I've spent years working hard, honing my craft, trying to prove that interactive sound is worthwhile art. I take this stuff seriously, and I think sound that moves and breathes and lets you know it knows you're there is a really powerful and important and serious thing. But let me tell you about my favorite thing I've ever made. … [Read more...]
Sunday Sound Thought #70 – Uncertainty
It's a badge of honor to be able to work with precision and shape sound and music to fit our vision. But unpredictability can keep us as well as our audience on edge in a delightful way. How can we let our sounds get away from us? … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Wrap Up
Hey, cool. We're making music! But it's not really interactive yet. In this lesson, we'll hook up the music system to parameters in the game. We'll also make editing our step sequencer a little easier with some Unity editor scripting. … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Part 4
Now that we can tick at a constant interval, we can add rhythm and pitch into the mix. To make interesting melodies, harmonies, and rhythmic parts, let’s make a step sequencer. This lesson will go into the details of creating a reusable step sequencer that we can use to control our samplers. … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Part 3
Now that the sampler’s making noise, let’s make it make noise in time! In order to get the music ticking away, we’ll need a clock. So let’s make a metronome! … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Part 2
Playing samples straight through will get us there, but it sounds so much nicer if we have options to shape the sounds. A good first step is volume envelopes. In this lesson, we’ll make an attack-sustain-release (ASR) envelope and modify our sampler to use it to modulate the volume. … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Part 1
Games and other interactive media put us in faraway worlds with unique characters, let us touch them, and delight us by showing us they know we’re there. In addition to visuals, sound effects, and gameplay, we have the unique opportunity to let people interact with the music. In this five-part, weekly tutorial series, we'll go step by step through the process of making an … [Read more...]