Guest contribution by Martin Stig Andersen The following is extracted from the author’s article "Electroacoustic Sound and Audiovisual Structure in Film" (supervised by Denis Smalley) originally published by eContact. Music Versus Sound Effects — Sound Designer qua Composer? Given sound’s ability to create temporal experiences unique to that of other media, it seems no … [Read more...]
Collaborating with the Music Team – An Interview with Randy Thom
When we talk about the blurry lines that exist between sound design and music, it's important to remember that we don't work in a vacuum. Media is collaborative. The more effectively we work with our counterparts, the greater a project's potential becomes. So, I asked Randy Thom to discuss the ins and outs building a working relationship the music department. DS: I know … [Read more...]
The Sound of Music, or the Music of Sound?
By: Karen Collins *note: some excerpts from this section are taken from my book, Playing with Sound (MIT Press, 2013). Music and sound design are often treated as separate disciplines. We describe ourselves as composers or sound designers, get hired to do one or the other (usually) and awards are given to these jobs as separate categories. It’s rare that sound design gets … [Read more...]
The Intersection of Sound Design and Music
This is a conversation topic we see pop every once in a while...the blurring lines between music composition and sound design. When you stop to think about it for a bit, it's a somewhat predictable occurrence. Many of the tools that modern composers and sound designers use are very similar; often times, exactly the same. As the two disciplines have spent more and more time in … [Read more...]
Thank You to our February Contributors!
The month is wrapping up, and tomorrow we start a new featured topic. It's that time, once again, to thank all of the wonderful people who contributed guest articles and participated in interviews with us here on the site. Owen Green, who contributed not just one, but two articles about loudness and metering Tomoya Kishi, of Capcom, for his herculean effort in sharing … [Read more...]
All Fun and Game Audio
I've written a new article for PSNEurope that attempts to explain just how big the game audio world really is. I probably could've filled another 2,000 words... Today’s game audio has come a long way from the simple beeps and boops of Pong and other early video games. It wasn’t until 1978 when Taito released Space Invaders that music became more than just an accompaniment to … [Read more...]
Loudness In Game Audio
Finishing up Loudness Month here at Designing Sound I asked the good folks at Audiokinetic (makers of Wwise), Firelight Technologies (makers of FMOD) and G.A.N.G. IESD about what is happening in game audio in regards to loudness metering. From the G.A.N.G. IESD Committee: "Loudness and monitoring levels have been very high on the IESD's agenda since the the organization … [Read more...]