of using the 256 graphics tiles on the NES was handled with special programming techniques. The team streamlined the process by dividing the number of tiles into two groups of 128 and separating them into enemy characters and protagonists. By further dividing the tiles into four groups of 64, they were able to reduce graphical processing and switch out tilesets to use as background cogs and floor animations. Music Sakai and Gimmick!'s composer Masashi Kageyama held meetings over telephone regarding the music, the former being in Nagoya and the latter in Tokyo at the time. With the two having similar musical interests, and Kageyama being able to plug his Macintosh synthesizer into the phone, it was easy for Kageyama to share with Sakai how the music sounded. Even though Kageyama had already felt comfortable with the musical layout and controls he used for two PC Engine games, Out Live and Benkei Gaiden, Sakai provided him with extended sound sources. Sakai encouraged Kageyama to push the limits of the sound chips, and so Kageyama used the maximum amount of sound channels possible. He jokingly described composing the music for Gimmick! as feeling more like "putting a puzzle together than actual music composition." Gimmick!'s soundtrack ranges in several different genres, from pop music to bass-driven acid jazz, fantasia, dramatic hard rock and jazz fusion, a style not commonly heard in games released for the NES or Famicom. Because Kageyama knew children would listen to the music in the games he worked on, he wanted to make it sound as beautiful as possible, influenced by the natural environments in Shizuoka as well as the various kinds of music he listened to, such as that of George Benson. The other staff members' love for music was the most influential aspect for Kageyama. Some requested a pop sound for the music, while others requested a wide range of other genres. One designer was a fan of techno and minimalist music, and one programmer enjoyed classical music. Since players would often listen to game compositions more than once, Kageyama did not want the stage tracks to become grating and wanted the opening and ending compositions to sound dramatic, overall being "careful to make sure [he] was writing music that just felt good." His score was also influenced by the "perfect" control for Gimmick! that Sakai was fixated on designing. Describing the game's soundtrack as a "compilation