Guest Contribution by David Nichols An engine is, in essence, an air pump. Air comes in, gets mixed with fuel, goes bang, and leaves again. When talking about ways to make more power, the most obvious is to make a bigger bang. However, gasoline works best at a very specific ratio of fuel to air, which is roughly 14:1. So, if you want to make a bigger bang, you need 14 times … [Read more...]
Car Engine Approximation In Max
Years ago, when I first started dabbling in the deep and dark world of Max/MSP, I attempted to create the sound of a car engine. This month's theme (which is 'vehicles', if you didn't know) reminded me about it. I opened up the patch after ages and was a bit appalled by the state of it. There are hidden skeletons in every old patch! Instead of digging through a … [Read more...]
The Tonebenders – Vehicle Recording Roundtable
I'm really stoked by the way The Tonebenders Podcast has been jumping onto our monthly topics when they can. This time, they've got a spectacular roundtable conversation with Rob Noke, Watson Wu and Max Lachmann. Give it a listen, and make sure to visit the Tonebenders webpage to find out more information about their guests in this episode. Thanks for the contribution, … [Read more...]
Planes, Trains and Automobiles …and tanks and bikes and boats and…
Guest Contribution by Stephan Schütze Why I am not going to tell you which microphone to use The simple answer to this statement is, because we don’t have time. The exact choice of which microphone to use for each situation of recording a vehicle is a detailed exercise and would take more pages than we have space for. Even then, there is a major flaw associated with the … [Read more...]
Spectral Analysis: Interview with Rob Blake
Many thanks to Brad Dyck for contributing this interview. You can follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Dyck It was my pleasure to speak with Rob Blake, Audio Director best known for his work on the Mass Effect trilogy. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is available now for PC and will be available for PS3/PS4 on August 19th. BD: What originally made you move away from the UK to … [Read more...]
… Mr. President!!! … (Gen 3 Helicopter Implementation in Frostbite/Battlefield 4)
Guest contribution by Ben Minto and Bence Pajor of DICE … Mr. President!!! ... There we were in The Thirsty Bear, reflecting on the first lot of GDC Audio Sessions, and up walks Mr. Menhorn. He knew what he wanted from us; so after introductions, a few more IPAs and some passionate discussion it was in the bag. So here we are. A “behind the scenes”, warts and all, … [Read more...]
The Art and Craft of Foley
"Footsteps with character: the art and craft of Foley", a great essay written by Benjamin Wright, included in the Screen journal. "In this essay I look more closely at modern Foley performance and aesthetics, giving special attention to the customized nature of Foley effects and the importance of creating sound with ‘character’. What interests me is not only how Foley … [Read more...]