General / Off-Topic Sound Design & Game Industry

[joeybolufe]

I'm currently a 20 year old student in college at Florida International University majoring in Broadcast Media. I've always loved sound production and have taught myself how to use mixing consoles, recording software and all that good stuff. My dad and I actually used to owned a recording studio but we closed down last October [cry].

Before playing Planet Coaster, I didn't even realize how sound design has such a great impact on a games presentation. I noticed how, in PC, when you load up a park from the main menu, the menu music keeps playing and ends in a few gentle guitar strums as the park appears on your screen. That design decision was so good!

Well i guess my whole reason for this whole post is i'm interested in how to go about getting a job in sound for video game development. I've seen lots of articles and videos about getting into the industry as a programmer or artist but I haven't seen anything about the sound side. I was thinking about going into TV or Radio production, but I just love games so much!
What should I do to try to get into the industry? Maybe one day in the future I could work for a legit game studio like Frontier [big grin]

 

[James Stant]

Hello there!

Firstly, thanks for supporting Planet Coaster and for your kind words about the progress the team has made on the audio so far [big grin]

It sounds like you're taking great steps in the right direction as you pursue a career in media/audio. Just thought I'd pop by with a few suggestions in the hope that they may be of some help if you choose to pursue game audio.

- Familiarize yourself with common audio middleware (e.g. Wwise, FMOD). It's free, as are useful online tutorials.
- You're probably prepared on this aspect, but develop a solid knowledge of one or two DAWs (whether it be Pro Tools, Cubase or so forth) and plug-ins
- Set up an online presence (website, LinkedIn SoundCloud, Youtube, etc.)
- Try to attend any conferences/industry events/social meet ups you can in order to make new contacts.
- Share your work and welcome constructive feedback. Iteration is a huge part of the process, so it's important to invite feedback, listen to it and then act on it.
- Play games! And don't just play every award-winning title; spend a bit of time with some games that perhaps weren't as warmly received critically and start to identify perhaps why they didn't manage to do so well.
- Make something! Development tools have never been so openly available, so maybe see if you can find a small group of like-minded individuals and make something together. Don't jump straight into an overly-ambitious MMORPG that will realistically never be finished - just a small puzzle game will do!

I personally went to university to studying Music Composition, as I wanted to combine my two biggest passions of music and games, with the aim of becoming a game composer. Having finished by Bachelor's and Master's degrees (even with a couple of AAA audio credits to my name through industry placements), I found that junior audio roles were very hard to come by. As I just wanted to be working in the industry and earning a salary, I took what is considered a bit of an old-school route and spent a couple of years working in QA (Quality Assurance) testing games. This became absolutely invaluable as it allowed me to gain a deep appreciation of the way in which different disciplines work together. It also allowed me to start networking and meeting new developers. The industry is actually surprisingly small so making new connections (and maintaining positive relationships!) is very important. Some companies allow (or even encourage) you to work on personal projects outside of working hours. I found this to be quite useful, as I could be earning a game development salary during the day and then improving my audio skillset/CV in the evenings and at weekends. Many companies offer great opportunities for internal promotions, so make your audio skills/background/desire known. Then either you will find yourself working upwards... or you may find your name will pop in conversation between contacts you've made elsewhere! Work hard, keep positive and follow your goals [up]

Implementing Jim Guthrie's main theme was great fun and hugely rewarding. I'm fortunate to work with a team of hugely talented and passionate audio professionals, allowing for us to constantly throw ideas back and forth. We wanted to make sure it always felt responsive, that it wasn't too overbearing when you're trying to take in information and that loading into a park was a magical 'ta-dah!' reveal full of excitement... also with an element of comfort, as if you've arrived back home where you're always welcome. We'll have to do an audio dev diary sometime - we've got rather a lot of interesting insights into the development of Planet Coaster's audio!

Hope this is of some help. Wishing you all the best as you embark upon your career,

James Stant
Senior Audio Designer
Frontier Developments

 

[0BobTheJanitor]

Don't you hate it when your gun doesn't sound like a gun? Or you're fighting an epic boss, and Generic Orchestra Piece #4 starts playing? Or terrifying enemies don't sound at all terrifying? Or you're in space, and the sound is not muffled in any way?

Audio design is way too overlooked, but is one of the most important subtle details of a game. Considering sight and sound are the only two senses you feel when playing a game or watching a movie, sound is technically half of the playing experience. It's a major part of the immersion; if something doesn't sound real it cannot BE real. [yesnod]

 

[joeybolufe]

Hey James, thank you for the reply! It really helped, thanks for the tips [up] And yes you guys should really do an audio dev diary!

 

[Dante80]

Hey James, thank you for the reply! It really helped, thanks for the tips [up] And yes you guys should really do an audio dev diary!

Word! I would really like to hear more about how you came up with the current language the guests speak..C:

And maybe a hint that different coasters and coaster tracks will sound different..

 

[Angelis1]

What a nice reply [up][up][up]