2. GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS
Alpan Aytekin ☞ www.alpanaytekin.com
✉ alpanaytekin@gmail.com
BS ITU Electronics & Communication Engineering, 2004
MA ITU Centre for Advanced Studies in Music, Sound
Engineering & Design, 2010
Global Game Jam 2009, 2010, 2011
Süpercan, Sobee, 2011
Townster, Gamester, 2010
Sprint, Lamagama, 2011
Çanak Okey, 2011
Süpercan 2, Sobee, 2012
Domination, An Ali Batı Game, 2012
3.
4. GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS
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
5. GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS
Links and resources to follow
Game Audio Podcast
Top Score Podcast
Gamasutra Audio Articles
Game Audio Network Guild
6. GAME AUDIO ESSENTIALS
Books
The Complete Guide to Game Audio
Aaron Marks
Audio for Games: Planning, Process, and
Production
Alexander Brandon
7. History in Game Audio
Analog streaming in arcade machines
Chip synthesis
Prerecorded CD-ROM streaming
Prerecorded sample streaming
Interactive audio
Generative/Procedural audio
8. 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
9. Film Scoring vs. Game Scoring
Two way interaction
Causality of Gameplay
M OV I E
GA M E
More Film Composers getting into games
10. This Game Needs Audio
Audio: Sound that is carried in electrical signals.
No Turkish definition
Sounds Effects
Music
or sometimes the same?
13. Game Size - System Output
Human Hearing Range : 20Hz – 20000Hz
Wavelength 17m - 2cm
Mobile Phones, Laptop Computers have limited
performance in low frequency output
LAPTOP
SPEAKERS!
14. Project Workflow
Game Size
Casual / AAA > Knowing Limitations
Team Size
Programmer / Art Director / Producer/ Composer /
Sound Designer / Audio Implementer
Composer & Sound Designer are not in the inner circle
Test Cycle
File Naming Hierarchy
Game State values, Communication
Entrance of the Audio Guy in to the project
1 minute of music is NOT composed in 1 minute
Composing to a picture
18. 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
19. Sonata Form
Main Theme
Transition Exposition
Subordinate Theme
Development
Main Theme
Transition Recapitulation
Subordinate Theme
Coda
20. 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
22. Music
Selecting a musical style
Atmosphere
Do we always want to hear music?
Using music as NUKES
Soundscapes
Looping Structures
Ear Fatigue
Sonority
Wallpaper Music
Mickey Mousification
29. Interactive Audio
Modular Approach / Procedural Approach
Procedural (Generative) > synthesis, DSP
limitations
Modular Approach
Event driven cueing (no turning back)
Horizontal sequencing (can switch back)
Vertical Orchestration
Problem of crowding
Flourish Cues
Reactive Music
30. Audio Middleware
FMOD, Wwise, Unreal Sound Engine
Instant functions
Utility for the programmer
Effectwise
Avoiding Hammering Effect - Variation
Parameter Based Sound Design
Space Design
Procedural Audio
Musicwise
Building an interactive audio system
39. 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
41. Ref: Audio Design and Implementation – Two Sides of the Same Coin Martin Stig Andersen GDC 2012
42. 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
43. References
McAlpine, 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).
