RSR497 - Steve Pardo - Jazz, Music for Games and Atmos Mixing

Recording Studio Rockstars

Lij Shaw

Music

4.8 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2025

⏱️ 122 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"Get the main menu music worked out!" In this captivating episode of Recording Studio Rockstars, host Lij Shaw sits down with the talented music director and game audio specialist, Steve Pardo. They dive into Steve's journey from jazz musician to game composer, sharing his insights on the creative process and collaboration in the industry. Steve passionately discusses how to get the main menu music just right, the magic of mixing in Dolby Atmos for gaming, and why the saxophone shines with guitar pedals. From Unreal Engine to Apple Logic Pro X, he offers tips on creating huge sounds in a small studio, all while highlighting the significance of live instruments in modern production. Don't miss this lively conversation that blends nostalgia with cutting-edge techniques, and get inspired to embrace the future of music and gaming!

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My guest today is Steve Pardo, a music director, and game audio specialist with over 15 years of experience crafting immersive music and sound for award-winning games and globally recognized franchises. Steve is the co-founder of SkewSound, Composer and Music Manager at ProbablyMonsters, and an active performing artist based in Nashville, TN.

Steve's career began at the legendary Harmonix Music Systems, where he worked on iconic titles like Rock Band VR, Dance Central, and Fantasia: Music Evolved. He has since contributed to games such as Fortnite Festival, Cypher 007, Moonbreaker, and Signs of the Sojourner. His music also appears on platforms like Netflix, Adult Swim, and IFC, and he's collaborated on cutting-edge projects involving generative and AI-driven music for companies like Mastercard, Warner Music, and Tribeca Film Festival.

A graduate of the University of Miami, Steve earned both a bachelor's degree in Studio Music and Jazz and a master's degree in Studio Jazz Writing, grounding his creative work in a rich foundation of jazz and orchestration.

Steve's Nashville studio is equipped with a 7.1.4 Atmos system, boutique microphones, synthesizers, and more, allowing him to create very cool music in a cozy setting.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Recording Studio Rockstars is brought to you by Isotope, native instruments,
0:06.9	Roswell Pro Audio, and Atom Audio. You're hearing my voice right now through the beautiful
0:12.6	Roswell Pro Audio Aztec Tube microphone, mixed through isotope, ozone, RX, and Neutron,
0:20.5	all on atom audio monitors and headphones.
0:23.7	Please check out our awesome sponsors using the links in the show notes.
0:27.3	Also, please remember to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel because it's a great way
0:31.4	for you to help support this show.
0:33.5	Now, get ready to rock.
0:35.4	I always just think of it.
0:36.3	It's a game engine.
0:37.2	Right.
0:37.4	You know? But like, yeah, defining that beyond, you know, for a... Now, get ready to rock. I always just think of it. It's a game engine. Right.
0:37.7	You know?
0:42.6	But, like, yeah, defining that beyond, you know, for a non-game audience.
0:43.8	Yeah, you do art.
0:46.5	You do your art, your code, your audio now.
0:51.7	You know, everything that makes up a game, you would bring into a game engine. Right.
0:52.2	And game engine also sort of implies that when you play the game, the game itself is using
0:57.2	that same software to run that engine.
1:00.2	It's almost like if we were making music for ProTools sessions and then when somebody
1:08.5	listened to it, they opened it up in a ProTool session.
1:10.8	I'll listen to the music, right?
	...

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