About Dan Forden

Dan “Toasty” Forden is a trailblazing figure in pinball audio who began his career at Williams Electronics in 1988, initially apprenticing under veteran composer Brian Schmidt. At that time, pinball audio was still rather minimalistic, largely relying on short synthesized loops and limited speech. Forden helped revolutionize these standards by crafting immersive, theme-driven scores and integrating voice callouts that changed dynamically based on gameplay events. Early standouts like Black Knight 2000 (1989), which he co-composed, showcased how a rock-style soundtrack could elevate a pinball machine’s identity. This approach foreshadowed the modern industry practice of making audio an essential, storytelling element in pinball.

Throughout the 1990s, Forden leveraged new hardware—namely the Digital Compression System (DCS)—to deliver high-fidelity stereo music and speech in Williams/Bally machines. His work on titles such as The Getaway: High Speed IIStar Trek: The Next GenerationAttack From Mars, and Medieval Madness exemplified his knack for blending orchestral or rock-inspired scores with humorous and memorable character voices. These audio packages not only enhanced play immersion but also guided players by aligning unique sounds and speech with particular game modes or objectives. Forden’s emphasis on intricate, dynamic sound design helped spur a broader shift in pinball manufacturing, prompting studios to invest in more advanced sound boards and make audio a core part of game development.

Even after Williams closed its pinball division in 1999, Forden’s influence persisted. He contributed to later Stern Pinball projects, such as The Simpsons Pinball Party, while also remaining active in video games. His legacy within pinball is evident in how modern pinball machines continue to use layered, theme-tailored music and voice elements as key attractions—an approach that can be traced directly to Forden’s pioneering efforts in the 1990s.