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    Season 1 · Episode 3

    Composing Music for VR Experiences & Music as a Support System

    ZADAN with Alex Ellsworth

    · 2:02:16

    The conversation

    Alex Ellsworth, a Los Angeles composer, sits down with ZADAN to talk about writing music for VR, film and games. Alex explains how meeting a motion capture technician on the networking app Shapr landed him on the sound team, and then the music side, of The Chimerical Era, a steampunk VR piece built to be watched more than played. He lays out the difference between scoring and songwriting, talks through placing sound in a 360-degree space, and recalls viewers at VRLA asking for more interactivity.

    From there the conversation widens. Alex describes growing up in Hong Kong and Singapore, two years of mandatory army service, and coming to LA for college before staying to chase music while holding a day job. ZADAN talks about earning rent by playing on the Huntington Beach Pier, running a multi-game MMO guild with its own website as a kid, and getting candy sales banned at his school. They finish on living in the moment, immigration, and ZADAN's idea for a time-travel MMO.

    Topics, with timestamps

    Pick a time to start listening right there.

    1. Networking on Shapr and Bumble's business mode
    2. Alex's range on SoundCloud and music that stands alone
    3. Building a legacy future generations can find
    4. Joining a steampunk VR project through Shapr
    5. Scoring versus songwriting
    6. Spatial sound and a hover bike chase in VR
    7. Why keep making music when a day job is easier
    8. Growing up in Hong Kong and Singapore
    9. MMO guilds, mixtapes and banned candy sales
    10. Living in the moment and putting the phone down
    11. Cultural differences and army service in Singapore
    12. Visas, open borders and keeping a culture alive
    13. ZADAN's idea for a time-travel MMO
    14. Shout-outs and where to find Alex

    Worth hearing

    • Alex got onto The Chimerical Era after meeting a motion capture technician on Shapr, starting on the sound team and moving to music once the producers asked for his demos.
    • He believes music written for picture should still stand on its own and tell a story when the images are taken away.
    • Even though the VR piece is cinematic rather than interactive, the team uses a game engine to decide where in the space each sound comes from.
    • Alex keeps a day job to pay the bills and says making music after work is what keeps it passion-based.
    • ZADAN says earning rent by playing on the Huntington Beach Pier made music feel like a grind instead of something he loved.
    • Alex illustrates Singapore's safety with his uncle's wallet, which sat untouched on a bike path for hours with all the money still in it.
    • ZADAN recommends recording a weekly show in 13-episode chunks so it never misses a week.

    ZADAN's original episode notes

    On this week’s episode, with the guest appearance of Alex Ellsworth, we will be discussing all kinds of stuff surrounding the music industry and making money doing what you love doing. Alex is a composer and recording artist right out of Los Angeles for VR experiences, videos games, etc. We talk about the emotional sustainability of following your passion and more.