Tim Follin
Encyclopedia
Timothy John Follin is a former 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
.
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 piezoelectric speaker.
Among Follin's works include the soundtracks to Software Creations
' Amiga, C64 and ST conversions of Ghouls'n Ghosts, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
(Dreamcast), Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (Super Nintendo), and home computer ports of Bionic Commando
(C64, Amiga).
and ZX Spectrum
. Follin ended up in video games due to his older brother Mike Follin
learning how to program for the ZX Spectrum
and obtaining professional work at Insight, with one of Tim's first Insight works being the soundtrack to The Sentinel. Mike gave Tim a brief tutorial on creating music on the Spectrum via machine code, and Tim later wrote the music driver and soundtrack for their first professional game, Subterranean Stryker. After discovering how to create phasing sounds, Follin was able to use a 2-channel music driver to further experiment and come up with an arrangement
of Stravinsky's
"The Firebird", used for the game Star Firebirds. Follin graduated to 3-channel music with his third soundtrack, Vectron. In his early career, Follin was enthused by game magazine reviews touting the quality of music for the games he scored.
Follin's sole game programming credit (not counting music drivers) came with his fourth title, Future Games, where he created one minigame of the several featured.
.
Follin wrote the music for Black Lamp in one night after a bout of writer's block.
Within the level 1 music of Ghouls'n Ghosts for the Amiga is a voice sample played backwards saying "secret authority," considered nothing more than a joke by Follin. Alongside Ghouls'n Ghosts, two other Amiga soundtracks, Sly Spy and Puzznic, were presented in the Amiga music format "Follin Player II." To arcade soundtrack arrangements like Bionic Commando and Ghouls'n Ghosts, Follin added richer sound palette and composed some new songs (the 4th stage of Bionic Commando and the title music of Ghouls'n Ghosts).
Follin described the NES title Solstice
as "a very inspiring game to do music for," demanding atmospheric music within the game's dark castle environment, as well as powerful music choreographed with the title sequence. Follin did not use a keyboard or any instruments for the Solstice soundtrack, composing while "thinking along the lines of the computer and not [...] a keyboard." Follin felt the programming-only approach allowed him to work with "a more open mind."
In a 1990 interview, Follin expressed "a bit of desolation" over the prospect of no longer composing for the Commodore 64, stating "I don't see myself staying with this machine," perhaps sensing the transition occurring in the European gaming marketplace as the third generation of video and computer game platforms
reached its end. Follin's final Commodore 64 release came with 1991's Gauntlet III
.
Beside contributing the soundtrack with brother Geoff, Follin recorded live sound effects for 1993 SNES title Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
.
Citing a declining work environment, Follin departed Software Creations in 1993 (with his final title there being Rock N' Roll Racing
).
. Follin provided part of the soundtrack for Batman & Robin, developed by Probe.
Follin joined the development team of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future as the title's lead composer around mid-1998, leaving Attila Heger no longer responsible for providing the entirety of the soundtrack. (Heger was made primarily responsible for scoring the game's cutscenes.) Follin had been offered the composer position by Sega UK producer David Nulty, who was a fan of Follin's Commodore 64 work. The soundtrack received very favorable reviews from Edge
, DC-UK
and Official Dreamcast Magazine
.
The 2003 multiplatform release Starsky & Hutch
was given a funk-style score by Follin, who said at the time, "This is the project I had hoped I would get one day. I've always loved Starsky & Hutch and it's [sic] original title music." While with Software Creations, Follin had previously arranged the Starsky & Hutch television series
' theme as the title music to the 1991 NES release Treasure Master
.
His brothers Geoff Follin and Mike Follin
also worked in the video game industry as musician and programmer respectively, with both having moved on to other careers. Much like his brothers, Follin has changed careers, choosing to pursue films, television advertising as well as graphic design. Follin never considered himself a gamer as much as a musician or developer. Follin's website offers a brief overview of his video game music career.
Within his personal experience, Follin always found the hardest part of creating music to be the concept phase, saying "I probably tear my hair out more over arrangement than over anything else." The easiest part was the execution of the solidified concepts.
Follin felt the idea of computer music was "a silly one to begin with," as soundchips from the earliest platforms (e.g. ZX Spectrum) were only meant to produce sound effects. As early as 1994, Follin expressed his desire to move away from scoring video games and transition to films, stating that he preferred never to work with chip-generated music again along with his hopes that the games industry would not move backwards from the emerging standard of CD audio. Whether dealing with the audio limitations of older consoles or a game's narrow style guidelines when composing for modern soundtracks, Follin regarded the challenge of creating music within constraints to be an interesting part of working in video game music.
