tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56096954350842650092024-02-07T04:34:59.155+00:00Sound-Music-Interactive-GamesThis site covers sound and music for games, sound for film, music for film, and other interactive audio and audio-visual based stuff.Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-34721988556991645402013-02-20T11:26:00.002+00:002013-06-04T09:53:56.459+01:00Conference and Research NotesPersonal (and slightly sketchy) notes from conferences<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TovNZnaVV2LVRDbzRXaUlOQUE/edit?usp=sharing">GDC 2013</a><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TovNZnaVV2TFRtOWNlcUtUT2s/edit?usp=sharing">AES Audio for Games 2013</a><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TovNZnaVV2N24xUFN2OWd0MTg/edit?usp=sharing">GDC 2012</a><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TovNZnaVV2UHpaRm5ycVVZZzQ/edit?usp=sharing">GDC 2011</a><br />
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“What are the biggest challenges for you in developing, and improving the use of, audio in games today ?”…<br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4TovNZnaVV2dS1XV1lGRFRBeFk&usp=sharing">Link to results.</a><br />
<br />Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-56299701466425494962012-09-25T16:23:00.006+01:002021-12-15T19:53:37.802+00:00Play, Performance, Composition - Interesting Integrated Approaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Composition</div>
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As a tool for composition or an 'Open Work' composition</div>
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Music feedback reward augmenting gameplay</div>
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Sync as a game mechanic</div>
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Aurally Guided</div>
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Pulse</div>
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Call and Response</div>
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Graphically Guided</div>
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Audio based</div>
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Audio Analysis Creates Game Structures</div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
As a tool for composition</span></h2>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzxfLZ_32bSiKR3E293mzbea&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe></div>
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As an 'Open Work' Composition ?</span></h3>
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Dolphin, A. (2013) Defining sound toys: play as composition. Oxford Handbook of Interactive Audio, OUP.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzzVRN5hbgkwRj07eLUH232p&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19765443">Brian Eno 'Scape' Interview</a><br /><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/175049/making_music_pugs_luv_beats_.php">Pugs Luv Beats</a><br /><a href="http://seaquence.org/">Seaquence</a><br /><a href="http://disasterpeace.com/january/">January</a></span><br />
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Musical Feedback Reward Augmenting Gameplay</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzyXrYt5_ZLRUnyAfTeQbNQJ&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://www.playauditorium.com/">Auditorium</a><br />
<a href="http://cappel-nord.de/webaudio/acid-defender/">Acid Defender</a><br />
<a href="http://www.draknek.org/games/BRICKbricksmashSMASH/">Brick Smash</a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">Synced / Rhythmic input as game mechanic</span></h2>
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Awarded points or advantage for matching input / actions to Music</div>
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Def Jam Icon <i>"the big beats in the music can cause special events to occur in the environement which cause extra damage to the fow you're battling. ... In general, the entire scene also modulates to the beat from sparkling hub caps and falling ceilling tiles to lightning flashes and shaking camera cinematography."</i> (Paul, L. in "Music and Game" Moormann (ED))</div>
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Earthbound : mother 3 -<a href="http://cruiseelroy.net/2009/01/mother-3-battle-music/"> music based battle systems, taking actions in time with the background music increasese your effectiveness</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://tobiasbaumann.net/20046/224968/game-design/the-flight-(working-title)">The Flight</a><br />
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<br /><b>Aurally Guided - Pulse</b></h3>
<<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzxIH3hJPajQYVvvr_jSpEqQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Aurally Guided - Call and Response</b></h3>
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<<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzxuxFf7JytkA2PUHVlz90ks" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b><br /></b>
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<h3>
<b>Graphically Guided </b></h3>
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<<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzx4MDgvAPRTaMc5etBMhpKD" width="560"></iframe><br />
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"Rayman Rocks!: <a href="http://rayman.ubi.com/legends/en-gb/home/index.aspx">Jump to the beat of a drum, punch to the bass line, even zip-line during a guitar sustain. Timing and rhythm are the key to beat these maps set to music. See if you have what it takes to be a Platforming Hero.</a>"<br />
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<a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2011/11/ipad-meets-kinect-twister-meets-tenori-on-behind-the-scenes-of-pxl-pusher-music-game/">Pxl Pusher</a><br />
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Audio Only</h2>
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<a href="http://audiogames.net/">http://audiogames.net/</a>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Sound:_Kaze_no_Regret">Kaze no Regret</a><br />
<a href="http://cycling74.com/project/meltdown-location-audio-game/">Meltdown - Location Audio Game</a><br />
<a href="https://www.zombiesrungame.com/">Zombies, Run !</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jsjoust.com/">Johann Sebastian Joust</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bpcprograms.com/games/three-d-velocity">Three-D Velocity</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BrianSchmidt/20130617/194489/Making_Ear_Monsters_Developing_a_3D_Audio_Game.php">Ear Monsters</a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzzx200NJNnuzb_FcNf7WpID&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Audio Analysis Creates Game Structures</span></h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLlAw4LnmiXzzYy-50ZhFIkn1sU2wFP0O1&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span face="'Open Sans', sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/22/what-defines-and-inspires-music-games-according-to-the-devs-who-made-them/">What defines and inspires music games, according to the developers who make them</a></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: none medium; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="outline: none medium;" /></span><br />
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<h2>UE4 Experiments</h2><h2><br /></h2><h2>Misc</h2>
<a href="http://www.soundodger.com/">Sounddodger+</a></div>
