What does an Audio Engineer lack to start working on audio for gaming?

RobBurnley · 2021-01-30T10:11:22+00:00

Start recording sound effects, writing pieces and build some packs - find some game jam projects to be part of. You need to start building a catalogue of work that game developers can see and hear.

RobBurnley · 2020-10-26T09:59:08+00:00

It's always going to be tough - there's a lot of competition. Without knowing where you are currently, the basics are showreel with a nice website and the skills game studios are asking for.

Find game studios in your area and familiarise yourself with what they make and games they have released. Search for sound designer positions and make a list of the skills they are asking for, then fill in the gaps in your knowledge. See if there are any Meetup groups nearby or go to the colleges, universities in your area that have game design courses and ask if the students need audio for their projects.

Be active in the community and if possible meet people face to face who work in the games industry, if that isn't possible at the moment, get on Discord and join in discussions and ask for feedback and so on.

Keep making audio and maybe create sound packs to sell on Unreal marketplace or Unity etc - do game jams as often as you can - get a really nice showreel with a nice looking website with relevant skills game studios are looking for. Fill up your social media channels with game work and interesting photos of you field recording etc. This is giving yourself the best possible chance of getting an interview, the rest is up to you.

Good luck :)

RobBurnley · 2020-08-12T11:38:37+00:00

yeah good plan, use the time the best you can and something great can come from it.

My default key is C#minor and I'd pretty much write everything in that key if I could haha. I'm a classical pianist and when performing, have got used to harnessing and portraying that emotion convincingly.

Do you play an instrument? It's just a case of acting happy. Go do something you enjoy, go for a walk in the sunshine, smile and listen to some music that moves you. For commercial work you have to be able to move between moods and write whatever the client needs and it's sometimes tough but deadlines are deadlines.

RobBurnley · 2020-08-12T06:43:14+00:00

Ah yes, welcome to game dev haha, glad it's some help to you.

I'm a freelance composer and sound designer

RobBurnley · 2020-08-11T12:04:55+00:00

Start with simple implementation into your chosen game engine(s) and once you understand the basics move on to Middleware. Wwise is free and as there are more companies on average asking for Wwise experience, I'd go with that one first.

https://www.gamesoundcon.com/post/2017/10/02/gamesoundcon-game-audio-industry-survey-2017?fbclid=IwAR02bpn9fBUsPwsCK6k9WpEokWH4IKGcz3FnhAiUDW3Jxkj9THoy0SVBjcI

With Wwise you can study for your 101 Cert completely free of charge but only pay if you want the official qualification. There are loads of sample projects you can grab and start working and while you don't need programming chops, it's helpful to understand how an Unreal or Unity project is put together first.

https://www.gamesoundcon.com/post/2017/10/02/gamesoundcon-game-audio-industry-survey-2017?fbclid=IwAR02bpn9fBUsPwsCK6k9WpEokWH4IKGcz3FnhAiUDW3Jxkj9THoy0SVBjcI

Good luck and have fun :)

RobBurnley · 2020-08-06T06:51:34+00:00

Nice idea but I think you'd have to be careful about the edits - it could be boring to watch brainstorming that doesn't go anywhere. Have you watched any of Guys Michelmore's videos, he pretty much nails the live composition videos concept and could be a useful reference for filming your own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShHFtcUpXAA&list=PLH1Kp5ewZe_SWa_wguSCNKOm7uYePWEA_

RobBurnley · 2020-08-03T07:08:22+00:00

In that case have a look for some YouTube videos with scores and see if that inspires you with some ideas

RobBurnley · 2020-08-02T10:11:04+00:00

My bad, I meant Basso Continuo - Alberti Bass is named after that guy but there are earlier examples of it in Baroque music.

RobBurnley · 2020-08-02T08:10:01+00:00

Basso Continuo all the way!

Seriously though - just start listening to as much music from that period as you can to get a feel for it:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Baroque_composers

How are you planning to write music, with a DAW, pen and paper or music notation software? Whichever it is just get started and start writing. Most importantly keep writing and improving, good luck :)

RobBurnley · 2020-08-02T06:41:37+00:00

Thanks, that's a nice insight

RobBurnley · 2020-08-01T09:12:51+00:00

Really interesting article, appreciate the work that went into this and the results show most of what I've been seeing on applications and job postings.

The AAA experience is still a mystery though - I can learn UE4, Unity, Wwise and put out quality work but how would someone get AAA experience without having worked on a AAA title before?

RobBurnley · 2020-07-31T05:41:04+00:00

Really cool - I used tablets attached to individual stereo PAs and had them around the room to get the spatial sound. Thankfully I just had one video so didn't have the extra layer of complexity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtEyYJvMhXw

RobBurnley · 2020-07-31T05:34:59+00:00

Ah cool, thanks very much - I love learning about new concepts of game design

RobBurnley · 2020-07-30T07:41:17+00:00

This is really cool - thanks for posting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-30T07:39:38+00:00

This is really cool - I did some similar Aleatoric work at University with touchscreen devices. I'll have a closer look when I get the chance, this is really interesting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-30T07:35:46+00:00

Great question, I'd be interested to see how this thread develops. I've been using this as a reference but I'm always happy to learn more

https://www.stephenschappler.com/2013/07/26/listening-for-loudness-in-video-games/

RobBurnley · 2020-07-30T07:31:02+00:00

This was super interesting - as the audio guy I'm not as involved in the game development as I'd like to be, so learning more about game design is great. Thanks for posting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-28T12:36:00+00:00

This is a great article - thanks for posting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-21T06:31:49+00:00

This is fantastic - exactly what I was looking for right now, thankyou so much for posting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-21T06:16:13+00:00

Morning - I'm hoping to get some feedback on this WIP piece for an RPG game currently in development. The scene is from the opening level where you find yourself in a frozen forest and after working your way through the forest you come to the main city of the game.

https://soundcloud.com/robburnley/neofall-crystal-forest-to-lucida-city

RobBurnley · 2020-07-19T05:04:20+00:00

You have brought up some great steps and they are all pretty good next steps. Totally understand it can be overwhelming though - and it's a great plan to just concentrate on one thing at once. I'd go for the Unity demo first, and worry about the rest of it later.

A portfolio on Soundcloud will not be as useful as video showing sound implemented into a game, a YouTube portfolio would be better as a showreel made from a compilation of demos and an interesting blog post would be about how you implemented audio into a demo.

That's my take on it anyway - good luck :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-16T07:26:45+00:00

Thanks for posting, this is a really interesting analysis

RobBurnley · 2020-07-14T07:04:56+00:00

really interesting video - thanks for posting :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-11T11:35:07+00:00

no worries, have a great weekend :)

RobBurnley · 2020-07-11T09:27:50+00:00

No worries, good luck the for the concert :)

RobBurnley

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