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Todd Baker Interview
In this episode I’m talking to Composer and Sound Designer Todd Baker.
When we think of music and visuals we generally think of TV and Film but audio plays a pivotal role in creating an immersive gaming experience. And as I found out in this interview with Todd Baker, the music often serves the kind of complex narrative you would find in film.Â
Todd likes to blur the line between music and sound design with a view to creating a more immersive gaming experience.
Todd Baker’s unique sound can be heard on BAFTA-nominated games such as Monument Valley 2 by Ustwo Games, Media Molecule’s Dreams and Tearaway on the PS4 and Alto’s Odessy from Team Alto.Â
Todd was even commissioned by Google to provide the music for a Google Doodle for Earth Day 2020.
As well as being a master of composition and sound design, Todd is also a phenomenal guitarist and co-founding member of the prog-jazz-funk-pop quartet The Lydian Collective.
Todd and I discuss:
- How one person can change your life
- Getting into the game composing industry
- Blurring the line between music and sound design
- Overcoming self doubt and imposter syndrome
- The impact personal life on professional life
- Top Gun
Listen to the Music of Todd Baker
Early Conceptual Works – Sound Circle
Monument Valley 2 – Original Soundtrack
Lydian Collective (Todd’s Band)
Listen to Music that has influenced Todd Baker
Green Onions – Booker T. and The M.G.s
Limbo & Inside – Martin Stig AndersenÂ
Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
Cliff Martinez – Solaris (OST)Â
Video Games Companies
In Episode 3 of The Sync Music Matters Podcast I’m talking to Trailer Music Supervisor Isaac Allaway
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Interview with Ben Salisbury – How do composers create film and TV scores that feel like they are an integral part of the world on screen? That’s one of the questions I explore in this interview with Ben Salisbury, the 2 x Ivor Novello Award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer behind scores for Ex Machina, Devs, Annihilation, Civil War and Under Salt Marsh. Often collaborating with Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury has become one of the most influential composers working in film and television today. His scores beautifully blur the line between music, atmosphere and sound design, creating worlds that feel immersive and unsettling In this episode of Sync Music Matters, Ben explains his approach to scoring for picture, including how he developed the music for Under Salt Marsh and why he wanted the score to feel as though it was emerging directly from the landscape itself.Topics covered in this episode
- How Ben Salisbury got started as a film and television composer
- Advice for aspiring composers looking to break into the film and TV industry
- The creative process behind scoring Under Salt Marsh
- How composers can use sound, texture, and atmosphere to support storytelling
- The importance of collaboration in screen music
- Working with Geoff Barrow and Suvi-Eeva Äikäs
- The surprising origin of the Under Salt Marsh title music
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How do you score a mind slowly unravelling? In the latest episode of Sync Music Matters, I interview Chris Roe the Ivor-nominated composer, to unpack his haunting score for The Lady – the ITVX and BritBox drama based on the shocking true story of Jane Andrews, former dresser to Sarah Ferguson who murdered her boyfriend.
Chris breaks down how the music evolves alongside Jane’s psychological collapse. What begins as glossy, fairy-tale elegance gradually becomes unstable, distorted and emotionally raw.
We talk about:
- Using vintage synths like the Juno-6 to give the score a 90s feel
- Transforming royal, bell-like textures into something brittle and unsettling
- Collaborating with award-winning Irish composer Niamh Nà Mheara on breathy vocal textures that reflect Jane’s rising panic
- The difference between scoring for TV and scoring for film
Plus, in the new Cue & A segment, we break down one of Chris’s cues piece by piece so you can hear exactly how these ideas translate to screen.
If you’re interested in TV scoring, psychological storytelling through music or modern screen composition techniques, this interview with Chris Roe is packed with insight.
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In the latest episode of Sync Music Matters, I speak with music supervisor Paulina Marquez about her work on Season 2 of The Night Manager for Amazon Prime Video, starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman.
With more than 20 years of experience across film and television, Marquez explains how music supervision is less about deep musical knowledge and more about emotion, storytelling, and narrative impact.
A key creative decision for the new season was building much of the show’s musical identity around Colombian artists, helping give the series a distinctive sonic world. We also discuss the subtle power of diegetic music in shaping atmosphere, and why supervisors should avoid temping tracks they won’t be able to clear later.
Marquez encourages bold choices when it comes to sync, arguing that unexpected music can often create the most memorable moments on screen.
Originally from Mexico and now based in Barcelona, Marquez began her career at MCO Audio Design Studios and now works across international productions for platforms including Netflix, Amazon and Apple. Her credits include Elite, The Burning Body, and Hurricane Season, and she maintains a long-standing collaboration with director Manolo Caro.
We also talk about her early musical influences from Led Zeppelin to Jarvis Cocker. Plus we end up debating a surprisingly divisive topic: which way toilet paper should hang.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Sync Music Matters to hear Paulina’s insights on music supervision, sync licensing, and building a musical identity for television.
Paulinas Website: https://www.paulinasmusic.com/
