| Steven Melin | |
| Birth Place: | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genre: | Video Game Music, Orchestral, Electronic |
| Occupation: | Composer, Musician |
| Instrument: | piano, violin, guitar, synthesizer, percussion |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
Steven Melin is an American music composer for audio drama podcasts, films, television, trailers, and video games. Melin's work has been featured in The Bachelorette, Dark Dice, and IGN Summer of Gaming 2024.[1] His music can be heard across numerous projects and platforms including NBC, CBS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.[2] Melin is one of the top-selling video game music pack creators in the world, the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book "Family-First Composer", and the founder of the Video Game Music Alliance.[3] [4]
Born into a musical family in Atlanta, GA, Melin began playing piano at age 7 and picked up other instruments, including violin, guitar, and percussion while participating in school orchestras and choirs. Melin attended Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA, earning a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. During this time, he began scoring his own personal projects, as well as writing for music libraries and independent video games. Afterwards, Melin obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago in Chicago. While enrolled in Columbia College Chicago, Melin worked as an intern for Joel Goodman in Los Angeles, where he helped score new films and create temporary tracks using music from Joel's archive of compositions. After meeting composer and orchestrator Penka Kouneva, Steven accepted a part-time, assistant position and returned to Georgia where he married and started a family.[5] Some of Melin's primary musical influences include video game music composers David Wise, Nobuo Uematsu, and Koji Kondo. Over the course of his career, Melin has collaborated with composers including Hitoshi Sakimoto, David Wise, Grant Kirkhope, Yuzo Koshiro, Garry Schyman, and Austin Wintory.[6] In 2013, Melin began working with Fool & Scholar Productions, composing Dark Dice, Liberty, The Boar Knight, and The White Vault, winning awards and serving as Melin's first projects with a live choir and orchestra.[7] In television, Melin's work has been featured on shows such as The Bachelorette, Dancing with the Stars, and The Dr. Oz Show. Melin has also composed music for trailers. In the video game music industry, Melin is most known for his work on Monster Sanctuary and Beard Blade. He is also notable for creating the best-selling video game music pack Game Music Treasury, featured on game asset stores Unity Asset Store, Unreal Marketplace, Itch.io, and Game Dev Market.[8] In 2022, Melin's video game music packs were featured in a Humble Bundle audio sale that sold over 14,000 times, grossing over $320,000 in sales.[9] In the summer of 2024, Melin composed transition and logo music for the Guerilla Collective and Indie.io showcases, as part of the IGN Summer of Gaming. He is also the composer for Aethermancer, the spiritual successor to Monster Sanctuary. Melin has six children and is the author of the book “Family-First Composer”, a #1 Amazon best-seller about ways for composers to support their families through a career in music composition.
In January 2022, Melin launched the Video Game Music Alliance®, a community for music composers dedicated to growing skillsets in video game music composition, production, technology, and business. The curriculum of Video Game Music Alliance® focuses on building passive income sources, the nuances of working with game developers, and negotiating contracts for custom music. Video Game Music Alliance® also offers peer review and virtual masterclasses with many of the leading composers in the video game music industry, including Penka Kouneva, Jeff Rona, Adam Gubman, Jack Wall, Austin Wintory, Tom Salta, Jon Everist, Brian Schmidt, Winifred Phillips, Jason Graves, Grant Kirkhope, Darren Korb, David Wise, Mike Patti, Peter Murray, and Wilbert Roget II.[10]
Melin also hosts a weekly livestream on YouTube called the Live Composing Show, where he composes music for commercial projects live for the audience and occasionally reviews sample libraries and music software.[11]
