Martin Galway
Encyclopedia
Martin Galway is one of the best known composers of music for the Commodore 64
sound chip, the SID soundchip
, and for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. His works include Rambo: First Blood Part II
, Comic Bakery
and Wizball
.
, along with his friends at Parrs Wood High School in Manchester
, England
. Parrs Wood's original Computer Studies teacher, Peter Davidson, had already left his job at the school to work at Database Publications in Stockport - publishers of The Micro User
magazine. Database Publications had started a software arm, Optima Software, that would advertise its games in the magazine for no charge. They needed some programmers to create the software and Davidson contacted his former pupils. Galway (who had, at the time, only one year of computer experience) was recruited, along with others including Kevin Edwards (who now works at Traveller's Tales). With no tools except the BBC Micro and its BASIC+assembler, Galway whistled the tunes to himself and typed the notes in one by one, providing the music for Edwards's and Optima Software's first game - Atomic Protector (an unlicensed Pac-Man clone
. Galway was paid £50 for each of the six weeks of the job (the length of the school holidays).
Continuing to create music and sound-effects for his friends' games into the following year, Galway realised that Eyes (another Pac-Man rip-off) by school friend Paul Proctor could be worth "proper" money, and he picked up a copy of Personal Computer News to look for a publisher. By March 1984, that magazine's back cover was regularly advertising Ocean Software
in Manchester, so they were spotted first; Galway approached them as Proctor's agent. The game was liked, and after a meeting with David Ward, Ocean paid £300 for it. Eyes was never published. Keen to offer his skills as a musician to David Collier, Ocean's development manager, Galway brought with him some BBC Micro disks to the office of Richard Kay, who was their in-house BBC programmer (later to start Software Creations). After this demonstration, Ocean saw Galway as a potential replacement for their current music supplier, who lived in Portsmouth, which was a logistical challenge. Wanting to secure someone local, they let Galway borrow a complete Commodore 64
assembly language development system, and he started analysing the system and composing right away.
During the 1980s, Galway made music for many of the popular Commodore 64 games, and became one of the most famous SID artists. Galway is best known for his soaring, anthemic compositions, for making heavy use of the SID chip's ring modulation
feature, and for compositions which made unconventional changes to SID register settings while notes were playing (producing his trademark echoey sound). Perhaps his most famous song is the title-piece for Comic Bakery
, a sweeping 3-voice tune. This is also one of the most ripped
C64 songs, as it was featured in a number of intros (what crackers
used to put before a pirated game to brag) and on music discs. A cover of the Comic Bakery tune was also used for the first level of the game Jurassic Park, released by Ocean Software
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1993. Another song that many Commodore 64 users remember is his adaptation
of the Rambo II
theme used in the game.
Galway also made music for one of Origin Systems
' first adventure
/roleplaying games, Times of Lore
, with several tunes that were intended to suit the medieval setting. As he was also a programmer
, he wrote an algorithm
that randomised the chords
that the guitar voice plays, making for a very long and varying piece.
He was also the first musician to get published with sampled sounds
on the Commodore, with the theme for the Arkanoid
conversion. When asked about how he did it, he answered:
Galway has said that he will never remake his songs, as they were made for the SID chip and would sound wrong on real instruments. However, he says that he could possibly start making music for real instruments. His original SID music can be found from The High Voltage SID Collection
.
, Martin Galway was completing his 25th year in the games business, working as operations/production manager and audio director of Certain Affinity
, an Austin, Texas
based software company.
Galway is the nephew of famed flautist Sir James Galway
.
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
sound chip, the SID soundchip
MOS Technology SID
The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
, and for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. His works include Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo (1985 video game)
Rambo is a 1985 video game based on the film Rambo: First Blood Part II. It was produced by Platinum Productions and published by Ocean Software for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64....
, Comic Bakery
Comic Bakery
Comic Bakery is a computer game for the MSX, made by Konami in 1984 and later ported to Commodore 64 by Imagine Software.-Summary:The music and sound effects for the C64 version were made by Martin Galway, a well-known musician of computer game music. As it was normal for the machine at the time,...
and Wizball
Wizball
Wizball is a computer game written by Jon Hare and Chris Yates and released in 1987 for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. Versions for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC were also released...
Arkanoid
is an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. It is based upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the player's ship, the Vaus, escapes.-Overview:...
.
Biography
In 1983, Martin Galway was a 17-year-old student writing games and music for the BBC MicroBBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, along with his friends at Parrs Wood High School in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Parrs Wood's original Computer Studies teacher, Peter Davidson, had already left his job at the school to work at Database Publications in Stockport - publishers of The Micro User
The Micro User
The Micro User was a British specialist magazine catering to users of the BBC Microcomputer series, Acorn Electron, Acorn Archimedes and, to a limited extent, the Cambridge Z88...
magazine. Database Publications had started a software arm, Optima Software, that would advertise its games in the magazine for no charge. They needed some programmers to create the software and Davidson contacted his former pupils. Galway (who had, at the time, only one year of computer experience) was recruited, along with others including Kevin Edwards (who now works at Traveller's Tales). With no tools except the BBC Micro and its BASIC+assembler, Galway whistled the tunes to himself and typed the notes in one by one, providing the music for Edwards's and Optima Software's first game - Atomic Protector (an unlicensed Pac-Man clone
Pac-Man clones
In computer gaming, Pac-Man clones are unauthorized versions of Namco's popular arcade game Pac-Man.-Arcade clones:Hangly-Man was one of the most notable Pac-man clones, a variant of which was Caterpillar Pac-Man made in 1981 by Phi...
