In the second topic, balance, Kondo briefly discussed the balance between sound effects and music, pitch, and spatial positioning. The pitch of sound effects should not interfere with the pitch of the music, and similar considerations are taken with positioning. He noted that he balance between different musical pieces within the game is also important. He said that all of the pieces should be considered one work, not individual compositions, and is not satisfied to demonstrate a game’s music until his can show how they work together, delivering his music to a game’s director four or five pieces at a time.

He noted than regular music is made up of three parts, an intro, bridge, and ending, but that game music often does not fit this mold. Besides the repeating nature of game music, a particular section of music may become a component of the title screen music or may be used as file select music, for instance. Combining motifs found throughout the game, or even throughout an entire series leads to a unifying consistency and familiarity. As an example, he first played a sequence featuring the Starman invincibility music in Super Mario Bros. followed by a remixed version of the same theme, Metal Cap Mario from Super Mario 64. In both cases, the tunes are used to tell the player that they have a temporary power-up.