News & History
October 17th, 2024
Phantasy Star III Soundtrack Re-orchestration! This was a BIG labor of love. Original soundtrack was played via the Sega Genesis sounds… a lot to be desired, but still capturing my childhood imagination. Years later, many of the songs still sing in my heart, so I decided to honor them by re-orchestrating the ENTIRE SOUNDTRACK!
Anyone who loves this game series and RPG music should enjoy this as well. Please do. https://walzmusic.bandcamp.com/album/phantasy-star-iii-complete-soundtrack-reorchestration
September 23rd, 2024
I have started work as the Audio Director of a project for Scopely. Check out their awesome fun games, like Monopoly Go and Marvel Strike Force.
August 12th, 2024
My latest iTunes release is from Schoolfeed Bingo / Classmates.com! I did all the theme music, sound design and voiceovers of this project for several years! https://music.apple.com/us/album/schoolfeed-bingo-music-theme-single/1760685696
July 25th, 2024
So thrilled to have my music mentioned on the RPGFan Rhythm Encounter podcast! Thanks! An honor. Would be happy to come on as a guest sometime 😉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rpgfans-rhythm-encounter/id608154322?i=1000662288312. You can fast forward to like 1 hour 12 minutes to hear them intro my song. Then after, you can them say great things about my music! At about 1:18:00. https://www.rpgfan.com/2024/07/15/rhythm-encounter-139-indie-rpg-music-spotlight/.
July 15th, 2024
I hope you enjoy my new website! Most things are still here, though a few things may be missing or hard to find. One such thing is the Aveyond 3 Voice Packs (for Lord of Twilight and Gates of Night.) If you are interested in downloading and installing these, please let me know and I will help you with that information, until it is back on the website. Make sure to go listen to our new music player and watch our video demo reels! Thanks.
April 15th, 2024
My time at Riot Games has come to an end after mass layoffs. However, this means I am available for hire for all your audio needs! In that spirit, I have also started to work with podcasts and have composed themes and done audio consulting for The Characterist Podcast. I have upgraded our music player to SoundCloud. Also check out my demos for more of my work in action.
August 23rd, 2021
Very pleased to announce that I have been hired at Riot Games and will be starting as a lead audio manager for their bay area team on August 30th.
July 14th, 2021
Magic: Legends has unfortunately been cancelled and I am available for my next role to help you with audio! Please check out my latest demo page and resume: aaronwalz.com.
March 3rd, 2021
We have released from our artist Teresa: Candle on the Water. Beautiful cover from Pete’s Dragon. Original sung by Helen Reddy, who unfortunately passed away in 2020. We would like to dedicate this recording to Helen.
February 22nd, 2021
In addition to being the lead audio designer for Magic Legends, I am releasing my entire back catalog of game music and artist tracks on Bandcamp – please do go check us out: walzmusic.bandcamp.com.
August 3rd, 2020
Very happy to announce that I have been hired full time in-house at Cryptic Studios as a Senior Sound Designer! I will be primarily working on Magic Legends! Also, please go download the official Aveyond 1 soundtrack here!
June 1st, 2020
If you’d enjoy some levity and music, check out our YouTube Channel for a lot of new content. Also, please enjoy this live stream concert Aaron performed on Facebook recently. Finally, great news! Not only is the Aveyond Soundtrack finally coming soon, but MUCH of our music is now being added and sold over at Bandcamp! Please follow us there for updates when tracks are available.
April 16, 2020
We hope you are safe and well in these difficult times. Also, Walz Music & Sound is back in the game, so to speak! Stay tuned for some new projects in the works. In the meantime, have you followed me on YouTube? Check out some game tunes being played on the piano. Walz Music on Youtube.
October 31, 2018
After a wonderful time at Riot Games working on StoneHearth, my contract has ended, the game has been released, and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to make some games sound fantastic. Check out my new Audio Design Demo Reel featuring some work from Telltale on YouTube as well as the trailer I did a few years ago for Underworld Empire (Kabam). And Happy Halloween!
