| Kenneth Young | |
| Birth Place: | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Instrument: | Fiddle, guitar, nyckelharpa, cello, viola, mandolin, Concertina, ukulele |
| Genre: | Video game music |
| Occupation: | Composer, musician, sound designer, audio director, writer |
| Years Active: | 2004–present |
| Label: | Media Molecule |
Kenneth Young, also known as Kenneth C. M. Young or Kenny Young, is a Scottish freelance audio director, composer, sound designer and writer.[1] [2] He is best known for his award-winning work on the audio experiences in Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway video game franchises, and the music of Sony Japan Studio's Astro Bot games.
Young was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and had a strong musical upbringing, learning the violin from the age of six, but chose not to pursue performance as a career[3] and instead went on to study an undergraduate degree in Music Technology at the University of Edinburgh. That course introduced him to working creatively with sound and he went on to gain an MA in Sound Design at Bournemouth University[4] for which he received a distinction.
Young began his professional career in 2004 working as a junior sound designer in the centralised audio department of Sony London Studio. He worked on a broad range of different gaming experiences and hardware platforms, from action-adventure games such as and Heavenly Sword to more family-friendly and innovative titles such as .[5] He has described this period as "an apprenticeship" and a "baptism by fire"[6] which stood him in good stead for his future game audio work.
Young left Sony in 2007 and joined startup video game developer Media Molecule to establish their audio department and "make LittleBigPlanet sound awesome".
The audio experience in LittleBigPlanet was very well received, garnering an exceptional eight GANG award nominations in 2009, more than any other game that year, and four academy nominations. Young and fellow composer Mat Clark won the GANG awards for Best Original Instrumental (for "The Gardens") and Best Interactive Score.
For LittleBigPlanet 2, Young built upon the eclecticism of the original's soundtrack by working with six other composers,[7] the results of which achieved a nomination in 2012 for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[8]
Tearaway's folk-infused soundtrack received a 2014 British Academy Video Games Award nomination for Original Music[9] and is notable for its hand-made aesthetic, being written and performed entirely by Young and co-composer Brian D'Oliveira.[10] Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton considered it one of the best video game soundtracks of 2013, writing "It's jarring to hear out-of-tune instruments in a video game; we've become so accustomed to pitch-perfect digital performances that any hint of humanity is startling. I'd like to be startled like this more often".[11]
On 27 February 2015, Young announced that he was leaving Media Molecule to pursue a freelance career.[12]
| Game | Year | Platform | Developer | Credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astro Bot | 2024 | PlayStation 5 | Team Asobi | Composer | |
| Astro's Playroom | 2020 | PlayStation 5 | Asobi Team | Composer | |
| Knights and Bikes | 2019 | PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows | Foam Sword | Audio designer | |
| Astro Bot Rescue Mission | 2018 | PlayStation VR | Asobi Team | Composer | |
| WonderWorlds | 2017 | Glowmade | Composer, sound designer | ||
| Tethered | 2016 | Secret Sorcery | Composer, sound designer | ||
| Tearaway Unfolded | 2015 | Audio director; composer with Brian D'Oliveira | |||
| LittleBigPlanet 3 | 2014 | Special thanks; composer with Si Begg, Chrome Canyon, Mat Clark, Brian D'Oliviera, The Emperor Machine, Jim Fowler, Joe Henson, Winifred Phillips, David Poore, Alexis Smith, Paul Thomson, Ugress | |||
| Run Sackboy! Run! | 2014 | Composer with Christoffer Berg, Mat Clark, Joe Henson, Alexis Smith, Keith Tenniswood | |||
| Tearaway | 2013 | Head of audio; composer with Brian D'Oliveira | |||
| LittleBigPlanet Vita | 2012 | Special thanks; composer with Todd Baker, Christoffer Berg, Joe Henson, Richard Jacques, Tobias Lilja, Dominic Parker, Winifred Phillips, David Poore, Alexis Smith, Stakula, Paul Thomson | |||
| LittleBigPlanet Karting | 2012 | Composer with Mat Clark, Winifred Phillips, Richard Jacques, Keith Tenniswood | |||
| LittleBigPlanet 2 | 2011 | Audio lead; composer with Baiyon, Richard Jacques, Keith Tenniswood, Daniel Pemberton, Winifred Phillips, Paul Thomson | |||
| LittleBigPlanet | 2008 | Audio designer; composer with Mat Clark, Daniel Pemberton | |||
| Heavenly Sword | 2007 | Dialogue dubbing editor | |||
| 2006 | Cinematic Sound Designer | ||||
| Gangs of London | 2006 | Sound designer | |||
| Go! Sudoku | 2006 | Composer with Alistair Lindsay, Dave Ranyard | |||
| 2006 | Sound designer | ||||
| 2005 | Sound designer | ||||
| Fired Up | 2005 | Sound designer | |||
| 2005 | Sound designer; composer with Alistair Lindsay, Dave Ranyard | ||||
| 2004 | Sound designer | ||||
| 2004 | Sound designer |
The official video game soundtrack album for Tearaway was released alongside the game as a pre-order bonus on 22 November 2013.[13] The album was later made available via the PlayStation Network.[14]
