‘Become One’ is an intriguing short film that explores the story of Dr. Sherman and his patient with extraordinary mental powers. Created for the launch of the PlayStation®Portable, this two-minute movie directed by Christopher Kezelos delves into themes of power, mystery, and discovery.

I had the unique opportunity to contribute to ‘Become One’ by creating its electronic and glitch music soundtrack. Christopher Kezelos contacted me after hearing my electronic music compositions on a forum. The task was challenging yet rewarding: I used Renoise DAW, a tool known for its exceptional sample mangling and realtime sample manipulation. The main plugin I relied on was Heizenbox VST, a cutting-edge granular plugin at the time.

Synchronising the music with the film’s visuals was a meticulous process. Renoise doesn’t support video integration, so I meticulously marked time- codes for mood shifts, build-ups, and drops. This required a lot of trial and error, as I repeatedly imported the video with my audio drafts to ensure the timing and emotional tone were spot on. Adjustments were frequent and necessary to achieve the perfect match.

In homage to the movie’s connection with the Sony PSP, I concluded the soundtrack, particularly for the credits, with eerie, muddied computer game music layered with haunting sounds to add depth and intensity, contrasting with the more upbeat pieces used earlier in the film.

This project was a significant learning experience. Looking back, I appreciate the challenge it presented, given the limitations of the software I used at the time. Although I would opt for a more video-friendly DAW today, Renoise was an excellent choice for this project at that time.