There is a nice article at The Kartel, providing some notes and ideas given by Akira Yamaoka on his lecture at GDC 2010. Check: Surival-horror fanatics, despite their differences, can all agree that the Silent Hill series was revolutionary for creating both an immersive and creepy environment. Through the use of haunting sound effects, and an original soundtrack, sound … [Read more...]
Game Sound Study – Footsteps
Damian Kastbauer (author of the "Audio Implementation Greats") has published a really interesting post on his blog with a deep analysis of footsteps in different video games such as Prince of Persia, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout3, Borderlands, Brutal Legent and more. He also gives global concepts about the recording and implementation of footsteps sounds in video games, … [Read more...]
Dolby Surround 7.1 and Dolby Axon; Advances in Sound Technology for Cinema and Video Games
Recently, Dolby has unveiled two new technologies, both for films and video games. The first surprise is the announce of Dolby Surround 7.1 at ShoWest 2010. Dolby Laboratories, Inc. announced it is working with Walt Disney Pictures(R) and Pixar(R) Animation Studios to deliver a new audio format, Dolby(R) Surround 7.1. Disney(R) and Pixar have stated that Dolby Surround 7.1 … [Read more...]
Erick Ocampo Talks About the Sound Design of "Front Mission Evolved"
Square Enix has published on his blog a post by Erick Ocampo, who talks about the sound design of "Front Mission Evolved", talking about his work on the Wanzer robots. He also talks about working with our featured sound designer Erik Aadahl, who participated in the creation of the sounds of the video game. My name is Erick Ocampo, I am the Sound Designer on Front Mission … [Read more...]
Audio Implementation Greats #5: Ambient – The Hills are Alive
In a continued attempt to shed light on some of the best examples of Technical Sound Design in the current generation, I'd like to call attention to several titles that have pushed the envelope when it comes to the art of ambience. The all encompassing experience of “being there” in a game, where the sense of place is encapsulated in the sound of the environment. Stepping … [Read more...]
Interview with Bay Area Sound Team
Julian Kwasneski, Jared Emerson-Johnson, and Damian Kastbauer, the guys at Bay Area Sound had a nice interview at MOJO, talking about his work on the company, the previous titles they worked on, and more. If you’ve played any game listed in the Mojo database, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the work of Bay Area Sound or the seasoned team behind it. Formed in … [Read more...]
Recording Cars for "Forza Motorsport 3"
Check this interesting article at Jalopnik featuring the car recording sessions for "Forza Motorsport 3". In a way, it's best to think of driving sims as being like the movies, where huge amounts of lighting and makeup are required in order to make people look exactly like they do in real life. Along the same lines, you cannot simply stuff an expensive microphone up the … [Read more...]