EP 30 | How We Write Music, Talent vs. Skill, Music Theory, & More - A Chat with Terran (Outbound Drift)

Terran joins Marina to talk about writing video game music.They delve into: how they start a new piece of music, overcoming writer’s block, talent vs. skill, iterating and acting on feedback, the importance of music theory, and more.Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(07:04) What games we’re playing (08:50) How Terran got into music composition(12:10) The need to create(15:13) How Marina got into music composition(17:23) How we come up with musical ideas(21:51) The importance of music theory(23:26) “Your chronic mistakes are your style”(25:23) Iterating when writing music(27:53) Making fast decision is a superpower + organizing sessions(30:16) Steps of making music(32:10) Favourite tools for music making(35:52) Learning from reference tracks and song studies(37:38) Do we listen to music differently now? (39:02) Favourite time signature (40:50) What advice we have for our younger selves + the subjectivity of music + translating the ideas we have in our head (45:29) “Talent is a myth; it’s just love over time” (47:05) Terran’s dream project(48:28) Game music we love (56:30) Outro + thank you(57:40) Post-episode chat: coming back to music with fresh ears(58:32) Post-episode chat: the fear of using up ideas (1:00:42) Post-episode chat: writer’s block(1:03:44) Post-episode chat: working on a team + getting feedback + listening sessions + staying organized FOLLOW USTerran: https://bsky.app/profile/terrancam.bsky.socialUnbound Drift: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3339860/Unbound_Drift/Marina: ⁠https://linktr.ee/marinaryan⁠ Live Show on Twitch: ⁠https://twitch.tv/marinahascoffeeQuest Markers: ⁠https://linktr.ee/questmarkers⁠Music by Marina Ryan