The official video game soundtrack album for Tearaway Unfolded was released alongside the game on 8 September 2015 via the PlayStation Network and on 16 October 2015 via iTunes.[15] [16]
The official video game soundtrack album for Tethered was released alongside the game on 27 October 2016 via the PlayStation Network and on 27 February 2017 via Steam.[17] [18]
The official video game soundtrack album for WonderWorlds was released on 11 December 2017.[19]
The official video game soundtrack album for Astro Bot Rescue Mission was released on 30 January 2019,[20] with a vinyl album following in August 2020.[21]
The official video game soundtrack album for Astro's Playroom was released on 12 March 2021.[22]
Young started the website gamesound.org in 2005 "as a useful resource for those who work in, aspire to work in, or wish to learn more about game sound". Most of his own writing featured on the site is focused on the subject of the use of voice in games.[23] He has twice won the GANG Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast award for his articles The Use of Voice in Portal 2 (2012) and The Mix in The Last of Us (2015).[24]
He has also written for designingsound.org,[25] and contributed a chapter to the book Production Pipeline Fundamentals for Film and Games, edited by Renee Dunlop, entitled The Game Audio Pipeline.[26]
Young was co-writer of Tearaways and Tearaway Unfoldeds voice script with the game's lead creator, Rex Crowle.
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nominated | BAFTA | Audio Achievement[27] | Astro's Playroom |
| 2020 | Nominated | IGF | Excellence in Audio[28] | Knights and Bikes |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Sound Design In An Indie Game[29] | Knights and Bikes | |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast | Thoughts On Game Audio History' | |
| Nominated | MCV/Develop | Audio Innovation of the Year[30] | Knights and Bikes | |
| Nominated | Develop: Star Awards | Best Audio[31] | Knights and Bikes | |
| Nominated | Game Dev Heroes | Sound[32] | N/A | |
| 2019 | Nominated | Game Audio Awards | Best Game Music[33] | Astro Bot Rescue Mission |
| Won | Guildford Games Awards | Creative[34] | Astro Bot Rescue Mission | |
| 2018 | Nominated | HMMA | Original Song - Video Game[35] | Astro Bot Rescue Mission |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Music for an Indie Game[36] | WonderWorlds | |
| 2017 | Nominated | GANG | Best Interactive Score[37] | Tethered |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast | The VR Soundscape of Secret Sorcery's Tethered | |
| 2016 | Nominated | GANG | Music of the Year[38] | Tearaway Unfolded |
| Nominated | TIGA | Best Audio Design[39] | Tearaway Unfolded | |
| 2015 | Won | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast[40] | The Mix In 'The Last of Us' |
| 2014 | Nominated | BAFTA | Original Music[41] | Tearaway |
| Won | GANG | Best Handheld Audio[42] | Tearaway | |
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[43] | Tearaway | |
| Nominated | SXSW | Excellence in Musical Score[44] | Tearaway | |
| Nominated | Golden Joysticks | Best Audio[45] | Tearaway | |
| Nominated | GMAs | Outstanding Achievement: In-Game Music[46] | Tearaway | |
| Nominated | GMAs | Best Soundtrack: Western | Tearaway | |
| Won | IGN | Best PS Vita Sound[47] | Tearaway | |
| Won | The Vita Lounge | Best Soundtrack[48] | Tearaway | |
| 2012 | Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition[49] | LittleBigPlanet 2 |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Use of Licensed Music[50] | LittleBigPlanet 2 | |
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[51] | LittleBigPlanet 2 | |
| Won | GMAs | Outstanding Achievement: Licensed Music[52] | LittleBigPlanet 2 | |
| Nominated | NAVGTR | Original Light Mix Score, Franchise[53] | LittleBigPlanet 2 | |
| Won | GANG | Best Game Audio Article Publication or Broadcast | The Use of Voice in Portal 2 | |
| 2009 | Nominated | BAFTA | Original Score[54] | LittleBigPlanet |
| Nominated | BAFTA | Use of Audio | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design[55] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Won | AIAS | Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance[56] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Won | GANG | Best Interactive Score[57] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Won | GANG | Best Original Instrumental | LittleBigPlanet (for 'The Gardens', tied with 'Main Theme' from Africa) | |
| Nominated | GANG | Audio of the Year[58] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GANG | Music of the Year | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GANG | Sound Design of the Year | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Original Vocal: Choral | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Use of Licensed Music | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GANG | Best Dialogue | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | GDC | Best Audio[59] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | TEC Awards | Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Entertainment Sound Production[60] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | Spike VGAs | Best Original Score[61] | LittleBigPlanet | |
| Nominated | Spike VGAs | Best Soundtrack | LittleBigPlanet | |