As a video game composer, Follin believed the necessities of being proficient in many genres and creating music on demand often confused the general public, who are used to acts that produce one style of music. He observed that "musicians generally aren't rewarded for being heterogeneous."
During his game music career, Follin never had the mood or interest to join any demoscene
groups
. Though Follin knew few fellow video game composers, he highly respected Richard Jacques
for the amount of work put into his music.
as well as many musicians (including Quincy Jones
, Jethro Tull
, Led Zeppelin
and John Martyn) as having had some casual or subconscious influence on his music, and has also enjoyed music by Deep Purple
and Guns 'n Roses. However, he did not feel that any specific artist or style had been a primary inspiration during his career. Follin acknowledged that in one instance he went for a more contemporary style when scoring the award-winning soundtrack to Bionic Commando, actively choosing to mimic other people's music for fear of potentially losing his job.
The soundtrack to Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future may have been influenced by the works of American minimalist composer John Adams, whom Follin explicitly acknowledged as a current influence during the time he was completing the soundtrack, citing Adams' work as "the only minimalist stuff I've heard which struck a chord with me."
Follin did not have much time to listen to the work of his musical contemporaries while in the video games industry, a situation he implied as having been a benefit to his career. Follin speculated that in actively listening to those works, he likely ran the risk of encountering ideas he had not thought of and subsequently becoming discouraged and/or prone to copycatting.
Follin also never had the interest to join a demoscene
group, though, near the end of his time working with Commodore platforms, he claimed he enjoyed himself when he made music. Outside of Ghouls'n Ghosts however, Follin later described his Commodore 64 work as nonsense that he wasn't particularly happy with.
Follin noted Ghouls'n Ghosts on the Commodore 64 as his favorite work, though the game was a known entity, unlike many of Follin's early projects. Software Creations programmer Steve Ruddy, who created the music driver for the game (with design input from Follin) recalled Follin describing a wide array of imagery for the title theme. For the Ghouls'n Ghosts soundtrack, Follin retained parts of Tamayo Kawamoto's original arcade soundtrack within most tracks, only to transition into his own ideas for other portions of those tracks. Similar circumstances resulted in Follin's soundtrack for Bionic Commando.
Follin has found it difficult to listen to works he created, feeling them outdated by the time they were completed. Follin disliked working with the Atari ST and the ZX Spectrum's AY chip, feeling the NES had more character. While not feeling very successful composing music for the Amiga, Follin enjoyed working on soundtracks for the SNES and Commodore 64. He described writing for the C64's SID chip
as "playing an instrument in its own right," appreciating the analog sound it produced, despite having only three channels to work with. Follin also recalled the SNES's Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge being fun due to the inclusion of cheesy '70s guitar synths and brass synths.
Despite not considering himself adept at any live instruments, and composing several soundtracks beyond the fifth generation of video game consoles
using samples, Follin disliked sampled music. Instead, Follin strove to make his music sound as close to live instrumentation as possible. His most notable work using sampled instruments was the soundtrack to Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
, an experience he enjoyed, but also felt frustrated with on account of "a lack of equipment and resources – such as a string orchestra and choir!" Follin finds orchestral music inherently more human-sounding and listenable.
, Jesper Kyd
, David Wise, Frédéric Motte
, Markus Schneider, Matt "Gasman" Westcott, Ramiro "Extremer" Vaca, graphic artist Haydn Dalton, and programmer Dean Belfield. Frequent Software Creations collaborator Steve Ruddy, who programmed music drivers used by Follin with Follin's design input, marveled "I had no idea how he made it do what it did," and described his music as "astonishing."
Regarding fan communities dedicated to arranging video game music, including his own, Follin remarked, "It's really good. A lot of the stuff, you just think 'Well, that's much better than what I would have done...could do now.'" Follin is consistently mentioned as a favorite composer among European musicians within the Commodore arrangement scene.
Alongside the music of fellow video game music composer Rob Hubbard
, Follin's musical work in games was spotlighted in listening stations of the worldwide Game On exhibition, organized by the Barbican Art Gallery
.
