Marcin Szmuc - Audio & Music Artist

1. What do you do at Toria?

I am responsible for the sound design. I mainly create appropriate sounds and music to give the game the right atmosphere consistent with its artistic vision and storyline.

2. Where do you get inspiration for your compositions?

Mainly from other games, as I am an active gamer 😀. Movies and music from my favorite artists also inspire me.

3. What instruments/programs do you use to create sounds?

I recently switched my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) from Reason to Bitwig. In addition, I have an ever-growing collection of sample libraries and VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins. My favorites are Audio Imperia Nucleus (orchestra) and U-He Zebra and Diva (synthesizers).

4. Where did your interest in music come from and how does it manifest itself outside of Toria?

Music has been with me since I was a child. I became interested in production when I was 12-13 years old, and I have been developing my skills ever since. A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at the gaming industry. I have always liked narrative music, mainly film music, and I dreamed of creating it, but it seemed unattainable to me. I thought you had to go to a school for composers and wear a tailcoat and monocle every day 😉, so I mainly focused on rap beats. I had also always dreamed of creating games, so when I turned 30, I decided to combine these dreams and try my hand at this field, and here I am. Apart from Toria, I've worked on other games, including the Warplanes series for VR, which hasn't been released yet, so I guess I shouldn't brag about them just yet.