February 22, 2018
I am excited to officially announce that I have accepted the role as lead audio designer for StoneHearth at Riot Games. I will be providing music, SFX and implementation to the project. I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter in my audio career.
November 29, 2017
As some of you may know, I have been working for Telltale Games as a sound designer where my final position was Audio Lead for Minecraft Story Mode. You may also be aware that Telltale had to make some hard choices and proceeded with layoffs. I am saddened and humbled to report that I was one of those laid off. As a result, I am currently seeking an in-house opportunity. Feel free to contact me here or through my Linkedin account with leads and offers. My time at Telltale will be sorely missed. The company afforded me the ability to grow professionally, and the friendships I made will forever be a bright memory. Thank you, Telltale. I wish you the best.
June 11, 2017
Walz Music & Sound is currently working on game audio for Telltale Games’ Minecraft Story Mode, Season 2, Episode 1. Slated for release in July, 2017, this newest installment of Minecraft Story Mode picks up where the last episode left off. Stayed tuned to continue the fun!
May 24, 2017
Recently, Walz Music & Sound had the pleasure of working with video marketing company, Swordfish San Francisco. We aided Swordfish in mixing and designing sound for several of their projects and clients including Capital One.
May 10, 2017
Do you want to be a star? Are you a music producer looking for the next big thing? Check out StarMaker Studios‘ Karaoke app, StarMaker. Walz Music & Sound is a regular music producer for SoundMaker Studios mixing backing tracks and creating backing MIDI files. The StarMaker app allows musicians to record, upload, and share their work. Be discovered or discover the next chart-topping star with StarMaker.
April 25, 2017
We had the pleasure to work with Midas Touch Games on their new VR experience, Fist of Physics. Robots have run amok in San Francisco. Duke it out with unruly robots in this incredible VR game.
April 3, 2017
Recently, I produced another fantastic single for the talented Rosy Maguina. You can find Only When I’m With You on iTunes, cdbaby, Spotify, Tidal, and Google Play. Don’t forget to check out Rosy’s Facebook Page.
March 10, 2017
For the last little while, I’ve been working on game audio for Telltale Games and loving it! Recently, I finished designing audio for Batman: Episode 2: Children of Arkham for Telltale’s Batman Series.
March 3, 2017
I am excited to announce my YouTube Video Game Music Series!
Over the last couple of months, I’ve uploaded a series of videos of myself playing some of my favorite video game music.
As a child, I played Final Fantasy while I learned to play the piano. Before too long, I took to tapping out Nobuo Uematsu tunes by ear. I then began to compose my own music, and a dream was born.
I always strive to deliver the best audio for each game I work on, and here are some examples of the fruit of my labors:
Heralds of Chaos by Gaia
Curse at Twilight: Thief of Souls by Game House
Dino Life by GREE
Epic Empire: A Hero’s Quest by Pocket Gems
Pocket Potions by Breaktime Studios
Aveyond: Lord of Twilight by Amranth
Arena of Heros by Sneaky Games / Zattikka
Backyard Bounce by ChaYoWo Games
Dragon Nest SEA by Cherry Credits / Eyedentity / Shanda
Vegas Nights By Mean Hampster
Pixel Whirled by Holmade Games
February 24, 2014
Aaron Walz lends some insight into the world of game audio design in the Get In Media: Sound Bites interview by Christina Couch.
December 21, 2013
Epic Empire: A Hero’s Quest has just been featured in the iTunes app store as a “Best New Game”!
November 30, 2013
That’s right Ravenwood Faire fans, you can now own the music of RavenWorld for an amount of your choosing! Hosted by Loudr, you can now have the Music of RavenWorld available at your fingertips! Groove to these festive tunes composed by Dren McDonald and Walz Music’s Aaron Walz. Stop by and download your copy today!
August 12, 2013
Hey everyone! This month has just been crazy! A new game Walz Music provided audio for has been released: Play Gig-It, a a social platform game for Facebook which brings together social media, fashion, music, and gaming by John Romero and 212 Decibels! Walz Music provided the voice-over talent, along with Sound Design and Engineering.