In April 2010 Follin joined Matt Barraclough and Paul Ambler to form ABF Pictures Ltd., a company making TV commecials, web video and music promos.
regarding the meaning of dreams. He has expressed that he does not use recreational drugs, perhaps counter to inferences made by fans of his music.
Follin has little interest in television, but was a fan of the Channel 4
series Father Ted
. He also enjoyed filmmaker John Boorman
's short film I Dreamt I Woke Up.
Follin considers writing therapeutic.
. Middle brother Geoff, a fellow game composer who was proficient in several instruments, MIDI
software and reading sheet music, later went on to become a primary school teacher. Other family includes his Auntie Janice Perkins, Uncle David Eaton and his cousins Catherine and Rachel Perkins, Liverpool.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who has written tracks for a variety of titles and home gaming systems, including the Sinclair
Sinclair Research Ltd
Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Sir Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. Originally incorporated in 1973 as Ablesdeal Ltd., it remained dormant until 1976, and did not adopt the name Sinclair Research until 1981....
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Dreamcast and PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
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 piezoelectric speaker.
Among Follin's works include the soundtracks to Software Creations
Software Creations (UK)
Software Creations was a video game developer based in Manchester, England, first established in 1987. They are primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licenses like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and original titles Solstice and the sequel...
' Amiga, C64 and ST conversions of Ghouls'n Ghosts, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is the fourth title in the Ecco the Dolphin series. It was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast and its soundtrack is composed by Tim Follin. Defender of the Future is an entirely new game universe with a story that has no ties to the original Mega...
(Dreamcast), Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge (Super Nintendo), and home computer ports of Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando (arcade game)
Bionic Commando, released in Japan as , is a action platform game released by Capcom for the arcades. It was later released for several home computers...
(C64, Amiga).
Insight Studios
As a child, Follin had no significant music training. Leaving Liverpool's Sandown Music College after one year of studies, Follin's career began at the age of 15 working at Insight Studios, eventually scoring titles such as Agent X, Chronos and Bubble Bobble for 8-bit computers such as the Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. Follin ended up in video games due to his older brother Mike Follin
Mike Follin
The Revd. Michael Stuart Follin was, until the late 1990s, a computer game programmer. Amongst the companies at which he worked was Software Creations, where he worked on games for the ZX Spectrum, including highly rated arcade conversions of Bubble Bobble and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, as well as the...
learning how to program for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and obtaining professional work at Insight, with one of Tim's first Insight works being the soundtrack to The Sentinel. Mike gave Tim a brief tutorial on creating music on the Spectrum via machine code, and Tim later wrote the music driver and soundtrack for their first professional game, Subterranean Stryker. After discovering how to create phasing sounds, Follin was able to use a 2-channel music driver to further experiment and come up with an arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
of Stravinsky's
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
"The Firebird", used for the game Star Firebirds. Follin graduated to 3-channel music with his third soundtrack, Vectron. In his early career, Follin was enthused by game magazine reviews touting the quality of music for the games he scored.
Follin's sole game programming credit (not counting music drivers) came with his fourth title, Future Games, where he created one minigame of the several featured.
Software Creations
Hired by Richard Kay, Tim followed brother Mike in moving to Software Creations in 1987, his first full-time job, where he spent a significant portion of his career. Follin's arranged soundtrack to Bubble Bobble was his first written for a soundchip, the AY-3-8910General Instrument AY-3-8910
The AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit CP1610 or one of the PIC1650 series of 8-bit microcomputers...
.
Follin wrote the music for Black Lamp in one night after a bout of writer's block.
Within the level 1 music of Ghouls'n Ghosts for the Amiga is a voice sample played backwards saying "secret authority," considered nothing more than a joke by Follin. Alongside Ghouls'n Ghosts, two other Amiga soundtracks, Sly Spy and Puzznic, were presented in the Amiga music format "Follin Player II." To arcade soundtrack arrangements like Bionic Commando and Ghouls'n Ghosts, Follin added richer sound palette and composed some new songs (the 4th stage of Bionic Commando and the title music of Ghouls'n Ghosts).
Follin described the NES title Solstice
Solstice (video game)
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos is a puzzle-oriented video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System created by Software Creations and heavily influenced by Ultimate Play the Game's Knight Lore and Pentagram...
as "a very inspiring game to do music for," demanding atmospheric music within the game's dark castle environment, as well as powerful music choreographed with the title sequence. Follin did not use a keyboard or any instruments for the Solstice soundtrack, composing while "thinking along the lines of the computer and not [...] a keyboard." Follin felt the programming-only approach allowed him to work with "a more open mind."
