Sound & Picture recently published an interview with the audio team of the last Medal of Honor” game. It’s a very cool interview, where these guys talk about the chalenges he found in the project, how they recorded and designed some of the sounds, and also discuss things about their careers and techniques.
Sound & Picture had the chance to chat with the sound team behind the new Electronic Arts game Medal of Honor. Audio Director Paul Lackey, Audio Leads Tyler Parsons and Jeff Wilson, Dialogue Editor Joshua Nelson and Audio Software Engineer Eduardo Trama sat down with us to elucidate one of the least discussed and oft mysterious avenues of audio production and mixing in entertainment: Video Games.
The newest entry in the Medal of Honor franchise is a reboot of sorts. Everything is real. The Speilbergian World War II backdrop is replaced with a gritty and visceral post 9/11 Afghanistan. This time around, military “Tier 1 Operators” hit the ground to fight the Taliban. The audio in the Medal of Honor series has defined the genre of first person shooter (fps) games. From the true-to-life gameplay to the crisp plink of a spent shell dancing on the concrete; Medal of Honor brings you into a real war zone.
The sound design, orchestration and implementation in the Medal of Honor series are unparalleled. So what goes into capturing the sound of an interactive, dynamic war zone? A whole lot. As Paul Lackey puts it, “Creating the sound is the easy part; on the other hand, sound integration for video games is akin to constantly solving a puzzle.” Indeed, he and his team are very aware and humbled by the tradition of Medal of Honor they must uphold.
Via @soundesignblog
I had a great time meeting with the guys over at EA, and am glad to see that others enjoyed this article.
Cheers,
-Merrel
Love those reflections!