Craig Beierwaltes
Craig Beierwaltes was a pivotal figure in pinball audio, shaping how players experienced classic Gottlieb and Premier machines across the 1980s and 1990s. Bringing a blend of technical expertise and musical sensibility, he programmed sound boards that introduced layered speech, multi-channel music, and thematically tied effects—all major evolutions at a time when pinball audio was just starting to transcend simple beeps and chimes. From early titles like Mars: God of War (one of Gottlieb’s first talking pinballs) to cult favorites such as TX-Sector, Beierwaltes set new standards by leveraging dual-CPU sound boards and reusable software engines to produce memorable soundtracks and voice callouts.
Beyond injecting thematic flair into games, Beierwaltes influenced manufacturing processes by standardizing audio systems across multiple pinball titles, which made production more efficient and trouble-free. Working closely with composers like Dave Zabriskie, he programmed iconic background music for standout games including Haunted House, Devil’s Dare, and Class of 1812. These machines left a distinct sonic impression—from spooky organ tunes to tongue-in-cheek classical riffs—helping define a more immersive era of pinball. Although less widely recognized than some designers or artists, Craig Beierwaltes’s legacy endures each time players hear a pinball’s clever voice lines or dynamic, integrated soundtrack, a testament to his pioneering role in making audio a central component of the pinball experience.
