Difference between revisions of "Sega Sound Team"

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The Sega Sound Team or Sound Section of the company has been existence ever since Sega started getting serious in video game composition towards the mid eighties'. The earliest generation of musicians and composers at Sega were usually programmers and worked in tandem with the rest of the development team. As audio started to improve and development groups matured, a "sound team" or "sound section" has been created. The naming and structure of the sound team at Sega has not been consistent and went through various phases, such as the spun off [[Sega Digital Studio]] and later [[Wave Master]] which existed from 1993 to July of 2004.
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{{rewrite|be more comprehensive, several history sections are placeholders}}
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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a name often given to generally refer to the many sound designers employed at [[Sega]], but is sometimes used to mask the identity of a music composer outside the company. The term dates back to the late 80's, being associated with the [[S.S.T.Band]] or '''S'''ega '''S'''ound '''T'''eam Band.
  
 
Usually the producer at Sega chooses from the pool of composers to sound direct a specific title.  
 
Usually the producer at Sega chooses from the pool of composers to sound direct a specific title.  
 +
 +
==History==
 +
===1980's-1990===
 +
During the early 80's, there was what programmer [[Yu Suzuki]] called a "stagnation" in Sega's sound team{{intref|After Burner 20th Anniversary Box}}, containing people who, like Suzuki himself, couldn't pursue their high school dreams of becoming musicians and were living a pale imitation of that ambition. The earliest generation of musicians and composers at Sega were usually programmers and worked in tandem with the rest of the development team. Some of the first composers to join Sega who would become recognised soon after include [[Tohru Nakabayashi]] (who initially joined as an engineer{{fileref|SS16CSTV1 Album JP Booklet.pdf|page=10}}) and [[Katsuhiro Hayashi]] (who initially joined as a programmer{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230608062442/http://www.iris.dti.ne.jp/~haya-c/funkykh/profile.html}}), both of whom started out on the [[Sega SG-1000]] console. The process towards a more well-established sound team began with ''[[Hang-On]]'', where Yu Suzuki wanted to have music that would feel more advanced and realistic than anything heard before, so turned to another programmer with band experience, [[Hiroshi Kawaguchi]]{{intref|After Burner 20th Anniversary Box}}.
 +
 +
Gradually, more sound staff began to join as a result of the new direction, like [[Tokuhiko Uwabo]], [[Yasuhiro Kawakami]] and [[Chikako Kamatani]], and at some point in the latter half of the 80's an official "sound team" or "sound section" was created, complete with a sound studio for its members to perform in{{intref|After Burner 20th Anniversary Box}}. While there was no official distinction yet, many sound designers primarily either worked on arcade games or console games, but many would dabble in the other field occasionally. [[Sega R&D 8]] seems to have had its own separate sound team consisting of 2, later 3 people.{{ref|https://www.onemillionpower.com/hiro-and-takenobu-mitsuyoshi-astro-city-mini-interview/}}
 +
 +
===1991-1999===
 +
In 1991, {{PAGENAME}} was split into 2 teams. The AM2 Sound Team handled arcade games,{{magref|ssmjp|1996-09|138}} including video games, medal games, prize games and amusement parks. This department was headed by [[Tohru Nakabayashi]].{{ref|1=https://media.vgm.io/albums/74/2047/2047-1506489755.jpg}} Despite the name, the team did not exclusively work on games for [[Sega AM2]], instead with every AM division, such as [[Sega AM3]] on ''[[Sega Rally Championship]]''{{fileref|SegaRallyChampionshipIgnition CD JP Booklet.pdf|page=4}} and ''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On]]'',{{magref|ssmjp|1996-09|228}} to [[Sega AM1|AM1]] on ''[[The House of the Dead]]'' {{magref|segamagjp|7|61}} and ''[[Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders]]''.{{fileref|HDaLAR Album JP Booklet.pdf|page=3}} It is mentioned by name in the production credits for ''[[The Lost World: Jurassic Park (arcade)|The Lost World: Jurassic Park]]''.
 +
 +
The CS Sound Team meanwhile handled console games,{{magref|ssmjp|1996-09|138}} including home consoles, handheld consoles and the [[Sega Pico]] kids console. This department was initially headed by [[Tokuhiko Uwabo]], who was involved as a producer of games and soundtrack/remix albums, but in 1994/1995 this job was transferred to [[Yukifumi Makino]]. It may have been known as CS3 Sound, at least in 1993.{{magref|harmony|122|27}} [[Jun Senoue]] is also known to have been part of [[Sega Software Technology R&D]] at the same time,{{magref|harmony|125|14}} so some of the CS sound team may have been housed there.
 +
 +
Both the AM2 and CS sound teams were listed in 1996 as consisting of 1 woman for every 4 men in the department.{{magref|ssmjp|1996-09|138}}
 +
 +
This 2 department system was mostly unchanged throughout the 90's. However, a third party initially supported both: [[Sega Digital Studio]], where many CD digital audio soundtracks and recordings of arcade music were developed, and can be seen credited in various console games such as ''[[Clockwork Knight]]'' and ''[[Hanagumi Taisen Columns]]'', but also the arcade game ''[[Scud Race]]''. Later on, this department was merged with the CS sound team, adopting Sega Digital Media as its name.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20011124112428/sega.jp/studio/wm.html}} Seemingly in 1998, the AM2 sound team had become so big that it was split apart, with its members being assigned to different already existing development departments, usually those that the individual musicians had most often worked with (sound teams are currently known to have existed for [[AM1]]{{intref|Sega Racing Best}}, AM2{{intref|Sega Racing Best}}, [[AM3]]{{intref|Sega Racing Best}}, [[AM5]]{{intref|Sega Racing Best}} and [[AM6]]{{ref|1=https://twitter.com/K2_Shimizu}}), This split carried on as many of these were rebranded as Sega Software R&D departments in 1999 and then as subsidiary companies in 2000 (with Sega Digital Media becoming [[Wave Master]]).
 +
 +
===2000-2004===
 +
===2005-2011===
 +
 +
===2012-2020===
 +
 +
===2021-present===
 +
Following the merging of [[Sega Interactive (Japan)|Sega Interactive]] and [[Sega Games]] in 2020, the Sega Games system was adopted, leading to a single Sega sound team.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230830102205/https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/interview/230830c/2#i-1}}{{intref|Interview: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yasuyuki Nagata, Junpei Mishima (2023-10-17) by Real Sound}} This was initially known as [[Japan Asia Studio HQ: Div. #2]] Sound Section in 2020,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230831094417/https://techblog.sega.jp/entry/2020/08/25/100000}} before being renamed [[Game Contents & Service Business HQ: Div. #2]] Sound Section the following year.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20230501141603/https://cedil.cesa.or.jp/cedil_sessions/view/2453}}
  
