Music Workshop - FEZ

[@daveisaframe]

Apparently Lena Raine was watching this video to learn Massive right before creating the OST for Celeste. That gives me a pretty cool circular storytelling kind of vibe.

[@dzasterpeace]

that is so cool ! didn't realize : )

[@lookmomonlycomputer]

back to this one in 2021, the best masterclass in town.

[@Ferrichrome]

*makes epic synth chords* "yeh that's kinda cool I guess"

[@ralphthemoviemaker]

I just wanted to tell you how awesome the soundtrack to "It Follows" was. Believe me, I am very picky, but you did a fantastic job. One of the best film soundtracks I've heard in a long time.

[@coyley72]

+ralphthemoviemaker Watched It Follows with the missus at Halloween. Damn creepy film, but the soundtrack was an inspired work of genius. It made a walk down the street really ominous and unsettling. Superb.

[@nostalgia_junkie]

oh hey ralph

[@elbreadroh]

I did not know Ralph was a Disasterpeace fan

[@Kaspar_Houser]

Agree!

[@neon.magician]

Still such a solid soundtrack

[@yetanothertubeuser]

You apply an LFO to an LFO and then it's just LFOs all the way down.

[@BMB]

i wish more composers did presentations like these. very informative and inspirational :)

[@saturatedneowax]

i would give a limb to be a fly on richard d james' wall

[@ramimansi8511]

@@saturatedneowax I mean you'd have some extra as a fly anyways. :^)

[@ihaveagoddamnplanarthur]

​@@saturatedneowaxi want to see autechre's patches

[@tinacarmen9479]

I’ve been asked to make music in a similar style to Fez, glad I found this video very insightful, I love the Fez soundtrack 😭

[@dzasterpeace]

don't make it too similar ! ; )

[@TheArborTree]

this is amazing. I've had trouble breaking into synths for years but the way you broke it down was extremely insightful... and so simple. thanks rich.

[@radiofloyd2359]

I really admire the simplicity in the sound design here. Like I'm there messing with just all the stuff, the granulators, making my stuff full of effects, etc. And you just seem to really know restraint and I think that is extremely inspiring. You find the beauty in the sounds that I tend to get away from as quickly as possible and really shape it into something beautiful. There's a lot to takeaway from this.

[@mario_actually]

Thanks a lot for doing this man. Fez OST has been a very constant part of my playlists in the last years and a big inspiration for a lot of sounds I have been creating. I love your approach to designing sounds and seeing how you go about it has been a lot of fun.

[@watluxid]

Dear disasterpeace, thank you so much for this great tutorial. Panacea is still one of my favorite tracks I have ever listened to. Not only is this tutorial incredibly insightful to follow step-by-step, but it is also very graceful of you to share all your (secret?) techniques with the world instead of keeping them to yourself. You are getting me into trying out electronic music and I love it.

[@lepistanuda]

seeing another person name a track/ preset "plinky" is very validating

[@ntgm8]

I love the bitcrush effect

[@viridianloom]

Rich looks like a bad ass when he's composing

[@nikke2724]

I randomly came across this video and it is just pure gold. FEZ just somehow ticked all the boxes for me, and a major reason for that was the soundtrack. It just really complements the game itself and I think it's one of the greatest game soundtracks of all time. I basically never listen to game soundtracks outside the game, but from time to time I always return to FEZ's music. The songs have also started to pop on my wife's Spotify algorithm playlists. 😄 I just wish I'd seen this video 10 years ago, when I was trying to learn how to use synths. I guess I could have another go at that... Huge thanks!

[@Jellybeantiger]

You are the best .Just bought Fez and blown away by the music.All because I watched It Follows at the cinema last night now I have become a Disasterpeace fan.Ordered the vinyl soundtrack.

[@ebn7722]

Some incredible pieces of advice and experience are scattered throughout the video. Beautiful video Rich.

