'The game instantly had a vibe' — Original Mass Effect composer says Vigil 'was a particularly important track' that BioWare made the menu music instead of Mass Effect Theme 'at the last moment before shipping'

Jack Wall wrote the music by watching gameplay, which "ensured that my vision for the score was closer to the actual game"

by · TechRadar

News By Demi Williams Contributions by Rob Dwiar Published 10 November 2026

(Image credit: BioWare)

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  • Original Mass Effect composer Jack Wall shares how orchestral and synth music influenced the first two games
  • Wall says 70s and 80s music were a big inspiration and explains how Mass Effect was "less orchestra" and "more synthetic," while Mass Effect 2 had more orchestra
  • He reveals that BioWare made 'Vigil' the main music track right before shipping the game

Original Mass Effect composer Jack Wall has revealed how orchestral and synth music influenced the series and how the iconic 'Vigil' track changed the game for the better.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Wall discussed the inspirations for Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2's core sound and themes, explaining that game director Casey Hudson "wanted to play with 80s synth mixed with quasi-orchestra" music, which was the basis for the series' memorable vibe.

"He [Hudson] imagined a synthesizer and amp on stage with the orchestra. That was the idea, " Wall said, adding that Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and other pieces from the 70s and 80s also influenced the soundtrack of the original Mass Effect.

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"It was super cool and unique, as that idea hadn’t really been done before to my knowledge," he said. "At least not on this scale."

Wall explained Mass Effect was "less orchestra" and "more synthetic," while Mass Effect 2 added more orchestra, because "the design of the game changed."

He refers to the team compositions, explaining that each member of Shepard's team in Mass Effect 2 had their own missions and levels where they had to gather important assets for the final battle.

"We wanted to make sure that each level had its own sound," Wall said. "It was a good way for me to assign levels to my own composing team and be sort of the creative director of the score, write all of the main themes, and share with the team to sprinkle throughout to bring it all together. ME1 had more of the traditional leitmotif scoring, where places and/or people had their own themes."

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