Sound
Log
The Virtual Chemist
Mission
Gamasutra
December 19, 1997
Vol. 1, Issue 22
| Diary of a Sound Mind |
Introduction
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Conclusion
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| I present the following as an example of the challenges faced by a freelance soundtrack producer in the course of a not-so-typical project. I hope my experiences will shed some light on the development process, and help others in similar situations to proceed more smoothly -- jhh |
The Mission
...Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is the following:
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. Become a petrochemical molecule. Combine with
as many other organic molecules as possible to form commercially available
products, like lipstick, flip-flops, and Formula One cars. The Virtual Chemist,
a not-so-mad scientist, will be your guide.
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Imagine the sound all of this will make.
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Try and convince a roomful of people that this
is the sound it should make.
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Make the sound.
(Not necessarily in that order)
The Players
A large Asian chemical company, whom we shall refer to as Bob, is building
a science museum in the their new headquarters. Bob hired a design firm in
New York City to plan and build the exhibits for their museum. My client,
Northern California-based Sense8, was charged with creating the VR environment
for one of these exhibits, The Virtual Chemist. They, in turn, hired yours
truly to build the soundtrack. The chain of command spanned across the country
and around the world. The result was reminiscent of one of those dragons
that you see in Chinese New Year's celebrations. The various parties did
the best they could to keep in touch with one another, but the realities
of the distances involved placed limits on the feedback mechanism.
