alpan aytekin-game audio essentials

GAMEAUDIOESSENTIALS

Alpan AytekinGame Developers Turkey

22.04.2012

GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS

Alpan Aytekin ☞ www.alpanaytekin.com alpanaytekin@gmail.com✉

BS ITU Electronics & Communication Engineering, 2004MA ITU Centre for Advanced Studies in Music, Sound Engineering & Design, 2010Global Game Jam 2009, 2010, 2011Süpercan, Sobee, 2011Townster, Gamester, 2010Sprint, Lamagama, 2011Çanak Okey, 2011Süpercan 2, Sobee, 2012Domination, An Ali Batı Game, 2012

Other Game Audio People in Turkey (AFAIK)

Uğurcan Orçun, Taleworlds

Güney Özhan , Freelance

Ozan Yurdakul, Bilgi University, Tri Osc

Başar Ünder & Korhan Aydın, Dound Sesign

Nizameddin Tuğral, Freelance

GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS

Links and resources to follow

Game Audio Podcast

Top Score Podcast

Gamasutra Audio Articles

Game Audio Network Guild

GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS

Books

The Complete Guide to Game AudioAaron Marks

Audio for Games: Planning, Process, and Production

Alexander Brandon

GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS

History in Game Audio

Analog streaming in arcade machines

Chip synthesis

Prerecorded CD-ROM streaming

Prerecorded sample streaming

Interactive audio

Generative/Procedural audio

Importance of Game Audio

Parental impression on Audio

Console in the living room, mom in the kitchen

Expanding the Players Musical Perspective

Music is the most effective form of art for reaching the

individual emotionally

Music and Sounds are there after gameplay

Form of New Media

Film Scoring vs. Game Scoring

Two way interactionCausality of Gameplay

More Film Composers getting into games

MOVIE

GAME

This Game Needs Audio

Audio: Sound that is carried in electrical signals.

No Turkish definition

Sounds Effects

Music

or sometimes the same?

Things to Know

Placeholder

Loops

Cues

Platform Dependency

Resource Management

Spectral Output Range

Audio Middleware

Project Workflow

Game SizeCasual / AAA > Knowing Limitations

Game Size - System Output

Human Hearing Range : 20Hz – 20000Hz

Wavelength 17m - 2cm

Mobile Phones, Laptop Computers have limited

performance in low frequency output

LAPTOPSPEAKERS!

Project Workflow

Game SizeCasual / AAA > Knowing Limitations

Team SizeProgrammer / Art Director / Producer/ Composer / Sound Designer / Audio Implementer

Composer & Sound Designer are not in the inner circleTest CycleFile Naming HierarchyGame State values, CommunicationEntrance of the Audio Guy in to the project

1 minute of music is NOT composed in 1 minute Composing to a picture

COMPOSE!

Resource Management

MusicSelecting a musical style

Musical Knowledge

World/Ethnic Music

Oceanic, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Subsaharan,

East Europe, Caribbean, South America, North America

Western Music 11th Century – 20th Century

Early Christian, Renaissance , Baroque,

Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, Atonal, Minimalist

20th Century music

Sonata Form

Main Theme

Transition

Subordinate Theme

Exposition

Recapitulation

Development

Main Theme

Transition

Subordinate Theme

Coda

Leitmotif

Leitmotif is a musical term referring to a recurring

theme, associated with a particular person, place, or

idea.

Modification in terms of rhythm, harmony, orchestration

or accompaniment.

Notably associated with the operas of Richard Wagner

Ref: http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/index.html

Dance Music

MusicSelecting a musical style

Atmosphere

Do we always want to hear music?

