Meet the Team #10- Jose Castro (Sound Designer)

[Organicantibeatbox]

Sounds like some love is going into the sound design. Fantastic
Here's some sound **** from the mention in the interview; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywWFvjE-yU

[Dr Wookie]

Thanks Jose and Ashley, for a very evocative interview!

- Love the Nostromo comparison, and look forward to creating my ship with its distinctive whispers and creaks and "hang on that doesn't sound right"

- I think it's great to include the radio and audio HUD as real components that can be tweaked and or damaged

[Jenner]

An excellent interview. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed it immensely.


But I have some extra sound questions for Jose;

2. If a tree falls in the forest and there is no-one there to hear it, is the cat dead or alive?

Schrodinger, come get your cat!

[Jenner]

Nice interview! The attention to audio is welcome, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what ED delivers in this area. The audio HUD is a great addition, as others have said. I really like the radio concept, too! And the ability to tune into astronomical phenomena? How cool is that?!

Glad to hear that the ships will have a startup sequence (and sounds) as well. I'd hate it if you just pressed a key to enter the ship and then it was all powered up and ready to fly. Not nearly as immersive that way.

[Cathy]

This is my favourite meet the team interview yet. Sound in Elite is going to be amazing. Lovely job

[MikeSnos]

Just a thought, any comment from Jose or FD on what the Pulse Laser will sound like.... Perhaps an audio clip may be worth posting.... (HINT!)

[Voyager_NL]

Loving what you are planning to do with sound in the game.

I am missing details on surround sound functionality though.

I'm aiming for a new headset and I'm wondering if I should go for a surround version.

[ianw]

Looks really good.

Yet another aspect of the game that looks like being a real stand out feature.

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Loving what you are planning to do with sound in the game.

I am missing details on surround sound functionality though.

I'm aiming for a new headset and I'm wondering if I should go for a surround version.

First, there are two things - one is sound source position, which is like default in 3D games like for 8 years already. Second, surround has nothing to do with position and I see such headsets as kinda snake oil, because good position mixing + 2.0 headset works the same. Still, I think ED will support 5.1/7.1 mixing, and then it's up to your OS to deliver it to your preferred audio device.

[blibbka]

Nostromo boot up sequence.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7deEcyeVuw8

(long time lurker, first post!)

Great link. I'd forgotten how good the sound is in that film and that particular sequence is great. How do you make a sequence that is basically showing a computer starting up into something that is gripping and interesting?

It's very encouraging to read about the depth of thought that is going towards making the Elite Dangerous Universe immersive and coherent.

The idea of each craft having it's own distinct audio "fingerprint", is brilliant and will really contribute to the immersion of the game.

Regarding coherence - and this applies to the game in general, from what I've seen; It is great that FD are taking the time to figure out a back-story to the Universe (a theory behind the design of different craft, different space stations, etc). Hopefully that'll create the impression of a seamless universe, without the presence of inconsistencies to break the spell.

Props to all!

[Keeval]

Hi Jose,

Thank you very much for the interview.

Sound is one of those things that if not done right can ruin an otherwise good film/series/game etc. It certainly sounds (pardon the expression) that the audio of Elite : Dangerous is in good hands.

The player’s ship is at this point both the main character and scenario in the game, so my goal is to have it generate a rich soundscape on its own: the hums and chatter from the electronic equipment (think Nostromo starting up), the whirl of the air conditioner, the resonances of the weapons in the cockpit... there’s a myriad of elements that we can work within this inner space, all of which can be reactive to meaningful parameters to the point that an experienced pilot should know the state of the spaceship just by listening to it.

..

In addition to the “sound HUD”, the spaceships will include a different device, a radio of sorts, rudimentary but dependable, that plays through a speaker in the cockpit and passively tunes to radio frequencies, say that of a “nearby” pulsar or the engine of a spaceship passing by; in case of general interface malfunction, the radio might very well be the only source of information on the outside world.

I read those bits of the interview and the ideas that I could see in my minds eye .. wow.. I can't wait to see and most importantly hear how all this works out in the finished game.

[jan]

About time i say, since sound is half the game and immersion that make me play a game over and over for a number of hours/days.

How big is the sound liberary for ED going to be?

[Kleinholz]

Loving what you are planning to do with sound in the game.

I am missing details on surround sound functionality though.

I'm aiming for a new headset and I'm wondering if I should go for a surround version.

First, there are two things - one is sound source position, which is like default in 3D games like for 8 years already. Second, surround has nothing to do with position and I see such headsets as kinda snake oil, because good position mixing + 2.0 headset works the same. Still, I think ED will support 5.1/7.1 mixing, and then it's up to your OS to deliver it to your preferred audio device.

I second that. Get a good pair of headphones (not necessarily a headset - you can get a separate mic) plus a proper sound card and you'll be fine. Especially good headphones can make worlds of a difference.

[Cosmos]

Sounds like some love is going into the sound design. Fantastic
Here's some sound **** from the mention in the interview; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywWFvjE-yU

First off, yes to the Nostromo influence but watching that video also raises another issue I think is somewhat important, even if it does stray from sound.

I'm quite the lover of basic text, ascii, displays as we can see from the above vid and I think something along those lines would make a fine addition to the game.

The ending to portal is one of the best endings to any game I have ever played, but is a great example of what I mean :

text thing starts at 50 secs..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs

[Qpid Stunt]

Great interview again, love the thought that's going into all the elements of E: D and cannot wait to hear my first docking sequence, although mine will probably end with a huge crash and another scar around the station entrance!