The Game Audio Strategy Guide

The Game Audio Strategy Guide is a comprehensive text designed to turn both novices and experienced audio designers into technical game audio pros. Featuring an extensive companion website with numerous practical tutorials and exercises, which allow the reader to gain hands-on experience creating audio assets for games.

"If you're interested in the world of game sound, you need this book! I couldn't be more excited that this book exists and wish I had had such a comprehensive and well-organized handbook when I was starting out as a sound designer/composer. Gina and Spencer take us through a complete overview of the craft and the skills involved in this growing field where sound is an essential component of game development. They shed light on the creative process, the technical skills, and the practicalities, from sound and music creation to game audio implementation. This book is a culmination of Gina and Spencer's many years of professional experience wrapped into an accessible and effective guide. Not to mention, they are seasoned educators, so as you can imagine this book is not only bursting with invaluable tips from professionals, but it's also instructive and even includes assignments and additional practical information on a companion website to make sure the concepts really hit home. That combination is invaluable and an enormous help! A must-read for up-and-coming game audio folks, in my opinion." - Michele Darling, professional sound designer and assistant chair of Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA "This is an astonishing achievement. It is the definitive book of reference that the industry has needed for years. It will help guide a whole new generation of creative technical audio professionals into this immensely challenging and rewarding area of the video games industry. If you have any serious interest in video games audio or music, you must read this book." - Guy Michelmore, composer "A delightful and useful addition to the Game Audio Toolbox of Your Mind (and bookshelf!)" - George Alistair Sanger, "The Fat Man" "The Game Audio Strategy Guide is a comprehensive text for anyone wanting to better understand the nuts and bolts of music composition and sound design for games. In their information-packed treatise, Gina and Spencer provide an excellent roadmap for understanding the complex and not-so-straightforward art of game music and sound." - Brian Schmidt, executive director, GameSoundCon and Brian Schmidt Studios, LLC, USA "This exciting book is a comprehensive 'walkthrough' of the creative processes of game audio. It uses the experienceof industry professionals in tandem with theoretical discussion to present practical wisdom in an accessible manner. The book encourages readers to become reflective, innovative composers and sound designers. A strategy guide, yes, but absolutely no cheating!" - Dr Tim Summers, lecturer in Music, Royal Holloway University of London, UK, author of Understanding Video Game Music and co-founder, Ludomusicology Research Group

Autorentext

Gina Zdanowicz is an accomplished audio designer for games, film, TV, new realities, and podcasts. A graduate from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Synthesis, Gina honed her skills in game audio by working in house with game developers and founding her own independent sound studio, Serial Lab Sound. Gina has worked on over 100 video game and interactive titles and her work with Nickelodeon (TV) has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy awards. In addition to her career as an audio designer, Gina is a game audio course author and instructor at Berklee Online, a tutor at Thinkspace Education, and a lecturer at universities such as NYU and conferences around the world like GDC. Follow Gina at: www.seriallab.com

Spencer Bambrick is a composer for games, film, and the concert stage. His recent work includes BestLuck (2018, PC, Mobile), Block Party (Emmy-Nominated Nick Jr. Series of Animated Shorts), and additional music for Paladins (Hi-Rez Studios). Spencer is the Game Audio Network Guild Northeast Regional Director and he has presented at GameSoundCon (2018, 2017), PAX Dev (2016), and MAGFest (2015). He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Music Composition at The University of Hartford (The Hartt School), studying interactive music, game technology, and social activism.

Klappentext

The Game Audio Strategy Guide is a comprehensive text designed to turn both novices and experienced audio designers into technical game audio pros. Providing both a theoretical foundation and practical insights, The Game Audio Strategy Guide offers a thorough look at the tools and methods needed to create industry-quality music and sound design for games. The text is supported by an extensive companion website, featuring numerous practical tutorials and exercises, which allows the reader to gain hands-on experience creating and implementing audio assets for games. The Game Audio Strategy Guide is the essential manual for anyone interested in creating audio for games, inside or outside the classroom.

Inhalt

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

1. Getting Started

Our Goals for this Textbook

Overview and Learning Outcomes

Who Should Read this Book?

How to Use this Book

Requisite Knowledge

Theoretical Framework

Practical Framework, A.K.A. Companion Website (Sound Lab)?

Visiting Artist's Tips

Key Terms

Further Reading

Game Audio

Game Development Roles Defined

Essential Soft Skills and Tools For Game Audio

Production Cycle and Planning

Research

Making Use of Downtime

PART I

Sound Design

2. The Basics of Nonlinear Sound Design

What is Nonlinear Sound Design?

The Sound Design Process

Challenges in Nonlinear Sound Design

Exploring Immersion and Interactivity

Essential Skills for Sound Designers

3. Designing Sound

Dynamic Audio

Sound Effects

The Function of Sound in Games

Designing the Sonic Palette

Choosing the Right Source for Your Sonic Palette

Sourcing Audio from Libraries

Sourcing Sounds through Synthesis

Sourcing Audio through Studio and Field Recording

Field Recording

Microphone Choice and Placement

Performing Sound with Props

Location Scouting and Preparation

Designing Sound Effects

Sound Design Techniques

Effects Processing as a Sound Design Tool

Putting It All Together

4. Voice Production

Dialogue vs. Voice-Over

PART II

Music

5. The Basics of Nonlinear Music

What is Nonlinear Music?

Challenges of Nonlinear Music Writing

Essential Skills for the Game Composer

Exploring Music as an Immersive Tool

Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic Music

Production Cycle and Planning

Working with a Team

Platforms and Delivery

6. Composing Music

Generating Musical Ideas and the Creative Cycle

Starting Points for Musical Composition

Composing Game Music

Form and Structure in Game Music

7. Arranging and Orchestration for Games

Genre and Style Considerations

Foundations of Musical Texture in Games

Arranging and Orchestrating Using Samples

Templates

Template Planning

The Orchestral Instruments

Writing for String Samples

Writing for Woodwind and Brass Samples

Writing for Choir Samples

Writing for Percussion Samples

Writing for Full Sampled Orchestra

Advanced Orchestration and Arranging for Live Ensembles

Working with Synthetic Timbres

Other Styles of Arranging in Game Music

PART III

Implementation

8. Audio Implementation

Implementation Basics

Dialogue Systems

Dynamic Mix Systems

Resource Management and Performance Optimization

Testing, Debugging, and QA

9. Music Implementation

Approaching Implementation

Arranging and Orchestration as Implementation

Advanced Vertical Techniques

Advanced Horizontal Techniques

Adding Randomness and Variation

Composing Complex Adaptive Systems Using Middleware

Aesthetic Creativity and Composing …