Tim Follin
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Tim Follin is a video game music composer who has written tracks for a variety of titles and home gaming systems, including the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Dreamcast and PlayStation.
Little known outside his native UK, Follin's early 8- and 16-bit pieces were notable for their ambitious and imaginative use of samples, or clever manipulation of limited sound hardware - particularly with his work on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, on which he managed to play up to six channels of audio from one simple, tiny, 'clickable' piezo electronic speaker.
His finest moment to date is widely regarded as his soundtrack to Software Creations' Commodore Amiga and Commodore 64 conversions of Ghouls and Ghosts. Other notable soundtracks by Follin include Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Dreamcast), Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (Super Nintendo), and home computer ports of Bionic Commando (Amiga, C64).
His brothers Geoff Follin and Mike Follin also worked in the video game industry as musician and programmer respectively. Both have now moved on to other careers. Around August 2005, Follin announced on his website "with much delight" that he had chosen to stop composing music for video games citing its irregular work not providing a substantial income, going as far as saying that the situation caused him "distress and illness." Much like his brothers, Follin has chosen to change careers, choosing to pursue television advertising.
As of mid-2005 Follin has also written and directed two short films, one of which, 'Body Counting' won a best short film award at the 2005 Salford Film Festival.
Follin has a web site that offers a brief overview of his career and mp3s of his music.
Contents |
[edit] Video game soundtracks
- (1987) Agent X II [Commodore 64] : Composer
- (1987) Bionic Commando [Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST] : tunes arranged from arcade game
- (1988) L.E.D. Storm [Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST] : tunes arranged from arcade game (probably)
- (1988) Skyshark [NES] : Composer
- (1989) Ghouls 'n' Ghosts [Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST] : most of tunes arranged from arcade game music
- (1989) Sly Spy [Amiga] : most of tunes arranged from arcade game music
- (1990) Solstice [NES] : composer
- (1990) Silver Surfer [NES]: composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1991) The New Zealand Story (known in America as Kiwi Kraze) [NES] : composer
- (1991) Gauntlet III [Amiga] : arrangement
- (1992) Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge [SNES] : composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1992) Super Off Road [SNES] : composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1993) Equinox [SNES] : composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1993) Plok : composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1993) Rock 'N Roll Racing [SNES] : composer / arranger / music driver designer
- (1993) Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends [SNES] : composer — With Geoff Follin
- (1993) Time Trax [GEN] : composer / music driver designer
- (1998) Batman & Robin [PS1] : producer
- (2000) Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future : composer
- (2003) Starsky & Hutch : composer
- (2004) Future Tactics: The Uprising : composer
- (2006) Lemmings [PSP] : composer
[edit] Other works
- Composed and performed jointly with Geoff Follin for Prime and Firearm (Malibu Interactive). Firearm is a cancelled game.
[edit] External links
- Tim Follin's homepage
- Tim Follin at MusicBrainz
- MobyGames rap sheet
- Composer profile at OverClocked ReMix
- Larger listing of works
- Tim Follin at World of Spectrum
- "A Fond Farewell To Follin" GameSetWatch: Carless, Simon (Jan. 2, 2006)
[edit] Interviews
- "Playing Catch-Up: Tim Follin" Gamasutra: Cifaldi, Frank (Sep. 26, 2005)
- "Starsky & Hutch Interview: Veteran Game Composer Tim Follin" Music4Games: Aldis, Neil (Aug. 1, 2003)
- [1] Commodore Zone: Mackenzie, Jason & Pilkington, Warren (1998)
