NEW BRONZE SPONSOR soundtrec

SHOTA NAKAMA CEO & COMPOSER

The Game Audio Network Guild is pleased to announce our newest Bronze Sponsor, soundtrec!

Soundtrec was founded by CEO, Music Director, and Producer Shota Nakama. Born in Okinawa, an island south of Japan, Shota’s mom was a stay at home mother and his father was a doctor. In middle school he decided to drop out which was looked down upon in Japan. At the age of 15, he discovered many new bands that inspired him, such as Deep Purple, and he begged his mom for a guitar. After his uncle gifted him a guitar, Shota fell in love with the instrument instantly and knew from then on that music was going to be his passion. As Shota neared the end of his teenage years, he realized there wasn’t a music industry in Okinawa, unfortunately, so he decided his best option would be to acquire a GED and move to the United States.

When Shota arrived in the United States, he studied music at the Berklee College of Music and earned a degree in Film Scoring. The major was very versatile ranging from composing, sequencing, arranging, and more, which was beneficial for Shota looking to be a in-demand studio musician and arranger. During his last semester at the Berklee College of Music, Shota formed the Video Game Orchestra. The ensemble has gained international renown and has toured across the globe to places like China, Taiwan, and Brazil. With his new ensemble, Shota was encouraged by his colleagues and friends to try recording and production - coincidentally the first gig was recording choir for Tekken. The momentum from the Tekken choir success led him to an anonymous production project that ended up being Final Fantasy XIII. After the success of these first two projects, Shota received requests and clients for arranging, orchestration, recording, and mixing on AAA and indie games - this was the beginning of Soundtrec. It started out as a production service and grew into composing and custom music work.

Soundtrec has had a very large presence in Asia and is one of the most famous game audio companies in Malaysia. When asked what clients can expect from Soundtrec, Shota said, “We can do everything from

composing to mastering. If you want great music, great sound recording, great mix, we can provide the whole thing for you. You can get the ‘western sound’ you have always dreamed of.”

Shota has history in live sound and tries to infuse that into Soundtrec work. “We always try to record live

musicians, we humans are the ones that create music. I believe that.”

We can do everything from composing to mastering. If you want great music, great sound recording, great mix, we can provide the whole thing for you. You can get the ‘western sound’ you have always dreamed of.

– SHOTA NAKAMA

Shota strongly believes we need to get rid of the division between Asia and the West because in terms of business, they are very separated between the two cultures. He would love to see more healthy competition and evolution of the music in games. He thinks a lot of companies are stuck in the mindset of certain sounds and that we need external help to break the shell. Shota believes he is one of the people who can make this happen.

“MY GOAL IS TO NARROW THE GAP BETWEEN ASIA AND THE WEST.”

Soundtrec is credited on Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX, Sonic Mania, Made in Abyss, Rising the Shield of Hero, and much more! Currently, Soundtrec is working on multiple projects including games, anime, and feature films.

— GABRIELLA CIARAMELLA & CODY MATTHEW JOHNSON