People

Jonathan Dunn

Ocean's musical voice

British game composer who created music for Ocean Software's biggest titles, mastering multiple sound chips and defining the audio identity of licensed games.

commodore-64Amigacross-platform composeroceansidgame-musicbritish 1967–present

Overview

Jonathan Dunn was a British game composer who served as Ocean Software’s in-house musician, creating soundtracks for their licensed games across multiple platforms. His ability to adapt to different sound chips—from the C64’s SID to the Amiga’s Paula—made him invaluable as games were ported across systems.

Fast Facts

AspectDetail
Born1967
StudioOcean Software
Active periodLate 1980s - 1990s
PlatformsC64, Amiga, NES, SNES
StyleAdaptable, cinematic

Notable Soundtracks

GameYearPlatformNotable For
Batman1989MultipleLicensed adaptation
Robocop1988MultipleAction themes
The Untouchables1990MultipleFilm score homage
Addams Family1992MultipleTV theme integration
Jurassic Park1993MultipleOrchestral adaptation

Multi-Platform Mastery

PlatformChallengeDunn’s Approach
C64 (SID)3 voicesArpeggios, filter use
Amiga (Paula)4 sample channelsFull arrangements
NES (APU)5 channelsPunchy, melodic
SNESSample-basedOrchestral ambition

Licensed Game Audio

ChallengeSolution
Recognisable themesFaithful adaptations
Chip limitationsCreative arrangements
Platform parityConsistent identity across versions
Tight deadlinesEfficient workflow

Ocean’s Sound

CharacteristicImplementation
Cinematic ambitionMatch film source material
Platform-appropriateUse each chip’s strengths
Memorable melodiesHooks despite limitations
Professional qualityConsistent output

Working Environment

At Ocean, composers worked closely with licensed material:

  • Film soundtracks as reference
  • Tight deadlines for multi-platform releases
  • Adaptation skills essential
  • Quality expectations high

Legacy

Jonathan Dunn demonstrated that licensed games could have quality music that respected both source material and platform constraints. His ability to work across systems while maintaining consistent quality was rare and valuable.

See Also