This month has been awesome! Aaron Marks made a terrific special, which sadly ends today. Thanks to all the readers who sent his questions. Below are the answers to them. Designing Sound Reader: How often do you use your musical background in sound designing a film or video game? Do you pitch certain hard FX or drones to musical notes to strike emotional chords in … [Read more...]
Aaron Marks Special: A Practical Guide to Field Recording [Part 2]
Field recorder choices In addition to choosing the most practical and highest quality microphone (as discussed in Part 1 of this article), the second half of the field recording ‘equipment’ equation is the trusty field recorder. We’ve come quite a long way in mobile recording technology in just the past few years and while it might seem to improve the chances of capturing … [Read more...]
The Washington Post: Use of Sound Effects in 'Secretariat' and Other Films
The Washington Post has published an article by film critic Ann Hornaday, who talks about the use of sound in film, specially the sound effects. She talks about the importance and good use of sound in several films such as "Secretariat, "Buried", "The American","Inception", "The Social Network", "Cast Away", "Pearl Harbor" and more. This might be not too much new stuff for a … [Read more...]
Aaron Marks Special: A Practical Guide to Field Recording [Part 1]
Field recording is defined as any recording made outside of a controlled studio environment. So, pretty much any audio recording you make whether it’s in a garage, your backyard or out in the middle of nowhere is considered field recording. Recording inside a studio is already challenging enough, but add in portable equipment, wind noise, airplanes, birds and all of those … [Read more...]
Audio Implementation Greats #9: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Multiplayer: Dynamic Wind System
When embarking on a sequel to one of the premier tactical shooters of the current generation, the Audio team at Red Storm Entertainment, A division of Ubisoft Entertainment, knew that they needed to continue shaping the player experience by further conveying the impression of a reactive and tangible world in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Multiplayer. With a constant focus … [Read more...]
Exclusive: "From the Shadows of Film Sound", New Book by Rob Bridgett
Today I'm happy to announce that Rob Bridgett, one of our best friends here at Designing Sound (and who started the monthly special series almost a year ago) is releasing "From the Shadows of Film Sound", a new must-have book for anyone interested in sound for video games. As a practitioner in video game development, Rob Bridgett has explored and written about the connective … [Read more...]
Aaron Marks Special: Disciplines of Sound Design, Required Sounds, Sound Design Thought Process and Development Cycle
This is an excerpt from Game Audio Development. It's used by permission of Delmar/Cengage Learning. Chapter 3 - Disciplines of Sound Design There is a variety of disciplines requiring proficiency for a successful game sound design career. Since games utilize an assortment of sound styles, a good sound designer will need the knowledge to work expertly within each area to create … [Read more...]