 
==Members==
 
==Members==
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 +
*[[Ai Fujihara]]
 +
*[[Asami Takeo]]
 +
*[[Chihiro Aoki]]
 +
*[[Daisuke Anayama]]
 
*[[Fumio Ito]]
 
*[[Fumio Ito]]
 +
*[[Fumiyoshi Shimohara]]
 
*[[Haruyoshi Tomita]]
 
*[[Haruyoshi Tomita]]
 +
*[[Hideaki Kobayashi]]
 
*[[Hideki Abe]]
 
*[[Hideki Abe]]
−
*[[Hirokazu Akashi]]
+
*[[Hidekuni Horita]]
 +
*[[Hidenori Shoji]]
 +
*[[Hiroshi Kawaguchi]]
 +
*[[Iona Takashima]]
 +
*[[Jun Senoue]]
 +
*[[Junko Shiratsu]]
 
*[[Junpei Mishima]]
 
*[[Junpei Mishima]]
−
*[[Kazuhiko Nagai]]
+
*[[Kanon Oguchi]]
 +
*[[Kazuhito Shimizu]]
 
*[[Kazuki Takagi]]
 
*[[Kazuki Takagi]]
 +
*[[Keisuke Tsukahara]]
 
*[[Keitaro Hanada]]
 
*[[Keitaro Hanada]]
 +
*[[Kenichi Tokoi]]
 +
*[[Kenji Mizuno]]
 +
*[[Maki Morrow]]''
 
*[[Makito Nomiya]]
 
*[[Makito Nomiya]]
−
*[[Masanori Takeuchi]]
+
*[[Masaru Setsumaru]]
 
*[[Megumi Takano]]
 
*[[Megumi Takano]]
 
*[[Mieko Isa]]
 
