Guest Contribution by Rodney Gates Greetings! Welcome, and thanks for checking out this (TL;DR) article on the creation of the virtual instrument sample library, GuitarMonics, designed for Native Instruments’ Kontakt software. It was a long road from concept to completion, and I thought it might be a good idea to discuss some of the processes and discoveries I learned along … [Read more...]
Designing Sound Discussion Group: SFX and Freelancing in Game Audio
Our panel is about to start. Recording Now Available! The live stream is embedded below, but you'll want to head over to our Google+ page if you want to ask our panelists any questions at the end of the presentation. As a reminder, our panelists include: Gordon Hempton - Nature sound effects recordist and activist, also know as The Soundtracker Douglas Price - Founder … [Read more...]
Designing Sound Discussion Group – SFX and Freelancing in the Games Industry
Photo by Dennis Beentjes. Used under Creative Commons license.I'm going to be a little quiet on the site this month, but I'm making up for that by putting together a kick-ass virtual panel for you! Sitting on the panel for the next Designing Sound Discussion Group are Gordon Hempton (The Soundtracker/Quiet Planet), Rodney Gates (Sony Online Entertainment), Matt Piersall … [Read more...]
Rodney Gates Special: Reader Questions
Designing Sound Rearder: What technique (or tip) you wish you had known when you first started doing sound design professionally? Rodney Gates: I wish I knew how to make something sound large, other than just using reverb tail. One way this can be achieved is by pitching something at multiple intervals – an octave down, two octaves down, and blending with the original. This … [Read more...]
Rodney Gates Special: A New Role – Becoming Audio Director
[Written by Rodney Gates for Designing Sound] In early June of 2010, I became Sony Online’s Audio Director for San Diego. So how has this experience been so far? I’ll dive into a few points. A Delicate Balancing Act When I started working at this company, my primary focus was as a Senior Sound Designer on “Clone Wars Adventures”. It was very different for me as I was initially … [Read more...]
Rodney Gates Special: Coming Full Circle – Spearheading “Clone Wars Adventures”
[Written by Rodney Gates for Designing Sound] It seems perfectly fitting that with the Star Wars films being such an influence for me as a Sound Designer, when the opportunity came up to become the Lead on “Clone Wars Adventures”, a joint venture between Sony Online Entertainment and Lucasarts, it was hard to resist. Hit the Ground Running When I started on the game, it … [Read more...]
Rodney Gates Special: Designing Vehicle Audio for “Transformers: War For Cybertron”
[Written by Rodney Gates for Designing Sound] Home Digs “Transformers” is a mega-hit franchise for Hasbro with a huge fan base fueled by cartoons that beckoned to us in our formative years during the 80’s. The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons has raged on for decades now, with seemingly no end in sight, and we still line up to see it, be it new toy line, game, … [Read more...]