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Rescoring video games can be a powerful way to develop your sound design and composition chops while experiencing firsthand the impact that music has in transforming a scene.
In the video above, producers Galen Tipton and Holly Waxwing took this idea to the test by rescoring moments from three iconic video games—Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Super Mario Odyssey—using nothing but the sounds from their Echo’s Story: Y2K Video Game sample pack. With each rescore, they walk through how they arranged and manipulated their sounds to achieve their desired creative results.
“Early games were really limited by file size,” Tipton tells us. “The choices had to be really intentional, and the music had to do a lot with a little. When I was making my loops for the pack, I took a four-bar section and looped it constantly while auditioning melody and rhythm ideas. I consciously wanted there to be four elements at most at any given time.”
“It pushed me forward in terms of working with very few elements to create a sum that’s greater than the parts,” Waxwing adds. “I was trying to pare everything down and be intentional about every layer of the song.”
Keep learning
For more insights into the world of video game music, see our guides below on some of the titles and series explored in the video:
And there you have it! Which video game rescore was your favorite? What other topics would you like to see us explore next? Let us know in the comments section of the video, and subscribe to the Splice YouTube channel for more producer-led tips, tutorials, and insights.
Incorporate Galen Tipton and Holly Waxwing’s sounds into your own productions:
May 6, 2025