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Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-13660722309218935662011-07-07T10:12:00.002+01:002016-04-28T10:02:13.106+01:00Main Game Audio Links<h3>
Most of the contents of this blog has been moved <a href="http://www.gameaudioimplementation.com/biblinks.php">here </a>with updated links, books and articles.</h3>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/">#gameaudio</a><br />
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<a href="http://gameaudiorelevance.iasig.org/">Game Audio Relevance</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gameaudiopodcast.com/" target="_new">The Game Audio Podcast</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gameaudiohour.com/">Game Audio Hour</a><a href="http://gameaudiorelevance.iasig.org/"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/category/audio/">Gamasutra</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gdcvault.com/">Game Developers Conference Vault</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gamesound.org/" target="_new">GameSound.org</a><br />
<a href="http://gamessound.com/index.htm" target="_new">GamesSound.com</a><br />
<a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/" target="_new">Create Digital Music</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.lostchocolatelab.com/" target="_new">Lost Chocolate Lab</a><a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/" target="_new"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.iasig.org/" target="_new">Interactive Audio Special Interest Group</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gamesoundcon.com/" target="_new">GameSoundCon</a><br />
+ <a href="http://soundlibrarian.moodle.com.au/course/view.php?id=38">Archive of Game Sound Con presentations via free login</a><br />
<a href="http://designingsound.org/">Designing Sound</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ludomusicology.org/bibliography/">Ludomusicology Bibliography</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonegap.gameaudio">Get into: Audio for Games app</a><br />
=======================<br />
<a href="http://www.develop-online.net/digital-edition" target="_new">Develop Magazine</a><br />
<a href="http://www.audiomedia.com/" target="_new">Audio Media Magazine</a> <br />
=======================<br />
<a href="http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/gameaudiopro/" target="_new">Game Audio Pro Forum</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gameaudioforum.com/" target="_new">Game Audio Forum</a><br />
<a href="http://www.procedural-audio.com/forum/index.php">Procedural Audio Forum</a><br />
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/GameAudio">Game Audio at Reddit</a><br />
<a href="http://socialsounddesign.com/">Social Sound Design</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/gamesounddesign/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/gamesounddesign/</a><br />
=======================<br />
<br />
<b>Game Audio Middleware</b><br />
<a href="http://www.fmod.org/">FMod</a><br />
<a href="http://www.audiokinetic.com/">WWise</a> (+ <a href="http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.co.uk/p/msc-sound-and-music-for-interactive.html">An Introduction to Interactive Music in WWise tutorial</a>)<br />
<br />
<b>Game Implementation Tools</b><br />
<a href="http://www.udk.com/">UDK</a> (+ <a href="http://www.thegameaudiotutorial.com/">a rather good book</a> :) (+ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG0_KyyqGSwSCha86CZcwWpucdFGoKij3">Tutorial Videos</a>)<br />
<a href="http://unity3d.com/">Unity</a><br />
<a href="http://www.crydev.net/dm_eds/download_detail.php?id=4">Cry Engine</a><br />
<a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Main_Page">Valve Source Engine</a>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-38102087530605101362009-12-10T21:22:00.005+00:002013-03-08T21:53:22.912+00:00Game Music Links<a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/top_score/">Top Score Podcast</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ludomusicology.org/bibliography/">Ludomusicology Bibliography</a><br />
<a href="http://www.gdcvault.com/free/gdc-10">Game Developers Conference</a><br />
<a href="http://cratesmith.s3.amazonaws.com/VesselTalk/index.html#28">Adaptive Music in Vessel</a> + <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOyjMPPvaY4">Leonard Paul Video</a><br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89565567">The evolution of game music (NPR)</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /><a href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/features/weekly/05-06-06-john-cages-xbox.shtml">Good intro</a><br /><a href="http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6298196/sound-byte-gamespots-video-game-audio-blog?sid=6298196">GameSpot Game Music Blog</a><a href="http://blip.tv/cdm-tv/behind-the-scenes-of-the-music-of-red-dead-redemption-3962837"><br />Music of Red Dead Redemption</a></span></span><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/16034304">Contextually Driven Dynamic Music System for Games (Iain Macanulty & Gordon Durity)</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://vimeo.com/16034304"> </a></span></span><br />
<a href="http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.com/2007/10/layered-music-in-splinter-cell-double.html">Layered Music in Splinter Cell Double Agent</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=44"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span lang="EN-GB">LOTR</span></st1:placename><span lang="EN-GB"> <st1:placename st="on">Two</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Towers</st1:placetype></span></st1:place></a><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=44"> Discussion</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=104">General Discussion</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/midi-is-the-future-of-game-audio/#comments"><st1:place st="on"><span lang="EN-GB">Midi</span></st1:place></a><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/midi-is-the-future-of-game-audio/#comments"> is the future !</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=79">Demon Stone Discussion</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/vg_music/index.html">A brief timeline of video game music</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.iasig.org/pubs/features/ic0101.shtml">Interactive composition</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.iasig.org/pubs/interviews/eidosjh.shtml">Interactive composition 2</a><br /><a href="http://www.dsteinwedel.com/Articles/Articles.html">David Steinwedel on Adaptive music in Hellgate London</a><span id="goog_143229306"></span><span id="goog_143229307"></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.iasig.org/pubs/interviews/guy_whitmore.shtml">Interview with Guy Whitmore</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/resource_guide/20030528/whitmore_01.shtml">Design with music in mind, Guy Whitmore.