Guest Contribution by April Tucker Having a degree in audio can be a double-edged sword. This was a lesson I learned after one of my earliest interviews, not long after completing my Master’s Degree (in Sound Recording). I was new to Los Angeles and interviewing for part-time tech work. It seemed to be going well until the interviewer said, “I don’t even have friends with … [Read more...]
Sound for the Documentary “Out of Nothing”
Guest Contribution by James Bretz The documentary Out of Nothing is my first feature, and the first feature for our entire P-51 Pictures team. It’s more than just a story about motorcycles. It’s a human story. It follows four men who follow their passions and dreams, and it tells one of many stories that are a part of a larger community of individuals and teams involved in … [Read more...]
Constructing Reality for Nonfiction Film
Guest Contribution by Lawrence Everson The relationship that documentary cinema has with truth, realism and subjectivity has long been a lively debate. Likely since its origins as a medium (do a quick Google search about Nanook of the North's impact and also its staged shots, for example). Documentary sound design is an often overlooked aspect of the craft that inhabits a … [Read more...]
What’s The Deal With Procedural Game Audio?
Guest contribution by Martin Roth We've all heard of the promises of procedural game audio. A veritable Valhalla where sounds are created out of thin air, driven by the game engine, eliminating the need for huge sample libraries and tedious recording. Sounds great! So why aren't we hearing more of it in games today? We've all experienced Rockstar's work in GTA 5; those … [Read more...]
The Making Of Thunderstorm 3 SFX Library Part 2
Guest Contribution by Frank Bry Check out part 1 of The Making of Thunderstorm 3 SFX here. In this second and final article I will discuss microphone patterns, recording device pre amp settings, editing and the final mastering phase of this collection. Before I dive into all the technical mumbo jumbo I want to express that when I'm setting up and actually recording thunder … [Read more...]
Synthesis Tips for the Non-Synthesist
Guest Contribution from Steven Smith Introduction In some ways it seems quite strange to find myself authoring a post on synthesis that has as its main topic: “Not everyone needs to be a synthesist”. But from another angle of practicality, it makes a great deal of sense. Many of us already have found ourselves naturally diving into certain areas of synthesis from within the … [Read more...]
100% Synthesized SFX for Stylized Realism in Games
Guest Contribution by Alex May If you were born in the 70’s or 80’s and played video games, you’ll no doubt have fond memories of the early days of game audio when consoles were incapable of playing back more than basic pulse waves or noise. All sounds had to be forged from these primitives, and game SFX were rarely even slightly reminiscent of anything actually real. Now, … [Read more...]