It's a level

I created a track this past week that actually is now in a completed level. It always feels very good to finally see your audio in  the final version of a level. especially when the level comes together exactly as you had it. There is a very nice feeling you get to see a piece of finally finished work actually come together with the design, programming and art all together.

The next track I will be making will be for minigames. Being that there is a deadline coming up I am probably going to need to do two tracks in one sitting for this next week. The next two tracks will be for the soccer game and also for the elusive four square game. Of course I need to see the way both of these work to really make the track fit the level. especially when it comes to minigames and they need to be something that is made specifically forhe tempo of the game. I have no idea how fast the game is going play so I need to make sure the music can keep up with the gameplay, and visa versa.

There is a very tight connection between gameplay and proper audio. If the gameplay doesn't fit the audio or the other way around it is very easy to tell. Just like noticing something is off-beat or off tempo within an audio track.

Just doesn't pass

I created the heavy metal track and it really didn't work well. It just doesn't fit the audio we already and we cant afford to remake every track. The track worked really well for the intended theme but it just couldn't be implemented into the game. My director took the hit for that and acknowledges that it was his suggestion so that is nice to hear. Also it is always good to prove that you can create audio when it is directed towards the designer. Basically you don't have full creative control. This is something you will find much more often in the studio then in a group independent project.

I am going to have to create another track for the game because of this but as I said before I have enough time to do it. This is going to just take up more time but it at least gives me something to do during the week. I need some more work to do. I say this because the next level isn't ready yet, I need to see the level before making the audio for it.

For the next eek I will be spending my time creating another track, most likely for the four square game but potentially for a new level.

Taking some direction

I continued and continued to work on the track I had created. It was for the four square game we created. Turned out that the track I made wasn't well received for four square and so we are just going to hang onto it for another level. This is all okay because it can be reused but otherwise I would have to double down on my work since it was my fault. This can definitely happen with sound when my group members aren't checking out my track during the process of creation. Everybody has different tastes and I am not the lead of this project so it isn't my choice.

My director told me that for this coming week he wants me to focus on dark and grungy style music. I felt that it was too late to switch our audio style but having a free week I decided to go for it because that is what the lead asked me to do. I began to work on this audio by finding samples for metal and industrial noises. I then started the process of listening to other soundtracks that fit this new genre.

Essentially these past two weeks and this next week will be purely experimental. this isn't an issue assuming you have been doing all your work on a timely schedule, making sure everything gets done when it needs to be. Always, always, always leave yourself extra time.

Another working week

Of course when I finally get on a roll I get pummeled with work from other classes. Part of being a designer, someone who is working a million hours at all times, is balancing your workload. There is always a ton to do and you can only do so much of it each week with all the other stuff you have to do. Keeping your life in order is definitely something that you have to work on as a designer. I have a girlfriend and not living together can sometimes make it a struggle to see each other which is never good. Sometimes work needs to be put off for other affairs and visa versa. You just need to know the difference.

The reason I am telling you this is because I have been so constrained for time that I really only worked the minimum time on this track and so it wasn't finished. I like to try a few different ways to do something before committing so a track that  have creative freedom on may take a little bit longer to do. With a deadline I can always get it done on time but if I can take some time I will do it. Anyways I began a very different approach to the audio in our game due to a suggestion by our sound director. I have no idea if anybody will like it but my hopes are that the change will be a good change.

It is always worth taking the extra time to do something different and new then just pushing along in the normal rut of things. Design needs innovation so it is always worth trying.

Time to Shine

Well over the past two weeks, being that I had spring break to do some extra work; I spent a lot of time post producing the audio I made for the newest game level, along with creating and formulating ideas for the four square game. I spent a lot of time making sure the previous track was edited correctly because when I pull all the tracks together I am going to level all the audio together so I need to make sure all the song specific work is done.

When it comes to post production, the major work is in balancing the dynamics. Parts that need to be loud and intense have to have the dynamics pulled up while the other parts need to be quieter to make these dynamics more intense. These dramatic changes can really affect the gameplay and really change the way the player sees and feels the game in front of them.

For the next few weeks I will be finishing up my new and experimental four square track. The idea right now is that I have plenty of time to make a new track for the game should it be necessary to replace. Right now I have a lot of creative freedoms but we shall see where that goes with this track.

Crunchy

Right before Spring Break you know things are going to be hectic. Not only do we have to wrap things up before the break, but we also have all our other classes. Between balancing the work in senior production and all our other classes, there is only so much time to get work done. While we had plans to create a sound toy, after doing all my work there wasn't enough time. This is the plan for the break, I am going to make this "toy" and it will serve as a prototype for the idea our professor insists we try.

Hopefully this new idea will push our games audio in a new direction and give it the notice we are hoping for. Along with just this new toy, I have also created a new track for our game that fits the levels extremely well. I am very proud of the work I did in this case and it is a big step forward in our games audio. Hopefully people testing will take notice and really appreciate the audio.

I look forward to seeing what my team has done this past week. When we pull everything together, I have a strong feeling it will all mesh really well with the new audio. I also look forward to getting some feedback on our game and making more and more adjustments to the game in order to improve the experience.

When things change

Due to the fact that our group is still in the first half of the semester it would make sense to believe changes are going to happen. work we have done will not be used. This is one of those weeks and it is something you need to prepare. My sound director told us that we are shifting directions to something more electronic which essentially means that I have to change everything I have done so far. Also my group doesn't want to merge the sound with the game design anymore; this all confuses me considering the fact that electronic is even easier to merge with game play.

This entire week I spent finishing up the track I had for our minigame but it ended up just becoming placeholder. I planned on remaking all the music for the minigames by the end of the semester anyways so now I just have to do it sooner.

The electronic music will have a focus on getting the players to notice it, dramatic tempo changes and large dynamic switches will definitely help make this happen. I had a feeling during the beginning of this semester that electronic music would fit our "robot-esk" themed game much better. I look forward to seeing what we can possibly create with this; there is much more creative liberties on electronic music than swing.