In this interview, Ben Minto, who worked as sound director on Star Wars Battlefront, tells about what sets Dice apart from the typical triple A studios and what his responsibilities are as a sound director. He also talks more generally about his sound design process; for example how he uses sound libraries to create new source material. Read the interview here. … [Read more...]
Designing Sound With Artifacts – An Experiment
Whenever we add some sort of lo-fi effect to a sound we usually get two things, the removal of some details of the sound and the addition of artifacts. This can be a bunch of different things, like aliasing and quantization error in the case of bit crushing, distortion, speaker emulation, or the more complex artifacts created by data compression (mp3, aac etc.). I'm interested … [Read more...]
Useful Lo-Fi Effects
Lo-fi , or low fidelity, is a degraded reproduction of the original source. For the purposes of this article, we will- not surprisingly- focus on only the audio aspect of low fidelity. The reason it is used in audio so frequently is that it has the ability to simulate and mimic recording techniques and mediums, such as tape and early digital audio. Many audio engineers choose … [Read more...]
Designing Signature Sounds
Not all sounds are created equally. There are sounds that demand just that extra attention. Kate Finan, from Boom Box Post, calls them “signature sounds”. They're the sounds that give a movie or game character. Sounds that we can recall even when we are doing the dishes or having a conversation. These sounds bring characters to life and help make the world unique, believable … [Read more...]
Using Convolution Reverb For Designing Lo-Fi Sounds
When I think lo-fi, I think lo-fi sci-fi. I think of games like Alien Isolation, Bioshock, SOMA. Films like Alien and Blade Runner. I think of gritty, chunky sounds. Interfaces or devices that click and clatter and that have been through the ringer more than once. I think what makes lo-fi sci-fi so great is how everything seems to be grounded in some sort of … [Read more...]
Voice User Interfaces in Film and Reality
When thinking of voice user interfaces as pure technology, it may not sound appealing to some of us who are in this business for the art. Even when thinking of the technology behind the art, it is comprehensive why some people would shy away from it. What’s compelling about VUIs, however, is not necessarily the ones and zeros that magically enable machines to speak to us; … [Read more...]
FACT Magazine: Bratislava’s LOM is bringing affordable field recording to the masses
Photo courtesy of FACT In this article, John Twells explores the work of Jonáš Gruska in providing relatively low-cost equipment for field recordists. Gruska, the founder of LOM and creator of the Elektrosluch, also explains his motivation for creating his recording devices. I was an experimental musician and a field recordist on a budget and I had to improvise with my gear … [Read more...]