*[[Mieko Isa]]
−
*[[Nanae Kenda]]
+
*[[Mitsuharu Fukuyama]]
 +
*[[Naofumi Hataya]]
 +
*[[Naoto Oike]]
 
*[[Naoyuki Machida]]
 
*[[Naoyuki Machida]]
−
*[[Sawako Sogabe]]
+
*[[Rintaro Soma]]
−
*[[Shigeru Ohwada]]
+
*[[Ryohei Kohno]]
 +
*[[Sachio Ogawa]]
 +
*[[Saori Yoshida]]
 +
*[[Satoshi Oike]]
 +
*[[Satoshi Okamura]]
 +
*[[Seirou Okamoto]]
 
*[[Shinichi Goto]]
 
*[[Shinichi Goto]]
 
*[[Susumu Tsukagoshi]]
 
*[[Susumu Tsukagoshi]]
 
*[[Tadashi Kinukawa]]
 
*[[Tadashi Kinukawa]]
 +
*[[Tae Fujimoto]]
 
*[[Takahiro Kai]]
 
*[[Takahiro Kai]]
 +
*[[Takashi Nagasaka]]
 +
*[[Takenobu Mitsuyoshi]]
 +
*[[Takeshi Isozaki]]
 
*[[Tatsutoshi Narita]]
 
*[[Tatsutoshi Narita]]
 
*[[Tatsuya Kouzaki]]
 
*[[Tatsuya Kouzaki]]
 +
*[[Tatsuyuki Maeda]]
 +
*[[Teruhiko Nakagawa]]
 
*[[Tetsuya Kawauchi]]
 
*[[Tetsuya Kawauchi]]
 +
*[[Tomonori Sawada]]
 +
*[[Tomoo Sekine]]
 +
*[[Tomoya Ohtani]]
 
*[[Yasuhiro Takagi]]
 
*[[Yasuhiro Takagi]]
 
*[[Yasuyuki Nagata]]
 
*[[Yasuyuki Nagata]]
−
*[[Yoshinori Sunahara]]
 
 
*[[Yuichi Kanatani]]
 
*[[Yuichi Kanatani]]
−
*[[Hiroshi Kawaguchi]]
+
*[[Yuri Fukuda]]
−
*[[Keisuke Tsukahara]]
+
*[[Yuki Kobayashi (composer)|Yuki Kobayashi]]
−
*[[Sachio Ogawa]]
+
*[[Yusuke Sawai]]
−
*[[Naofumi Hataya]]
 
−
*[[Masaru Setsumaru]]
 
−
*[[Tatsuyuki Maeda]]
 
−
*[[Tomonori Sawada]]
 
−
*[[Mariko Nanba]]
 
−
*[[Takenobu Mitsuyoshi]]
 
−
*[[Jun Senoue]]
 
−
*[[Junko Shiratsu]]
 
−
*[[Seirou Okamoto]]
 
−
*[[Teruhiko Nakagawa]]
 
−
*[[Kenichi Tokoi]]
 
−
*[[Hidenori Shoji]]
 
−
*[[Hideaki Kobayashi]]
 
−
*[[Mitsuharu Fukuyama]]
 
−
*[[Tomoya Ohtani]]
 
−
*[[Chihiro Aoki]]
 
 
|col}}
 
|col}}
  
 
==Former Members==
 
==Former Members==
 
{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 +
*[[Atsumu Miyazawa]]
 +
*[[Chiho Kobayashi]]
 +
*[[Chikako Kamatani]]
 
*[[Eriko Sakurai]]
 
*[[Eriko Sakurai]]
 
*[[Fumie Kumatani]]
 
*[[Fumie Kumatani]]
 
*[[Haruyo Oguro]]
 
*[[Haruyo Oguro]]
 
*[[Hideaki Miyamoto]]
 
*[[Hideaki Miyamoto]]
 +
*[[Hideki Naganuma]]
 +
*[[Hirokazu Akashi]]
 +
*[[Hirofumi Murasaki]]
 
*[[Hiroshi Kubota]]
 
*[[Hiroshi Kubota]]
−
*[[Shigeharu Isoda]]
 
−
*[[Tomoya Koga]]
 
−
*[[Tomoyuki Kawamura]]
 
−
*[[You Takada]]
 
−
*[[Yoji Ishii]]
 
