Hello Jay, Jon, Sean and Steve (from the Writing Team), and Mike, Tim, and Tobin (from the Audio Team), and whoever else might read this,
Aloha!
Growing up in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii – literally a big rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – there wasn’t always a whole lot to do. So I spent most of my time playing two things: the ukulele and Nintendo games (when my parents didn’t make me go outside or to the beach to play). The music of these games transported me to another world, where I could be lost for hours, even though at that time it was all 8-bit music. I’ve always loved playing video games, and realize that a big reason for that was the music. When I first played the original Halo, I couldn’t believe how great the score sounded – the gaming industry was entering a whole new level. And more recently, the first time I played Star Wars Battlefront II, I was completely blown away by the score. Later I learned from Gordy Haab that he used the same orchestra (the LSO) and even the same mic setup in the same room that John Williams used on the scores for the original Star Wars Trilogy! I can’t begin to say how glad I’ve been to watch it grow to the point where many video games now have a full orchestra and choir for their scores. The first time I heard The Legend of Zelda with full orchestra, I was moved to tears and taken into that realm all over again. And I think I can say that this is my favorite thing in the whole world – to create music and sound, which will transport the listener to another place!
My studio and recording experience in Amsterdam, Turkey, Hawaii and Los Angeles has given me a unique background in the world of composing, audio engineering and recording. I’m flexible as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator, having worked on projects ranging from orchestral film scores, to on-trend pop, to arrangements for a blues/jazz album. Through these experiences I have developed several skill sets that increase the ease and productivity of the music creation process. I’m well versed in Logic and Pro Tools, including setting up complex 5.1 surround mixing sessions in Pro Tools, and have over 15 years of experience in MIDI sequencing, acoustics, and audio aesthetics. Working with a film score mixer for a major studio has acquainted me with the high-pressure, deadline-oriented environment of the entertainment industry. Writing rock or indie songs and tracks for music libraries with a quick turnaround, usually twenty-four hours or less, has honed my ability to identify and recreate the “sound” of existing tracks, as well as be creative on a tight schedule. As a performing musician, I can pick up the guitar, ukulele, bass guitar or other instruments whenever it’s needed in a recording session or concert. More recently, I have done the Film Scoring Program at UCLA Extension to further my training in scoring for film, games and TV, and studied video game music more in depth under AAA game composer Lennie Moore. He’s composed a couple titles for Valve, including DOTA 2: The International 2016 Artist Music Pack and GS:GO Artist Music Pack. I'm currently on the board of directors for the Academy of Scoring Arts, a non-profit LA community (with chapters in Toronto, NY, and overseas) that's dedicated to the art of scoring media and music's relationship to picture. I enjoy working as part of a team and contributing to a friendly, relaxed atmosphere so the people I work with can enjoy what they do, but also love working remotely and have all the equipment needed to do so. There’s nothing like being involved with a creative collaborative team, crafting works of the highest quality, telling a new story in a way that it hasn’t yet been told, and I would love the opportunity to be a part of what the Valve Corporation is doing and compose music for one of your projects.
Feel free to shoot me a text at (310) 430-2226 or email at daniel@bnprods.com. There are some samples of my work on my website at www.danieljstimac.com/videogamemusic and if you need any more samples, info, or references, just let me know. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Daniel Stimac