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From the haunting soundscapes of Fallout to the sweeping fantasy of Dragon Age and the vast universe of Starfield, Inon Zur has spent nearly three decades shaping the emotional worlds of some of gaming’s most celebrated titles.
As a juror for this year’s Music+Sound Awards, we spoke to Inon about his unexpected journey into game scoring, developing the iconic sound of Fallout, how technology has transformed interactive music, and the advice he’d give to composers hoping to break into the industry. He also shares what he’ll be listening for when judging this year’s entries and what makes a game score truly exceptional.
MASA: You’ve built one of the most distinctive careers in game music. What initially drew you to video game scoring and what was your first break into the industry?
INON: Initially I was not drawn to the gaming industry, I was not a gamer and in fact I was looking to build a career in movies and TV scoring. However, I was properly introduced to this industry by the late Bob Rice who became my agent and mentor in 1996. He introduced me to this whole new world which immediately caught my attention and the reason why was because I was offered a unique opportunity to compose orchestral music and record live orchestra which was not as accessible in my TV career. Also, the way of composing music for video games was so different and artistic that I was then drawn to the medium right away. My first opportunity was composing the game Star Trek Klingon Academy for Interplay and Paramount in 1997 and then I realized this was something I really loved to do and never looked back.
MASA: Your work across the Fallout franchise has become iconic – how did you approach creating a sound that captured its atmosphere, tension and dark humour? And how do you keep the music cohesive while still giving each game its own identity?
INON: The world of Fallout was a concept that inspired me right away. The opportunity to compose music for an alternate reality, a world that stopped existing in the 1950s and continued in a whole new path. So it gave me a great opportunity to take elements of the old world but then distort the theme, create a whole new imaginary sonic palette based on this old world but build a new soundscape. This actually was infatuating for me – how can you write a music composition that is being written in our world but not in a world as we know it? So, for example, I took some classical instruments but played them in a non-traditional way. For piano I would bow the strings or hit the strings. And then I took everyday objects like garden furniture, tables and chairs, and other artefacts and played them like they were percussion. I was thinking either we have artefacts at our disposal and want to create music or we have an old classical instrument but the people in this world that are playing them don’t really know them so are inventing new ways of playing them. This is one of the ways I carved out a new direction within this alternate reality.
MASA: Looking back, is there a project that helped define your creative voice?
INON: I don’t think there was one project that helped define my voice because I’ve worked on many different games with different styles. For example, take SOCOM II or Men of Valor which are military in style, whereas games like Fallout allowed me to develop a post-apocalyptic style, and then heavy narrative-driven titles like Dragon Age and Syberia are allowing me to hone in on storytelling with music. I like to grow with the game and to follow the game and to enhance the game and the story. Every project I’m working on helps to find a new voice in me that will best describe, flow and support the game from an emotional point of view.
MASA: How do you know when a piece of game music is doing exactly what it needs to do?
INON: This is not a challenge for me. My principle is if you don’t notice the music but you feel emotionally driven or feel that your emotions are being enhanced, you don’t really hear the music, you feel the music. If you have to turn down the music or even turn it off because it’s interfering with the experience then we haven’t done our job.
MASA: What part of your creative process do you find most important in shaping a score’s identity?
INON: I think that every part of the process, from the game’s inception, conceptualizing the musical idea and then the actual writing, and producing and mixing; each of these stages are crucial for informing the final product. But I would say the most important factors are me getting to know the story, the game and the people behind the game, the producers and rest of the team. This is what will shape more than anything else the direction and so the very beginning of the project will determine how the project is eventually going to sound. This is why I take the discussions with the team extremely seriously, getting to know them, learning what they like, learning the story behind the game and once I feel locked in with the project then I can start the writing.
MASA: Have you seen the role of music in games change since you first started in the industry?
INON: I don’t think the role of music has or will change; it’s always serving to enhance the emotional aspect in the game. However, what has changed is the way we enhance the music in-game, the way music is being played in the game is extremely important. Because memory is not a problem any more we have so many ways to create layers, conditioning and programming to make the music more seamless and interactive to the player’s experience. This makes the emphasis on the music much more significant. The composer and audio team has more opportunities to create different approaches without worrying about limitations. This is why we have games now where the music is flowing seamlessly and is so tight with what’s happening on screen because the technology is far beyond what we had 30 years ago.