 
*[[Katsuhiro Hayashi]]
 
*[[Katsuhiro Hayashi]]
−
*[[Tohru Nakabayashi]]
+
*[[Katsuyoshi Nitta]]
 +
*[[Kazuhiko Nagai]]
 +
*[[Keiichi Sugiyama]]
 +
*[[Kentaro Koyama]]
 
*[[Koichi Namiki]]
 
*[[Koichi Namiki]]
−
*[[Chikako Kamatani]]
+
*[[Mariko Nanba]]
−
*[[Yoshiaki Kashima]]
+
*[[Masafumi Ogata]]
 +
*[[Masaki Nakagaki]]
 +
*[[Masanori Takeuchi]]
 +
*[[Miki Obata]]
 +
*[[Nanae Suizu]]
 +
*[[Naomi Yamamoto]]
 +
*[[Osamu Murata]]
 +
*[[Rio Hashikawa]]
 +
*[[Saeko Segawa]]
 +
*[[Saori Kobayashi]]
 +
*[[Sawako Sogabe]]
 +
*[[Seiichi Hamada]]
 +
*[[Seiichiro Matsumura]]
 +
*[[Shigeharu Isoda]]
 +
*[[Tadahiko Inoue]]
 +
*[[Taihei Sato]]
 
*[[Takayuki Nakamura]]
 
*[[Takayuki Nakamura]]
−
*[[Yukifumi Makino]]
+
*[[Tohru Nakabayashi]]
−
*[[Masafumi Ogata]]
 
 
*[[Tomoko Sasaki]]
 
*[[Tomoko Sasaki]]
−
*[[Hirofumi Murasaki]]
+
*[[Tomoya Koga]]
−
*[[Katsuyoshi Nitta]]
+
*[[Tomoyuki Kawamura]]
−
*[[Saori Kobayashi]]
+
*[[Y.T]]
 
*[[Yayoi Wachi]]
 
*[[Yayoi Wachi]]
−
*[[Seiichiro Matsumura]]
+
*[[Yoshiaki Kashima]]
 +
*[[Yoshinori Sunahara]]
 
*[[Yoshitada Miya]]
 
*[[Yoshitada Miya]]
 +
*[[Youichi Ueda]]
 +
*[[Yuki Takatsuto]]
 +
*[[Yukifumi Makino]]
 +
*[[Yuko Iseki]]
 
*[[Yutaka Minobe]]
 
*[[Yutaka Minobe]]
−
*[[Taihei Sato]]
 
−
*[[Hideki Naganuma]]
 
−
*[[Seiichi Hamada]]
 
−
*[[Keiichi Sugiyama]]
 
 
|col}}
 
|col}}
  
 +
==References==
 +
<references/>
  
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
 
{{SoJ}}
 
{{SoJ}}
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Music]]

Latest revision as of 19:56, 11 January 2024

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Sega Sound Team is a name often given to generally refer to the many sound designers employed at Sega, but is sometimes used to mask the identity of a music composer outside the company. The term dates back to the late 80's, being associated with the S.S.T.Band or Sega Sound Team Band.

Usually the producer at Sega chooses from the pool of composers to sound direct a specific title.

History

1980's-1990

During the early 80's, there was what programmer Yu Suzuki called a "stagnation" in Sega's sound team[1], containing people who, like Suzuki himself, couldn't pursue their high school dreams of becoming musicians and were living a pale imitation of that ambition. The earliest generation of musicians and composers at Sega were usually programmers and worked in tandem with the rest of the development team. Some of the first composers to join Sega who would become recognised soon after include Tohru Nakabayashi (who initially joined as an engineer[2]) and Katsuhiro Hayashi (who initially joined as a programmer[3]), both of whom started out on the Sega SG-1000 console. The process towards a more well-established sound team began with Hang-On, where Yu Suzuki wanted to have music that would feel more advanced and realistic than anything heard before, so turned to another programmer with band experience, Hiroshi Kawaguchi[1].

