Starting to write music for video games presented Dolby with a challenge, because there weren't any tools available for creating truly interactive scores. Unlike films, the stories don't unfold in a concrete, linear fashion, so the music has to be manipulated from within the game. With his company, Head Space, Dolby has worked to create the software necessary for composing interactive sound tracks.

Dolby's latest creation was the sound track to the recently released "Cyberia." Next up is "Double Switch," a Sega CD game that stars Debbie Harry. Dolby has three other titles in the works, and his company is also starting to develop its own games.

Game companies are starting to realize the importance of music and bringing in composers earlier in the development process. Dolby says one of the biggest problems with game music in the past is that "everyone has a cousin who can do music" and the game developers weren't paying enough attention to special considerations the interactive nature brings about.

"More and more now, most of the game designers know what I do and they tend to come to us a little bit earlier," explains Dolby. "I think everybody at this point is looking for a competitive edge, and they're already taking all the short cuts that they can in terms of graphics and they know that maybe I might have a key to give them advantage in the audio. So they tend to come to me earlier in the production process, which is a very helpful thing. If you leave the music until the end, there's no memory left, no budget left, no time left."

Dolby admits that the technology is still limiting when it comes to video and computer games, but each new platform is better than the last. And with better equipment, there is more room for innovative interactive use of music.

"The thing that interests me is that in electronic music, MIDI is a series on 1's and O's. Of you're skill is as a keyboard player, then you hook up a MIDI keyboard and that's the controller you actually use to play the notes on," says Dolby. "Or if could be drum pads, or a wind controller. What's happening with the games is that if your skill is running around a corridor shooting NAZIs, then in a way I'm turning that skill into a MIDI controller. Instead of a keyboard it's actions, like opening up a door or loading up a gun or blowing up a few aliens. Technology is empowering non-musical individuals to make music with skills that they have."