[@sunburystudios8234]

You are the reason I have gotten into Synths. You are an inspiration dude! This soundtrack was my most listened Album of 2017 by a good margin. Hundreds of listens

[@_hburd]

It's so relaxing. I actually fell asleep for the last 20 mins

[@ihapiece]

There's something magical about watching this, really inspires to be creative. Thanks for sharing!

[@NickMcKeon]

Thank you so much, I'm a huge fan! You make Massive sounds that are so crystalline/glassy but warm and natural somehow!

[@whackamole]

This is so helpful. From a metalhead who's getting into electronic music, learning synth's is a pain in the arse! This is great. Thank you very much for sharing.

[@matias-sosa-h]

I really liked the bit crusher technique. I noticed it the other day while replaying FEZ but I didn't know what it was until I watched the video. Thanks for uploading this Rich! You are an inspiration for people like me who are starting to make music for video games.

[@SleepingDaemon]

This is a gem! Thank you for sharing how you make music, Rich :) You are a huge inspiration!

[@Beargtatt_YT]

Thank you so much for this!

[@TommySasaki]

Watching a genius at work, so awesome.

[@haydengibbs2454]

I just came across this today and I just want to say you're a huge inspiration to me. The simple complexity to your work is very original and I respect your creativity. Thank you for your music and I can't wait to see what you do next!

[@Kdub09swm]

I have to say its really cool to see how you go through your work flow. I would have never guessed you used Massive as much as you did in composing for FEZ.

[@zacharyrowden7692]

Oh man. Thank you so much for posting this. I watched "It Follows" a few days ago. Never been more inspired by a soundtrack. I look forward to hearing more film scores from ya.

[@hoodrat345]

Thanks for the insightful tips! I went and spent 9 hours composing after this.

[@my3rs307]

***** Are you The Disasterpeace ? Man, The It Follows soundtrack is so AWESOME. Have not played FEZ yet =(

[@my3rs307]

***** woah, easy )

[@mortuslumus2255]

Thank you so much. If it weren’t for your incredible work on FEZ’s OST then I probably would never have finished the game. I have fully completed it at this point and can fully say that this is one of the best game OSTs I’ve ever heard in my life. You are among my favorite composers, good sir! :)

[@Reid_Spreiter]

Epic 44 minutes. Could watch this all day. Thanks!

[@LoganGabriel]

Watching this in 2024! I still use Massive in my projects. Yes, technically Serum, Vital, and Pigments have superseded the feature set of Massive, but the plugin strikes a perfect balance between flexibility and immediacy for me. I've never used that Random param - great idea!

[@dzasterpeace]

Cheers ! Yeah it’s a shame the plugin isn’t supported anymore. Not a fan of Massive X but all the ones you mentioned I like

[@MrJordanfwc]

This video was totally mind-blowing. I never knew about how lfo's and envelopes can modulate the sound so much in a synth. After watching it I just spent 3 straight days messing around with sounds. The Fez OST is my favorite album of all time. Thanks so much Disasterpeace, you rule!

[@zeozen]

visualize the successful fulfillment of your aspirations, with great clarity. nice one!

[@lukusridley]

T his was pitched at exactly the right level when I started using massive. A really nice, gentle introduction to synthesis with massive. Thank you so much!

[@SeanDivine]

Thanks for sharing. Heard the "It Follows" theme and had to know who made it - glad I came across your work!

[@BookooZenny]

Not only was this mad informative, I found I just really enjoyed watching this haha. How tranquil.

[@normietwiceremoved]

Thank you so much, your music is a huge inspiration for me!

[@Metathronos]

thanks, this really helped me understand Massive by actually creating a sound.

[@s1nnergy]

RICHARD I LOVE YOU! Such a massive and positive impact on the past 16 years of my life; thank you for all you do!

[@hypetrain7134]

Would LOVE to hear more from Hyper Light Drifter if you can share anything. Your work on FEZ is unreal and HLD is my most anticipated game this year, primarily because of your work.

