SAMO STUDIOS

Hi! I’m Sam, your friendly neighborhood composer, animator, and martial artist!

Project Highlight:

Released 2022 – 1 hour 45 min ⧖

Metroid Cinematica Recharged began life several years ago as a simple remaster of my very first full length album, Metroid Cinematica, for a vinyl release. But me being the perpetual never-satisfied perfectionist that I am, it evolved into a complete start-to-finish revamping of every single track, with some fully re-composed from scratch as well as many all new songs, becoming the “virtual film score” I had envisioned 10 years ago which started my still ongoing “Cinematica” album series.

All albums are officially licensed for distribution

CDs & Vinyls Available While Supplies Last!

My Album Collection

COMING SOON!

Metroid: DREADful Symphony is an upcoming album based on Metroid Dread as the title may suggest, featuring my renditions of music from the game as well as my own original concepts for Metroid- themed tracks!

This album had to be pushed back a bit due to another project; it will instead be releasing in Q1 of 2024!

Zelda Cinematica is an epic symphony album based on the entireLegend Of Zelda” series from the original to Breath Of The Wild. A story that unfolds through sound and weaves together some of the most iconic themes in video game history.

Released 2018 – 1 hour 42 min ⧖

Chrono Cinematica is my loving take on the soundtrack to my favorite RPG- Chrono Trigger! Produced with a grandiose symphony sound featuring a special fusion of styles, which gives this music a one of a kind timeless feel and invoking the spirit of the original!

Released 2015 – 1 hour 20 min ⧖

Vinyl & CDs Coming!

Xeno Cross is a special tribute EP to one of my all-time favorite composers- Yasunori Mitsuda, with music from both Xenogears and Chrono Cross carefully interwoven into a single cohesive audio tapestry. Two different games, two parallel stories told through the narrative of one epic symphonic adventure!

Released 2016 – 33 min ⧖

Vinyl & CDs Coming!

Blockbuster Game Tunes is a collection of epic arrangements from some of the games I used to rent as a child at the ol’ video store back in the day! This volume features music from: Blast Corps, Castlevania IV, Digger T. Rock, Isolated Warrior, Jet Force Gemini, Shantae, and Zero Escape!!

Released 2020 – 40 min ⧖

The Anastasia Project is an original soundtrack I composed for the sci-fi/fantasy audio novel “The Anastasia Project” by Loren John Presley. A mix of dreamy science fiction, ambience, and adventure with a cinematic spirit! SPECIAL OFFER: If you enjoy the music and would like to hear more of my original work, this album is offered as a gift for those who join my PATREON!!

Released 2019 – 45 min ⧖

Mist Legacy is an MMORPG hand-crafted by a small team of passionate developers over at Virtys Studios. I composed a fun fantasy soundtrack reminiscent of old school adventure games but with my signature symphonic style. This beautiful, vast RPG adventure is available now on Steam! If you want to hear my music in action, you can check it out here!

Released 2021 – 1 hour 20 min ⧖

More Of My Stuff

I grew up on film & game soundtracks and trying to play back my favorite tunes on my keyboard helped me teach myself everything I know about music. I’ve spent a lot of time making my own arrangements of them, like this Star Trek medley I did long ago, weaving all the themes from the TV shows together into a single score. You can download below if you’d like to support my work!

When I’m not doing arrangements, I do original stuff too! Here are some trailer pieces I composed for the Harry Potter game on XBox Kinect. This is wholly my own music, made to sound like it could have been from the films, so I had to channel my inner John Williams a bit.

If you’re interested in original music for your game or film, I’m always available for commissions!

Just for fun, here’s a look at what I do in my spare time. If you want to know what my childhood was like, just imagine me like this, but smaller!

I have hours and hours of footage just tinkering around, mostly improvising themes from various movies and games and blending them together.

There is also more behind-the-scenes stuff on my YouTube channel, as well as my Patreon!

What Is Samo Studios?

It’s a me! My name is Sam Dillard, a geeky fellow in north Texas, and despite my online moniker I don’t have an actual studio, just a corner in my bedroom where I dabble in all manner of nerdy exploits from composing music to doing 3D animation, video production, artwork, and more!

I am entirely self-taught in all my creative endeavors; I learned to play piano as a kid on cheap old Casio keyboards while trying to pluck out game & movie tunes, and I still don’t know how to read or write music notation. I may be ghetto but I get the job done! Speaking of, if you’re interested in:

🎵 Music Productionfull game & film scores, single track commissions

🧱 3D Animationeither fully animated shots or live footage integration

📷 VFX & Compositingdigital touch-ups, particle effects, you name it

🥋 Learning Kung FuXingyiquan, Taijiquan, self-defense, internal skills

Feel Free To Get In Touch!

I’m always open to work inquiries and random conversations

My Studio, Skills, And Martial Arts? See ↓

All of my work is produced right here! My setup is pretty modest by most musician standards. Nothing fancy- just my PC, speakers, and my trusty Roland keyboard from 1999. The majority of my work is entirely digital, with occasional soloist recordings added to the mix. I’m quite experienced creating realistic symphonic music having honed my skills over the past 20+ years.

I also produce my own artwork, animation, and videos. Most of my youth was spent drawing and designing my own characters and worlds, and I have transitioned more toward 3D modeling and rendering over the years. With the exception of a few cover images, everything you see and hear in my projects was made right here by myself. I also have quite a bit of experience with video editing, compositing, and special effects for both rendered animation as well as live action footage integration. My resume includes many random gigs like removing sweat stains from the CEO of Mercedes-Benz to VFX for travel videos and 3D animated product installation shots for construction companies.

In addition to my creative pursuits I have also studied several Chinese martial arts systems for the past 15+ years, with my main (and favorite) being Xingyiquan, which is a powerful military boxing style and the first of the so-called “internal” martial arts that also includes Taijiquan, which I also practice.

I’ve enjoyed working with many students over the years helping to share knowledge and skills that are extremely rare these days, even in mainland China. In an age where traditional martial arts have been heavily watered down and diluted with empty forms and mystical nonsense, I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to learn an authentic family system that has been passed down for 400 years, and am always happy to continue passing it down to any who may be interested for self-defense or health practice.

Want To See More And Support My Work? See ↓

By joining you can gain access to music downloads, exclusive early songs, even full albums!

My Instagram Tidbits