['Ducking', or lowering the audioscape volume, can create greater engagement for listeners, and Day 1's Quarles explains how it's done in this fascinating game audio feature.]
When watching a big action
scene in an adrenaline-fueled summer blockbuster, a viewer is bombarded with
lights, quick camera cuts, explosion sounds, a pulse-rattling score, and a hero
that often mutters a snarky one-liner before sending the primary antagonist
into the depths from whence he/she/it came.
As someone in the audio
field watches the scene, they automatically peel the sequence apart layer by
layer. You have the musical score, the hundreds of sound effects playing at
once, the dialogue track, and on top of all that, you have a gigantic mix that
must be handled elegantly and intelligently so the viewer understands what is happening
onscreen and does not go deaf in the process.
There are multiple
techniques in a post-production environment that are often used in tandem when
pushing towards the final mix. Methods such as side-chain compression and notch
EQ play very important roles in film and television, but they are a linear/time-locked
medium.
Since the video game medium
is interactive in nature, you cannot always predict where a player will go and
thus, how a sound will be played (and heard) in the game world. Couple these
issues with real-time effects being utilized (reverb, distance-based echo,
low-pass, etc.) and it can be very difficult to lock down exactly where the
audio spectrum is at any given time.
One important technique
that audio professionals oftentimes employ to great effect is one that is
called "ducking." Ducking, at base level, is essentially the practice
of discreetly lowering the volume of all elements of the audioscape with the
exception of the dialogue track. This allows more headroom in the final mix, which
will provide important information to the listener that may otherwise be missed
due to the complexity of what is going on within the soundtrack at that
particular moment.
Pacing
To understand the validity
of a process such as ducking, certain elements must be taken into account
beforehand. First and foremost on this list is game pace. Game pacing is a
basic game design practice. It is essentially the approach of creating a
gameplay experience that has multiple peaks and valleys in the action so the
player does not become fatigued and disinterested in the product.
Audio plays a key role in
effective game pacing. The reason is simple; the vast majority of elements in a
game have an aural representation, and if the gameplay action and visual
portion of a product is relentless for too long, the audio spectrum will lose
dynamics and quickly become a wall of noise. When this happens, the player will
more than likely turn down or mute the audio -- thereby destroying the
atmosphere and the pacing that the developers were trying to achieve.
Fortunately, there are a
number of ways in which a development team can avoid this problem. In an ideal scenario,
the audio team would be involved with all level layout meetings and planning
discussions to help with audio pacing through the game.
Much like a great piece
of music, a game has a "rhythm." It has establishing motifs and
themes, it has gradual builds and rising action, it has massive climaxes, it
has denouements, and it has resolves. If it's a constant climax, the player
will get exhausted and probably pretty frustrated after awhile.
In addition, as a project
gets closer and closer to final lock-down, the more important it becomes that
the audio department is aware of any changes that occur at the design level.
For example, if a new battle encounter is added to a section of the game where
there wasn't one before, the "rhythm" of the level has now changed.
The audio department needs to be able to go through the levels and do a final
mix of the entire game from top to bottom after design has completed any major
reworks to make sure that the aural integrity remains intact throughout the
shipping process.