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...]
Monthly Theme: Failure
Failure can be scary. As artists and designers, we encounter failure regularly. At the worst of times it can even deter us from trying. How can we push past failure and come out smarter and stronger? … [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...]
Make the Tools You Want to See in the World
Audio programming is a service job. As an audio programmer, you know you're doing it right when the rest of the audio team is fast, efficient, and happy with the work they're doing. Sometimes you need to make tools to make that happen. This requires stealing some social skills from production, a little user experience thinking from design, and efficient use of resources from … [Read more...]