to "play" futuristic, sci-fi whooshes when I play random notes and move sliders around on my MIDI keyboard. The power!
Coming from a musician background, I really appreciate being able to "perform" sound effects like this.
I took my heavy cyberpunk music track I shared last week, "Straylight Menace", and turned it into a dynamic music system in Fmod to accompany a two-phase boss fight, with cutscenes before, during, and after the boss fight, similar to what you might encounter in modern RPG games:
Music demo time! This week, I have some heavy cyberpunk music:
Going for a futuristic sound with a grimy / dirty edge, I think that combination is the essence of the cyberpunk aesthetic.
Could work as a boss battle theme in an ARPG, with the quieter parts underscoring cutscenes.
I wrote an epic boss fight theme!
I was envisioning a climactic battle in the sky against a gargantuan boss, hence the title, "Sky Sunderer". Maybe not the final boss, but definitely close to it!
I wrote some creepy music, taking inspiration from Japanese horror media and going for a slight retro 90s/00s vibe.
Makes me think of dark, mysterious woods, and some messed up occult ritual happening by a moonlit night.
Not written for Halloween specifically, but it did line up pretty well!
I wrote a piece with a 15/16 time signature, which is probably the wackiest time signature I've ever used!
Going for something crystalline, enigmatic, and ethereal. Think a late-game level in an RPG or Metroidvania made of pure white, mirrors and glass.
I made a video to break down my process as a game composer.
Here's a behind the scenes look into how I created the first level theme for Turbo Shell, by Radioactive Dreams UG, from initial demo to final master:
Link to the full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=axfp...
Excellent ! Bon courage pour la dernière ligne droite avant la release 😉
Here's a somber and sorrowful track I wrote recently, featuring piano and an accompaniment of strings, guitar, and electronics.
Could work as a main menu theme, or for a specific in-game cutscene.
Welcome! I’m Pete Frogs, a video game composer and music producer, and I write music that helps indie games resonate emotionally with players.
For more info on my work and any collaboration opportunities, head over to my website: petefrogs.com
We don’t want AI slop.
Stop sending us AI slop.
Stop wasting our time with AI slop.
It doesn’t sound good.
It’s antithetical to our core values.
You didn’t even make it.
Knock it off.
Here's a solo piano piece I wrote recently. Going for something playful and cute — makes me think of little animals going about their lives and maybe making a little mischief.
And yeah, I'm a big fan of Debussy.
Gotta vibe slow! Sonic & Chill 2 is out now 💙
10 chill, lofi house remixes of classic Sonic tracks from the Genesis era — my little love letter to the Sonic series and the 90s!
vgm.fm/sonicchill2
The Sonic & Chill legacy continues in a synth-driven house tribute from @petefrogs.bsky.social! 🎵 Stream & Support ▸ vgm.fm/sonicchill2
and for all of you music and Sonic nerds, there's a longer video on my YouTube breaking down how I made this track in more detail: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhLh...
