Masayoshi Soken

Masayoshi Soken (祖堅正慶, Soken Masayoshi, born January 10, 1975) is a Japanese video game composer and sound editor who has worked for Square Enix since 2001. Soken is best known for being the lead composer and sound director of Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions. Throughout his musical career, Soken has also used the names "Sorbonne Soken" and "Louise Noma".

Masayoshi Soken
Soken in 2016
Background information
Also known as
  • Sorbonne Soken
  • Louise Noma
Born (1975-01-10) January 10, 1975
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Composer
  • sound designer
Instruments
  • Piano
  • guitar
  • otamatone
Years active2001–present

Biography

Born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Soken and his family later moved to Tokyo, where he attended the Tokyo University of Science, majoring in chemistry.[1][2] He was exposed to music at a young age—his father was a professional trumpet player and his mother taught piano.[2] Rather than pursue a career in science, he was hired as a sound editor and designer at Konami.[2][3] He joined Square in 1998 and his early work at the company primarily focused on sound effect design, rather than composition.[3] He assisted Kenji Ito on sports video games such as Gekikuukan Pro Baseball: The End of the Century 1999.[2] His debut as a composer came with the Japan-exclusive sports games Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League, in which he was the sole composer, and World Fantasista with synthesizer programmer Takeharu Ishimoto.

In 2005, Soken worked on Drakengard 2 and Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.[1] The following year, Soken composed and arranged the score to Mario Hoops 3-on-3.[4] Along with Kenji Ito and Tsuyoshi Sekito, he created the soundtrack to Dawn of Mana (known as "Seiken Densetsu 4" in Japan), with Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto providing the main theme.[5] Soken also arranged a few tracks from previous Mana games, and performed the electric guitar for his arrangements. In 2007, he scored the online game Elebest with Ai Yamashita.[1]

Soken has also contributed to Square Enix advertisements; Front Mission 5: Scars of the War (2005) featured the sports commercial song "Blue Stream",[6] Soken's only composition in the game.[7] He also participated in a Square Enix advertisement for pencils where he got beaten up by two robots; the commercial featured music composed by him. Soken created the fanfare for Square Enix Music TV, a monthly video feature where new album releases are discussed and interviews with Square Enix composers are conducted.[1] For the iTunes-exclusive Square Enix Music Official Bootleg collection, Soken contributed the piece "Dog Street" for the first volume in 2006,[8] and "Languid Afternoon" for the third volume in 2007; he went under the alias "Sorbonne Soken" on the third volume.[9] In 2008, he composed the Japan-exclusive Nanashi no Game, this time under the pseudonym "Louise Noma".[10] In 2010, he composed another sports game for the Wii, Mario Sports Mix.

Since the 2010 development team reshuffling, he has been sound director for Final Fantasy XIV. Soken became primary composer for the title with the launch of A Realm Reborn and the expansions that followed. He formed a rock band called The Primals with members of the sound team to play at Final Fantasy XIV events such as Fan Festival.[3][11] The Primals have since released several albums starting with Final Fantasy XIV: From Astral to Umbral.[2] Following Nobuo Uematsu's illness in 2018,[12] Soken composed the main theme for Shadowbringers. With the previous expansions' main theme songs having previously been composed by Uematsu, this made Shadowbringers' soundtrack the first in the Final Fantasy XIV series to be entirely written by Soken.

In May 2021, during the Final Fantasy XIV Digital Fan Festival, Soken announced that he had been receiving chemotherapy for cancer treatment throughout most of 2020, adding that the cancer was in remission. Soken kept the treatment hidden from most of the development team, doing some of his work for Final Fantasy XIV from hospital.[13]

Musical style and influences

Soken primarily approaches his game composing with the player's experience in mind.[14] When tasked with arranging Final Fantasy music originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu, he takes extra care to achieve this goal.[15][16] Soken credits his experience as a sound designer, sound editor, and voice editor for helping him handle the pressure of the Final Fantasy XIV remake.[2] He primarily composes using piano and keyboard but prefers playing guitar in live performances.[3]

Soken's favorite bands are Rage Against the Machine and Pennywise.[14][17]

Works

YearGameNote(s)
2000Gekikuukan Pro Baseball: The End of the Century 1999with Kenji Ito
2002Nichibeikan Pro Baseball: Final League
World Fantasistawith Takeharu Ishimoto
Kamaitachi no Yoru 2
2005Drakengard 2sound designer
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
2006Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Dawn of Manawith Kenji Ito, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Ryuichi Sakamoto
2007Elebestwith Ai Yamashita
2008Nanashi no Game
Lord of Vermilionsound designer
2009Lord of Vermilion II
Nanashi no Game: Me
Noroi no Game: Chi
Noroi no Game: Oku
Natsu no Arashi! Akinai-chuuanime; composed ending theme "Otome no Junjo"
2010 Final Fantasy XIVwith Nobuo Uematsu, Ryo Yamazaki, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Naoshi Mizuta
Lord of Arcanasound designer
Mario Sports Mixwith Kumi Tanioka
2011Ikenie no Yoruwith Ai Yamashita
2013Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
2014Drakengard 3sound editor
2015Final Fantasy XIV: Heavenswardwith Nobuo Uematsu and Yukiko Takada
2017Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
2019Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
2021Belle révolte / Aina Suzukicomposed "RED BLAZE : BLUE FLAME"[18]
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

References

  1. "Masayoshi Soken Profile". Game Music Online. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  2. "Masayoshi Soken Interview: From Astral to Umbral". VGMO -Video Game Music Online-. February 18, 2015.
  3. "Talking with Masayoshi Soken - Final Fantasy XIV's Composer". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 via www.youtube.com.
  4. "SQUARE ENIX MUSIC". June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017.
  5. "Seiken Densetsu 4 Original Soundtrack -Sanctuary-". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  6. Harry. "Front Mission 5 ~Scars of the War~ Original Soundtrack :: Review by Harry". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  7. "Front Mission 5 ~Scars of the War~ Original Soundtrack". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  8. Don. "Square Enix Music Official Bootleg Vol. 1 :: Review by Don". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  9. Don. "Square Enix Music Official Bootleg Vol. 3 :: Review by Don". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  10. Chris (July 23, 2008). "Nanashi no Game EP Released". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  11. Inc, SQUARE ENIX. "Announcing the Fan Festival 2019 in Tokyo Stage Schedule". FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone.
  12. Final Fantasy Composer Nobuo Uematsu Stopping Work Due to Health Problems - IGN, retrieved September 6, 2019
  13. "'Final Fantasy XIV' composer Masayoshi Soken reveals cancer battle". NME. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  14. "FF XIV Composer Masayoshi Soken on the Eorzean Symphony, Rage Against the Machine, and Mercy". GAMING.
  15. Williams, Mike (June 6, 2018). "Final Fantasy XIV's Composer Was "Literally Shaking" Listening to an Orchestra Performing His Music".
  16. Plante, Corey. "Why 'Final Fantasy XIV' Is in the Guinness Book of World Records". Inverse.
  17. Salbato, Mike (July 5, 2018). "Masayoshi Soken E3 2018 Interview". RPGFan. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018.
  18. "Belle révolte【通常盤】" (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
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