About Me
The Beginning!
Hello, I'm Dan and I love video games!
When I was around 7 years old, a family friend asked my folks and I if I had any interest in learning an instrument through an after-church program. To everyone’s surprise, I immediately requested to learn Trombone. Little did they know that I was playing Donkey Kong 64 and had just unlocked Lanky Kong, who’s instrument/weapon of choice was the Trombone. Yes, Lanky Kong was my gateway to music.
Around two console generations had passed and I was in high school... The trombone had led me to the Guitar, which became my instrument of choice (thanks to my favorite band: Iron Maiden). One day, I saw a behind-the-scenes video of the recording sessions for Super Mario Galaxy. It was that moment that I realized I had to be a part of that musical process, which led me to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition at Rutgers University.
Current Work
I recently obtained a Master’s Degree from New York University in Music Technology and concentrated in game audio and recording engineering. My thesis, “Using Bio-mechanics to Inform Sound Design for Footstep Sounds in Video Games,” explored unique methods to improve upon procedural audio sound design techniques in video games.
I chose to study this because of the profound impact procedural audio can yield in the field of game sound design. I developed my passions for game sound design here and worked tirelessly to improve it (available on request - soundfontplus@gmail.com).
During this process, I had been working on the production team for "A New World: intimate music from FINAL FANTASY" for the past two years, where I provided transcriptions, edited musical scores, and aided in arrangements. I have also edited scores for "Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy" and aided in arrangements for "Undertale: LIVE."
I've spent the last pandemic in the game audio hyperbolic time chamber -- collaborating with fellow game devs around the world to create fun experiences anyone can enjoy.
I also speak Japanese and am working to pass the JLPT N3 exam! ぜひ日本語でも話してくれてください。
I currently am working at Blizzard Entertainment, developing sounds for Diablo IV!