From July 30th to August 1st, I was the educational content adviser and emcee for this year’s Casual Connect’s Audio Track in San Francisco. As in years past, putting on the Audio Tract was a ton of work, but getting to meet so many amazing people in the game audio business, and working along side so many awesome people makes all the hard work totally worth it! In addition to emceeing Casual Connect’s Audio Tract, I also presented Designing Audio for Casino Games along with Greg Rahn – Audio Director for Kabam, Andreas Montano – Game Producer for Double Down Interactive, and Jesse Holt – panel moderator and Audio Designer for Double Down Interactive. As well as moderated Tips for Being a Successful Game Audio Contractor.
So far August is shaping up to be just as crazy and productive as July. Stay tuned for more updates!
April 19, 2013
We are super excited to announce our involvement in the creation of amazing game audio and sound design for Arena of Heroes by Sneaky Games, Zattikka, and CAH. Arena of Heroes is a free turn-based tactical game available for Mobile, PC, and Mac platforms! Compete in an intergalactic arena that offers a tactical turn-based game experience across any device! Check out the facebook page here!
September 19, 2012
Two new games featuring music by Walz Music have been released! Check out Puppy Run: Ultimate Maze Puzzle, and Eat Eat Hooray!
Puppy Run is the first mobile game for SecretBuilders, developed by Renaissance 2.0 Media. In addition to Puppy Run, Walz Music has also supplied some of the voice acting for SecretBuilders!
Eat Eat Hooray! is the latest iOS game by the team at The Playforge. Visit the iTunes store to get your copy today!
September 19, 2012
Hey everyone! Gamesauce writer, Mike Griffin did a piece on me last month entitled, Carving Out A Career In Casual Game Audio, An Interview with Aaron Walz
February 29, 2012
Hey all! So my fabulous wonderful Cyndi has really spiffed up the site and this blog, hats off to her! I’m gonna keep everything much fresher with new releases. My apologies for not updating much, but for the last year I’ve been working on several titles at once at all times! Now it’s time to communicate and share all I’ve done.
I’ve especially been doing lots of Mobile Games, and LOADS of voice over projects. The biggest ones are Dragon Nest SEA, Schoolfeed Bingo, and SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Online.
I’ve become much more efficient at producing voice overs (working with actors, recording, as well as editing.) I’ve finally really admitted and learned that there is no magic EQ or compression setting. Basically you can start with certain settings you will find through time, but in the end EVERY SINGLE FILE must be edited individually to make sure they are all the same volume and cropped properly, don’t pop or click, etc. This gets especially fun when you deal with Dragon Nest, which contains 1500 voice over files! Wowsers!
Much love to you all. Thanks always for your questions, comments, fanmail, etc. I will see some of you at GDC next week and also Casual Connect in July! And I might just be speaking in Singapore in May as well! BUSY YEAR AHEAD! 🙂
September 25, 2010
UM my poor abandoned blog! I have been so busy in the last year. I teamed up with some very talented folks: Greg Rahn (composed for Broderbund and even did Carmen Sandiego OMG!!!), Barry Dowsett and Kevin Tone from Soundrangers (one worked for Microsoft and one has won prestigious awards), and Jesse Holt (audio designer for Game House for 10 years!) Not only are they talented, they are my friends. We’ve been running all the audio presentations at Casual Connect and Gamesauce for the last few years. We decided to start a new company, the Game Audio Alliance. We each have 10+ years in the game audio industry, so we are quite the force of complimentary skills! www.gameaudioalliance.com
What else? I’ve been doing a lot of Facebook games… Mesmo, Mean Hamster, GSN… Those games are very addictive! OH and I did a bunch of 8-bit music for a game called Pixel Whirled. It is like Space Invaders, except you can flip the screen over… so you have to play two levels at once! I also did some voiceover work, which is always great fun.
I’m trying hard to release a new single and album for nR Element, my eurodance project… and my pal Eva Maass was hired to sing for Disko Warp Records’ release of “Butterfly,” a cover of the Dance Dance Revolution song by Smile-dk. I recorded and produced the vocals. Pete made the beats sound sick, and remixers did awesome jobs.
