After the rousing success of our meetup at last year's show in New York (seriously, it was great!), we've decided to do it again this year! So, come join us for food and drinks at Tom's Urban on Thursday, October 9th, at 8:30 PM. Both Shaun and I will be there and we look forward to meeting all of you! More info and how to RSVP after the jump. … [Read more...]
Real Spaces
When we say “space”, people generally think of two things: outer space, or a bounded area that something fits into. It's a safe bet that most people in the sound community immediately think of the latter. So often we focus on the characteristics of a space...how far a sound carries, reflections and reverberation time, etc. Certainly that helps us define a space, but...for the … [Read more...]
Top 5 Tips for Learning to Listen
Guest Contribution by Karen Collins Listening is the most important skill a sound designer has, and yet, it’s probably the one that’s the most ephemeral and difficult to nail down. What is listening? Are we born with this skill, or is it something that we can learn? Listening is the process that takes the information that we hear and makes meaning from that sound. To listen … [Read more...]
A Space
The world we inhabit is ever shifting. People and animals are constantly on the move. Water laps against wood or crashes against a sandy beach. If considered from a somewhat solipsistic approach the buildings, trees and mountains around us even shift in position. With all of those positional changes comes a new sonic interaction. The squirrel's chitter no is no longer to our … [Read more...]
An Acousmatic Invitation
An epiphany Silence! Be quiet! Because listening is active, because the birds have already left but their sound still reverberates. Silent all ears that listen, stunned by the noise that is gone but still relishes. The soundtrack? Our life! That one of changes, transition, mutation and mysteries, that one able to peer into the recesses of the deepest realities, responsible for … [Read more...]
Practical Exercises for Critical Listening
Sound designers by nature have an inherent curiosity towards sound. We explore the way sounds work every time we approach a project. With each new opportunity to design a sound, we ask ourselves questions such as: What object/event produced the sound(s)? Where is the sound source located in relation to the listener, and just as importantly, how does (or how will) the sound … [Read more...]
Critical Listening: A Game Audio Professional’s Dilemma
Guest Contribution by Berrak Nil Boya As a composer, musicologist and a sound designer who is making a transition to the world of game audio for the last year or so, not only do I have a new level of respect for everyone who works as a game audio professional but I also became aware of various changes I am going through almost daily to adapt my already established skill set … [Read more...]