Using music as NUKESSoundscapes

Looping Structures

Ear Fatigue

Sonority

Wallpaper Music

Mickey Mousification

FlowMihaly Csikszentmihalyi

ATMOSPHERE

MUSIC CUE

SILENCE

Interactive Audio

Modular Approach / Procedural ApproachProcedural (Generative) > synthesis, DSP limitationsModular Approach

Event driven cueing (no turning back)Horizontal sequencing (can switch back)

Horizontal Sequencing

Interactive Audio

Modular Approach / Procedural ApproachProcedural (Generative) > synthesis, DSP limitationsModular Approach

Event driven cueing (no turning back)Horizontal sequencing (can switch back)Vertical Orchestration

Problem of crowding

Vertical Orchestration

Interactive Audio

Modular Approach / Procedural ApproachProcedural (Generative) > synthesis, DSP limitationsModular Approach

Event driven cueing (no turning back)Horizontal sequencing (can switch back)Vertical Orchestration

Problem of crowdingFlourish CuesReactive Music

Audio Middleware

FMOD, Wwise, Unreal Sound EngineInstant functionsUtility for the programmerEffectwise

Avoiding Hammering Effect - VariationParameter Based Sound DesignSpace DesignProcedural Audio

MusicwiseBuilding an interactive audio system

Ref: Huiberts 2009, AES 35th International Conference: Audio for Games

Sound Effects

Hammering Effect

Ear Fatigue

Fletcher-Munson Curves (Equal Loudness Curves)

Sound Effects

Hammering Effect

Ear Fatigue

Fletcher-Munson Curves (Equal Loudness Curves)

Hass Effect

t35 ms

Hass Effect

Sound Effects

Hammering Effect

Ear Fatigue

Fletcher-Munson Curves (Equal Loudness Curves)

Hass Effect

Realistic / Surreal Sound

Sound Interaction in Space

Reverb

Sound Effects

Hammering Effect

Ear Fatigue

Fletcher-Munson Curves (Equal Loudness Curves)

Hass Effect

Realistic / Surreal Sound

Sound Interaction in Space

Reverb

WYSINWYH: What you see is not what you hear

What you see is not what you hear

Ref: Audio Design and Implementation – Two Sides of the Same Coin Martin Stig Andersen GDC 2012

Sampling & Formats

Analog to Digital Conversion

Human Hearing Range

Nyquist Theory

44100 Hz, 48000Hz, 22000Hz, 11000Hz

Mono, Stereo

Lossless: WAV, AIFF, FLAC

Compressed: MP3, ACC, OGG

IOS> Music: AIFF IMA4 Sound Effects: CAFF

ReferencesMcAlpine, Kenneth B., Matthew Bett, and James Scanlan. 2009. “Approaches to Creating Real-Time Adaptive Music in Interactive Entertainment: A Musical Perspective”. In The Proceedings of The AES 35th International Conference: Audio For Games. London,UK, February 11–13 2009.

Bridgett, Rob. 2002. “Interactive Music”. http://web.archive.org/web/20021203015700/http://www.sound-design.org.uk/interactive.htm (accessed 23 February 2010).

Huiberts, Sander, Richard Van Tol, and Kees Went. 2009. “Game Audio Lab – an Architectural Framework for Nonlinear Audio in Games”. In The Proceedings of The AES 35th International Conference: Audio For Games. London, UK, 2009 February 11–13.

Morton, Scott. 2010. “Game Audio Podcast #3 - Discussion: Interactive & Dynamic Music”. In Game Audio Podcast. http://www.gameaudiopodcast.com (accessed 20 March 2010).

Kastbauer and Woldhek. 2011. “Game Audio Podcast #4 - Discussion: Procedural Game Audio”.In Game Audio Podcast. http://www.gameaudiopodcast.com (accessed 27 March 2012).

Stevens, Richard. 2008. “Hellgate London - Music 'Interactive' or 'Reactive”. In Sound-Music-Interactive-Games. http://sound-music-interactive-games.blogspot.com/2008/06/hellgate-london-music-interactive-or.html (accessed 4 April 2010).

Caplin, William E., Classical Form a Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Oxford University Press, 1998

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif (accessed 28 March 2012).

Kastbauer, Damien. “Audio Implementation Greats #8: Procedural Audio Now”.http://designingsound.org/2010/09/audio-implementation-greats-8-procedural-audio-now/ (accessed 28 March 2012).

Jillian Aversa, Thomas Hohl, Lennie Moore, Joe Thwaites, Kenny Wood. Composer Challenge GDC 2011, Game Developers Conference 2011

Martins, Marcelo. Rethinking the audio loop in games. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarceloMartins/20120402/167786/

Baron, Sean. “Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design”. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/166972/cognitive_flow_the_psychology_of_.php (accessed 16 April 2012).