Ando started learning to play the electone aged 3–4 up to his second year in high school.
[1] He listened to a wide variety of music as a child, including works by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Claude Debussy.
Being immersed in music had allowed to think about sound a considerable amount and helped form his own sensibilities.
While he was in college, he had purchased an MSX computer that sparked an initial interest in video games.
Ando became inspired to be a video game composer after playing Dragon Quest II for the first time and being impressed by its music.