 Nobuo Uematsu's usual influences include Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Simon and Garfunkel, and Elton John. In regard to Final Fantasy VIII, Uematsu did not prefer to use multiple sources to find MIDI instruments — "I could be coming up with a great melody in the very moment" — instead using a Roland SC88 synthesizer for the entire score. Uematsu wrote notes based on character designs and screenplays, creating a general picture of the pieces' moods. He could not express a character's emotions solely with plot, instead using images of appearance and attire — "It's important to know when their emotions are at their height, but it usually takes until a month before release for them to finish the ending dialog ...!" In response to a question by IGN music stating that the music of Final Fantasy VIII was very dark and perhaps influenced by the plot of the game, Uematsu stated "the atmosphere of music varies depending on story line, of course, but it's also my intention to put various types of music into one game".
