The follin drome. VGM Entry 26: Tim Follin’s noise machine. VGM Entry 26: Tim Follin’s noise machine (Thanks to Tish at FFShrine for the banner) In most cases it’s fairly reasonable to think of the ZX Spectrum as a secondary system for game music.
It didn’t seem to have the capacity of the Commodore 64, and a lot of the game themes that ended up there were toned down takes on C64 originals, attempting to emulate the SID sound as closely as possible. But the ZX Spectrum did have its own unique if seldom exploited flavor, and over the course of three years one ingenious artist in particular would develop that into a brilliant new chiptune style to rival anything produced for the SID.
Some time in 1985, or perhaps a bit earlier, Mike Follin scored a programming job at Insight Software. Mike passed the soundtrack of what would be his first commercially released game, Subterranean Stryker (Insight, March 1985), down to his musically inclined younger brother Tim, who thereby got his first taste of programming. Agent X didn’t appear out of nowhere. Tim Follin Interview about Video Game Music 2 of 2. Tim Follin Interview about Video Game Music 1 of 2. Tim Follin Interview about Video Game Music 1 of 2. Tim Follin (Timothy John Follin) - интервью : Музыка для ZX Spectrum : AY, Beeper, Digital : zxtunes.com. Tim Follin is the acclaimed composer of Ecco The Dolphin, and most recently he recreated the cult feel, sound and cool factor of 70's TV classic Starsky & Hutch for Empire Interactive's game release of the same name.
Tim's sounds can also be heard as far back as the late 80's in The Sentinel, Bionic Commando, Ghosts 'n' Goblins and Equinox. We caught up with the funkmeister to discuss his experiences working on this hot property. M4G: Given that your career goes all the way back to the heady days of the speccy, how much value do you feel a game music composer has now compared to then? Tim Follin: Certainly a lot more than it did - at least I can tell people what I do at parties now without them walking off laughing.
But I still think it confuses people. M4G: What's changed since Bubble Bobble? M4G: No doubt you grew up watching Starsky & Hutch...Was then, this project more daunting than usual? M4G: So which were you in the playground, Starsky or Hutch? Composers: Tim Follin. As one YouTube comment states about Tim Follin, “He really knew how to crank up the 2A0E to 11.”
And he totally does. Tim Follin was mainly active during the Commodore 64/ZX Spectrum/NES era of gaming starting in 1985. These were more limited boards in terms of simultaneous sounds and productions. He officially retired in 2006 but still programs and composes. He received no formal musical training though he did attend music college in England for a semester. Honestly, I can’t say much more about the composer as his music speaks for itself. (credit: Otouto72) Yes, this is quite primitive music. (credit: explod2A03) This is his music for the NES game Pictionary. (credit: PlinthYT) So imagine what happens when you give a guy like this the ability to work with the broad spectrum of sounds provided by the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis.
(credit: clov56) Later, as he grew as a composer and discovered John Adams, his music took a very different turn. (credit: MonsterCondo) This is a beautiful track. Playing Catch-Up: Tim Follin. Today’s Playing Catch-Up, a weekly column that dares to speak to notable video game industry figures about their celebrated pasts and promising futures, sits down with video game composer Tim Follin.
Follin is perhaps most notorious for his early work, starting at the age of 15 at Insight Studios, where he scored games such as Agent X, Chronos, and Bubble Bobble for the ZX Spectrum home computer. After a year or so he moved on to Software Creations, making a name for himself with scores for the home computer versions of Bionic Commando and Ghouls and Ghosts (both the Commodore 64 and Amiga variations), Silver Surfer and Solstice for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and – along with his brother Geoff – Super Nintendo scores for Thomas the Tank Engine, Equinox, and Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge.
"For me, Software Creations at the start was a very enjoyable place to work," Follin told us via email. "We had a lot of fun! " Follin went on to detail his frustration. Interview with Tim Follin. The following interview was conducted over e-mail between Tim Follin and Marcus Vinicius Garrett Chiado of Jogos 80, a Brazillian magazine.
Some of the questions were provided by myself. Tim Follin. Timothy John Follin (born 19 December 1970)[1] is a former video game music composer who has written tracks for a variety of titles and home gaming systems, including the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Dreamcast and PlayStation.
Follin's early 8- and 16-bit pieces were notable for their ambitious and imaginative use of samples, or clever manipulation of limited sound hardware - particularly with his work on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, on which he managed to play up to six channels of audio from one simple, tiny, clickable piezoelectric speaker. Video game career[edit] Insight Studios[edit] As a child, Follin had no significant music training.[2] Leaving Liverpool's Sandown Music College after one year of studies,[2][3] Follin's career began at the age of 15 working at Insight Studios,[4] eventually scoring titles such as Agent X, Chronos and Bubble Bobble for 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Fandom[edit]