Steven Melin is an American music composer for audio drama podcasts, films, television, trailers, and video games. His work has been featured in The Bachelorette, Dark Dice, and IGN Summer of Gaming 2024. His music can be heard across numerous projects and platforms including NBC, CBS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. Melin is one of the top-selling video game music pack creators in the world, the author of the book Family-First Composer, and the founder of the Video Game Music Alliance.
Early life and education Born into a musical family in Atlanta, Georgia, Melin began playing piano at age 7 and picked up other instruments, including violin, guitar, and percussion, while participating in school orchestras and choirs.
He attended Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, 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.
Melin obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago in Chicago.
While a student, he worked as an intern for Joel Goodman in Los Angeles, where he helped score new films and create temporary tracks using music from Goodman's archive of compositions. After meeting composer and orchestrator Penka Kouneva, Melin accepted a part-time assistant position and returned to Georgia, where he married and started a family.
Career
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.
In 2013, Melin began working with Fool & Scholar Productions, composing for Dark Dice, Liberty, The Boar Knight, and The White Vault.
His work has been featured on television shows such as The Bachelorette, Dancing with the Stars, and The Dr. Oz Show. He 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 created 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. 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. In the summer of 2024, he 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, 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. Its curriculum 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.
Melin 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.
Works
Video games +Video games, composerYearWorkDeveloper2025AethermancerMoi Rai Games2025PaperKlay (main theme)WhyKev2021Beard BladeGlovebox Games2020Monster SanctuaryMoi Rai Games2018Liberty: Deception (motion comic)Fool & Scholar Productions2018Cybarian: The Time Travelling WarriorRitual Games2015A More Beautiful WorldAfterthought Studios2015Snail PanicNehemek Games2014Duel SchoolColumbia College Chicago2013Worm RunGolden Ruby Games
+Video games, additional musicYearWorkDeveloper2024Rack and SlayLudokultur2023WindmillsPoor Locke2023Reaper of ImmortalsMounaim2022Tuff FluffRocky Mullet2022PerilDaniel Thurman2021MantleGame Sage Productions2021Cherry IslandAdrien Jeanneret2020Shadows of the Lost: A Blood City TaleOMC Games2020Summoner's FateD20 Studios2019Magnus QuestGame Sage Productions2019MageGame Sage Productions2019The Dark OneTenfor2019Jar BattlersSylph Arcade2013The 9 DivineYoYo Games2010ZuwakaYoYo Games2008Rogue MercenaryYoYo Games
+Video games, trailer musicWorkDeveloperFrogbound: The Legend of Sir HopperStomaco StudioCrimson CapesPoor LockePathfinder: Abomination VaultsBKOM StudiosTwilight MonkAquatic MoonAbalon ArenaD20 StudiosMoonlighterDigital SunInkboundScribbleforge GamesDream TalesFingers Meet ControllerSneaky SnakeSol KeyGLORYReach Game Studios
Television +YearWorkNetwork20231000-lb Sisters (1 episode)TLC2022Bachelor in Paradise (1 episode)ABC2021The Bachelorette (1 episode)ABC2020To the Rescue (1 episode)CBS2017-2018The Dr. Oz Show (2 episodes)Sony Pictures2015-2017Dancing with the Stars (5 episodes)ABC2014Fake Off (1 episode)TruTV
Podcasts and audio dramas +YearWorkProducer2024Finding Matt Drudge (main theme)iHeartRadio2022-2023The Boar KnightFool & Scholar Productions2022Don't Mind CruxmontFool & Scholar Productions2021The White Vault: AvramFool & Scholar Productions2020The White Vault: IllukaFool & Scholar Productions2019-2021The White VaultFool & Scholar Productions2019The White Vault: ImperialFool & Scholar Productions2018The White Vault: ArtifactFool & Scholar Productions2018-currentDark DiceFool & Scholar Productions2018FEE Audio XPFoundation for Economic Education2018FEECast (theme music)Foundation for Economic Education2018Liberty: VigilanceFool & Scholar Productions2017-2018High School at 12Stone12Stone Church2016-2021Liberty: Tales from the TowerFool & Scholar Productions2015-2017Liberty: Critical ResearchFool & Scholar Productions
Films, videos, and animation +WorkDirector/producerIGN Summer of Gaming 2024IGNGuerrilla Collective Showcase 2024Media Indie ExchangeIndie.io Showcase 2024Indie.ioSuper Pastor Kart12Stone ChurchPlay Different12Stone ChurchWhy Are We Here12Stone ChurchThis Is Our Family12Stone ChurchRevolution of One Web SeriesFoundation for Economic EducationThe Language Tutor IntroThe Language TutorHow We Thrive: Dian StanFoundation for Economic EducationInvisible Hands Web SeriesFoundation for Economic EducationThe Bomber's HideoutThe Bomber's HideoutSpace to ExploreKatherine DuboisDuchess of AthollFoundation for Economic EducationHow We Thrive: Made in MékhéFoundation for Economic EducationHow We Thrive: Coding CannabisFoundation for Economic EducationThomas Clarkson: The First AbolitionistFoundation for Economic EducationAvery + ClientCobblestone ProductionsO9EN UP (teaser trailer)Tyler Lee Allen2018 Easter Bumper12Stone ChurchEvery Bike Needs a Kid12Stone ChurchThe Lazy Millennial IntroFoundation for Economic EducationHeartbreaking Experience with SocialismFoundation for Economic Education2017 Alumni NewsColumbia College ChicagoAll InPixel PreacherFor Better or WorsePixel PreacherLike MePixel PreacherIron Wolf Academy promoIron Wolf AcademyVirtuosoCharlie MyersHere Died All CardinalsArtem AvakianGrave InnocenceFlorida State UniversityShadesMagnify EntertainmentPen PalsNancy WilliamsTiger Lily (trailer)Byron Conrad ErwinZombie TagMagnify EntertainmentFreezeGet the Horns Productions
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Citation 2016 Parsec Awards Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team Liberty: Critical Research 2018 Mark Time Awards The Ogle for Horror (Silver) The White Vault BANFF Mountain Film and Book Festival Official SelectionSpace to Explore 2019 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital Official Selection American Documentary Film Festival Audience Favorite Short Wild & Scenic Film Festival Official Selection Discover Pod Award Best Fiction Podcast The White Vault Audio Verse Awards Best Vocal Composition in a Production The White Vault: A Musical Webby Awards Best Original Music / Sound Design in Podcasting The White Vault 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 Audio Verse Awards Best Instrumental Composition in a Production Dark Dice - "Danse Sanguis" 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" 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 2022 Audio Verse Award Best Music Direction of an Existing Production 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 Best Original Score Most Innovative Audio Experience Most Innovative Audio Experience (Listener's Choice) 2023 Baltimore Next Media Web Fest Best Actual PlayDark Dice Best Score in an Actual Play Best Fantasy for Children – Audio Fiction The Boar Knight Indie Series Awards Best Audio Fiction SeriesDark Dice Best Original Score Best Original Song The Boar Knight - "The Boar Knight Theme" MN Webfest Best Original Score in a PodcastDark Dice 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” New Zealand Web Fest Best Actual Play Podcast Dark Dice Best Fiction Podcast Don't Mind Cruxmont Rio WebFest Best Actual Play Dark Dice Best Fiction Podcast The Boar Knight Webby Awards Best Individual Episode Scripted Fiction The White Vault 2024 Cusco WebFest Best Sound of a Fiction PodcastThe Boar Knight Best Environment on a Fiction Podcast Best Sound Design in an Actual Play Dark Dice
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