ABSTRACT
It’s time to set up the project studio! This chapter includes the tools of the trade for professional game audio design, whether it be for music, sound, or dialogue production. The first half is a survey of audio hardware, including computer considerations, along with memory and storage requirements. Audio interfaces, mixers, signal flow, patchbays, and cabling are also surveyed, accompanied by an overview of external signal processors. A thorough discussion of microphones, speakers, and headphones follows, which answers questions such as, “what is the best type of mic for a particular application?”; “which is better for mixing game audio: speakers, headphones … or both?”; or, “what does ‘5.1’ or ‘Dolby Atmos’ mean?” Additional hardware coverage includes MIDI controllers (and the definition of MIDI), control surfaces, and acoustic treatments. A wealth of software is available to the audio designer, with dozens of new choices appearing every day – a seemingly daunting task to sort out at first! Fortunately, a sensible list is categorized here, which includes samplers, sequencers, editors, digital audio workstations (DAWs), virtual instruments, and a whole host of audio plug-ins (there is a deeper look at DAWs and the most useful plug-ins + settings in Chapters 5 and 6).