</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.iasig.org/pubs/features/adaptaudio/adaptiveaudio.htm">Adaptive audio</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.vgmusic.com/vgpaper.shtml">Videogame music - Not just kids stuff</a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoHeading9">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnmusic/html/interact.asp">An overview of direct music producer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.adaptiveaudio.org/node.php?id=2">Adaptive audio : No one lives forever</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoHeading9">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000217/harland_pfv.htm">Composing for interactive music</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/doud_chuck.ppt">Composing and implementing interactive musi</a>c<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021203015700/http://www.sound-design.org.uk/interactive.htm">Creating interactive music</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://music.ign.com/articles/388/388737p1.html">The Game of Music</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoHeading9">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/eno1.html">Talk by Brian Eno</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/fear/preview_6134936.html?sid=6134936&mode=previews&autoplay=6134926">Music and sound for F.E.A.R.</a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050124/morton_01.shtml">Enhancing the impact of music in drama oriented games</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/features/sound_and_music/19980501/interactivity_techniques_01.htm">Musical techniques for interactivity</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=177">Bioshock score discussion</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=313">Music techniques in Dead Space </a><br /><a href="http://spaceoddity.sgsgames.com/?p=799">Generative music in Spore</a><br /><a href="http://www.keyboardmag.com/default.aspx?tabid=130&EntryId=329">What is adaptive music</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=177"><br /></a></span></div>
Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-62143473558257570022009-11-30T21:47:00.000+00:002009-11-30T21:47:21.253+00:00The Game Audio PodcastJust had a listen to the first <a href="http://www.gameaudiopodcast.com/?p=27">'Game Audio Podcast'. </a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUUIOCBXVIb-wN5Q3zCjgImbfz2VnYY_PIcZj8Q18LzNiZrYili_OdrM2m2UE9-cq3dDkn5hyphenhyphenMXLv7G_0_YVIpb8lUV_9SN-kURlCE0itkIsnSk0A03C4uRMMC7BIP5cTG5Nl5UEYosUJ/s1600/gap_button_04-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUUIOCBXVIb-wN5Q3zCjgImbfz2VnYY_PIcZj8Q18LzNiZrYili_OdrM2m2UE9-cq3dDkn5hyphenhyphenMXLv7G_0_YVIpb8lUV_9SN-kURlCE0itkIsnSk0A03C4uRMMC7BIP5cTG5Nl5UEYosUJ/s1600/gap_button_04-300x300.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Great resource - stop reading this and <a href="http://www.gameaudiopodcast.com/?p=27">go listen</a> !<br />
ps. They also say very nice things about the <a href="http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.com/2009/10/games-audio-tutorial-beta.html">Games Audio Tutorial</a> - thanks guys !!!Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-13269550920311018392009-07-22T20:49:00.002+01:002010-09-26T09:45:43.300+01:00Special edition of Audio-Media on Games AudioThis months <a href="http://www.audiomedia.com/">Audio-Media magazine</a> is a special edition on games audio.<br /><a href="http://www.audiomedia.com/am_gameSpecial09.pdf">2009 PDF for free here</a><br /><a href="http://www.audiomedia.com/am_gameSpecial10.pdf">and 2010 Here</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptO4KPz-E8nhFLhku3Qrh10Mx2lrYd351YfUiUrJLqSvXflMZQPX4Tgvwu8nDXT4zFREQ7God7SDh9nVlqc6MKLBWDTE0pN7PsSaU4zNPhUKu9-A6cayUtsK8Ii07rXg03OO7LqJtcfG/s1600-h/Audiomedia+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptO4KPz-E8nhFLhku3Qrh10Mx2lrYd351YfUiUrJLqSvXflMZQPX4Tgvwu8nDXT4zFREQ7God7SDh9nVlqc6MKLBWDTE0pN7PsSaU4zNPhUKu9-A6cayUtsK8Ii07rXg03OO7LqJtcfG/s320/Audiomedia+cover.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCIepa7HhR6SbcXQWR109laOHBwOUaZ5hEvTCVb9IfJr4cilgrV7NRTFSkpMcQG1vIZeniokhL-i98PHOB5iSpstSRK18tWc9z6eylonp3nolCMhsSB1ddGEQjK5Hh-mAYidSRJNgRVJX/s1600/audio-media+2010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCIepa7HhR6SbcXQWR109laOHBwOUaZ5hEvTCVb9IfJr4cilgrV7NRTFSkpMcQG1vIZeniokhL-i98PHOB5iSpstSRK18tWc9z6eylonp3nolCMhsSB1ddGEQjK5Hh-mAYidSRJNgRVJX/s200/audio-media+2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521140219997962178" border="0" /></a></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-8535760725132922682009-06-16T19:55:00.001+01:002009-06-16T19:56:47.953+01:00Infamous - Doc on the musicTwo of my favourite things - interesting sound sources and interactive music.<br /><a href="http://www.wired.com/video/amon-tobin--beans--infamous-music/24993155001">Great little documentary from Wired</a>.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yqWvheuVf6w&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yqWvheuVf6w&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-14299191919287047632009-03-07T20:20:00.002+00:002009-03-07T20:25:59.077+00:00Interactive music with WWiseArticle on the interactive music system in WWise.<br /><a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=317">http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=317</a><br /><br />Audiokinetic's increasingly popular middleware is also now <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21871">fully integrated with the Unreal 3 engine</a> but unfortunately this capability seems only to be available to official developers - Boo !!Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-61427437608458028302008-11-30T13:53:00.004+00:002008-11-30T13:56:38.189+00:00Music, Silence, Timbre<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Today's post is brought to you by a recent hard drive partitioning disaster and <a href="http://www.music4games.net/Index.aspx">Music4games</a> recent <a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=312">interview with Kevin Reipl</a>.<br /><blockquote><i>M4G: What would you like to hear more of from game soundtracks?<br />Kevin Riepl: More silence, I think a lot of games use music too too much, playing and looping it constantly, under action sequences, under ambient settings, all over. As a gamer, I personally get more engulfed into a game when the sound design takes center stage to convey the environment. Of course I think music is an integral part of gameplay and story, it just seems that its used all too often as a blanket. When voice acting is top notch as is sound design, music can then be brought in to emphasize key story plots or important gameplay sequences.<br /></i></blockquote> Kevin's views about wanting more silence in games (or at least less music) is a surprisingly common comment from composers (both for games and films). In a thought provoking discussion (<a href="http://www.berlinale-talentcampus.de/story/49/1849.html">Mike Figgis - Walter Salles - Composer and director : Exploring the collaboration</a>) Mike Figgis describes the over use of music in film like a kind of addiction.<br /><blockquote><i>Mike Figgis: ...a really important question for filmmakers is: When do you introduce your first piece of music on the film? And my experience is this, I try now not to put any music on for a long long, long time. Because I know that the minute I use fifteen seconds of music the film has lost its virginity, and has become a kind of sex maniac. In a way it just can’t have enough. And it has worked really well as a virgin up until that point, and then the minute you put something on you kind of go, wow, now it really sounds like a film, let’s get some more of that stuff. And then the temptation is just to wallpaper the entire film with delicious music that you have stolen from somewhere else.