A musician engaged in game music and sound effects production.
Professional experience
Ayako Saso has been involved in game sound production since the early 1990s. She worked at Namco and Arika, and in 2000 co-founded SuperSweep with Shinji Hosoe and others.
Scope of Creation
She works on songs and sound effects, covering pop music, backing, and music using Rave's sound. Her work experience includes music and sound effects for the series 'Ridge Racer,' 'Custom Robo,' and 'Street Fighter EX,' as well as music for 'FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE.'
Drafts and orchestral arrangements
Saso recalled that the ending theme of "BLOOD+ ~Twin Wings Battle Rondo~" was first drafted by Hosoe, who then took over the orchestral arrangement.
Relay writing and mixing collaboration
"Galaxian3 Theatre 6" uses a relay of composition: Hosoe writes the introduction, Saso continues, and then returns to Hosoue; The two took turns using the same studio. When he encountered unsatisfactory mixing, Saso would also ask Hosoe to listen and adjust the effects.
Collaboration in sound production
Saso mainly edited preset synthesizer sounds, and asked Hosoe, who could create sounds from scratch, to help with the required sounds. When creating footsteps and other sound effects, she first checks the movements, location, shoes, and indoor and outdoor conditions.
From playing objectives to composing for games
Saso originally aimed to perform at music school, but later decided to pursue other paths. Haruomi Hosono's production "Video Game Music" inspired her to enter the field of game music.
When applying to Namco, she wrote music for a music demo tape. After joining, she was directly required to compose music for new hires, which was different from her original expectation of making arcade music and porting it to home consoles.
Music additions from the development period of "X-DAY."
X-DAY and F/A were developed simultaneously. She recalled that during the delay of "X-DAY," improvements to the board allowed for more timbres, which led to additional tracks.
School and onboarding date
According to the 2013 Dengeki Interview summary, Saso graduated from Tokyo Conservatory Art Shobi College and joined Namco in 1989.
Student bands and their initial workplaces
During her student years, she played the tuba in the wind ensemble and, having studied piano, took over the keyboard for a cover band. After watching the Karate Bakabon performance with friends, the band switched to covering Yuchoten and Karate Bakabon; After entering vocational school, she also joined a band that performed REBECCA covers.
She recalled that when she first joined Namco, her workplace was led by Shinji Hosoe.
Computer tools before and after joining
Back at vocational school, she used the 'レコンポザー' on the PC-98. After joining, Namco's sound tools used a vertical time management system similar to the sequencer she was familiar with, helping her understand the form of text-based music writing; At that time, she was still unfamiliar with DOS and UNIX environments.
Create your own tools and adjust your voice
She recalled that at the time, the sound engineers would make their own tools like ROM simulators. When welding in the electrical workshop, she also received help from senior colleagues in the electrical department.
She resamples based on the actual sound output on the substrate; When there is extra capacity, additional sound is also considered. Speaking of the DS's built-in sound sources, she finds joy in organizing music under small capacity and "16-tone" conditions.
On-site experience of cabinet installation
She recalled that when installing the Galaxian3 cabinet, she also handled the iron plates. The trip to the UK was originally for the ATEI exhibition and later helped install cabinets for the local arcade at night.
Sample Tips Before Job Hunting
Before applying to Namco, she was introduced by a colleague from a fast food restaurant and a classmate who worked part-time at Namco, meeting Saijiang and asking him to audition the sample. The sample tape began with a cover, and Xijiang reminded her to showcase her work and suggested adjusting the order of the pieces.
The concept and keyboard habits of 2013
In a 2013 interview, to avoid falling into her usual writing style, she switched from composing while playing the keyboard to brain-inquiring first. She waits until the voices in her head are clearer before actually speaking, so as not to forget her original ideas after playing different notes; When waiting for ideas to emerge, I also do things unrelated to composing.
Related entries
- Co-founded company:SuperSweep
- Working Papers, Relay Composition, Mixing, and Tone Collaboration Partners:Hosoe Shinji
- The workplace leader at the time of joining (Saso recalls):Hosoe Shinji
- Job Hunting Sample Listening and Song Order Suggestions (Sazo recalls):Hosoe Shinji
References
- SuperSweep: The career history of Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso
- A production interview between Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Sasou
- Continued interview with Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Sasou
- Dengeki: Creative Interview with Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe Part 1 (Page 1)
- Dengeki: Creative Interview with Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe Part 1 (Page 3)
- Dengeki: Creative Interview with Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe Part 1 (Page 2)
- Dengeki: Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe Creative Interview Part 1 (Page 5)
- Dengeki: Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe Creative Interview, Part 1 (Page 4)
- SuperSweep: Company establishment and production services
Data compiled on: 2026-10-16.