ABSTRACT

Whether trying to land that first big gig or working to perfect the necessary skills to fill a game world with sound, Aaron Marks’ Complete Guide to Game Audio 3rd edition will teach the reader everything they need to know about the audio side of the multi-million dollar video game industry.

This book builds upon the success of the second edition with even more expert advice from masters in the field and notes current changes within the growing video game industry. The tools of the trade excerpts will showcase what professionals, like Marty O’Donnell, Richard Jacques and Tom Salta, use to create their work and to help newcomers in the field prepare their own sound studios.

Sample contracts are reviewed within the text as well as helpful advice about contractual terms and negotiable points. These sample contracts can also be found as a downloadable zip for the reader’s convenience. Aaron Marks also explores how to set your financial terms and network efficiently along with examples of how projects can go completely awry and achieving the best results in often complicated situations.

Aaron Marks’ Complete Guide to Game Audio serves as the ultimate survival guide to navigating an audio career in the video game industry.

 

Key Features

  • New, full color edition with a complete update of information.
  • Added and expanded coverage of field recording for games, creating voiceovers, adaptive and interactive audio and other cutting edge sound creation and implementation techniques used within games.
  • Update/Replacement of interviews. Include interviews/features on international game audio professionals New and expanded interview features from game composers and sound designers of every experience level such as Keith Arem, Bradley Meyer, Christopher Tin and Rodney Gates including many international professionals like Pasi Pitkanen, Henning Nugel and Christos Panayides.
  • Expanded and updated game console coverage of the Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4.
  • Includes new scripting and middleware concepts and techniques and review of powerful tools such as FMOD and Wwise.
  • chapter 1|22 pages

    An Introduction to Game Audio

    chapter 2|38 pages

    Essential Skill Sets and Tools

    chapter 3|34 pages

    Getting Organized and Ready for Business

    chapter 4|34 pages

    Finding and Getting the Jobs

    chapter 5|26 pages

    The Bidding Process

    chapter 6|50 pages

    Making the Deals

    chapter 7|30 pages

    Setting the Stage

    chapter 8|42 pages

    Creating Music for Games

    chapter 9|48 pages

    Creating Sound Effects for Games

    chapter 10|40 pages

    Field Recording for Games

    chapter 11|40 pages

    Voice-Over in Games

    chapter 12|20 pages

    Blending the Total Soundscape

    chapter 13|28 pages

    Middleware and Scripting

    chapter 14|34 pages

    Game Platforms and Audio Development

    chapter 15|34 pages

    The Developer's Guide to Audio Content

    chapter 16|2 pages

    Postscript