</i><br /></blockquote>One of music's most important roles in film is realised simply by being there. Stephen Deutsch, (<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=80FiGA7oBe4C&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=%91In+most+films+,+the+appearance+of+any+music+at+all+is+a+signifier+of+emotional+content.+When+the+music+comes+on+,+we+are+told+that+the+scene+is+invested+with+emotional+significance+and+is+different+from+those+scenes+which+contain+no+music.%92&source=web&ots=fDF3U9MYn1&sig=tnshXjF57n48GrfErU3yVVacmoE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result">Soundscapes : The school of sound lectures</a>)<br /><blockquote><i>‘In most films , the appearance of any music at all is a signifier of emotional content. When the music comes on , we are told that the scene is invested with emotional significance and is different from those scenes which contain no music.’</i><br /></blockquote>So by having music there all the time in a game we are actually undermining it's effectiveness. (The increasingly blurred boundaries between 'musical' atmospheres and 'sound design' will have to wait until another post !)<br /><br />Kevin goes on,<br /><blockquote><i>Also, I think video games need to stray away from trying to have the Hollywood sound. That certain sound that has become sort of a ‘brand’ in Hollywood is now heavily leaking into games and is causing many upon many of the games out there to sound very similar. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there is anything wrong with that style of music and by all means I am all for and love cinematic epic style writing and some games indeed call for that, but I honestly think if the industry as a whole had more confidence in being who they are and stopped trying to emulate film, it would allow composers more freedom and a wider palette to provide a signature sound for a game. Also, I think as an industry we have already met the standard of film and have passed it. Video games and film need to now head off in their own respective evolving direction.</i><br /></blockquote>I'm not one of those people who think that the only real 'game music' was from the glory days of 8-bit chip tunes but I think the point is well made. I was struck by how widespread the homogenisation of the 'Hollywood' score towards the orchestral template is when I tried to think of a single 'blockbuster' hollywood film in recent years that didn't have a full orchestral score (+ the obligatory pounding percussion) - I couldn't. If we look at the <a href="http://blog.themavenreport.com/?p=1202">top grossing movies 2007</a> you can see what I mean (I can't speak for 'Wild hogs' as I haven't seen it and, unless trapped at 30,000 feet in some sort of in-flight-movie-hell, probably never will). (See also the <a href="http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice.html">USA top 100 box office films</a>). In aspiring to create the 'blockbuster' game (particularly 1st / 3rd person shooters) it seems like game directors and producers are adopting a similarly myopic stance.<br /><br />In the music history class during my first degree we were once given an assignment - 'Write the history of western music on the back of a postcard'. (I'm a great believer that if you really, truly understand something that you should be able to explain it simply and concisely - otherwise you don't really understand it, so this is in my view a great assignment to do on any subject !). Being immersed in the detail of music history at the time of course I thought it impossible, and failed miserably. Now however I think I may have at least a stab at fitting it onto the back of a postage stamp instead. The history of western music perhaps goes as follows :<br /><br /><div align="center">Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Timbre.<br /><div align="left">Discuss.....<br /></div></div><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o2B77F191CE/STKaDW-3z4I/AAAAAAAAAVk/TwGHHcaGu7M/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="max-width: 800px; float: left; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" width="226" height="262" />I think that in the age of timbre it is time that game producers had the confidence in their composers to allow them to use a wider palatte of instrumentation and sound. It's interesting to note how the film soundtracks that have explored this have become so influential (I'm talking about 'scored' movies here - not ones that use a lot of soundtrack music).<br /><br />Morricone's 'westerns', Vangelis 'Blade Runner', Mancini's 'Pink Panther', Bernard Hermann's 'The day the earth stood still', and 'Taxi driver' (not to mention the unusual use of strings in 'Psycho') and other iconic scores are characterised not purely on their melodic / harmonic / rhythmic approach but by their instrumentation.<br /><br />So a call for less music - more timbre ?<br /><br />How does all this relate to my personal hard drive tragedy ? Well the drive that went down was the drive called 'Patches' that, in addition to having various commercial sample banks (which given endless patience I can reinstall), had numerous sample patches that I'd put together over the last few years. So given this discussion maybe it's a good impetus to get out the mic and start creating some new ones instead of reaching for the nearest 'Orchestral sample patch 101' ?<br /><br /></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-81685563189304973432008-10-26T11:54:00.003+00:002008-11-30T13:56:59.059+00:00Faceache<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Now that's what I call interactive music !<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YxdlYFCp5Ic&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YxdlYFCp5Ic&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-77955517540548461632008-10-22T22:03:00.005+01:002008-12-01T18:36:10.481+00:00In Space no one can hear you drone on about game audio<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I've heard the PC control scheme leaves something to be desired but I'm still looking forward to this game.<br />
<a href="http://www.techshout.com/images/dead-space-ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.techshout.com/images/dead-space-ss.jpg" style="max-width: 800px;" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.originalsoundversion.com/?p=693">Original sound version interview</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.music4games.net/News_Display.aspx?id=1070">Music4Games</a><br />
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Another Music4Games - <a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=306">Interview with the composer Jason Graves</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=313">Interview about the technical implementation of the music with Don Veca.</a><br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UfjkoqEt5mI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UfjkoqEt5mI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-46030369182423389422008-10-20T17:00:00.001+01:002008-10-20T20:47:37.409+01:00Nobody likes to hear 'it's in the post'In a recent article in gamasutra by Alexander Brandon <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3814/nextgen_audio_squareoff_.php">'Next Gen Audio Square-off'</a>, Gene Semel, audio director of SCEA says,<br />
<blockquote><i>'I foresee more robust real-time logic systems that will allow sound designers and production directors to actually make decisions and mix the game at a "post-production" like stage of development. '<br />