[@lucasbranco406]

Thank you for this, your music and your talks are superb! It is very inspiring to watch your process of creating music.

[@marc.lepage]

Fantastic workshop, thanks Rich!

[@franbois2186]

Hello Richard and thanks for your music ! This video I just discovered opened many new doors for me ! It's full of simplicity and taste !

[@orbita1]

I really, really really like the soundtrack so much. I regularly listen to soundtracks and this is up there in my list of favorites. I found really melancholy and.. innocent (really can't think of better words to describe it). Definitely a great piece of music. As a musician myself, i know people who get very secretive about their styles and techniques so seeing this made me appreciate disasterpeace even more.

[@feralfluid]

You and C418 are the _two_ reasons that I make music digitally. Thanks for this. _Note: Buying Massive because of you_

[@CavePony]

We meet again

[@feralfluid]

CavePony I apologize for the fact that I do not remember you ;-;

[@touka32able]

+Flotts Sorry, wrong account xD

[@feralfluid]

***** WE MEET AGAIN

[@touka32able]

Flotts YES WE DID!

[@connorskidmore8579]

Dude, I live in St. Paul! If only I'd known about FEZ then I would have been here for sure. I'm so glad it was archived. This is incredible, thank you!

[@Myrkskog]

This is fucking brilliant. I'm going to give this a try. I expect I won't be able to pick anything up, but you've inspired me to at least try.

[@jdeer-qs4dz]

Awesome talk thanks so much to everyone who made it happen :)

[@Sebastian1011]

Amazing! What an awesome look at the creative process and technique behind the OST!

[@JonathanSterling86]

Also, I just purchased Massive tonight after finding out you use it often. Just watching this workshop has made me understand it pretty well. I've worked with Omnisphere quite a lot of the last couple years, but I'm really liking Massive.

[@rodrigororiz77]

Amazing masterclass! Thank you.

[@CrystalClearBruv]

Awesome , ya hear it all the time but some of the best scores I’ve ever heard in a game , suits n glues the entire thing together! Shame you lot can’t get the team back together for a Fez 2 coz that game is incredibly special! There’s something very familiar about it , like a mystical trip , also reminds me of some Hopi mythology I’ve been studying , metaphysical tales of how our new and current age came to be…. Don’t think Phil realises just how great that game is , hope he brings it all back and ignores the w@nkers….Hope he all good as well ! powerful and simple thanks for presenting and sharing it….

[@marcelkoetze9794]

probably the best Massive tutorial I've seen sofar, thanks man!

[@ar_xiv]

I never follow tutorials, but I'm following this step by step and I am very grateful! I would have never figured out some of these things by just poking around (such as dragging up on the little modulation number). I'm a hardware guy, but massive has potential for sure.

[@angledcoathanger]

This was incredibly helpful to me, thank you. I love your approach of putting so much detail into so few sounds. I had never thought of composing in that way on Logic.

[@lazerbeard6302]

This was great to watch and learn from, considering I had just finished my finals for my MIDI class. Thanks for the insight on how you approached FEZ's sound. It's inspiring.

[@LowPolyJack]

This was incredibly informative. Thank you!

[@JeanOfmArc]

Thanks for sharing some style tips, Richard!

[@darktekken22]

Amazing! Im initiating on doing game soundtracks just because i heard your tracks. Thanks for this workshop!

[@LudiniTheShark]

I'm glad this exists. c:

[@m3tr0idgrl]

I really do miss making music forreal, thanks for this :)

[@Aluraine]

THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING THIS!!!!! I've been going mad trying to recreate these sounds, but now I know how. thank you! I love these so much.