In a 1990 interview, Follin expressed "a bit of desolation" over the prospect of no longer composing for the Commodore 64, stating "I don't see myself staying with this machine," perhaps sensing the transition occurring in the European gaming marketplace as the third generation of video and computer game platforms
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
reached its end. Follin's final Commodore 64 release came with 1991's Gauntlet III
Gauntlet III: The Final Quest
Gauntlet III: The Final Quest is a home computer game by U.S. Gold and Tengen it was released in 1991 for the following systems; Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC. It was released one year after Gauntlet: The Third Encounter which was for the Atari Lynx...
.
Beside contributing the soundtrack with brother Geoff, Follin recorded live sound effects for 1993 SNES title Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (video game)
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a video game based on Shining Time Station and the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series released in August 2, 1993.-Summary:...
.
Citing a declining work environment, Follin departed Software Creations in 1993 (with his final title there being Rock N' Roll Racing
Rock N' Roll Racing
Rock N' Roll Racing is a battle-racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse and published by Interplay for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. The background music consists of instrumental versions of several heavy metal and rock n' roll songs,...
).
Malibu Interactive and freelancing
After leaving Software Creations, Follin joined Malibu Interactive for 18 months. While working for Malibu, Follin provided the soundtrack for Time Trax on the Sega Mega Drive and (along with brother Geoff) Prime for the Sega CD, doing "virtually nothing and getting paid" for the following year before winding up out of work. Another title composed alongside brother Geoff, Firearm, went unpublished. Follin would spend the remainder of his video game career as a freelancer. Following Malibu Interactive's collapse, Follin then worked with groups that made unsuccessful game pitches to Psygnosis and the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Follin provided part of the soundtrack for Batman & Robin, developed by Probe.
Follin joined the development team of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future as the title's lead composer around mid-1998, leaving Attila Heger no longer responsible for providing the entirety of the soundtrack. (Heger was made primarily responsible for scoring the game's cutscenes.) Follin had been offered the composer position by Sega UK producer David Nulty, who was a fan of Follin's Commodore 64 work. The soundtrack received very favorable reviews from Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
, DC-UK
DC-UK
DC-UK was a Dreamcast video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. Its first issue was published in August 1999 and it ran until 2001. The magazine was launched by ex-Edge deputy editor Caspar Field, who edited the first seven issues...
and Official Dreamcast Magazine
Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK)
The Official Dreamcast Magazine was a video game magazine published by Dennis Publishing in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2001. The magazine featured news, reviews, previews and features on Dreamcast games. The magazine held the official magazine license for the Dreamcast in the UK and...
.
The 2003 multiplatform release Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch (video game)
Starsky & Hutch is a video game released in 2003 by Mind's Eye. The game is based on the Starsky and Hutch television series.The game follows the adventures of Starsky and Hutch, in three Seasons. The player must complete missions/episodes throughout the season...
was given a funk-style score by Follin, who said at the time, "This is the project I had hoped I would get one day. I've always loved Starsky & Hutch and it's [sic] original title music." While with Software Creations, Follin had previously arranged the Starsky & Hutch television series
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
' theme as the title music to the 1991 NES release Treasure Master
Treasure Master
Treasure Master is a video game released by American Softworks in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System as part of a contest involving MTV.-The contest:...
.
End of video game career
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, light-heartedly adding that the situation caused him "distress and illness." The tenuous nature of game development caused several instances of Follin being hired and subsequently having the project shelved. Follin noted that Starsky & Hutch had been in development for around three years before eventually being released.His brothers Geoff Follin and Mike Follin
Mike Follin
The Revd. Michael Stuart Follin was, until the late 1990s, a computer game programmer. Amongst the companies at which he worked was Software Creations, where he worked on games for the ZX Spectrum, including highly rated arcade conversions of Bubble Bobble and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, as well as the...
also worked in the video game industry as musician and programmer respectively, with both having moved on to other careers. Much like his brothers, Follin has changed careers, choosing to pursue films, television advertising as well as graphic design. Follin never considered himself a gamer as much as a musician or developer. Follin's website offers a brief overview of his video game music career.