| TBA | Aethermancer | Moi Rai Games | |
| TBA | PaperKlay (main theme) | WhyKev | |
| 2021 | Beard Blade | Glovebox Games | |
| 2020 | Monster Sanctuary | Moi Rai Games | |
| 2018 | (motion comic) | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2018 | Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior | Ritual Games | |
| 2015 | A More Beautiful World | Afterthought Studios | |
| 2015 | Snail Panic | Nehemek Games | |
| 2014 | Duel School | Columbia College Chicago | |
| 2013 | Worm Run | Golden Ruby Games |
| 2024 | Rack and Slay | Ludokultur | |
| 2023 | '’Windmills’’ | Poor Locke | |
| 2023 | Reaper of Immortals | Mounaim | |
| 2022 | Tuff Fluff | Rocky Mullet | |
| 2022 | Peril | Daniel Thurman | |
| 2021 | Mantle | Game Sage Productions | |
| 2021 | Cherry Island | Adrien Jeanneret | |
| 2020 | Shadows of the Lost: A Blood City Tale | OMC Games | |
| 2020 | Summoner's Fate | D20 Studios | |
| 2019 | Magnus Quest | Game Sage Productions | |
| 2019 | Mage | Game Sage Productions | |
| 2019 | The Dark One | Tenfor | |
| 2019 | Jar Battlers | Sylph Arcade | |
| 2013 | The 9 Divine | YoYo Games | |
| 2010 | Zuwaka | YoYo Games | |
| 2008 | Rogue Mercenary | YoYo Games |
| Frogbound: The Legend of Sir Hopper | Stomaco Studio | |
| Crimson Capes | Poor Locke | |
| Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults | BKOM Studios | |
| Twilight Monk | Aquatic Moon | |
| Abalon Arena | D20 Studios | |
| Moonlighter | Digital Sun | |
| Inkbound | Scribbleforge Games | |
| Dream Tales | Fingers Meet Controller | |
| Sneaky Snake | Sol Key | |
| GLORY | Reach Game Studios |
| 2023 | 1000-lb Sisters (1 episode) | TLC | |
| 2022 | Bachelor in Paradise (1 episode) | ABC | |
| 2021 | The Bachelorette (1 episode) | ABC | |
| 2020 | To the Rescue (1 episode) | CBS | |
| 2017-2018 | The Dr. Oz Show (2 episodes) | Sony Pictures | |
| 2015-2017 | Dancing with the Stars (5 episodes) | ABC | |
| 2014 | Fake Off (1 episode) | TruTV |
| 2024 | Finding Matt Drudge (main theme) | iHeartRadio | |
| 2022-2023 | The Boar Knight | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2022 | Don't Mind Cruxmont | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2021 | The White Vault: Avram | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2020 | The White Vault: Illuka | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2019-2021 | The White Vault | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2019 | The White Vault: Imperial | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2018 | The White Vault: Artifact | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2018-current | Dark Dice | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2018 | FEE Audio XP | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| 2018 | FEECast (theme music) | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| 2018 | Liberty: Vigilance | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2017-2018 | High School at 12Stone | 12Stone Church | |
| 2016-2021 | Liberty: Tales from the Tower | Fool & Scholar Productions | |
| 2015-2017 | Liberty: Critical Research | Fool & Scholar Productions |
| IGN Summer of Gaming 2024 | IGN | |
| Guerrilla Collective Showcase 2024 | Media Indie Exchange | |
| Indie.io Showcase 2024 | Indie.io | |
| Super Pastor Kart | 12Stone Church | |
| Play Different | 12Stone Church | |
| Why Are We Here | 12Stone Church | |
| This Is Our Family | 12Stone Church | |
| Revolution of One Web Series | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| The Language Tutor Intro | The Language Tutor | |
| How We Thrive: Dian Stan | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| Invisible Hands Web Series | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| The Bomber's Hideout | The Bomber's Hideout | |
| Space to Explore | Katherine Dubois | |
| Duchess of Atholl | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| How We Thrive: Made in Mékhé | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| How We Thrive: Coding Cannabis | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| Thomas Clarkson: The First Abolitionist | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| Avery + Client | Cobblestone Productions | |
| O9EN UP (teaser trailer) | Tyler Lee Allen | |
| 2018 Easter Bumper | 12Stone Church | |
| Every Bike Needs a Kid | 12Stone Church | |