I’m also trying to release an OST for Aveyond 1. Oh speaking of Aveyond, I finished the last tracks for the final installation coming out this winter… kinda sad, but I am so proud to have done all the tracks for the series… it is like 100 songs in all throughout the years.
I am now a board member of the chorus I sing with, GGMC. I’m proud to be more official now. OH and this last concert, I sang the solo of “Kalinka” which is a Russian folk song that was used for TETRIS!!! How fitting.
I have big plans and am trying to get unburied… I have certainly bit off more than I can chew! But the fire is still lit and I never ever get sick of making music. It is my life’s passion. Thanks for all of you who follow me and give me strength and feedback. I love you all! XOXO. Talk to you soon, lonely blog and abandoned fans!
May 7, 2009
Well I’ve been asked to lead and organize the Audio Track this year for Casual Connect in Seattle this July. The Track consists of 5-6 sessions including discussion panels and lectures by audio professionals in the Casual Game industry. It’s quite an honor to be so involved with this and quite a bit more time consuming than simply giving a presentation last year, but worth every minute. So far, we have quite a lineup. We will focus on the value, importance and cost of great audio. Presentations include the making of sound effects, techniques of recording live instruments and voiceovers, integrating music and sound effects, communication between audio and game developers, and a question and answer panel with audience participation. We will also address certain concerns we have with the industry and attempt to reach out and educate developers about audio. Stay tuned for some descriptions of sessions, tips and tricks, and more news.
March 4, 2009
So sometimes I visit this old-school arcade in San Rafael where I grew up. It has new games but also old favorites like Mappy, Dig-Dug and Ms. Pac-Man! I’m actually pretty good at the last one, but Jason is amazingly good. Usually…
This time, apparently the employee got sick of all the sounds (sinner!) near the office and turned them all off. This made playing as well nearly impossible. This was an interesting lesson about how sound not only is fun and enjoyable, but also useful and integral to gameplay.
The sound of the pellets being eaten reminds you that you are going down the right path. The oninous sounds of the ghosts makes you careful. And most importantly, the sound when you get the super pellets… those few moments of invincibility to devour those pesky ghosts… Your mind almost memorizes the length of the sound… and without it, well it’s anybody’s guess! And who can enjoy those flirtatious cutscenes without the cute music? As simple as the sound is, it’s SO IMPORTANT.
Recently we’ve been downloading some Casual Games from Reflexive and other portals and noticing games with no music! Hey, bad place to skimp on the budget, guys! Games with good music and sound effects are more fun and more complete. Well, at least we think so!
Incidentally, the Ms. Pac-Man in downtown San Rafael, at Star Base One, rocks… it’s modded to go super-speed! Go play!
December 18, 2008
The folks at Amaranth Games have made an amazing newspaper! Cheeck it out. I have started contributing there as a game music reviewer.
December 17, 2008
OK so I thought the economy was down the pipes? You wouldn’t know it at the Intuit Holiday Party… ballroom dancers, Brazilian dancers, several live bands, amazing food and desserts, casino games and dealers and professional photographers. Performers included: Kaweh, Latin Rhythms, Eric Jarmie, Galo Rivera, Boca Do Rio, SRO, The Angelo Piano Duo & Joyce Cooling. Joyce was my favorite.
Yes, very cool party, but it makes me wonder how a company can justify laying off many people and outsourcing jobs to save money, and then spending what I can only imagine is a small fortune on a party…
But I enjoyed the great music and food. Hmm maybe one day Walz Music will have a great Holiday Party! But we would also like to be socially conscious and not wasteful. Here are some pictures and a video!
December 12, 2008
OK all – here are a couple sound samples from the upcoming game, Aveyond 3! ENJOY!
I am working hard on the soundtrack and so far I am very happy with it! There will also be some other audio surprises this time around!
We are also working at getting some of my songs into the relaxation music industry, so wish us luck!
November 18, 2008
Wow it’s like… summer still in San Francisco! Very nice! I must admit my favorite weather is rain… and I miss it. But I do also like the sun. I’ve been working hard on marketing and also composing for Aveyond 3! Stay tuned!