Ludography
| Video game soundtracks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:left; margin:auto;"> | ||||
| Game | Release Date | Platform | Notes | |
| Lemmings | 2006 | PlayStation Portable PlayStation Portable The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... |
final video game soundtrack after announcing retirement | |
| Ford Racing 3 | 2005 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... , Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP... |
co-composers: Muddy Funkers, Paul Stroud | |
| Future Tactics: The Uprising Future Tactics: The Uprising Future Tactics: The Uprising is a turn based tactical shooter video game by Zed Two. Once known as Pillage, this colourful turn based shooter was stuck in development for a number of years before being picked up by Crave for a US release, followed shortly by JoWood for a European release... |
2004 | PlayStation 2, GameCube Nintendo GameCube The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia... , Xbox, Windows |
||
| Ford Racing 2 | 2003 | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh Macintosh The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a... , Windows |
co-composer: Bjørn Lynne Bjørn Lynne Bjørn Arild Lynne is a Norwegian sound engineer and music composer, now living and working in Stavern, Norway. He has been widely known as a tracker music composer under the name "Dr. Awesome/Crusaders" in the late 1980s–early 90s when he released numerous tunes in MOD format and created music... |
|
| Starsky & Hutch Starsky & Hutch (video game) Starsky & Hutch is a video game released in 2003 by Mind's Eye. The game is based on the Starsky and Hutch television series.The game follows the adventures of Starsky and Hutch, in three Seasons. The player must complete missions/episodes throughout the season... |
2003 | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows, GameCube | sound, additional storyline; co-composers: Dave Sullivan, Matthew Costello | |
| Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is the fourth title in the Ecco the Dolphin series. It was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast and its soundtrack is composed by Tim Follin. Defender of the Future is an entirely new game universe with a story that has no ties to the original Mega... |
2000 (2002: PS2) |
Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 | co-composer: Attilla Heger (cutscenes) | |
| Bust-A-Move 4 Puzzle Bobble 4 Puzzle Bobble 4 is the third sequel to the video game Puzzle Bobble and is the final appearance of the series on the Arcade, PlayStation and Dreamcast... |
1999 | Game Boy Color Game Boy Color The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than... |
arranger, co-arranger: Andy Brock | |
| Batman & Robin Batman & Robin (video game) Batman & Robin is the name of two console video games based on DC Comics' Batman, one for the PlayStation, the other for the Game.com. The PlayStation game was developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim Entertainment in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC... |
1998 | PlayStation PlayStation The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... |
film score arrangements (no compositions) | |
| WWF War Zone WWF War Zone WWF War Zone is a 1998 professional wrestling video game featuring wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation, developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake and released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy... |
1998 | Game Boy Game Boy The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... |
||
| Firearm Firearm (comics) Firearm was a comic book series created by writer James Dale Robinson and artists Howard Chaykin and Cully Hamner for Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint, which lasted 18 issues, with an additional 0 issue. The 0 issue included a 35-minute Firearm movie, on VHS... (cancelled) |
1995 | PC Personal computer A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator... |
co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Prime | 1995 | Sega CD Sega Mega-CD The is an add-on device for the Mega Drive video game console, designed and produced by Sega and released in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The device was also released in North America under the name Sega CD, for the Sega Genesis... |
co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Batman Forever Batman Forever (video game) Batman Forever is a beat 'em up game based on the movie of the same name.-Developers:The Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Game Boy versions were developed by Acclaim Studios London and published by Acclaim Entertainment. The Sega Game Gear and PC versions were developed by Probe... |
1995 | Sega Genesis Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that... , SNES Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
co-composer: Geoff Follin (SNES) | |
| Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is a Super NES baseball game that was released in 1994. The game has a Major League Baseball license but not a Major League Baseball Players Association license, meaning that the game has real stadiums and real teams, but not real players... |
1994 | SNES | arranger; co-composers/co-arrangers: Geoff Follin, Chris Jojo, Paul Tonge, Matthew Cannon | |
| Moto-X (completed, unreleased) | 1994 | SNES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Time Trax | 1993 | Sega Mega Drive | music driver designer | |
| Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (video game) Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a video game based on Shining Time Station and the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series released in August 2, 1993.-Summary:... |
1993 | SNES | arranger; co-composer/co-arranger: Geoff Follin | |
| Rock N' Roll Racing Rock N' Roll Racing Rock N' Roll Racing is a battle-racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse and published by Interplay for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. The background music consists of instrumental versions of several heavy metal and rock n' roll songs,... |
1993 | SNES | music driver designer, arranger; co-composer/co-arranger: Geoff Follin | |