| The Lazy Millennial Intro | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| Heartbreaking Experience with Socialism | Foundation for Economic Education | |
| 2017 Alumni News | Columbia College Chicago | |
| All In | Pixel Preacher | |
| For Better or Worse | Pixel Preacher | |
| Like Me | Pixel Preacher | |
| Iron Wolf Academy promo | Iron Wolf Academy | |
| Virtuoso | Charlie Myers | |
| Here Died All Cardinals | Artem Avakian | |
| Grave Innocence | Florida State University | |
| Shades | Magnify Entertainment | |
| Pen Pals | Nancy Williams | |
| Tiger Lily (trailer) | Byron Conrad Erwin | |
| Zombie Tag | Magnify Entertainment | |
| Freeze | Get the Horns Productions |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Parsec Awards | Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team | Liberty: Critical Research | [12] | |
| 2018 | Mark Time Awards | The Ogle for Horror (Silver) | The White Vault | [13] | |
| BANFF Mountain Film and Book Festival | Official Selection | Space to Explore | [14] | ||
| 2019 | Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital | Official Selection | [15] | ||
| American Documentary Film Festival | Audience Favorite Short | [16] | |||
| Wild & Scenic Film Festival | Official Selection | [17] | |||
| Discover Pod Award | Best Fiction Podcast | The White Vault | [18] | ||
| Audio Verse Awards | Best Vocal Composition in a Production | The White Vault: A Musical | [19] [20] [21] | ||
| Webby Awards | Best Original Music / Sound Design in Podcasting | The White Vault | [22] | ||
| 2020 | Hear Now Audio Fiction and Arts Festival | Platinum Award | The White Vault | ||
| Hear Now Audio Fiction and Arts Festival | The Gold Listening Showcase Official Selection | Dark Dice | |||
| Webby Awards | Best Original Music / Sound Design in Podcasting | The White Vault | [23] | ||
| Audio Verse Awards | Best Instrumental Composition in a Production | Dark Dice - "Danse Sanguis" | [24] | ||
| Best Vocal Composition in a Production | Dark Dice - "Devil's Gamble” | ||||
| Best Instrumental Composition in a Production | “The White Vault” | ||||
| Best Instrumental Composition in a New Production | “The White Vault: Illuka” - “Dredged from the Deep” | ||||
| 2021 | Best Original Compositions for a New Production | “The White Vault: Avrum” | [25] | ||
| Best Music Direction for a Production | “The White Vault” | ||||
| Best Original Compositions for a Production | |||||
| Webby Awards | People's Voice Award for Scripted Fiction Podcast | [26] | |||
| 2022 | Audio Verse Award | Best Music Direction of an Existing Production | [27] | ||
| Best Composition for an Existing Production | “The White Vault” - "Beneath the Ice” | ||||
| Best Composition for an Existing Production | “Dark Dice” - "Light of Eastwood” | ||||
| Best Composition for a New Production | “Don't Mind Cruxmont” | ||||
| Signal Awards | Best Original Score (Listener's Choice) | Dark Dice | [28] | ||
| Best Original Score | |||||
| Most Innovative Audio Experience | |||||
| Most Innovative Audio Experience (Listener's Choice) | |||||
| 2023 | Baltimore Next Media Web Fest | Best Actual Play | Dark Dice | [29] | |
| Best Score in an Actual Play | |||||
| Best Fantasy for Children – Audio Fiction | “The Boar Knight” | ||||
| Indie Series Awards | Best Audio Fiction Series | Dark Dice | [30] | ||
| Best Original Score | |||||
| Best Original Song | The Boar Knight - "The Boar Knight Theme" | ||||
| MN Webfest | Best Original Score in a Podcast | Dark Dice | [31] | ||
| Best Fantasy Podcast | |||||
| Best Family Podcast | “The Boar Knight” | ||||
| Best Fantasy Podcast | “The Boar Knight” | ||||
| Best Original Score in a Podcast | “The Boar Knight” | ||||
| New Jersey Web Festival | Best Original Song | “The Boar Knight” - "Sinister Stirring Stories” | [32] | ||
| New Zealand Web Fest | Best Actual Play Podcast | Dark Dice | [33] | ||
| Best Fiction Podcast | “Don't Mind Cruxmont” | ||||
| Rio WebFest | Best Actual Play | Dark Dice | [34] | ||
| Best Fiction Podcast | “The Boar Knight” | ||||
| Webby Awards | Best Individual Episode Scripted Fiction | The White Vault | [35] | ||
| 2024 | Cusco WebFest | Best Sound of a Fiction Podcast | The Boar Knight | [36] | |
| Best Environment on a Fiction Podcast | |||||
| Best Sound Design in an Actual Play | “Dark Dice” |