MASA: What advice would you give to emerging composers hoping to break into game scoring?
INON: The first thing I would say is to learn music. Today many tend to think that AI and other tools can teach them quickly but don’t really apply themselves to get into the nuts and bolts of music. No! Music is a craft like any other. So go to school, learn all the music theory, counterpoint and harmony, so when the opportunity arises you are ready and equipped to write real music and not using tools that will not create your own voice. My second piece of advice is that in today’s industry there are so many choices so you need to pursue the old, tried and tested approach of developing personal relationships. Try to create your own network, learn how to work with people by meeting one person who trusts you and then start working with them, if they like you they will keep on hiring you. It’s much better than trying to send hundreds of demos everywhere, just find one person who appreciates what you’re doing and if they’re successful then they will take you with them on their journey. Thirdly, try to find your own voice. Today it’s really easy to fall into following trends but eventually only unique voices are what will stand out. So try to find a unique voice and new ways of creating music that will separate you from the crowd.
MASA: As a juror, what will you be listening for in this year’s entries? What, for you, makes a video game score truly stand out?
INON: I think that more than anything else it’s how the music works in the game. Of course I will judge the music itself, whether I like the ideas, style and production, but it is music for games, it’s not just music. I’m not just judging how musical, interesting or brilliant it is. I’m also taking into consideration how it works inside the game, so will either play the games or watch gameplay to really grasp how well the music works in the game. Obviously there will also be consideration if I personally like the music, is it something new, original and how well is it produced?
MASA: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. There are so many valuable insights here and I’m sure they’ll resonate with both established composers and those just starting out. We’re incredibly grateful to have you as part of this year’s jury and thank you again for your generous support of the Music+Sound Awards.
MASA: You’ve built one of the most distinctive careers in game music. What initially drew you to video game scoring and what was your first break into the industry?
INON: Initially I was not drawn to the gaming industry, I was not a gamer and in fact I was looking to build a career in movies and TV scoring. However, I was properly introduced to this industry by the late Bob Rice who became my agent and mentor in 1996. He introduced me to this whole new world which immediately caught my attention and the reason why was because I was offered a unique opportunity to compose orchestral music and record live orchestra which was not as accessible in my TV career. Also, the way of composing music for video games was so different and artistic that I was then drawn to the medium right away. My first opportunity was composing the game Star Trek Klingon Academy for Interplay and Paramount in 1997 and then I realized this was something I really loved to do and never looked back.
MASA: Your work across the Fallout franchise has become iconic – how did you approach creating a sound that captured its atmosphere, tension and dark humour? And how do you keep the music cohesive while still giving each game its own identity?
INON: The world of Fallout was a concept that inspired me right away. The opportunity to compose music for an alternate reality, a world that stopped existing in the 1950s and continued in a whole new path. So it gave me a great opportunity to take elements of the old world but then distort the theme, create a whole new imaginary sonic palette based on this old world but build a new soundscape. This actually was infatuating for me – how can you write a music composition that is being written in our world but not in a world as we know it? So, for example, I took some classical instruments but played them in a non-traditional way. For piano I would bow the strings or hit the strings. And then I took everyday objects like garden furniture, tables and chairs, and other artefacts and played them like they were percussion. I was thinking either we have artefacts at our disposal and want to create music or we have an old classical instrument but the people in this world that are playing them don’t really know them so are inventing new ways of playing them. This is one of the ways I carved out a new direction within this alternate reality.
MASA: Looking back, is there a project that helped define your creative voice?
INON: I don’t think there was one project that helped define my voice because I’ve worked on many different games with different styles. For example, take SOCOM II or Men of Valor which are military in style, whereas games like Fallout allowed me to develop a post-apocalyptic style, and then heavy narrative-driven titles like Dragon Age and Syberia are allowing me to hone in on storytelling with music. I like to grow with the game and to follow the game and to enhance the game and the story. Every project I’m working on helps to find a new voice in me that will best describe, flow and support the game from an emotional point of view.
MASA: How do you know when a piece of game music is doing exactly what it needs to do?
INON: This is not a challenge for me. My principle is if you don’t notice the music but you feel emotionally driven or feel that your emotions are being enhanced, you don’t really hear the music, you feel the music. If you have to turn down the music or even turn it off because it’s interfering with the experience then we haven’t done our job.
