Hey I don't normally post hings on the forums but I thought I would try and get a response from a Rioter on the subject! I was wondering what kind of things you look for when you are hiring a person to create music for League of Legends. I am currently a music major in college and I am going to get a masters in music composition. I was hoping to get to some insight on what you guys looked for any response would be greatly appreciated!
RiotPraeco6 votesHey man,
That actually varies from person to person. A lot of it comes from individual relationships with the people and having something that can add to the team's skill sets - and being able to trust other team members in their expertise on certain matters. On our team, we are all very versed on different genres and production styles, but there still are certain aspects that certain individuals will always know best, and so we always keep an open dialogue and exchange each other every single day about what we're working on. So team spirit is the number one, directly followed of course by musical talent and passion that makes you possess an individual musical skill-set and creativity which can add to our overall palette. One of the most amazing factors of our game is its diversity. As a team, we need to ensure that we can cover that and create a lot of awesome in a lot of different ways. So only being able to write orchestral music, or only writing electronic music would undersell the awesome diversity in our game's world. And in order to do a good job in that regard, we need a really strong music team, with many different skill sets.
One point of advice I can give is: Know your strengths and limitations. People walk up to us all the time and tell us that they can write in "any genre" and "any style" - Which is incorrect. Nobody can do that. Sure, if we're talking about shallow, main-stream oriented music, yes, everyone can somehow load up NI Massive and NI Damage and get some electronic music going. And sure, everyone can pop open their Symphobia or EastWest Symphonic Orchestra and get some orchestral music going. But that's not how you write something unique and musically cohesive that has it's own little style world that is developed and artistically invested in, and most importantly, authentic to the ear. A die-hard orchestral music listener, or a die-hard electronic music fan, will always notice if you fake or half-ass something. So be aware of your strengths, but more importantly, your weaknesses/limitations. If I ask someone on my team "Hey can you compose something in style X?", and they say "I can do aspects X and Y, but not Z on that, I'm not good enough on that style yet." - This is totally fine. A talented person can learn anything, and most importantly, it makes me trust his decision-making and creative assessment, I can trust that they have a good understanding of what can enable us to get from good to GREAT. If someone on my team would tell me "Yeah I can totally compose in style X", and it's not authentic to the style and uncreative in the respective genre, and he can't even tell - THAT's a problem, because then his decision making and musical understanding is flawed, and I can't trust him as much when it comes down to spearheading a musical project.
So it's definitely a misconception to think that if you apply for a composing job, you need to be able to know or do everything. Talent can learn anything. Awareness and a critical understanding of your own abilities and the high quality bar that you're trying to aim for is much more important.
Hopes this helps a bit!
Master Arrow1 votesThanks a ton that did help me! I have still got a lot to learn before I get into the field but I will definitely keep this stuff in mind! Thank You so much for replying it means a great deal to me.
And to Mr.Johnson, regardless of the amount of money I make it isn't really important to me. Yes, making money is fine an all but I wanted to do something that I truly have a passion for rather than having some random job that I wont really care about at all. Even if I don't get a composition job I am getting an undergrad in music ed so I can fall back to teaching. Or I can just stand on the side of the road and play my saxophone honestly I would be fine with that also.
dcF4rZGoH51 votesI don't mean to be a party pooper.
Calvin Harris didn't get no music degree, he just started creating his own music. I am not saying you are trying to be that kind of musician. I understand you talking about music in gaming and movies ect. So my next paragraph covers that.
Lastly there is no demand for it either, I am not just talking about big popular music, I am talking about music for games and moves ect. People with your kind of degree go years feeling dumb for their decision and then get shipped off to the millitary, or get some other easy access job that america needs such as 48 states truck driving. Jobs like being in the military, and truck driving 48 states, these jobs actually move america forward. So things are exactly how they should be, people who are stupid and get these music and art degrees go hungry, and the people who do jobs that move america forward actually make livings. Not only make livings but there is large demand for what they do, as in you'll find jobs 48 states truck driving easily, and same with military jobs. The only downside is the lifestyles are both dangerous and rough, and lots of sacrifice is needed, many times human lives.
RiotPraeco4 votesi don't have a music degree either. i actually don't even have a degree whatsoever. but that's not the point. the training you get from going down such a studying path is helpful and constructive as a composer, absolutely. the reason why so many people with a music degree fail is because they just weren't good enough. a degree in arts / creative work does not mean you'll be successful. but the people who DO have what it takes to be successful really benefit from these studies.
also, composing music for orchestras and classical instruments in general requires knowledge and training that you cannot obtain as "calvin harris". we are also on-staff composers, and not independent artists. so your whole comparison and paragraph, frankly, doesn't really apply whatsoever for what we're talking about. completely different skill sets and career paths.
RiotRiot Gunlap2 votesI can second this. I originally was not going to major in music and would compose music all by ear with no knowledge of theory or anything. Studying it has really helped me understand how genres tend to work, and to help build personal tastes toward certain ones. For instance, my university has a lot of great jazz professors that showcase their talents often. Also, a West African Drumming ensemble. I would not have acquired a taste for them without really delving into it at this level.
Those that regret their decisions are the people that have lost the will to keep fighting. This line of work is not easy. You will not be good for a very long time. Trust me. I've been getting critical feedback for probably two years now and have yet to feel like I've written a successful track. I was once told that a lot of composers don't hit their golden age until they're 50.
As for your comment about the lack of demand, here are a couple of links to look into: GameSoundCon (an entire convention about promoting and providing quality game audio) and their survey about Game Audio. On their "News" page, you can also find out about the growth of the positions due to the spike in mobile apps. There is a demand, but like Praeco was saying, it's creative arts and it takes a lot of work and a lot of willpower to stay relevant.
Jingerbeardman1 votesdo yourself and everyone else a favor, please keep your opinions to yourself. I am highly offended by your remarks as I went to school and got a bachelors in the arts and do not feel dumb for doing so. In fact I am quite proud of my achievement and use the skills i have learned on a daily basis. It sounds to me like you feel dumb for not pursuing your passion and need to keep others from doing so in order to feel better about yourself. If you think so highly of logistics and military careers you should go get one yourself. You also don't know what you are talking about. The next time you feel like making an ignorant remark, do the world a favor and don't.
MastèrBaitèr1 votesdo yourself and everyone else a favor, please keep your opinions to yourself. I am highly offended by your remarks as I went to school and got a bachelors in the arts and do not feel dumb for doing so. In fact I am quite proud of my achievement and use the skills i have learned on a daily basis. It sounds to me like you feel dumb for not pursuing your passion and need to keep others from doing so in order to feel better about yourself. If you think so highly of logistics and military careers you should go get one yourself. You also don't know what you are talking about. The next time you feel like making an ignorant remark, do the world a favor and don't.
Do yourself a favor and go see a therapist. You got major issues.