ABSTRACT

Working with Sound is an exploration of the ever-changing working practices of audio development in the era of hybrid collaboration in the games industry.

Through learnings from the pre-pandemic remote and isolated worlds of audio work, sound designers, composers, and dialogue designers find themselves equipped uniquely to thrive in the hybrid, remote, and studio-based realms of today’s fast-evolving working landscapes. With unique insights into navigating the worlds of isolation and collaboration, this book explores ways of thinking and working in this world, equipping the reader with inspiration to sustainably tackle the many stages of the development process.

Working with Sound is an essential guide for professionals working in dynamic audio teams of all sizes, as well as the designers, producers, artists, animators, and programmers who collaborate closely with their colleagues working on game audio and sound.

part I|8 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|3 pages

Continual Change

chapter 2|3 pages

Forever Changes

part II|36 pages

Remote Revolutions

chapter 3|6 pages

Working with Sound

The (Present) Future of Development

chapter 4|4 pages

L-Levels

chapter 5|5 pages

Live Reviews

Time to Listen

chapter 7|3 pages

Integrated Audio

chapter 8|5 pages

Guerrilla-Style Remote

What to Do in a Power Outage

chapter 9|4 pages

The Pendulum Shift

Dynamic Environments Are Here to Stay

chapter 10|4 pages

The Evolving Role of Audio Leadership

part III|12 pages

Understanding Sound Work

chapter 11|2 pages

First-Principles

Genre and Style

chapter 12|3 pages

Three Factors

Game Genre, Entertainment Genre, and Style

chapter 13|3 pages

The Long Shadows of Cinema

chapter 14|2 pages

Hollywood Sound

part IV|60 pages

Understanding Creative Work

chapter 15|8 pages

Creative Life Cycle

chapter 16|6 pages

Sound Images

chapter 17|2 pages

Sound Motifs

chapter 18|2 pages

Ambiguity

Language in Collaboration

chapter 19|4 pages

Designing a Game for Sound

chapter 20|6 pages

Creative Techniques

chapter 21|2 pages

Audio Tools

chapter 22|3 pages

Quality

chapter 23|2 pages

Emotional Parameters

chapter 24|3 pages

Why We Might Be Doing 66% Too Much Work

chapter 25|3 pages

Long-Term Pillars for Audio Quality

chapter 26|3 pages

Working with Future-Aware Structures

chapter 27|3 pages

Working in a Post-Silo Era

chapter 28|5 pages

Breaking Down the Walls

New Terrains

chapter 29|3 pages

Social Sound Design

chapter 30|3 pages

Haptic Design

part V|31 pages

Spatial Work

chapter 31|2 pages

Surround and Spatial Sound

chapter 33|4 pages

Imax

chapter 34|3 pages

Ride Film

Shock and Awe

chapter 35|2 pages

Pushing the Consumer Sound Envelope

chapter 36|4 pages

Spatial Music

chapter 38|3 pages

Off-Screen Sound in Games

chapter 39|5 pages

Diegetic Devices

Music and Voice in Third-Person Listener Perspectives

part VI|24 pages

Planning Sound Work

chapter 40|4 pages

Time

chapter 41|7 pages

Money

chapter 42|11 pages

In the Loop

part VII|30 pages

The Mix

chapter 43|2 pages

Working with the Mix

chapter 44|3 pages

Creative Principles

chapter 45|2 pages

Techniques

chapter 46|2 pages

Standards

chapter 47|1 pages

Planning

chapter 48|2 pages

Roles and Responsibilities

chapter 49|3 pages

Outreach and Communication

chapter 50|4 pages

Approaching the Mix

Thinking Beyond the Technical

chapter 51|1 pages

Plan to Mix

chapter 52|2 pages

Tools, Techniques, and Pipelines

chapter 53|2 pages

Fresh Ears

chapter 54|2 pages

Consistency

chapter 55|2 pages

Dynamic Range

part VIII|8 pages

The Continual Work of Sound

chapter 56|3 pages

Good Enough – Isn't

chapter 57|2 pages

The Ubiquity of Entertainment

chapter |1 pages

Afterword