MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Byron Atkinson-Jones, Xiotex Studios
Don’t be afraid to dive into subtractive synthesis to create your own SFX, get a decent field mic for others.
Jaime Cross, Team Junkfish
A good sound implemented badly is a waste. Always sort out HOW things are played back – not just what.
Chris Sweetman, Sweet Justice
Source is king; you can never have enough fresh material for use in your designs.
Matt Lightbound, ThinkSpace Education
Don’t get patriotic about software. There’s no need to be a fanboy for any DAW or WAV editor. Learn as much as you can and use what’s right for the job.
Sally Kellaway, Zero Latency/Fmod
My top advice for VR audio is to think about what the player should hear to help guide their experience, instead of what they would hear without curation. Avoiding overstimulating or distracting the player.
James Stant, Frontier Developments
Invest in high-quality hardware – microphones, pre-amps and so on – as much as possible. Don’t compromise with budget alternatives that fail to deliver on expectations and force you to replace prematurely.
Ash Read, CCP
My advice for VR audio is spread the layers of your designed SFX across the in-game object to add life and depth.
Blazing Griffin
It sounds like a no-brainer but the sooner you start adding audio, the better. It will massively change the feel of your game.
Sam Hughes, The Sound Architect
Layers are key to most great sounds. Different components from various sounds can create great stuff.
Gavin Harrison, composer
Sometimes the solution to a sound can be the most simple thing – don’t complicate design where it doesn’t need it.
@The_Stonecreek
Even if it’s a lot of (fun) work, make your own sound effects. Adds so much personality.
Graeme Norgate, composer
It’s all about the implementation – a bad mix will ruin everything.
All this week, Develop is taking a deeper look into sound and music in video games through our Audio Special.