| Equinox | 1993 | SNES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Plok | 1993 | SNES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Super Off Road Super Off Road Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road is an arcade video game released in 1989 by Leland Corporation. Virgin Games produced several home versions in 1990... |
1992 | SNES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge | 1992 | SNES, Sega Genesis | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| The Incredible Crash Dummies | 1992 | Game Boy, Game Gear Sega Game Gear The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress.... , Sega Master System Sega Master System The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe.... |
co-composer: Geoff Follin, music conversion: Matt Furniss (GG, SMS) | |
| Gauntlet III Gauntlet III: The Final Quest Gauntlet III: The Final Quest is a home computer game by U.S. Gold and Tengen it was released in 1991 for the following systems; Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC. It was released one year after Gauntlet: The Third Encounter which was for the Atari Lynx... |
1991 | Commodore 64 Commodore 64 The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595... , Amiga Amiga The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities... , ZX Spectrum ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd... |
co-composer: Geoff Follin (C64, Spectrum) | |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1991 video game) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a video game released in 1991 by Taito for the NES based in the film of the same name... (Taito Taito Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa... version) |
1991 | NES Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987... |
||
| Treasure Master Treasure Master Treasure Master is a video game released by American Softworks in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System as part of a contest involving MTV.-The contest:... |
1991 | NES | ||
| The New Zealand Story (known in America as Kiwi Kraze) | 1991 | NES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Pictionary Pictionary (video game) Pictionary, also known as Pictionary: The Game of Video Quick Draw, is a NES puzzle game, written by Software Creations Ltd., and released by LJN Toys Ltd., and Pictionary Incorporated in 1990. Players may play in up to four teams of unlimited players... |
1990 | NES | ||
| Silver Surfer | 1990 | NES | co-composer: Geoff Follin | |
| Solstice Solstice (video game) Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos is a puzzle-oriented video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System created by Software Creations and heavily influenced by Ultimate Play the Game's Knight Lore and Pentagram... |
1990 | NES | ||
| Ghouls'n Ghosts | Dec. 1989 | Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST Atari ST The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals... |
arranger | |
| Qix | 1989 | Commodore 64, Amiga | ||
| Magic Johnson's Fast Break | 1989 | Commodore 64, NES | ||
| Chester Field | 1989 | Commodore 64 | ||
| Missle Ground Zero | 1989 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| L.E.D. Storm | Feb. 1989 | Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum | arranger | |
| Bionic Commando | June 1988 | Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST | arranger | |
| Target: Renegade Target: Renegade Target; Renegade is a scrolling beat'em up computer game released on the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum systems in the late 1980s by Ocean Software on their "Imagine" label, as well as a Nintendo Entertainment System version published by Taito. The game is a sequel to Renegade and was... |
1988 | NES | arranger | |
| Sky Shark | 1988 | Commodore 64, NES | arranger | |
| Peter Pack Rat | 1988 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | arranger | |
| Bodyslam | 1988 | Commodore 64 | ||
| Psycho Pigs UXB | 1988 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | co-composer: Geoff Follin (C64) | |
| Aigina's Prophecy | 1988 | Commodore 64 | ||
| Star Paws Star Paws Star Paws is a video game for the Commodore 64; in addition to the Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum.-Summary:This video game was released by Software Projects Ltd. in 1987.... |
1988 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| Raw Recruit | 1988 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | ||
| Black Lamp | Apr. 1988 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | ||
| Bubble Bobble | Oct. 1987 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST | arranger | |
| Renegade | 1987 | Amiga, Atari ST | arranger | |
| Scumball | 1987 | Commodore 64 | ||
| Agent X II | 1987 | Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | ||
| Chronos | 1987 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| The Sentinel The Sentinel (computer game) The Sentinel is a computer game created by Geoff Crammond, published by Firebird in 1986 for the BBC Micro and converted to the C64 , Amstrad CPC , ZX Spectrum , Atari ST, Amiga and PC . It was released in the US as The Sentry... |
Mar. 1987 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| Agent X | 1986 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| Future Games | June 1986 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| Vectron | Oct.-Dec. 1985 | ZX Spectrum | ||
| Star Firebirds | Oct. 1985 | ZX Spectrum | arranger | |
| Subterranean Stryker | Mar. 1985 | ZX Spectrum |
Thoughts on video game music
Follin's methodology of music was that music is "basically an unconscious experience" that does not and should not "engage your intellect." Rather, Follin believed game music was "more of a sort of atmospheric thing" and had "always written music to be part of something else," intending for the video game (or other media the music is composed for) to provide the image or scene of context.Within his personal experience, Follin always found the hardest part of creating music to be the concept phase, saying "I probably tear my hair out more over arrangement than over anything else." The easiest part was the execution of the solidified concepts.
