Martin Stig Andersen

Last updated
Martin Stig Andersen
Born1973 (age 50–51)
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • sound designer
Website martinstigandersen.dk

Martin Stig Andersen (born 1973) is a Danish composer and sound designer, best known for his work on the video games Limbo and Inside , as well as contributions to Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus .

Contents

Career

Andersen studied orchestral composition at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. After graduating in 2003, he went on to study electro-acoustic composition at City University in London. [1] Andersen cited spectral composers such as Tristan Murail as inspiration. [2]

In 2010, he served as composer and sound designer for Limbo, joining mid-development after an earlier sound designer left the project. For the game, Andersen focused on using abstract sounds to define the game's atmosphere. [3] Following the release of Limbo, Andersen created and directed the audio for Inside and composed the soundtrack with SØS Gunver Ryberg, taking inspiration from 1980s horror films, often using synthesizers. The music was created by routing sound through a human skull, creating a "bone-conducting sound." As the game had closer integration between gameplay and audio, Andersen was more involved with the developers, with the player character's breathing being tied to the chest movement. Andersen was able to suggest changes to the game's structure, allowing the music to provide a coherent build-up. [4]

Works

YearTitleNotesRef.
2006Seven Tales of MiseryPerformance installation
Ring Road A141Short film [5]
2009The Finish LineShort film [6]
2012RocketmanShort film [7]
2010 Limbo Also sound designer [8]
2016 Inside Composed with SØS Gunver Ryberg, also audio director [9]
2017Das HeuvolkPerformance installation [10]
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Composed with Mick Gordon [11]
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider Ambient music design [12]
2019 Wolfenstein: Youngblood Composed with Tom Salta [13]
Control Composed with Petri Alanko [14]
2021 Back 4 Blood Composed with Nathan Whitehead [15]
2024 Braid: Anniversary Edition Music and sound remastering, with Hans Christian Koch [16]

Albums

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryWorkResultRef.
2011 British Academy Games Awards Best Use of AudioLimboNominated
Interactive Achievement Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design Won [17]
2016 The Game Awards Best Music/Sound Design (shared with SØS Gunver Ryberg)InsideNominated [18]
2017 D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design Nominated [19]
British Academy Games AwardsBest Music (shared with SØS Gunver Ryberg)Nominated [20]
Audio AchievementNominated
Game Audio Network GuildBest Audio for an Indie GameWon [21]
Audio of the YearNominated
Best Interactive Score (shared with SØS Gunver Ryberg)Nominated
Best Audio MixNominated
Sound Design of the YearNominated
2018New York Game AwardsBest Music in a GameWolfenstein II: The New Colossus
(shared with Mick Gordon)		Nominated [22]
D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Nominated [23]
2020 D.I.C.E. Awards Control
(shared with Petri Alanko)		Won [24]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Sound Architect Presents Game Audio at Play Expo Manchester - Announcements: Round 2". The Sound Architect. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Control & LIMBO composer Martin Stig Andersen finds beauty inside the darkness". Laced Records. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "How Limbo Came To Life". IGN . 14 September 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Heard About: How Playdead used a real human skull for Inside's audio". MCVUK. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Ring Road A141". YouTube. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "The Finish Line". YouTube. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Rocketman". YouTube . Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Limbo sound design: Ambiguity is the key to atmosphere". Gamasutra . Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "THE MAD SCIENCE BEHIND INSIDE'S SOUNDTRACK". Kill Screen. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "'Das Heuvolk' Installation Scored by Martin Stig Andersenat National theaters Mannheim". Air Edel . Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Wolfenstein II creative director reveals more about a Nazified America". VentureBeat. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Eidos-Montréal (14 September 2018). Shadow of the Tomb Raider . Square Enix. Scene: Credits.
  13. ↑ "AMA: We're Wolfenstein developers Machine Games, ask us anything!". 10 May 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  14. ↑ "Control - Composers Reveal (Reboot Develop Blue Trailer 2019)". YouTube . Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "BACK 4 BLOOD". Martin Stig Andersen. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "BRAID, ANNIVERSARY EDITION". Martin Stig Andersen. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Games Details Limbo". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  18. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (November 16, 2016). "All the 2016 Game Awards Nominees". GameSpot . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Makuch, Eddie; Imms, Jason (February 23, 2017). "Overwatch Wins DICE Game of the Year, Full Nominees List". GameSpot . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  20. ↑ wbber, Jordan Erica (March 9, 2017). "Bafta games awards 2017: Inside and Uncharted 4 lead the way". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "2017 G.A.N.G. Awards Winners - Game Audio Network Guild". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  22. ↑ Whitney, Kayla (25 January 2018). "Complete list of winners of the New York Game Awards 2018". AXS . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (14 January 2018). "Game Of The Year Nominees Announced for DICE Awards". GameSpot . Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Games Details Control". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 26 March 2024.
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