The Sound Test

View the video of this conversation here ! A conversation about all things game music with composer, Richard Jacques! Games covered: Jet Set Radio Jet Set Radio Future James Bond 007: Blood Stone Headhunter Mass Effect Guardians of the Galaxy

A retrospective look at the music of God of War, throughout its original Greek mythology games, with composer Gerard Marino! "The End Begins (To Rock)" by Virtual Video Game Orchestra https://vvgo.bandcamp.com/album/project-3-the-end-begins-to-rock Laced Records GoW Anniversary Vinyl: https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/god-of-war The Sound Test on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GcKsvLgB6tk

A conversation with the legendary Jesper Kyd about his music for the Hitman series! Additionally, we discuss his early years and working for the SEGA Genesis. Hitman vinyl releases: https://www.lacedrecords.co/collections/hitman Twitch: https://twitch.tv/GreenTeaRooms

A whole new live show! My Terry Scott Taylor interview: https://leetyrrell.medium.com/terry-scott-taylor-the-neverhood-interview-4dbb5cfb3de?sk=525957b72259f37e073c76529650bc2a Twitch: https://twitch.tv/greentearooms

An insightful and wide-reaching talk with Vincent Diamante about his work for thatgamecompany, and so much more! Interview start: 2:58 Also available through: YouTube iTunes Spotify Stitcher and many more...

An in-depth conversation with legendary composer, Austin Wintory, about his work for thatgamecompany (Flow & Journey), Abzû and The Banner Saga. Interview start: 4:02 The first in a series of unreleased interviews! Also available through: YouTube iTunes Spotify Stitcher and many more...

This fun, casual talk with Jonathan Wilson - the man behind GTA's Robert De Negro - is also a comprehensive look at his contributions to the franchise. Along with insights from the man himself, this podcast features every single track he performed for in full (and even a gem from his early days). Besides GTA, Jon and I discuss hip hop, music in general, the concept of a Robert De Negro comeback an...

This final part of my LucasArts trilogy takes an in-depth look at the innovative iMUSE system. iMUSE was instrumental to the development of dynamic and interactive music through the 90s, and I welcome back Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian to discuss its impact. I'm also pleased to present more insight from the incomparable George Sanger, who wrote dynamic soundtracks for games like Capture the F...

For this bonus, it's my great honour to welcome Colin Anderson onto The Sound Test for a lengthy talk about Grand Theft Auto. Colin was heavily involved in the music and audio of the franchise in its early days, and we talk in-depth about his contributions to both GTA 1 and 2. At the end, we even fit in a little discussion of Crackdown - another game Colin worked on, which we both consider to have...

A brand new iteration of The Sound Test, in which I explore my top five VGM tunes from any particular topic. In this second episode, I take a good long look at probably my favourite gaming genre - puzzles. As a result, I get caught up in the windmills of nostalgia while presenting a rich playlist of great VGM. And that's not all! I'm also more than happy to welcome Wabi Sabi Sound's Andrew Lackey...

A brand new iteration of The Sound Test, in which I explore my top five VGM tunes from any particular topic. For my first episode back in months, the topic I've chosen is gangsters; mostly thanks to the release of "The Many Saints of Newark". This episode is packed with fantastic music, trivia and even a few surprises along the way. The podcast is guaranteed to please longtime listeners, and hopef...

In this Sound Test BONUS, I'm joined by Peter McConnell for a detailed look at the music of Psychonauts - just ahead of the release of its long-awaited sequel! Within, you'll hear details about Psychonauts' cinematic and gameplay scores, their use of live instrumentation and plenty of insightful thoughts on specific, well-loved tracks. We also discuss the game's VR sequel - Rhombus of Ruin - and t...

Unfortunately, The Sound Test has been forced into a lengthy hiatus due to a very difficult personal situation I'm going through. Not only has my situation stopped me from working, but I don't even have access to my old equipment. It's not nice, and I wish I could keep the VGM going like I used to - but I'm far from done with The Sound Test. I miss it dearly, and still have many interviews to publ...