</i></blockquote>Looking at examples like Scarface (<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070322/bridgett_01.shtml">Rob Bridgett Gamasutra postmortem,</a> + mix magazine article <a href="http://mixonline.com/newmedia/newformats/audio_scarface_simlish/">here)</a> the opportunities for 'mixing' the game audio soundscape, as opposed to treating it in the fixed way that has traditionally been the approach up until now, are really exciting.....<br />
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Scarface GDC 2007<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/20oOnmR3rsA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/20oOnmR3rsA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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(Another interesting discussion on game mixing on <a href="http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/gameaudiopro/message/14352">gameaudiopro here) </a><br />
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However we need be be careful not to wish the 'post-production' role upon ourselves anytime soon. <i> </i>(I'm pretty sure this is not what Gene really meant but let's discuss it anyway...). As I discussed in <a href="http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.com/2008/06/dsp-plugins-for-real-time-control-in.html">my related blog post</a> what is needed is better , earlier integration with the planning and development stages, not to ape the unhealthy practices of many films.<br />
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Over on <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sound-article-list/">'Sound-article-list'</a> Randy Thom suggested reading an article from <a href="http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/index.jsp">Film Journal International,</a><br />
<a href="http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002726817">'Setting the scene : Inside the world of the production designer'</a><br />
<blockquote><i>'Below is a link to an article on Production Design. Trying to imagine what it would be like as a sound designer to be taken even ten percent as seriously as a production designer, I think it's useful to learn as much as possible about their process with the director.'</i></blockquote><blockquote><i></i><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sound-article-list/message/4114">(Read the full thread here) </a></blockquote>Bob Kessler sums up a typical scenario,<br />
<blockquote><i>'I work primarily on lo/no/micro budget projects. Most of the time I am retained after the first edit is completed, and that happens when the client realizes that there is more to sound than having an unpaid first-time PA with nothing better to do hold a cheap mic on a broomstick somewhere in the vicinity of the talent. That being the case I spend the bulk of my time doing noise reduction or incredibly painful ADR sessions and then adding what touches I can before a quick mix. On those rare occasions when I am consulted before shooting begins I mostly spend my time lobbying for them to hire a competent production sound team.'</i></blockquote>Dave Stone also describes <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sound-article-list/message/4136">how the structure of film-making and the concept of sound as a post-production process mitigates against creative involvement.</a><br />
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It was refreshing to read <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3736/towards_more_meaningful_games_a_.php?page=1">Sande Chen's excellent article on Gamasutra</a> and the call for a multidisciplnary approach.<br />
<blockquote><i>'By espousing this multidisciplinary approach to narrative design, developers can elevate the art of game development as well as increase the bottom line. Meaningful games require advance planning, but players benefit much from the integration of story, art, gameplay, sound, and music. Using themes, narrative designers ensure that each play experience is not only immersive, but also a meaningful one....</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>If we're going to build really powerful games, we need interdisciplinary teams," says Sheri Graner Ray. As a freelance game designer and production consultant, Ray knows firsthand the level of collaboration that can occur when artists, writers, designers, programmers, and composers work together....<br />
<br />
As with the narrative designer, Ray recommends bringing in a sound designer and/or composer early as part of an interdisciplinary team. She understands fully the power of sound and music in games. Just recently, she heard the notes from a once-favorite game and experienced an emotional pull back to those times. "I almost got misty over it," she recalls. "It was like a family reunion." Truly, the emotional heartbeat of a game can be heard through its music and sound design. Narrative designers can work with composers and sound designers to strengthen the emotional connection so that players always have a powerful and meaningful experience.'</i></blockquote>So at a time when the technology seems to finally be there to allow us to play an equal role in the storytelling within games let us not be relegated to the 'post' production model of film.<br />
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I'll leave the last words to <a href="http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=287">John Broomhall</a> from this <a href="http://www.music4games.net/">Music4games</a> interview.<br />
<blockquote><i><span id="Copy">'I believe game audio pros have always taken inspiration from all other media. Looking at movies in particular, and thinking about the craft and artistry of sound design, there’s 80 years of development that I’m sure all of us in audio have drawn upon. It’s very exciting that, as technology barriers and constraints fall away, we’re all on more of a level playing field technically - and it’s the power of ideas that really matters. Whether film or games, we are all creating stories, emotional moments, intense action and drama – and sound is an amazing tool to deploy. ........</span></i> </blockquote><blockquote><i><span id="Copy"></span></i><br />
<div align="justify"><span id="Copy"><i>A few years back, it was a huge blast simply to bring virtual worlds to life – and realism was the watchword. As time progressed, we became able to create a dense literal description of the world with carefully placed sound emitters and x, y, z co-ordinates in 3D geometry spaces, sporting scientifically accurate acoustic reflections and reverberation. ......</i></span><span id="Copy"><i>But what about the subjectively chosen sound treatments that are used purely to enhance and underscore drama and narrative? How many games have fully explored the potent force of sound that tells a story, provides exposition and characterization, leads navigation and drives primal emotional responses – sound that works beyond the literal using metaphor and suggestion?........</i></span></div></blockquote><div align="justify"><blockquote><span id="Copy"><i><span id="Copy"> It seems to me that we have a job of evangelization to do and that’s something that needs to happen in every developer all over the world, week-to-week.'</span></i></span></blockquote></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-42075412939738381822008-10-20T11:37:00.002+01:002008-10-20T20:48:06.755+01:00Game Sound Book<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Karen Collins (of <a href="http://www.gamessound.com/">Gamesound.com)</a> has written a <a href="http://www.gamessound.com/books.htm">rather good book</a> !<br />
