Creating a soundtrack is no easy feat. More than just background music, soundtracks score the viewers’ emotions and help build their connections to what’s happening on screen.

In this episode of Masters of Sound, award-winning composer, producer and songwriter, Tom Salta, talks us through his five-step process and reminds us that allowing ourselves to play a little is often more rewarding than we could ever imagine.

I allow myself to play, just like I did when I was a kid and I had my first synthesizer. Just go around and start playing with sounds and experimenting with ideas… More times than not, some of the best ideas come from that.”

The music is what creates the emotion of an experience. The music is the emotional dimension, and I think that’s what really changed from the early days.”

Tom Salta

Tom Salta is a multi-hyphenate. The composer, producer, songwriter and artist has been awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and has been nominated for a BAFTA.

His works have featured in some of the most widely-played video games, including Arkane Studios’ Deathloop, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia and the record-breaking PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which has over 700 million players worldwide.

Salta also makes a point of giving back and reinvesting in the music industry and its musicians. Recently, he released an app called Auto-Bounce, which automates the process of exporting stems, mixes and multi-tracks. A portion of these proceeds will be donated to MusiCares to support mental wellness initiatives and services within the music industry.

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