Follin felt the idea of computer music was "a silly one to begin with," as soundchips from the earliest platforms (e.g. ZX Spectrum) were only meant to produce sound effects. As early as 1994, Follin expressed his desire to move away from scoring video games and transition to films, stating that he preferred never to work with chip-generated music again along with his hopes that the games industry would not move backwards from the emerging standard of CD audio. Whether dealing with the audio limitations of older consoles or a game's narrow style guidelines when composing for modern soundtracks, Follin regarded the challenge of creating music within constraints to be an interesting part of working in video game music.
As a video game composer, Follin believed the necessities of being proficient in many genres and creating music on demand often confused the general public, who are used to acts that produce one style of music. He observed that "musicians generally aren't rewarded for being heterogeneous."
During his game music career, Follin never had the mood or interest to join any demoscene
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
groups
Demogroup
Demogroups are teams of demosceners, who make computer based audio-visual works of art known as demos. Demogroups form a subculture collectively known as the demoscene....
. Though Follin knew few fellow video game composers, he highly respected Richard Jacques
Richard Jacques
Richard Jacques is a British music composer. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega.-Early life:...
for the amount of work put into his music.
Influences
Follin cited progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
as well as many musicians (including Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and John Martyn) as having had some casual or subconscious influence on his music, and has also enjoyed music by Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Guns 'n Roses. However, he did not feel that any specific artist or style had been a primary inspiration during his career. Follin acknowledged that in one instance he went for a more contemporary style when scoring the award-winning soundtrack to Bionic Commando, actively choosing to mimic other people's music for fear of potentially losing his job.
The soundtrack to Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future may have been influenced by the works of American minimalist composer John Adams, whom Follin explicitly acknowledged as a current influence during the time he was completing the soundtrack, citing Adams' work as "the only minimalist stuff I've heard which struck a chord with me."
Follin did not have much time to listen to the work of his musical contemporaries while in the video games industry, a situation he implied as having been a benefit to his career. Follin speculated that in actively listening to those works, he likely ran the risk of encountering ideas he had not thought of and subsequently becoming discouraged and/or prone to copycatting.
Personal view of work
Particularly in the earlier days of his career, Follin often composed game soundtracks while the games themselves were still in the writing stages, meaning that there was usually no frame of reference or genre objective in mind. Follin himself humorously felt these situations created many instances where the soundtrack was unsuited to the game, though at the time neither he nor any game developers had any issues. Given another chance, Follin said he would have given more effort toward making his earlier soundtracks better suited to the games, feeling that his failure to do so (despite the compositional quality) likely cost him future work. Back then, Follin instead focused on exploring the various consoles' audio limitations. The technical limitations of the most primitive video game system soundchips made Follin's primary goals to create original sounds as well as not allow the resulting music to sound poor.Follin also never had the interest to join a demoscene
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
group, though, near the end of his time working with Commodore platforms, he claimed he enjoyed himself when he made music. Outside of Ghouls'n Ghosts however, Follin later described his Commodore 64 work as nonsense that he wasn't particularly happy with.
Follin noted Ghouls'n Ghosts on the Commodore 64 as his favorite work, though the game was a known entity, unlike many of Follin's early projects. Software Creations programmer Steve Ruddy, who created the music driver for the game (with design input from Follin) recalled Follin describing a wide array of imagery for the title theme. For the Ghouls'n Ghosts soundtrack, Follin retained parts of Tamayo Kawamoto's original arcade soundtrack within most tracks, only to transition into his own ideas for other portions of those tracks. Similar circumstances resulted in Follin's soundtrack for Bionic Commando.
Follin has found it difficult to listen to works he created, feeling them outdated by the time they were completed. Follin disliked working with the Atari ST and the ZX Spectrum's AY chip, feeling the NES had more character. While not feeling very successful composing music for the Amiga, Follin enjoyed working on soundtracks for the SNES and Commodore 64. He described writing for the C64's SID chip
MOS Technology SID
The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
as "playing an instrument in its own right," appreciating the analog sound it produced, despite having only three channels to work with. Follin also recalled the SNES's Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge being fun due to the inclusion of cheesy '70s guitar synths and brass synths.