. Galway was paid £50 for each of the six weeks of the job (the length of the school holidays).
Continuing to create music and sound-effects for his friends' games into the following year, Galway realised that Eyes (another Pac-Man rip-off) by school friend Paul Proctor could be worth "proper" money, and he picked up a copy of Personal Computer News to look for a publisher. By March 1984, that magazine's back cover was regularly advertising Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
in Manchester, so they were spotted first; Galway approached them as Proctor's agent. The game was liked, and after a meeting with David Ward, Ocean paid £300 for it. Eyes was never published. Keen to offer his skills as a musician to David Collier, Ocean's development manager, Galway brought with him some BBC Micro disks to the office of Richard Kay, who was their in-house BBC programmer (later to start Software Creations). After this demonstration, Ocean saw Galway as a potential replacement for their current music supplier, who lived in Portsmouth, which was a logistical challenge. Wanting to secure someone local, they let Galway borrow a complete Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
assembly language development system, and he started analysing the system and composing right away.
During the 1980s, Galway made music for many of the popular Commodore 64 games, and became one of the most famous SID artists. Galway is best known for his soaring, anthemic compositions, for making heavy use of the SID chip's ring modulation
Ring modulation
Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics, an implementation of amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals, where one is typically a sine-wave or another simple waveform. It is referred to as "ring" modulation because the analog circuit of...
feature, and for compositions which made unconventional changes to SID register settings while notes were playing (producing his trademark echoey sound). Perhaps his most famous song is the title-piece for Comic Bakery
Comic Bakery
Comic Bakery is a computer game for the MSX, made by Konami in 1984 and later ported to Commodore 64 by Imagine Software.-Summary:The music and sound effects for the C64 version were made by Martin Galway, a well-known musician of computer game music. As it was normal for the machine at the time,...
, a sweeping 3-voice tune. This is also one of the most ripped
Ripping
Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a hard disk, typically from removable media. The word is used to refer to all forms of media. Despite the name, neither the media nor the data is damaged after extraction....
C64 songs, as it was featured in a number of intros (what crackers
Software cracking
Software cracking is the modification of software to remove or disable features which are considered undesirable by the person cracking the software, usually related to protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances...
used to put before a pirated game to brag) and on music discs. A cover of the Comic Bakery tune was also used for the first level of the game Jurassic Park, released by Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1993. Another song that many Commodore 64 users remember is his adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
of the Rambo II
Rambo (1985 video game)
Rambo is a 1985 video game based on the film Rambo: First Blood Part II. It was produced by Platinum Productions and published by Ocean Software for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64....
theme used in the game.
Galway also made music for one of Origin Systems
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
' first adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
/roleplaying games, Times of Lore
Times of Lore
Times of Lore is an action role-playing game with a detailed world. It was released for several platforms, including PC, Commodore 64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, Atari ST, Apple II, NES, and Amiga.-Description:...
, with several tunes that were intended to suit the medieval setting. As he was also a programmer
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
, he wrote an algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
that randomised the chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
that the guitar voice plays, making for a very long and varying piece.
He was also the first musician to get published with sampled sounds
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
on the Commodore, with the theme for the Arkanoid
Arkanoid
is an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. It is based upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the player's ship, the Vaus, escapes.-Overview:...
conversion. When asked about how he did it, he answered:
"I figured out how samples were played by hacking into someone else's code ... OK, I admit it ... It was a drum synthesizer package called Digidrums, actually, so you could still say I was the first to include samples in a piece of music. [...] Never would I claim to have invented that technique, I just got it published first. In fact, I couldn't really figure out where they got the sample data, just that they were wiggling the volume register, so I tried to make up my own drum sample sounds in realtime - which is the flatulenceFlatulenceFlatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
stuff that shipped in Arkanoid. [...] After the project was in the shops I gained access to some real drum samples, and I slid those into my own custom version of the tune. The one that's in the shops is kind of a collage of farts & burps, don't you think? [...] Later I was able to acquire some proper drum samples and by Game OverGame Over (computer game)Game Over is a computer game developed by Spanish software company Dinamic Software and published by Imagine Software in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and MSX.-Story:...
it got quite sophisticated."
Galway has said that he will never remake his songs, as they were made for the SID chip and would sound wrong on real instruments. However, he says that he could possibly start making music for real instruments. His original SID music can be found from The High Voltage SID Collection
The High Voltage SID Collection
The High Voltage SID Collection is both the name of a project to build a collection of music created on the MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID sound chip in Commodore CBM-II, Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computers and the collection itself...
.
, Martin Galway was completing his 25th year in the games business, working as operations/production manager and audio director of Certain Affinity
Certain Affinity
Certain Affinity is an American video game development studio based in Austin, Texas, in the USA. It was founded in 2006 by Max Hoberman and a small number of other ex-Bungie employees and other industry veterans.-History:...
, an Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
based software company.
Galway is the nephew of famed flautist Sir James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
.
External links
- Artist profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
- Martin Galway's Music at CVGM
- Information about Martin Galway on Certain Affinity web page
- Legends of the C64 article on Martin Galway
- Remix64 Interview Sánchez, Claudio (10 July 2003)
- Remix64 Interview Carr, Neil (28 March 2001)