In this completely off-the-cuff episode, I address some of the concerns that may have built up around The Sound Test in the past month or so. It's not all serious though, as pretty much all of this is the usual serving of VGM goodness, tinged with a little optimistic looking ahead. It's been a tough time for the show, and myself lately, and I've occasionally posted some rather daft things that I r...

Since my latest ST2 eps have been all about LucasArts, I decided to broadcast a LIVE special all about them too! For my first show of 2021, I present tracks from some of their earliest releases, right up to the very last game they developed that wasn't based on Star Wars. As a result, this playlist is stacked with some of the very best VGM ever composed, and it was a lot of fun to be back with the...

Founded in 1982, LucasArts are among the best known and best loved game developers of the past four decades. Following on from my previous episode, this podcast is the second part of a dedicated LucasArts triple-bill. This time, I explore the company’s history, with returning guests Clint Bajakian and Peter McConnell. While Clint and Peter both proved invaluable to LucasArts through the 90s, and b...

For my very final show of 2020, I go big with an absolute iceberg of a broadcast. Thanks to the listeners, the playlist is full of cold, icy, christmassy tunes, but I put a little twist on my personal choices this week. You'll meet various ghosts of my Christmases past, as I introduce you to the games that have been particularly exciting presents over the years. Excitingly, I'm also joined for a L...

FREEZE! Following on from my Hypnospace Outlaw bonus, I decided to make this show all about gaming police officers, law enforcers, coppers and bobbies. There are a lot to choose from too, as these themed episodes could easily have second parts one day. For now though, this playlist is more than stacked with some of the very best tunes that the boys in blue have to offer. I SAID FREEZE, ASSHOLE! Th...

In this BONUS, I'm joined by Jay Tholen for an in-depth look at the music and audio of Hypnospace Outlaw. An internet simulator set at the turn of the 21st century, Hypnospace Outlaw is one of my favourite games that I played in 2020. It's dripping in 90s nostalgia, and its keen sense of humour is colourful as you're invited into a faithful parody of online tropes from the time. Most importantly f...

This episode revs into December with a look at some of the best known and best loved vehicles in games! From the Blue Falcon to Bowser's airships and everything between, this was a topic that could easily have several broadcasts dedicated to it. Outside of planes, trains and automobiles, I take a step back from many of the show's regular features this week. As we approach 2021, I'm thinking of sev...

No movie franchise has made a bigger impact on gaming than Star Wars, which boasts well over a hundred separate releases for practically every system that has ever existed. Adaptations of the much loved original trilogy, and its later sequels, have grown in sophistication with each passing year. Since LucasArts was founded in 1982 by George Lucas himself, its connection to Star Wars runs deep. The...

No interview this week, but we do have a stacked playlist of sidekick celebration! I explore some of gaming's most well-known tagalongs, player 2s and assistants; all with the help of my wonderful regular listeners. You'll hear my own Top 5, along with a whole host of other great choices! Besides the theme, this episode finally brings some concrete (and complex) answers to the VGM SongFight battle...

The Sound Test welcomes yet another big interview guest this week, as Barry Leitch joins me for a chat about his whole legendary career. From his music and sound for a string of popular racing games to his intriguing work on children's toys, we cover a lot of interesting ground. It was fantastic to have Barry on the show, and I hope we talk again soon! The theme for this week otherwise, though, is...

For this episode, I'm joined about halfway for a brand new chat with TDK. He's a regular name on my show, and one of the contributors to ST2, so it's fantastic to welcome him back to The Sound Test. This time, we catch up about his latest album - "Retrospect" - currently available through https://marktdkknight.bandcamp.com ! Besides my talk with TDK, I also take a look at various intriguing periph...

Since I'm away in Ireland this week, I've cooked up another old school ST remaster! This one's our third ever episode, from nearly two years ago. For more recent Sound Test listeners, be prepared for a change in tone! Not only did my co-host, Dale, and I approach things a lot more casually, but I was a lot more ignorant of VGM as a whole. Really, I was at the beginning of my journey. I hope these...