I can highly recccommend it as probably the most academic (in a good way !) book on the subject so far. Particularly strong on dynamic and interactive music techniques it's a must read for anyone interested in game audio.<br />
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<div align="center"><img src="http://www.gamessound.com/images/026203378X-medium.jpg" style="max-width: 800px;" /><br />
</div></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-35339670811929958912008-10-02T10:37:00.013+01:002013-12-10T09:29:06.657+00:00Multimodal CrispsI'm always interested in examples of multimodal perception so the recent <a href="http://improbable.com/ig/winners/">Ig Nobel Prize</a> awards caught my attention. <a href="http://www.aqr.org.uk/inbrief/document.shtml?doc=charles.spence.28-02-2008.future">Charles Spence</a> won an award for his 'improbable research' on <a href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118784133/abstract">THE ROLE OF AUDITORY CUES IN MODULATING THE PERCEIVED CRISPNESS AND STALENESS OF POTATO CHIPS</a>.<br />
(Summary <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/may/23/highereducation.research">here</a>.)<br />
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<i> "We investigated whether the perception of the crispness and staleness of potato chips can be affected by modifying the sounds produced during the biting action. Participants in our study bit into potato chips with their front teeth while rating either their crispness or freshness using a computer-based visual analogue scale."<br />
</i><br />
It was found that <i>,<br />
</i><br />
<i>"The potato chips were perceived as being both crisper and fresher when either the overall sound level was increased, or when just the high-frequency sounds (in the range of 2-20 kilohertz) were selectively amplified."</i><br />
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<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7650103.stm">Ig Nobel Prize - BBC Coverage </a><i> </i><br />
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In other words the sound associated with the crisps affected how they taste. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-448840/Seafood-served-ipod-Heston-Blumenthals-latest-recipe.html">(Charles has also done some work with the Chef Heston Blumenthal who has created a dish where the customers listen to the sounds of the sea whilst eating.)</a><br />
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This is not as bizarre as it sounds as our senses work together to help us perceive the world. <span style="font-family: Arial;">There's some evidence that </span><a href="http://www.beatricedegelder.com/documents/Vroomen2004Perceptualeffects.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;">vision calibrates audio in terms of spacial information</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="http://www.accelerated-learning-online.com/research/auditory-influences-visual-temporal-rate-perception.asp" style="font-family: inherit;">sound calibrates vision in terms of temporal information</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> as they are respectively more accurate in their different fields. </span>Another classic example of the slightly bewildering outcomes of this is the McGurk effect.<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jtsfidRq2tw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jtsfidRq2tw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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Still not convinced ?Watch these two versions of these blobs moving across the screen. Without prompting most people see them as bouncing off eachother firstly, before a different version shows them flying past eachother. (Of course its just the same video with different sound)<br />
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<b><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-oyVSdwG-N8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-oyVSdwG-N8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></b><br />
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It's clear that such multimodal perception permeates our culture when we think of statements such as 'That tastes very sharp', ' It's bitterly cold', 'That's a loud shirt'. There's also been the suggestion by some that the corss modal influence of shape and sound may form the original of spoken language - as shown by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Booba-Kiki.svg">Booba / Kiki effect.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89EtgN7XAHt22j8u3fXxzIcml0CUFJrsLXhNDSADTysggrB95fMtjoMTQV7ouVH9xTQjuSRZnksZxBRnyEOua0hVYEQDD6yK7dSy7T3OIrHn-L3xm9yhEH8mBEEJxlkDNYHEtzQ97G7xh/s1600-h/Kiki.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhFKv2V2-aEI5qIzbeI5l4KzPdAWNyt7F60GGT4u1pqlokXmiLesLTHRT9-pQe5x6STmi33XFlVkbnx8sC9vUbj71_1XmU_lYxRLC73m7tLbL34qMr7kAEibkHa2lX5Mhw0rfdxNa_yeA/s200-r/Kiki.bmp" style="height: 123px; width: 175px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_tALyP0PJBEKAwmOGshVS5LrHaLIeTw6uOqWBifi04rAk9g9ZoaaT5mgB6OvAIf4s9ScwgWZCB9s7CAREUB0wVFeDkzAySFwR6OFKag4uet6rMHH-x8-S4DoKYgsYzR0TkcKN3oyQjsf/s1600-h/Buba.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdD7PlMIFKyGe2ubil5or3J0324nxykiiL_ShTBm2UqxigQzaQV75ySe2C_am5LB1w1_BkBFJI7p7cuMCgyr9i9t0P2j2Df6TLDaQtTgAYTZ7XKCSchF2VI-Chme6WHRg7t05DTwlB2Bap/s200-r/Buba.bmp" style="height: 114px; width: 163px;" /></a><br />
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<br />
If one of these shapes is called a booba, and the other a Kiki then which is which ? 95-98% of people agree - but why would they unless there is some sort of relationship between the visual shape and the sound of the word. (Great series of 'Reith Lectures' given by Vilayanur Ramachandran in which he discusses this <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2003/lecture1.shtml">here)</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why is any of this of more than passing interest to us as sound designers ? </span>Well it's multimodal perception that allows us to do what we do, characterising a visual object through the bonding of sound and image (<a href="http://filmsound.org/chion/sync.htm">Synchresis </a>) or <a href="http://filmsound.org/murch/stretching.htm">stretching the relationship</a> between the audio and visual to create a sum that's greater than it's parts.</div>
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These ideas concerning multimodal perception are closely linked with the concept / condition of <a href="http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-10-cytowic.html">Synesthesia</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia#cite_note-isbn0-262-03296-1-0">wiki</a>) where sensory information of one mode of perception is involutarily experienced through another. For example seeing letters of the alphabet in consistent colours, or experiencing sounds as taste.<br />
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This has a long history in the arts (<a href="http://www.paradise2012.com/visualMusic/musima/">Summary of 'visual music' colours and synesthesia in the arts)</a><br />
and continues to hold a fascination for many, including <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3541/expressing_the_future_tetsuya_.php">Tetsuya Mizuguchi, designer of the game REZ</a>.<br />
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Of which more another time ....<br />