[@EvergreenCleanNorfolk]

If only I knew how to do all this, I used to love playing with an 808 years and years ago, and listening to what you're doing here is literally amazing, I have seen a million youtube videos but this, this video, even though I don't really know whats going on lol, blows my mind, I think maybe a childhood growing up on 8-bit music helped :)

[@EvergreenCleanNorfolk]

+Rich Vreeland My names Matthew :) and I know, I have been looking into Massive the software you have and I have watched this whole video, including your talks on the composition of the Fez soundtrack, and I can hear the similarities In It Follows and Fez, in a good way!, but If I could ask, would I only need the software Massive to start creating this kind of music ( chipbit ) ?, thanks.

[@augustosj]

This is so simple. and yet it sounds so amazing. You are a true master

[@diegobis2048]

wow!!! I love your work in FEZ, and seeing this now totally rocks.

[@davidal2175]

This is mind blowing, the sounds, the fx...but FEZ it's not just about the synth I think but also about the harmony, the music behind it, could you please make some kind of video, post or whatever, explaining what are your go to choices in chords, voicings etc? Thank you!!

[@davidal2175]

Rich Vreeland Nice video! Perfect for harmony nerds like me..I have another question for you, I am really interested in how you approach these proyects, I mean, is there a constant back and forth communication between you and the creator of the game and he/she lets you know the "ethos" or feeling the piece might have, or is it mostly you, that already have a background, that knows which chords fit in best with the level or chapter of the game? Thanks in advance!!!

[@vincentsalgueiro]

This is a total gem

[@holysecret2]

I would be interested to know how you composed Panacea from Hyper Light Drifter, if you took inspiration from Clair de Lune and how it felt using piano as opposed to your regular Synth approach :)

[@MistaThugIsolation420]

This is really interesting man. I hope one day I can possess your musical prowess and your amazing hair.

[@Jayplay17]

***** That's exactly what Fish said too !

[@Ruktiet]

Using these contained random parameters to make your sounds so dynamic is brilliant. Thank you for sharing. Very big fan of your music! Also, you must be quite a relaxed person always meditating on these soothing soundscapes, I suppose :)

[@carles_roch_music]

This video helped me so much. I love your soundtracks, they inspired to make my own music. Thank you

[@nremac]

I love this! I don't make music myself so it's all foreign to me but I'm still enjoying watching the process. And, of course, I adore the Fez soundtrack. Awesome job. :)

[@creativewizard]

Awesome! I’m so happy that I found this video

[@marcomicelivideo]

Rich, your work on Fez is very inspiring! Keep it up! Greets from Amsterdam

[@jameslawson9819]

Thanks Rich, I'd actually never heard of Fez until I saw this posted on reddit. It was great to see hear you speak your thoughts as you went through your composing process. I'm looking forward to checking out the OST.

[@danielbernas2293]

wow. incredibly insightful

[@KetamineReview1159]

This video is UNBELIEVABLY helpful Wow thanks

[@joncontent3683]

This is a great video and extremely inspirational! I'm currently in school for audio engineering and production. I've been thinking of getting into scoring and this really settled it for me. Thank you for taking the time out to put this together.

[@MattLohkamp]

this is GREAT! I'd love to see more stuff like this.

[@knuck75]

Wow, blown away by your score for "It Follows". Would love to see a tutorial like this on your approach, especially with regards to percussion and hitting on screen moments. This was a huge help though! Massive is very daunting at first glance especially if, like me, you're coming from an acoustic based music world. Looking forward to following your career.

[@Gr13fM4ch1n3]

I just saw It Follows, and I instantly fell in love with the soundtrack. Your work is definitely unique and heart-felt, which is refreshing. I will definitely say that the soundtrack drove that film home and made it what it was, alongside the phenomenal acting and camera work. I'm going to sleep tonight to that soundtrack and hope nothing crawls through my window and hump me to death! D: Excellent video, here, Rich. Exciting to see some familiar techniques when I feel completely amateur in my music-making. Thank you!

