A quick pause inbetween character design to think about sound!

So after some heavy character development work, (Gonna blog it soon!) I figured maybe it was time to look at the other stuff that needed to go into the project, Namely sound and music.

The book that I read through was Aaron Marks "the complete guide to Game Audio for Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers and Game Developers" and was quite suprised at what I really took from it compared to the other books I have blogged and read recently.

For example, the opening chapter doesn't describe what sounds are used for in the world of gaming, It instead describes the ambitions of people who want to work in the industry and gives possible reasons for them seeing it as a luxurious career choice before explaining his story on how he became a sound artist.

The Early chapters of the book are mainly devoted to preparing the reader for the industry and what challenges they should expect to come up against and prepare for in advance. It also leads into getting your foot into the doors of the industry and how to find the best jobs suited to your abilities as well as what to charge if you go freelance and sell your pieces.

The late chapters are mainly about what I had originally suspected the book to feature as the author describes different types of music and how well they are suited to situations (which is why I picked the book up in the first place) or emotions. The author mentions that, "The right music with the right visuals is pure magic." which I found to be something akin to what Walt Disney would say.

He also mentions that, "When we are emotionally "Up" or psyching ourselves to be that way, we listen to music that is upbeat, has a positive rhythm and makes us feel alive. Conversely, when we feel down or making an effort to relax, we feel better listening to slower, less complex music." I found this interesting as it was the reverse order of what the basis of my project was. It described what music we play when we feel a way rather than what music makes you feel a certain way.

The book also helped with the opening of the project as the author describes how, "the first piece of music the player will encounter is the opening or introduction sequence. This is presented either as a "main title theme" or a score accompanying cinematics." and that, "closing and credit sequences are normally where the final musical cues occur. This late in the game, they might not enhance the players opinions, but they still serve an important purpose in the overall scheme."

I found the book both moving in its best efforts to get the reader out there making music with some advice and tips but also how it tells the tale of the authors journey to it. I also loved the section about how to get the most creativity from your work with jam sessions and general activities and why a game being shelved is not always a waste.

Bibliography

• Marks, Aaron. The complete guide to Game Audio for composers, musicians, sound designers and game developers. Burlington, MA: Focal/Elsevier, 2009. Print.