As far as industry experience goes, helping to craft a new soundtrack for a video game series that has sold well into eight figures is high on that list.

But that's par for the course in SFCM's Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) department, where faculty member Matt Levine looked to students and faculty to help him produce Masterminds II, a new installment in an ongoing series that sees composers contributing new music for the wildly popular Counter-Strike video game series.

Drum set tracking in SFCM's Studio G.

Aside from producing the record, Levine was one of seven composers contributing three tracks each, and he assembled an SFCM-heavy roster to record his contributions, pulling in students and faculty from not just TAC (faculty member Daria Novoliantceva provided orchestrations), but the Professional Development and Engagement Center (Chair Kristen Klehr), Roots, Jazz, and American Music (Assistant Director Amelie-Anna Hinman, and Percussion (student Eddie Virtgaym) departments. TAC student Udit Srivathsan also worked with Levine on the Dolby Atmos mixes across the entire album.

"This was a dream project for me to do at SFCM," Levine says. "I was able to tap into our deep well of talent for support with orchestration, production, recording, and immersive mixing. Our exceptional musicians gave spirited performances of my compositions, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. We’ve been getting tons of positive feedback from fans of the soundtrack, and from the Counter-Strike 2 community."

Studio G's control/mixing room, Studio H.

The complicated spatial/immersive Atmos mixing would not have happened without the SFCM's state-of-the-art mixing room adjacent to the Conservatory's largest studio. "Since immersive mixing in Atmos is relatively new, access to Studio H was a critical part of the project," Levine says. "About half of the music on the soundtrack was mixed in Atmos at SFCM, and all of the pre-mastering work was done there. [TAC] students Udit and Cullen Luper provided professional-level engineering support, and I couldn’t have done the project without them."

Alongside the SFCM roster, multiple GRAMMY Award-winning mastering engineer Michael Romanowski finalized the entire album, while Bay Area jazz stalwart Kurt Ribak contributed bass to two of Levine's compositions. Levine's contributions were made possible by a Faculty Development grant from the SFCM Faculty Executive Committee, while the other composers featured on the album are Tree Adams, Austin Wintory, Ben Bromfield, Dren McDonald, Sam Marshall, and Daniel Sadowski.

Masterminds II is available to stream and purchase on all major platforms. Learn more about studying Technology and Applied Composition at SFCM.