Hayato Sonoda (園田隼人) born on November 22, 1976, is a composer, arranger and the current leader of Falcom's Sound Team jdk, he has been producing music for the company since 1997.
According to an interview, he greatly enjoys taiga drama and orchestral music. Such hobbies and preferences are well-expressed in his compositions, featuring rich melodies and characteristic elements specific to this. One of the genres that he usually nails is orchestral, militaristic march music, showcasing a more dynamic and heroic sound compared to Jindo's Hollywood-esque music. Other genres he's usually good at include jazz, (light) rock, techno and so on.
Out of the current members of Sound Team jdk, Sonoda has been employed the longest, for over 20 years. His signature style relies on simple, precise tunes, while maintaining a feel for the dramatic. Though he is rarely a fan favorite due to working more with low-key themes rather than the more recognizable "hype" themes that people identify with Falcom, Sonoda's speedy and skillful music production along with his musical knowledge is invaluable to Falcom. he doesn't really show his strength with genre proficiency. Rather, his intrinsic understanding of contextual application using song and instrument pacing is top notch. You will rarely find a Sonoda piece that doesn't fit the scene or moment almost perfectly, and this is due to his careful style of composition which almost never overdoes itself. Like he said in his staff interview, it takes a lot of courage to make songs with only a few sounds, and those words really have an impact the more you study his music and realize that self-control is just as valuable of a composition skill as any other.
Sonoda is remarkably solid as well as extremely prolific, having composed and arranged over 500 tracks in his career at Falcom. He is an integral part of Falcom's sound and one of the most well-rounded composers in the game music industry.
Since he is an employee of Falcom, company policy dictates that he, along with every other member of the sound team, are not allowed to make public appearances, public statements, interviews or have social media, their work is also not individually credited. Contractors like Jindo or Singa are not bound by these restrictions.
Works in the series[]
| Game | Sonoda's Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Ys Eternal | Arranger |
| Ys II Eternal | Arranger |
| Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim | Composer & Arranger |
| Ys Origin | Composer & Arranger |
| Ys Seven | Composer |
| Ys: Memories of Celceta | Arranger |
| Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana | Composer & Arranger |
| Ys IX: Monstrum Nox | Composer |
| Ys X: Nordics | Composer & Arranger |
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- He married former Sound Team member Saki Momiyama in 2014.