{{Short description|British video game music composer}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra | caption = | image = Synthetic Orchestra Logo.jpg | birth_name = Blake Robinson | alias = | birth_place = [[London]], UK | genre = [[Soundtrack]], [[orchestral]], [[classical music|classical]], [[video game music]] | occupations = Music software developer, Composer | instruments = | years_active = 2001–present | label = | website = {{URL|http://www.syntheticorchestra.com}} }} The '''Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra''', also known simply as '''The Synthetic Orchestra''', is the pseudonym for a British [[video game music]] composer and orchestrator '''Blake Robinson''', who has developed a substantial following on [[YouTube]], primarily for his orchestrations, recreations and remixes of popular video game music.<ref name="gametrailers1">{{cite web|last=Gallagher |first=Danny |url=http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/28566/this-synthetic-orchestra-recreates-some-of-gamings-greatest-tunes |title=This "Synthetic Orchestra" Recreates Some of Gaming's Greatest Tunes | Side Mission |publisher=GameTrailers |date=2012-09-06 |accessdate=2012-10-06}}</ref>
==Career==
===YouTube=== Robinson frequently releases orchestrations of popular video game music on YouTube. His channel features titles from a large variety of genres and various eras of gaming history from ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' on the Sega [[Master System]] to ''Alan Wake'' on the Xbox 360. He is also known to play live streams every Sunday starting at 6:00 P.M. GMT. The songs included in his playlist includes most of the songs on his channel, plus a few exclusive songs, only featured in his live streams.<ref name="gametrailers1"/>
===Games development=== Robinson began a career in the games development and worked as a tools programmer and web developer for companies such as [[Electronic Arts]] and [[Realtime Worlds]]. As music became a bigger interest in his life, he turned his focus to making a career of it, leaving the industry and becoming a freelance music software developer and composer. While he is no longer a full-time games developer, Robinson still spends his free time designing and developing independent video games.<ref name="nintendo-nation1">{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendo-nation.net/synthetic-orchestra-interview/ |title=Interview with Blake Robinson |publisher=Nintendo Nation.net |date=2012-08-31 |accessdate=2012-10-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917063506/http://www.nintendo-nation.net/synthetic-orchestra-interview/ |archivedate=2012-09-17 }}</ref>
===Composing=== Robinson is a keen user of [[Image-Line]]'s [[FL Studio]] and is listed as a power-user on their website. He frequently posts tutorials and walk-through videos on his primary and secondary [[YouTube]] channels and is known to go into great depth about the processes and tools he uses to create his music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.image-line.com/artists/synthetic-orchestra-blake-robinson/ |title=Blake Robinson (Synthetic Orchestra) « Power Users List |publisher=Image-line.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-06 }}</ref> Robinson has also extended his influence outside of YouTube, releasing several albums of original music composed by himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.originalsoundversion.com/synthetic-orchestra-originals-volume-1-review/ |title=Synthetic Orchestra: "Originals Volume 1" (Review) |publisher=Original Sound Version |date= |accessdate=2012-10-06}}</ref>
===Sample development=== Robinson's primary career is audio software development. He is currently a core part of the [[Spitfire Audio]] development team, a collection of composers and engineers that create [[sample libraries]] for the [[Kontakt (sampler)|Kontakt]] sampler by Native Instruments and for their standalone sampling engine available in VST/AU/AAX formats.<ref name="nintendo-nation1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spitfireaudio.com/category/blog |title=Blog |publisher=Spitfire Audio |date= |accessdate=2012-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://spitfire-webassets.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/ALBION_II_LOEGRIA_USER_MANUAL_v1.5.2.pdf|title=Albion II|publisher=Spitfire-webassets|accessdate=2012-10-06}}</ref>
=== In popular culture === ''The Stanley Parable'' appeared during the third season of ''[[House of Cards (U.S. TV series)|House of Cards]]'', where President Frank Underwood is being shown the game by a novelist and video game reviewer who is writing his biography, with the puzzling nature of the game used as a metaphor for the current politics in the show's fiction. Robinson's music from the soundtrack accompanied the scene.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ew.com/2015/03/04/house-of-cards-video-games | title = How House of Cards broke new ground for video games in pop culture | first = Joshua | last = Rivera | date = March 4, 2015 | accessdate = March 6, 2015 | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-02-two-top-indie-titles-pop-up-in-house-of-cards-season-three | title = Watch indie games star in House of Cards season three | date = March 2, 2015 | accessdate = March 6, 2015 | first = Tom | last = Phillips }}</ref>