MASA: What part of your creative process do you find most important in shaping a score’s identity?
INON: I think that every part of the process, from the game’s inception, conceptualizing the musical idea and then the actual writing, and producing and mixing; each of these stages are crucial for informing the final product. But I would say the most important factors are me getting to know the story, the game and the people behind the game, the producers and rest of the team. This is what will shape more than anything else the direction and so the very beginning of the project will determine how the project is eventually going to sound. This is why I take the discussions with the team extremely seriously, getting to know them, learning what they like, learning the story behind the game and once I feel locked in with the project then I can start the writing.
MASA: Have you seen the role of music in games change since you first started in the industry?
INON: I don’t think the role of music has or will change; it’s always serving to enhance the emotional aspect in the game. However, what has changed is the way we enhance the music in-game, the way music is being played in the game is extremely important. Because memory is not a problem any more we have so many ways to create layers, conditioning and programming to make the music more seamless and interactive to the player’s experience. This makes the emphasis on the music much more significant. The composer and audio team has more opportunities to create different approaches without worrying about limitations. This is why we have games now where the music is flowing seamlessly and is so tight with what’s happening on screen because the technology is far beyond what we had 30 years ago.
MASA: What advice would you give to emerging composers hoping to break into game scoring?
INON: The first thing I would say is to learn music. Today many tend to think that AI and other tools can teach them quickly but don’t really apply themselves to get into the nuts and bolts of music. No! Music is a craft like any other. So go to school, learn all the music theory, counterpoint and harmony, so when the opportunity arises you are ready and equipped to write real music and not using tools that will not create your own voice. My second piece of advice is that in today’s industry there are so many choices so you need to pursue the old, tried and tested approach of developing personal relationships. Try to create your own network, learn how to work with people by meeting one person who trusts you and then start working with them, if they like you they will keep on hiring you. It’s much better than trying to send hundreds of demos everywhere, just find one person who appreciates what you’re doing and if they’re successful then they will take you with them on their journey. Thirdly, try to find your own voice. Today it’s really easy to fall into following trends but eventually only unique voices are what will stand out. So try to find a unique voice and new ways of creating music that will separate you from the crowd.
MASA: As a juror, what will you be listening for in this year’s entries? What, for you, makes a video game score truly stand out?
INON: I think that more than anything else it’s how the music works in the game. Of course I will judge the music itself, whether I like the ideas, style and production, but it is music for games, it’s not just music. I’m not just judging how musical, interesting or brilliant it is. I’m also taking into consideration how it works inside the game, so will either play the games or watch gameplay to really grasp how well the music works in the game. Obviously there will also be consideration if I personally like the music, is it something new, original and how well is it produced?
MASA: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. There are so many valuable insights here and I’m sure they’ll resonate with both established composers and those just starting out. We’re incredibly grateful to have you as part of this year’s jury and thank you again for your generous support of the Music+Sound Awards.
MASA: You’ve built one of the most distinctive careers in game music. What initially drew you to video game scoring and what was your first break into the industry?
INON: Initially I was not drawn to the gaming industry, I was not a gamer and in fact I was looking to build a career in movies and TV scoring. However, I was properly introduced to this industry by the late Bob Rice who became my agent and mentor in 1996. He introduced me to this whole new world which immediately caught my attention and the reason why was because I was offered a unique opportunity to compose orchestral music and record live orchestra which was not as accessible in my TV career. Also, the way of composing music for video games was so different and artistic that I was then drawn to the medium right away. My first opportunity was composing the game Star Trek Klingon Academy for Interplay and Paramount in 1997 and then I realized this was something I really loved to do and never looked back.
MASA: Your work across the Fallout franchise has become iconic – how did you approach creating a sound that captured its atmosphere, tension and dark humour? And how do you keep the music cohesive while still giving each game its own identity?