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<a href="http://www.flong.com/">Golan Levin</a> has a comprehensive <a href="http://www.flong.com/texts/lists/list_synesthesia_bibliography/">bibliography of synestheia and phonesthesia</a> research.<br />
See also John Waterworth's <a href="http://www.informatik.umu.se/~jwworth/sensedoc.html">The case for synaesthetic media</a>, do <a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/07/17/vvvv-adds-music-features-get-your-synesthesia-patching-on-free-on-windows/">Get your synesthesia patching on : vvvv adds music features</a><br />
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Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-87789962235413013572008-09-26T21:59:00.002+01:002008-09-26T22:06:22.967+01:00Gears of war 2<a href="http://media.ign.com/games/image/object/142/14232680/GOW2_Front_Of_Boxboxart_160w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://media.ign.com/games/image/object/142/14232680/GOW2_Front_Of_Boxboxart_160w.jpg" width="67" border="0" height="96" /></a><br /><br />Gears of war 2 - big crunchy sounds - yeah !<br /><a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/player/39999.html?type=mov">Developer diary - Touch the sound.</a>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-69305189721601258662008-09-26T12:54:00.002+01:002008-09-26T13:00:20.627+01:00Audio Engineering Society - Audio for games !<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.aes.org/events/35/images/header.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 75px;" src="http://www.aes.org/events/35/images/header.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.aes.org/events/35/index.html">Audio Engineering Society 35th International conference is on 'Audio for Games' </a>!<br />Should be good. 11-13th Feb in London UK.Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-53985674276720443292008-09-15T20:01:00.004+01:002008-09-28T12:55:42.304+01:00Earth's Sonic Mysteries from Noise Addicts<i> 'If you listen closely, you’ll find that the earth is full of sounds. Some are things that you hear every day, some are truly remarkable and some sounds hail from origins completely unknown. What follows here is a list of “sonic mysteries” for your pleasure - many of them include audio.'</i> <br />
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<a href="http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/08/strange-sounds-earth-bloop-hum-mistpouffers/" style="color: black;">Strange an mysterious Sounds from the Earth - Mistpouffers,hum,bloop,Hell Hole,slow down,wow | Noise Addicts music and audio blog</a>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-57493561447822837622008-08-30T22:43:00.008+01:002009-03-28T10:51:29.012+00:00Portal and Vocal CharacterisationsComing late to the <a href="http://orange.half-life2.com/portal.html">Portal</a> party I have to say I really enjoyed the game although all the flying through the air and flipping around did make me a little queasy at times. There's been a lot of comment on the great voice characterisation of Glados and of course the now infamous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs&feature=related">Portal Song</a> - don't watch this unless you've completed the game as it will spoil it !<br />
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There was some discussion of how the process was done at <a href="http://www.engineaudio.com/latest/portal-voice-the-glados-commentary.html">Engine Audio</a> but it seems to have disappeared and so below is a youtube version instead :<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/648DRxIfgx4&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/648DRxIfgx4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
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There are a couple of ideas about how to recreate the effects <a href="http://www.devjournals.com/tutorials/portal/creating_a_glados-like_voice">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oQn66gvwKA&feature=related">CosmicD has done a tutorial</a> on how to recreate the vocal effect using <a href="http://www.celemony.com/cms/">Melodyne</a> (while your there <a href="http://www.celemony.com/cms/index.php?id=dna_interview&L=0">look at the video</a> doc on their new 'direct access' technology - impressive and certain to result in a flurry, more like slurry, of crazy remixes featuring Girls Aloud singing Bach Cantatas etc).<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oQn66gvwKA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oQn66gvwKA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <br />
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Whilst GlaDOS is great she still doesn't beat my favorite menacing-female-sci-fi-type-character <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOFZ5fv_pb8&feature=related">Shodan from System Shock</a>.<br />
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If you enjoyed the game then don't forget to check out <a href="http://armorgames.com/play/107/portal-the-flash-version">the flash version </a>and <a href="http://stillaliveds.free.fr/index.php">'Still Alive'</a> for the NDS. Also the highly amusing <a href="http://smoothfewfilms.com/2008/01/18/portal-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-turret-2/">'Day in the life of a turret'</a>.Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-14499713351095734012008-07-31T10:42:00.001+01:002008-07-31T10:45:57.321+01:00Don't try this at home ! Warhammer music.Came across this video via <a href="http://www.originalsoundversion.com/?p=174">originalsoundversion</a> blog. Probably not a good idea !<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7_ujHHVfYdU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7_ujHHVfYdU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-69863785460634505882008-07-21T20:57:00.005+01:002008-12-10T03:54:16.532+00:00Wall-E Sponsored by Mac ?<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH7ayg1p5QCFKYcHsYos_x4q70SFQdTCNg9zW54kRsLFLRSsSHfnoyaqzhL9b7TLnX2qXsK0VRGakYHmxh4J3Wc34vhCnYa-pV6MW_4A69rlzf2BrNWsadPVZbYH0FgHG9jlWf_4hZ8IP/s1600-h/wall-e-poster3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHr_7JVqCHyWdUTgXUC3CIbGuo4ZshUcc_kjENybqSF3DcCtvrsk-JqPINhY9xIm2D3YEhMmo48S3Eb6DcP8GkQzsx_tbyMCtEMnJzDQx4qRD1mPYREWu7WmoC7xa4etKlBGXvhzvKDSOO/s200-r/wall-e-poster3.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a></div>Unusually Ben Burtt as sound designer has been doing the promotional rounds for the film 'Wall-E'. (<a href="http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.com/2008/05/ben-burtt.html">See my previous post</a>). A great film with as you would expect some really nice vocal type sound characterisations.<br /><br /><br /><br />A smirk was raised by Wall-E's 'reboot' sound which is uncannily similar to the Mac startup sound - a bit of an in-joke I guess. Reminded me of this related prank.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KUKG7Sz2ts&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KUKG7Sz2ts&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />More on the mac startup sound <a href="http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2005/05/tiny-music-makers-pt-4-mac-startup.html">here</a>. I'm obviously not the first to notice this ! More on Mac referenced in Wall-E here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fMDdjltQfuI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fMDdjltQfuI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-33872226430707620922008-06-25T12:46:00.002+01:002008-12-10T03:54:16.545+00:00Name That Game - Game sounds quiz<a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/arcade/name/index_flash.html">The Video Game Revolution: Name That Game | PBS</a><br /><br />I did particularly badly in this - not enough ZX Spectrum classics !