==Discography== * ''The Synthetic Orchestra: Originals Volume 1'' (2012) * ''Super Metroid: Ridley's Theme Orchestra'' (2012) * ''The BIOSHOCK Song: Instrumental Version'' (2012) * ''Pixel Hero and the creation of Dr Mindframe'' (2012) * ''Pirates of New Horizons'' (2012) * ''Chrono Trigger: The Last Day of the World Orchestra'' (2012) * ''Dexter For Orchestra EP'' (2012) * ''Uncharted: Drake's Theme Orchestra'' (2012) * ''Final Fantasy IV: Main Theme Orchestra'' (2012) * ''Video Game Orchestrations Vol 1'' (2012) * ''An unhealthy obsession'' (2012) * ''NumNumNumNum Touch my Body'' (2013) * ''The Synthetic Orchestra: Originals Volume 2'' (2013) * ''Super Metroid Symphony'' (2013) * ''Video Game Orchestrations Vol 2'' (2013) * ''NUKEM: Duke 3D Remixes'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vgmdb.net/album/39540|title=VGMDB NUKEM: Duke 3D Remixes |publisher=vgmdb.net|date= |accessdate=2013-05-23}}</ref> * ''Banjo-Kazooie Symphony'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/05/review_banjo_kazooie_symphony_by_the_blake_robinson_synthetic_orchestra |title=Nintendo Life Banjo-Kazooie Symphony review |publisher=nintendolife.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}</ref> * ''Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 1'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-blake-robinson-synthetic-orchestra/554730557 |title=iTunes - Music - The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra |publisher=[[iTunes]] |date= |access-date=2012-12-18}}</ref> * ''Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 2'' (2013) * ''Bits of Music from The Stanley Parable'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://syntheticorchestra.bandcamp.com/ |title=BandCamp - Music - The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra |publisher=bandcamp.com |date= |accessdate=2012-12-18}}</ref> * ''Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 3'' (2014) * ''Mystery Match: The Soundtrack'' (2014) * ''Crafty Candy: The Soundtrack'' (2015) * ''Portal Knights'' (2016)<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.syntheticorchestra.com/portalknights/ |title=The Portal Knights Soundtrack |publisher=bandcamp.com |date= |accessdate=2016-02-27}}</ref> * ''Portal Knights Volume 2'' (2017)<ref name=":0" /> * ''Portal Knights Volume 3'' (2019)<ref name=":0" /> * ''Portal Knights Volume 4'' (2020)<ref name=":0" /> * ''Lost In Random Volume 1'' (2021)<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://syntheticorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-random-original-soundtrack-complete-edition|title=Lost in Random Original Soundtrack - Complete Edition|publisher=bandcamp.com|date= |accessdate=2021-09-14}}</ref> * ''Lost In Random Volume 2'' (2021)<ref name=":1" /> * ''Lost In Random Complete Edition'' (2021)<ref name=":1" />
==Video game credits== * ''Crafty Candy'': Composer * ''Mystery Match'': Composer * ''[[Terraria]]'': Console Trailer Composer * ''[[The Stanley Parable]]'': Composer * ''Pirates of New Horizons'': Composer * ''[[Portal Knights]]'': Composer * ''[[Lost in Random]]'': Composer<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.de/articles/lost-in-random-indie-im-herzen-aber-nah-dran-an-triple-a |title=Lost in Random: Indie at heart, but close to Triple A. |publisher=eurogamer.de |date=2020-07-03}}</ref>
==Awards== *Robinson is the composer of the soundtrack for [[Lost in Random]], which won "Best [[Indie game|Indie Game]]" at the 2021 [[Gamescom]] awards and was nominated for Tribeca's 2021 inaugural Games Award.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://now.gamescom.global/games/award|title=All Winners of gamescom award 2021}}</ref> *Robinson scored the soundtrack for Portal Knights, which won "Best Online Game" at the 2016 German Game Developer Awards.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.develop-online.net/press-releases/all-winners-of-the-nbsp-german-game-developer-awards-nbsp-2016/0227523|title=All Winners of the German Game Developer Awards 2016|website=Develop-online.net|access-date=2017-01-09|archive-date=2017-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110015634/http://www.develop-online.net/press-releases/all-winners-of-the-nbsp-german-game-developer-awards-nbsp-2016/0227523|url-status=dead}}</ref> *In 2014 Robinson was announced as an IGF finalist in the category of "Excellence in Audio" for ''[[The Stanley Parable]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html|title=IGF Finalists 2014 |website=Igf.com |date= |accessdate=2014-02-08}}</ref> *Robinson was the lead composer for the multi-BAFTA nominated ''[[The Stanley Parable]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2014/games|title=Games in 2014 | BAFTA Awards|website=Awards.bafta.org|accessdate=2020-06-21}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.syntheticorchestra.com}} * {{Bandcamp | syntheticorchestra | Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra }} * {{YouTube|custom=Syntheticorchestra|Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra}} * {{IMDb name| 5490912}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Blake, Synthetic}} [[Category:English classical music groups]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Video game music cover bands]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]