Despite not considering himself adept at any live instruments, and composing several soundtracks beyond the fifth generation of video game consoles
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
using samples, Follin disliked sampled music. Instead, Follin strove to make his music sound as close to live instrumentation as possible. His most notable work using sampled instruments was the soundtrack to Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is the fourth title in the Ecco the Dolphin series. It was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast and its soundtrack is composed by Tim Follin. Defender of the Future is an entirely new game universe with a story that has no ties to the original Mega...
, an experience he enjoyed, but also felt frustrated with on account of "a lack of equipment and resources – such as a string orchestra and choir!" Follin finds orchestral music inherently more human-sounding and listenable.
Fandom
Several contemporaries of Follin's have cited him as an inspiration or top composer including Richard JacquesRichard Jacques
Richard Jacques is a British music composer. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega.-Early life:...
, Jesper Kyd
Jesper Kyd
Jesper Jakobson Kyd is a Danish video game and film score composer.Kyd combines sounds of dark ambient, electronic and symphonic music and has won many awards. He is also notable for his early work in the Amiga demoscene, where he composed a large amount of music in his teenage years, in...
, David Wise, Frédéric Motte
Frédéric Motte
Frédéric "Elmobo" Motte is a music producer and composer. He started toying with computer music when he got his hands on his first computer in 1983.-Demoscene:...
, Markus Schneider, Matt "Gasman" Westcott, Ramiro "Extremer" Vaca, graphic artist Haydn Dalton, and programmer Dean Belfield. Frequent Software Creations collaborator Steve Ruddy, who programmed music drivers used by Follin with Follin's design input, marveled "I had no idea how he made it do what it did," and described his music as "astonishing."
Regarding fan communities dedicated to arranging video game music, including his own, Follin remarked, "It's really good. A lot of the stuff, you just think 'Well, that's much better than what I would have done...could do now.'" Follin is consistently mentioned as a favorite composer among European musicians within the Commodore arrangement scene.
Alongside the music of fellow video game music composer Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard
Rob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64...
, Follin's musical work in games was spotlighted in listening stations of the worldwide Game On exhibition, organized by the Barbican Art Gallery
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
.
Media production career
Follin has written, directed, produced and composed for two short films: Body Counting and The Sun Circle. Body Counting won the Best Short Film under £5,000 award at the Salford Film Festival in November 2004.In April 2010 Follin joined Matt Barraclough and Paul Ambler to form ABF Pictures Ltd., a company making TV commecials, web video and music promos.
Personal life
Follin once expressed interest in the works of Carl JungCarl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
regarding the meaning of dreams. He has expressed that he does not use recreational drugs, perhaps counter to inferences made by fans of his music.
Follin has little interest in television, but was a fan of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
. He also enjoyed filmmaker John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
's short film I Dreamt I Woke Up.
Follin considers writing therapeutic.
Family
Tim, son of Marjorie Follin, was the youngest of three brothers, all of whom had careers in the video game industry. Oldest brother Michael Stuart (Mike) moved on after 16 years as a programmer to become an ordained minister in the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Middle brother Geoff, a fellow game composer who was proficient in several instruments, MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
software and reading sheet music, later went on to become a primary school teacher. Other family includes his Auntie Janice Perkins, Uncle David Eaton and his cousins Catherine and Rachel Perkins, Liverpool.
External links
- "Dr. Follin's Home Surgery" - Tim Follin's homepage
- ABF Pictures - Tim Follin's media production company
- Artist profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
- Arranger profile at Remix64
- Discography at VGMdb
- MobyGames rap sheet
- "A Fond Farewell To Follin" GameSetWatch: Carless, Simon (Jan. 2, 2006)
Interviews
- "Playing Catch-Up: Tim Follin" Gamasutra: Cifaldi, Frank (Sep. 26, 2005)
- "Chiptunes: Programme 1: ZX Spectrum Music" Flat Four Radio: Sharples, Matt and Stowell, Dan (June 1, 2005)
- "Starsky & Hutch Interview: Veteran Game Composer Tim Follin" Music 4 Games: Aldis, Neil (Aug. 1, 2003)
- Another groovy CZone exclusive interview from Kenz and Waz. Commodore Zone: Mackenzie, Jason & Pilkington, Warren (1998)
- "Interview of the Month" Lethal News: Aydin, Metin L. (1990)