<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRrEeIoWz5DK9nqJ5RZaWLgAFPfs8D5JqTYmv2G4Ccrf4H9gRBDF2PXIESPBiyZD0_j_jH2p5bv14xHBRHs7qbpDR_r3UrNzOYOmd9CcO3z9o-bkKQFffdk0cXknqDPed4AIqLBYxpScC/s1600-h/screenshot.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkySalpPqcjOZ_Xg0mk9ObGCvEefaLcT6WROSbJSox1WgtMMhDcJ72jrS9U9jUBumFXVjqsdcqZY1svGqy9D8SPSYkS1f4YYbYKgV1rvBPtKyzSPwG_6UXMZ5_kPgf_RsLZVjrI516PkD/s320-r/screenshot.bmp" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a></div>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-69342431370704949612008-06-24T09:48:00.003+01:002008-06-24T10:09:27.717+01:00Game editors - Fun and Art ?This looks fun, but I don't know if anybody is still playing Quake III. Probably a few dedicated people left ?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/23/simpsons-map-for-qua.html">Simpsons map for Quake III Arena - Boing Boing</a><object height="344" width="425"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/34LtrnnXQTc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />As these game editors are so easy to use I'm surprised not to see a lot more experimental or artistic work taking place using them. I'm working on an installation using the Unreal 3 engine right now but haven't seen a great deal of other stuff.<br /><br />I love this work by <a href="http://www.unrealart.co.uk/">Alison Mealey</a> (interview <a href="http://www.artificial.dk/articles/alison.htm">here</a>) that uses Unreal Tournament processes to generate visual art.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.artificial.dk/articles/images/alison/jake_l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.artificial.dk/articles/images/alison/jake_l.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="cleleven"><span class="class1"><br /><a href="http://www.kurthentschlager.com/portfolio/karmacell/karmacell.html">Kurt Hentschläger</a> has produced this work '</span></span>KARMA/cell' using the Unreal 3 engine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kurthentschlager.com/portfolio/karmacell/imgs/karma12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.kurthentschlager.com/portfolio/karmacell/imgs/karma12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>There's a large array of digital art taking place in <a href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a> but if anyone knows of other game engine based work - let me know !Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-56018715039008391262008-06-22T12:00:00.004+01:002009-07-22T20:52:10.403+01:00Audio-visual-physicalThis installation (<a href="http://www.wowlab.net/index.php?ref=works-lightrain-en-concept">Light Rain - wowlab)</a><br /><a href="http://www.wowlab.net/index.php?ref=works-lightrain-en-concept"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JcIldjcHHjU&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JcIldjcHHjU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></a><br />reminded me of some of my favourite work by <a href="http://www.flong.com/">Golan Levin</a> and <a href="http://www.thesystemis.com/">Zachary Lieberman </a><br />- <a href="http://www.flong.com/projects/messa/">'Messa di Voce'</a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GfoqiyB1ndE&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GfoqiyB1ndE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k5qKkJRmlQg&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k5qKkJRmlQg&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />When are we going to get this sort of stuff for the eyetoy ?Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-39260523510432443932008-06-19T13:02:00.007+01:002008-10-04T10:58:24.416+01:00Sampling, synthesis and software instrument links<h2><span style="font-size: 130%;">Reaktor</span></h2><a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/">Create digital music</a> - <a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/06/20/korecdm-download-free-reaktor-powered-step-sequencer-more-reaktor-kore-performance-tips/">Frankenloop and more</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/07/03/korenoisepages-free-diy-grain-delay-reaktor-tutorial-plus-making-sense-of-kore/">Grain delays</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <br />
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<a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/09/30/joys-of-reaktor-how-to-build-sequenced-instruments-free-goodies-and-a-new-lazyfish-creation-teaser/">Sequencing</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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<h2><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 130%;">Creative Sampling</span></h2><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec98/articles/creatsamp.318.htm">http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec98/articles/creatsamp.318.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan99/articles/creatsamp.743.htm">http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan99/articles/creatsamp.743.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/sampling.html">http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/sampling.html</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Vst Instruments</span><br />
<a href="http://www.kvraudio.com/">http://www.kvraudio.com/</a><br />
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</span>Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5609695435084265009.post-59654351043183017862008-06-16T20:12:00.004+01:002008-06-16T20:53:28.061+01:00Richard Jacques On Game Music's Past, Present, And Future<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/feature/3695/jacques_richard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 130px;" src="http://www.gamasutra.com/db_area/images/feature/3695/jacques_richard.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3695/staying_in_tune_richard_jacques_.php">Gamasutra - Staying In Tune: Richard Jacques On Game Music's Past, Present, And Future</a><br /><br />There's some implicit criticism here from the interviewer of the current trend toward ochestral scoring of games in favour of what is referred to as a more 'iconic' style. I'm not really sure what is meant by this but I'm guessing it's an argument in favour of game music sounding like 'game music'.<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">I can remember the theme songs of those older games, and part of it is, as you said, probably because I had to play through the levels so many times.<br /><br />RJ: Yeah, the exposure...<br /><br />But still, it's somewhat disturbing to me that I can't call to mind the music of recent games, a lot of them. Exceptions are like Halo, but that's partially because you have to wait on that loading screen for such a long time.</blockquote>I'd certainly support as wide a variety of scores as is appropriate to the games but I think we should remember that game music, like film music, is part of a unified experience. Perhaps if you can clearly remember the themes then it is drawing attention to itself too much ?<br /><br />I don't think music in games is going to be as memorable or invest itself with real emotional meaning until it is truly 'interactive' and at one with the scene' rather than 'reactive' (see 'Hellgate London" post below!).Richard Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15706583570368115461noreply@blogger.com