The future of film is Sound Synthesis

In a brief interview with Randy Thom at Siggraph last year, Randy Thom let loose with a projection for sound in film:

"I think that the future in terms of technology is in sound sythesis and very little R&D has been done in that compared to synthesis in the visual realm."

I'm excited for the same potentiality in game audio, and I hope as an industry we can lead the charge in the move towards runtime synthesis. With some stunning examples already I think we are well on our way.

More to come, into the FUTURE!

The Next Big Steps In Game Sound Design

Gamasutra: The Next Big Steps In Game Sound Design

In an attempt to summarize some of the cool things I've uncovered during my time reading between the lines in the game industry, I've pulled together a crop of current generation trends and standout examples of technical Sound Design. While this is a more generalized overview than my Implementation Greats series, the hope is that by raising the awareness of these techniques and the forward thinking interactive audio pioneers working to raise the bar, we can all learn from them and go on to push the boundaries of whats possible in games. Toward reality, toward abstraction, toward whatever suits the game.

Hope this finds you well,
-lcl

Game of the Year - Every Day the Same Dream

I'll say it again: Game of the Year - Every Day the Same Dream
Like a familliar novel slowly unfolding, at once recognizable but always keeps you guessing.
I don't want to debate what makes this a "game", just that I was engaged throughout with a sense of glee at every turn.

Wow,
-lcl

Audio Implementation Greats Series Launched!

In an effort to round up some of the coolest tricks I've heard about (and can repeat!) in game audio, I've started a series of articles focused on the technical side of implementation over at DesigningSound.org

The first couple of articles provide a bit of a history lesson on Implementation Toolsets by going over some of the publicly available Audio Middleware that has been available, and several examples of Proprietary Tools that have been released into the wild.

I've been wanting a higher profile location to share some of these things with people who might be interested, and Miguel over at Designing Sound has graciously allowed me to present the series on what has become a fantastic resource for Film and Game Sound information. It's my hope that by shedding light on some of the techniques that may have been overlooked in the current generation of games, we can all push forward and raise the bar for interactive audio and continue driving the tech to the far ends of creativity.

-lcl