Gradually, more sound staff began to join as a result of the new direction, like Tokuhiko Uwabo, Yasuhiro Kawakami and Chikako Kamatani, and at some point in the latter half of the 80's an official "sound team" or "sound section" was created, complete with a sound studio for its members to perform in[1]. While there was no official distinction yet, many sound designers primarily either worked on arcade games or console games, but many would dabble in the other field occasionally. Sega R&D 8 seems to have had its own separate sound team consisting of 2, later 3 people.[4]

1991-1999

In 1991, Sega Sound Team was split into 2 teams. The AM2 Sound Team handled arcade games,[5] including video games, medal games, prize games and amusement parks. This department was headed by Tohru Nakabayashi.[6] Despite the name, the team did not exclusively work on games for Sega AM2, instead with every AM division, such as Sega AM3 on Sega Rally Championship[7] and Cyber Troopers Virtual-On,[8] to AM1 on The House of the Dead [9] and Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders.[10] It is mentioned by name in the production credits for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

The CS Sound Team meanwhile handled console games,[5] including home consoles, handheld consoles and the Sega Pico kids console. This department was initially headed by Tokuhiko Uwabo, who was involved as a producer of games and soundtrack/remix albums, but in 1994/1995 this job was transferred to Yukifumi Makino. It may have been known as CS3 Sound, at least in 1993.[11] Jun Senoue is also known to have been part of Sega Software Technology R&D at the same time,[12] so some of the CS sound team may have been housed there.

Both the AM2 and CS sound teams were listed in 1996 as consisting of 1 woman for every 4 men in the department.[5]

This 2 department system was mostly unchanged throughout the 90's. However, a third party initially supported both: Sega Digital Studio, where many CD digital audio soundtracks and recordings of arcade music were developed, and can be seen credited in various console games such as Clockwork Knight and Hanagumi Taisen Columns, but also the arcade game Scud Race. Later on, this department was merged with the CS sound team, adopting Sega Digital Media as its name.[13] Seemingly in 1998, the AM2 sound team had become so big that it was split apart, with its members being assigned to different already existing development departments, usually those that the individual musicians had most often worked with (sound teams are currently known to have existed for AM1[14], AM2[14], AM3[14], AM5[14] and AM6[15]), This split carried on as many of these were rebranded as Sega Software R&D departments in 1999 and then as subsidiary companies in 2000 (with Sega Digital Media becoming Wave Master).

2000-2004

2005-2011

2012-2020

2021-present

Following the merging of Sega Interactive and Sega Games in 2020, the Sega Games system was adopted, leading to a single Sega sound team.[16][17] This was initially known as Japan Asia Studio HQ: Div. #2 Sound Section in 2020,[18] before being renamed Game Contents & Service Business HQ: Div. #2 Sound Section the following year.[19]

Members

Former Members

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 After Burner 20th Anniversary Box
  2. ↑ File:SS16CSTV1 Album JP Booklet.pdf, page 10
  3. ↑ http://www.iris.dti.ne.jp/~haya-c/funkykh/profile.html (Wayback Machine: 2023-06-08 06:24)
  4. ↑ https://www.onemillionpower.com/hiro-and-takenobu-mitsuyoshi-astro-city-mini-interview/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-09 (1996-06-14)" (JP; 1996-05-24), page 138
  6. ↑ https://media.vgm.io/albums/74/2047/2047-1506489755.jpg
  7. ↑ File:SegaRallyChampionshipIgnition CD JP Booklet.pdf, page 4
  8. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-09 (1996-06-14)" (JP; 1996-05-24), page 228
  9. ↑ Sega Magazine, "1997-05 (1997-05, 06)" (JP; 1997-04-11), page 61
  10. ↑ File:HDaLAR Album JP Booklet.pdf, page 3
  11. ↑ Harmony, "1993 9-10" (JP; 1993-10-01), page 27
  12. ↑ Harmony, "1994 1" (JP; 1994-01-01), page 14
  13. ↑ htt (Wayback Machine: 2001-11-24 11:24)
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Sega Racing Best
  15. ↑ @K2_Shimizu on Twitter
  16. ↑ https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/interview/230830c/2#i-1 (Wayback Machine: 2023-08-30 10:22)
  17. ↑ Interview: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yasuyuki Nagata, Junpei Mishima (2023-10-17) by Real Sound
  18. ↑ https://techblog.sega.jp/entry/2020/08/25/100000 (Wayback Machine: 2023-08-31 09:44)
  19. ↑ https://cedil.cesa.or.jp/cedil_sessions/view/2453 (Wayback Machine: 2023-05-01 14:16)


Timeline of Sega of Japan research and development divisions








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