Timothy Liu — Looking Outwards — 10 – [OLD FALL 2019] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

An early photo of Junichi Masuda in his digital recording studio.

When I read the prompt for this week’s Looking Outwards, I immediately thought of video game music. I’ve always been a fan of videos games—especially Nintendo franchises such as Pokémon, Mario, and more—and their soundtracks have long been considered the gold standard of technical music. One of the most prominent composers in video game history has been Junichi Masuda, the mastermind behind most of the soundtracks in the Pokémon series. His works have ranged from being techno-like in nature to beautifully symphonic in his newer games. But the commonality among all of the works he’s composed is that they were each computationally created.

I first listened to some of Masuda’s soundtracks from his earlier games like Pokémon Red and Blue (1998). I loved the techno-funk feeling conveyed by the music, and after reading up more about Masuda’s processes, I learned that this was partly a byproduct of technical limitations of that era, but also due to Masuda’s self-proclaimed affinity for techno music at the time. Pokémon Red and Blue were developed on UNIX computer stations called the Sun SPARCstation 1, which made programming files susceptible to crashing. These were clear programming limitations that likely limited the quality of sound files and sound effects.

The soundtrack from Pokémon Red and Blue (1998).

Next, for the sake of comparison, I listened to music from Pokémon Black and White, games from 2012. I was blown away by the difference; the soundtracks from the newer games were not only crisper, smoother, and rendered more cleanly, but they legitimately sounded like orchestral movements. It was incredible to me how much Masuda’s work evolved, and after reading more about his inspirations, I learned that he was a big fan of the classical composers Igor Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich. This was evident in the elegance of his compositions, and it blew my mind to learn that he programmed these tunes just like he did the techno-style music of 1998. It’s a testament to Masuda’s talent and understanding of the interplay between technology, computation, and music.