Frank Klepacki

Did You Know?

• Klepacki composed 'Hell March' in one day after inventing the guitar riff, based on the idea of 'a rock tune to marching boots.'
• He made cameo appearances as a Soviet soldier killed by Kane and an Allied commander in the cut scenes of Red Alert.
• Red Alert's soundtrack was voted best video game soundtrack of 1996 by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines, beating Trent Reznor's score for Quake.
• Klepacki had to recreate Vangelis's Blade Runner score by ear because Westwood couldn't access the original master recordings.

Early life and career

Frank Klepacki grew up surrounded by music, with a family of Polish and Italian heritage who performed on the Las Vegas strip. Though he enjoyed drawing as a hobby, music quickly became his main focus. He got his first drum kit when he was eight and was already playing professionally by age eleven. His early tastes leaned toward electronica and heavy metal, with influences like Depeche Mode, Afrika Bambaataa, AC/DC, and Iron Maiden. Wanting to get better on guitar, bass, and keyboards, he started local bands and put together a demo tape of his own songs by the time he was seventeen. He said the reason he branched out into so many instruments was because he couldn't get his musical ideas across to other band members. His first piece of recording gear was a TASCAM 4-track cassette recorder, which he used to capture demos, band practices, and live performances.

After learning BASIC programming on a Tandy 1000 and getting into computer and video games, Klepacki applied for a job as a game tester at Westwood Studios. He sent in his demo tape, which was described as an acoustic guitar song mixed with electric guitar leads, keyboard strings, and rain sound effects, to the company's audio director. Westwood, which was expanding at the time, hired him as a composer for the NES version of DragonStrike and the computer game Eye of the Beholder II.

He went on to work with MIDI sequencing on several other Dungeons & Dragons titles. In 1992, he took charge of the audio for Dune II, aiming to match the feel of the original Dune's music. He later mentioned that he pushed his Amiga's sequencing software to its limits while working on that game. While scoring Disney's The Lion King in 1994, he and the Westwood team got to see early sketches of the unfinished film.

Composer Hans Zimmer later complimented Klepacki for reworking his scores. After finishing work on the third Legend of Kyrandia game, Malcolm's Revenge, Klepacki met with Westwood's leaders to talk about the upcoming Command & Conquer, the first game in a series that would earn him widespread recognition and critical praise.

Work and beliefs

Frank Klepacki typically spends a few days per track when composing for video games, from creation to final mastering. He finds game music challenging because he often works with early, incomplete software builds, sometimes relying on vague descriptions to write a piece. Cut scenes are easier, as he can draw inspiration from the game's concept art and direction. He prefers composing throughout a game's development rather than scoring a finished product. Compared to film or solo music, game composition is harder in his view because he must account for every possible situation a player might encounter. To avoid technical hiccups getting in the way of sudden inspiration, he keeps templates ready with a core set of instruments.

For Klepacki, the most rewarding aspect is collaborating with a team—he likens it to the chemistry between band members—and feeling part of something bigger. He thinks game music could improve if artists prioritized quality and found inspiration by actually playing games. He has wished for Electronic Arts to sell his soundtracks in retail stores, ideally placed next to video games in the electronics section. His advice for breaking into the industry is to attend conventions and research developer companies. In 2008, he noted that aspiring composers now need both composition and engineering skills, and should aim for film-quality work. He is pleased to see older games released on the Wii, hoping players rediscover that short, simple fun can be as satisfying as massive, long productions.

Klepacki lists his key influences as John Williams for his Star Wars scores and general style, Michael Kamen for his versatility, Metallica for sparking his metal influence, Vince Dicola for underrated work, Sly & The Family Stone for funk and positive energy, Larry Graham for funk bass inspiration, Nine Inch Nails for their mangled sound, and Rob Zombie for blending music with a theme and persona.