OH happy days – the forum is FIXED! Thanks, Alex!
October 16, 2008
Not sure why but my forum took a plunge. I’m trying to get it to live again. An Internal Server Error 500. No matter how much or how little you may know about these beasts, they still frustrate you equally, I think.
October 10, 2008
If you are in California and old enough to vote… please realize PROP 8 is winning here… that means… gay marraige will be overturned and all existing marriages will be torn apart. This is a travesty. In the past, ethnicities and mixed race couples were forbidden from marrying… this is not the first time people have fought for equal rights.
There is no reason why anyone should stop two responsible adults from getting married. They need the same rights as other couples.
If this passes, people’s beautiful dreams and weddings will be UNDONE. Young people will face a future without being supported by society or rights with their future partners. Please tell everyone you know in CA to vote NO on Prop 8.
You can also visit www.noonprop8.com to find out how to help!
September 26, 2008
So Jason and I were playing Bomberman on my laptop during a flight. We kept saying things like, “ooh, I got another bomb!” Or “I’m gonna blow you up!” ETC…
Not a good idea to play this game on a plane these days. Luckily no one even seemed to notice.
Love the game. The theme song is pretty memorable too! And the characters are so cute and their sounds are adorable.
September 5, 2008
Wanted to share a little story about our CD Release! It’s one of those musical “oh no!” live performance moments.
So Eva and I got to our 2nd gig in San Francisco… this was for our classical CD, From Another Shore. I was playing piano and Eva was playing flute. We also had a guitarist and vocalist, Jason, who was joining us on a few songs. Everything was going great and we had a good turnout. Anyway, as I was happily setting up about 15 minutes before we were to go on, Eva comes up to me and she looks really white and freaked out. She said calmly, “We have a big problem.” She had forgotten her music in Santa Rosa, over an hour away. Inside I freaked out but somehow remained composed. I knoew that there was nothing I could do and freaking out would not help and would not be professional.
So in an instant, I announced to the crowd: “Hey everyone, thanks for coming! You guys are really lucky to have come to this gig – we have a special surprise! Jason will be opening for you with 30 minutes of guitar and folk music!” Everyone cheered. I think Jason wanted to kill me. The only reason I used him as a resource is I knew he could deliver.
Anyway, then I grabbed Eva and we rushed out (with dignity) and went to my place, where we frantically reprinted all her music. Of course, the printer jammed and all manner of problems occurred – including one file that seemed to just vanish. But we got all the important songs printed and went back to the gig, where Jason was finishing his last song.
Poor Eva has to be commended – all her markings were of course, gone, and we were performing these pieces with various forms and repeats that were not in the original scores. She improvised a lot that night. BUT we got through it, and actually it turned out to be a good thing because everyone loved Jason. And no one even knew something had gone wrong. At least she didn’t forget her flute! That would have been an expensive emergency trip to the music store!
This experience taught me, first, to call Eva and remind her about her music, but secondly, that it is true that “the show must go on” is a great attitude. Thinking positively in the face of disaster gets you through and even brings you to some surprises for the better. The important part is that you have a good time and do your best. Not being stressed really helped me enjoy that gig.
So please do your band a favor – check to make sure you have your music!
That’s it for now! Oh yeah – and THANKS, JASON!
August 29, 2008
San Francisco folks know that we don’t get summer until late August or September. Marin and Sonoma folks up north tease us as they swim in the sun and we frown in the fog. But now the tides have turned. It gets over 100 degrees up there, and instead, here, we get the most pleasant weather ever.
It makes me feel alive and happy. Right in time for a three day weekend! Yes!
August 16, 2008
Alright! Finally did it – created my own blog. Why? I need a place to share some good music making tips with all of you and get these passions off my chest! Well I also confess it will be a nice place to mull over personal growth progress, musings, and Self-Employment and business challenges!
For those of you who don’t know already, I’m Aaron Walz and I’m a video game music composer. I won Game Tunnel’s Best Soundtrack Award for Aveyond, which features acoustic orchestral recordings.