Mason B. Fisher Interview

PART I: BACKGROUND & PROFILE

HeavenGames: Hello Mason! Thank you for taking the time to answer the many questions of your rapidly growing fanbase. Lets start off with the basics: who are you, what you do for a living where you are based out of?

Mason B. Fisher: Hello there! I'm a composer/sound designer who lives and works in New Jersey.

HeavenGames: How are you involved in the music industry? Is it your full time career? If not, what do you do when you're not scoring music?

Mason B. Fisher: I am a full time sound guy. I dabble in several areas of music. I enjoy working on computer game scores, video projects, and performing locally.

HeavenGames: How did you enter this business? Did you grow up in a musical family?

Mason B. Fisher: I started out playing guitar when I was ten. My family was/is not overly musical, so I have been self directed through the maze of the entertainment business. I continue to search for creative outlets for my particular style of music. So far, game scores have given me a terrific opportunity to express myself.

HeavenGames: Were you a gamer and do you still find time to play games? If so, what are your favorite titles and what have you played recently? What are you looking forward to being released?

Mason B. Fisher: Yeah. I started playing games about ten years ago. Lately, I have not had as much time to devote to playing. I have really been focusing on landing and creating more game scores.

HeavenGames: How would you describe your music?

Mason B. Fisher: I like to think that my music evokes some sort of emotional response. The way I try to achieve this is to craft strong melodies. Most of my compositions are melody driven so, I feel, anytime you have a melody, you are telling some type of story within the music.

HeavenGames: How has your music changed or evolved over the years?

Mason B. Fisher: When I was younger, I focused on heavy metal because I played guitar. I have been in many bands over the years where we played Ozzie, Led Zep, Metalica, and other similar styles of music. Then, when MIDI became available for composers, I focused in on one goal. I have wanted to create realistic orchestral scores. Just about my entire studio rig is setup with this in mind. I would also like to have the opportunity to have at least one of my game scores performed by a live orchestra.

HeavenGames: What do you hope to achieve through the creation of music? Do you have a particular goal in mind?

Mason B. Fisher: I would like to reach people emotionally on some level. Besides reaching people, I would say that storytelling within the music is my goal. Many who hear my music have said they see images when they hear my themes. That's very cool!

HeavenGames: What are your personal musical tastes? Do you stick to classical?

Mason B. Fisher: I like all sorts of music. I do keep coming back to classical scoring for my favorite style of writing.

HeavenGames: In the music industry, is there anyone you've looked up to or tried to emulate?

Mason B. Fisher: In the early days of playing guitar, I really tried to emulate Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page, and Eddie Van Halen in my rock compositions. With my scoring, I would have to say that John Barry is my favorite composer. There are a whole group of composers who are a close second.

HeavenGames: Why music for games? How and when did you become involved with this industry?

Mason B. Fisher: Music for games allows a composer the opportunity to really explore creative musical themes that may not work in other areas of the music industry. Especially with games, anything is possible regarding the type of environment that you have to work with. As far as becoming involved, several years ago, I began to send out demo tapes of my music. The first job I landed was Eye of the Beholder 3 by S.S.I.

HeavenGames: Were you doing freelance work with other groups while working on games?

Mason B. Fisher: Yes. I like to dabble in several areas of music. Creating several styles of music really seems to keep the music fresh.

On to Part II: Composition & Production >>>