INON: The world of Fallout was a concept that inspired me right away. The opportunity to compose music for an alternate reality, a world that stopped existing in the 1950s and continued in a whole new path. So it gave me a great opportunity to take elements of the old world but then distort the theme, create a whole new imaginary sonic palette based on this old world but build a new soundscape. This actually was infatuating for me – how can you write a music composition that is being written in our world but not in a world as we know it? So, for example, I took some classical instruments but played them in a non-traditional way. For piano I would bow the strings or hit the strings. And then I took everyday objects like garden furniture, tables and chairs, and other artefacts and played them like they were percussion. I was thinking either we have artefacts at our disposal and want to create music or we have an old classical instrument but the people in this world that are playing them don’t really know them so are inventing new ways of playing them. This is one of the ways I carved out a new direction within this alternate reality.
MASA: Looking back, is there a project that helped define your creative voice?
INON: I don’t think there was one project that helped define my voice because I’ve worked on many different games with different styles. For example, take SOCOM II or Men of Valor which are military in style, whereas games like Fallout allowed me to develop a post-apocalyptic style, and then heavy narrative-driven titles like Dragon Age and Syberia are allowing me to hone in on storytelling with music. I like to grow with the game and to follow the game and to enhance the game and the story. Every project I’m working on helps to find a new voice in me that will best describe, flow and support the game from an emotional point of view.
MASA: How do you know when a piece of game music is doing exactly what it needs to do?
INON: This is not a challenge for me. My principle is if you don’t notice the music but you feel emotionally driven or feel that your emotions are being enhanced, you don’t really hear the music, you feel the music. If you have to turn down the music or even turn it off because it’s interfering with the experience then we haven’t done our job.
MASA: What part of your creative process do you find most important in shaping a score’s identity?
INON: I think that every part of the process, from the game’s inception, conceptualizing the musical idea and then the actual writing, and producing and mixing; each of these stages are crucial for informing the final product. But I would say the most important factors are me getting to know the story, the game and the people behind the game, the producers and rest of the team. This is what will shape more than anything else the direction and so the very beginning of the project will determine how the project is eventually going to sound. This is why I take the discussions with the team extremely seriously, getting to know them, learning what they like, learning the story behind the game and once I feel locked in with the project then I can start the writing.
MASA: Have you seen the role of music in games change since you first started in the industry?
INON: I don’t think the role of music has or will change; it’s always serving to enhance the emotional aspect in the game. However, what has changed is the way we enhance the music in-game, the way music is being played in the game is extremely important. Because memory is not a problem any more we have so many ways to create layers, conditioning and programming to make the music more seamless and interactive to the player’s experience. This makes the emphasis on the music much more significant. The composer and audio team has more opportunities to create different approaches without worrying about limitations. This is why we have games now where the music is flowing seamlessly and is so tight with what’s happening on screen because the technology is far beyond what we had 30 years ago.
MASA: What advice would you give to emerging composers hoping to break into game scoring?
INON: The first thing I would say is to learn music. Today many tend to think that AI and other tools can teach them quickly but don’t really apply themselves to get into the nuts and bolts of music. No! Music is a craft like any other. So go to school, learn all the music theory, counterpoint and harmony, so when the opportunity arises you are ready and equipped to write real music and not using tools that will not create your own voice. My second piece of advice is that in today’s industry there are so many choices so you need to pursue the old, tried and tested approach of developing personal relationships. Try to create your own network, learn how to work with people by meeting one person who trusts you and then start working with them, if they like you they will keep on hiring you. It’s much better than trying to send hundreds of demos everywhere, just find one person who appreciates what you’re doing and if they’re successful then they will take you with them on their journey. Thirdly, try to find your own voice. Today it’s really easy to fall into following trends but eventually only unique voices are what will stand out. So try to find a unique voice and new ways of creating music that will separate you from the crowd.
MASA: As a juror, what will you be listening for in this year’s entries? What, for you, makes a video game score truly stand out?
INON: I think that more than anything else it’s how the music works in the game. Of course I will judge the music itself, whether I like the ideas, style and production, but it is music for games, it’s not just music. I’m not just judging how musical, interesting or brilliant it is. I’m also taking into consideration how it works inside the game, so will either play the games or watch gameplay to really grasp how well the music works in the game. Obviously there will also be consideration if I personally like the music, is it something new, original and how well is it produced?
MASA: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. There are so many valuable insights here and I’m sure they’ll resonate with both established composers and those just starting out. We’re incredibly grateful to have you as part of this year’s jury and thank you again for your generous support of the Music+Sound Awards.