[@Babelfish112]

As a huge fan of your work on the FEZ soundtrack, this was a really amazing insight into the creation process. Thanks for uploading! :)

[@smiauu]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks for the upload

[@FutureFolk1985]

I love your music! Found you through Hyperlight Drifter, my favorite game music of all time, really made the whole atmosphere of the game, literally brought me to tears at times! Was watching it follows last night for the first time, and I said “that sounds like disasterpiece” lo and behold! Your style is so unique and full of feeling. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing your process with us, very inspiring!

[@progfoxmusic]

Hey Rich, I found this video a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to watch it for a while. The other video online titled the 'philosophy of music design in games' was really interesting, and I haven't even finished watching this one yet but I just wanted to say it's really interesting and I wish I could see more game composers doing things like this (they probably do but it's probably just with games and soundtracks I don't care about as much :P ). I came down to the comments to say "wow, you actually DO bitcrush everything" because I started using a lot of bitcrusher in my own music after really getting into this soundtrack, even stuff that isn't necessarily in this style of music, just because the artifacts that are created sound awesome. While I'm typing this, I guess I'll ask in regards to the soundtrack, given how the engine seems to sort of randomly generate the music (like in terms of how the puzzle sequence is different in day and night), how did you put the OST together to put up for sale? The soundtrack to Journey is kind of randomly triggered in a sense and I remember Austin Wintory talking about how he tried to piece together what sounded like a natural progression throughout the music to get the full experience onto the official OST. Sorry for the chunk of words, haha.

[@bboyfreestyle]

This is amazing! Huge fan of your work. I have the soundtrack for Fez, Hyper Light Drifter on repeat and the only reason i saw It Follows was because i saw that you made the music. You're very inspirational man. Hopefully i can start creating sounds too.

[@HeyItsPaul]

Thanks for posting this! You have upped my Massive game ten fold.

[@p3k1n0]

Wow, this was VERY interesting. Used to like Massive, but never spent so much time with it. I will definitevely pass more time exploring his potential in the near future. Your music is wonderful, I love the atmospheres and the melodies are so sweet. I felt in love, expecially, with FEZ soundtrack. It's been in my "best tracks" playlist since the game came out.

[@CarsonMusikk]

I'm a hip hop producer and just started to get into video game theme music. This was very interesting. I'm into military themed music atm

[@elemento188]

I've been using Massive but not really understanding it. I have composed a lot of ambient music but never though that you could use Massive for it so this video is beyond amazing. I would like to have a Mac with Logic Pro, too, makes everything a lot more professional. I wanna say that my favourite indie game soundtrack was Machinarium's until I played Fez. The deep understanding you have about eveything regarding music is outstanding. I remember when I watched the FEZ XBLA Gameplay video, when the song Reflection is playing and Gomez is picking up the cubes... when he picks the last cube you notice that there is some kind of connection between the notes that play when you pick them up and the music. Now, I just saw the other video where you explain how you did this and I think it's great. This is videogame history right here, OMG.

[@fossfeen]

hey, i noticed youve answered a few of the comments on this video so i might as well leave one. you have been a MAJOR inspiration in my musical endeavors! i love your music so much!! (especially rise of the obsidian interstellar.) i recently purchased a macbook wih the intent of getting logic pro x on it. (this video was one of the pushes towards my decision!) i hope to continue making music with these new tools :D anyways, i just thought you might like to know that youve inspired me to continue to create and love music. thank you so much.

[@lukusridley]

This is a really awesome talk, I hope to see more like it!

[@EefsBeatz]

Man I LOVE your music on It Follows! Subbed!

[@JazzInATinCan]

Hey man, thank you for sharing this lecture. I really like how simple it all is, that's someting I could use to remember some times. Also a good way to show what you do. Thanks a bunch. Also for your music and also the more recent stuff. Love from over seas

[@iamveryconfusedabout]

I know I'm commenting on a very old video but I just wanted to compliment you on how talented you are, thanks for inspiring me

[@ChrisGloomTube]

Really reminiscent of the Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis! Great stuff.

[@AndrewJH93]

This is really cool! Thanks for all the great insight!

[@beatkitchen]

SO GOOD!