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Questions Sound Designers Ask Around the time a producer is trying to wrap up contract negotiations with a sound designer is when the sound designer is going to want to know the nitty-gritty details about the project. This is the point at which "clear and concise" can mean the difference between complete audio bliss and a sound disaster. A good sound designer will want specific information about the game. As the producer or team leader, be prepared to answer the following questions clearly and concisely: For what platform is the game intended? This will suggest what type of playback system the consumer will use and the confines the final sound effects will rest within. As a sound guy, I mix to several playback systems - from "el cheapo" multimedia speakers you buy at the grocery store to high-end studio monitors. My interest is to make my sounds work well with them all, but my main focus is on the system the majority of people will be using. For what genre is the game intended? You want the music and sound effects to follow the spirit of the game, so make sure you communicate this to your sound designer, including the feel of the game, what genre it falls into, and what similar games are currently on the market. What sample rate, bit size, and file format are preferred? Should the audio be in stereo or mono? The development team should have done all of its homework to determine how much space the graphics and sound will be allotted. This information will help decide the sound quality level and within what parameters the sounds should be created. Will sound effects be altered by any software or hardware processors? Additional processing by a game engine will determine to what extent certain sounds are processed beforehand by the sound designer (if a sound designer applies reverb to a sound that the developer had planned to apply reverb to in the game, that could be a problem). For example, driving games often apply a reverb effect to sounds. This is the kind of information the sound designer needs to know at the outset. Decide as soon as possible if there are plans for this type of processing and communicate them, so that the sound designer doesn't overprocess any files. Are any ambient sounds needed? You probably don't want to distract the player with silence. If the game will use background music, tell the sound designer - designers won't know this fact unless they are also the composer. This question may jog a producer's memory and alert the team to the fact that more than just event-driven noises are needed. Will certain effects have priority during playback? There can be instances during a game (a player unlocks a hidden door, stumbles into a trap, or is attacked by a villain) when a single sound punctuates the moment. All other sounds become irrelevant and this one sound takes priority. These are the ones you want to have the biggest bang for the buck. Since other sounds won't be drowning them out or playing over them, you won't have to consider whether other effects can be heard at the same time. It's critical to get this type of sound perfectly, and by alerting sound designers to these effects, they'll know which ones to pull out the stops for. Will there be any voice-overs or speech commands that need to be heard? Similar to the way vocals must stand out in a song mix, any vocals in a game must be heard easily by players. A sound designer can be involved with processing speech via an equalizer or the volume controls to ensure they can be heard and understood over the other effects. Are any narratives needed? Will there be background sounds to accompany narration? Narratives fit into the sound recording category, and generally anyone capable of sound design can also record narration. If you already have narratives recorded, the sound designer can usually transfer these recordings into digital files, maximize the sound, cut them to length, and add any additional background or Foley sounds. If narratives are to be recorded, sound designers need to know if they have to provide the voice talent so they can budget accordingly. A good question to ask prospective sound designers is whether they have any experience directing narrative sessions, and if not, make it clear that the producer will fill that role. Are there any special sound considerations? Is the game intended to be an audio trend setter, and use technologies such as Dolby Surround Sound or DTS? Are you planning to advertise the game as having "cinema quality" sound? Knowing this ahead of time could be an important safety tip for the sound designer's longevity in the business. What type of music, if any, will play as the sounds are triggered? This would give the sound designer an indication of what other sonic activity will be happening during the game. If the music will be a soft orchestral score, you might want the sound effects geared to that mood, and not sound too obtrusive. If a rock soundtrack will be played, then harsher sounds and careful manipulation of an effect's higher and lower frequencies will ensure these stand out. The sounds should all work together to enhance game play, not aggressively compete with one another. Are any sound resources available to the sound designer for licensed materials? Alien vs. Predator, Star Trek, and South Park, for example, are games based on film or television properties that were produced under licensing agreements. If the publisher or developer has secured use of the actual sounds from these works, sound designers need to know if they have it at their disposal to manipulate for the game, or if they are expected to recreate it themselves. While your sound designers may not have an actual hand in creating them originally, they are equipped to convert them to the proper formats and sample rates and need to know, for planning purposes, if this service is desired, too. Are any special file naming conventions required for final delivery of sounds? If the development team is overly organized, or if they waited until late in production to bring a sound designer on board, they may already have file names programmed into the code. While renaming files is not a big deal, it may help cut down on any confusion when delivery is made if they are already appropriately named. The developer should make this need clear or define an acceptable method. ________________________________________________________ |
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