When it comes to the world of Pokémon, not many have had quite the impact on the games as much as Junichi Masuda. Originally starting off as the series’ composer and also a programmer, Masuda has since transitioned into the role of director as well, while still having a hand in music composition.
In an interview with GameInformer, Masuda answered a few questions in regards to his work on the beloved game series.
First off, when asked about the process his process for composing music for the games, Masuda replied with the following:
“One of the important elements is that I have to be alone. Most of the time when I’m with other people, I’m usually talking, so it’s kind of hard to hum a new song [laughs]. Also, when it comes to gameplay ideas and musical ideas, I find that I have to separate the two. I can’t think of both simultaneously. I’ll choose to think about one or the other for a full day. Once I have that focus, the inspiration will come at times throughout the day. But that focus is what’s important.
When it comes to the actual process, I think everyone’s different, but for me, it just kind of starts in my head. I can’t play the piano to try and come up with a new sound, for example [laughs]. Often, I think of the melody first, and then come up with the bass and the drums all in my head. Sometimes I’ll have the whole song in my mind and I’ll just sit down at the computer and all I have to do is enter it in.”
Next, when asked what his favorite track from all of the Pokémon games was, Masuda had this to say:
“That’s a tough question, but it would probably be the symbolic melody that first plays in the intro sequence. Also the music at the title screen. Some other examples of tracks I really like are the ones from Pewter Town, or Cynthia’s theme. I think I really worked hard on those songs. I probably wouldn’t be able to make them now. It’s kind of like when you’re making food and it turns out amazingly well, but you can never reproduce it.”
Lastly, Masuda also commented on the level of difficulty of capturing the essence of Pokémon on more modern platforms:
“Actually, I think that since the series has been around for 18 years now, everyone on the team has a good idea of what Pokémon is and what it should be, so it’s not so difficult to create music that captures that essence. One thing that I do have to remind the team about on occasion is about the battle music. In Pokémon, it’s not a battle between Trainers–it’s a battle between Pokémon. I think that’s something that differentiates Pokémon from a lot of other RPGs and I make sure that it’s reflected in the music. For example, in a battle with a wild Pokémon, the player may end up catching and befriending the Pokémon they are up against, so it’s important not to make the music create an atmosphere that sounds too scary or dangerous. It’s a fine balance to strike and we have to be very careful.”
To read more about Junichi Masuda’s thoughts on Pokémon and composing music, you can read the full interview.
