Wanting to get into Game Audio? How about a AMA thread!

@undefined Hello Mr. Nate,

Please pardon the interruption to your busy schedule. I appreciate you posting this today because I am definitely in need of some guidance, tips and advice on just how and where to begin when it comes to getting into game audio. I am certainly curious about your workflow. Thank you again for posting.

@nsmadsen What's the most sophisticated and undervalued/underused game audio technique that you'd recommend a game designer to be aware of? I watched a few videos about stuff like adaptive music, and that seems pretty nice, but it's rarely employed anymore (switching between normal & battle music doesn't count). The 90s really had a lot of that.

Also, from a technical side (engine programmer), what are your recommendations, what are the most important things to be aware of that are easily missed? One thing I noticed is that you basically have to put the adaptive music system into the design very early, so that while you build the various systems of the game, they are already aware of the adaptive music system and how to trigger it appropriately.

…tips and advice on just how and where to begin when it comes to getting into game audio.

First step is to have some kind of portfolio that highlights your best work. Portfolios can be split up by genre/style and are best when they're condensed and on the shorter side. Don't send a client a ten-minute-long video of your work… they'll most likely never watch it. Aim for something that is about 2-3 minutes long.

If you're just starting out then you might not have any portfolio materials yet. Create some sound recreates or tracks of music, and if you want to showcase implementation skills, get a Udemy Unreal course and then embellish the audio system of that mini-game. This provides a great, realistic example of how you would handle real-world implementation.

The second thing you need is a dedicated website that showcases both you and your work. Things like Youtube or Soundcloud don't count as a primary website because it's super easy for a user to check out your stuff… and anyone else on that platform. So have a website that features you solely and then use things like Youtube or Soundcloud, etc, as secondary websites that orbit around your main website.

Once you have that set up, go some Googling for developer communities near you as well as those online (like Gamedev.net). Begin to make a presence for yourself. If I were to Google your name, does anything pop up showing you and your work? A big part of your job in game audio is to be known. Folks can't hire you if they don't even know you're out there.

From there, it's the hustle game. You meet people, make connections, and begin to put yourself out there. It might be slow at the start. That's totally fine! Eventually, you'll begin to make relationships with clients and get work, even repeat work.

Starting out, I find it best to keep a day job, or a part-time gig. This way, you can keep your bills paid and avoid attaching the stress of making your bills with your creative, side hustle. You can be picky and discerning about what projects to work on instead of having to take every single gig simply because you need cash.

I hope that's helpful!

What's the most sophisticated and undervalued/underused game audio technique that you'd recommend a game designer to be aware of? I watched a few videos about stuff like adaptive music, and that seems pretty nice, but it's rarely employed anymore (switching between normal & battle music doesn't count). The 90s really had a lot of that.

Great question! I actually disagree that adaptive music isn't employed as much these days. I feel like games where there's a lot of narrative branching have quite complex musical systems that allow for very organic transitions from section to section during cutscenes and even gameplay. It can be so seamless, the music can feel like it was always intentionally written this way.

Another element of music is having an array of melodic content that toggles out each time you play. With tools like Fmod, Wwise, or MetaSounds, we can do so much more than just stream fully rendered music cues.

I'm not sure if this is the “most sophisticated and undervalued/underused game audio technique," but beginning sound designers, in particular, tend to do one of two things in my experience:

- Undercook a sound design

I've even seen folks grab one sound from a library and felt like their job is done. It's often not. To get really great sound design, you need to experiment and have depth as well as layers.

- Overcook a sound design

Conversely, I've seen people think “complex means good, right?” It doesn't always. Context is king. Maybe a sound doesn't need 15 layers. Maybe it's just a UI sound? Have a good idea of the priority and hierarchy of the game and its sound.

One more skill that so many don't seem to do much of: record their own source material. Libraries are great, but they can only take you so far. Want to get a real fingerprint on your sounds and level up your production skills at the same time? Record some of your own source weekly. This is a lesson I learned myself recently.

Also, from a technical side ( engine programmer), what are your recommendations, what are the most important things to be aware of that are easily missed? One thing I noticed is that you basically have to put the adaptive music system into the design very early, so that while you build the various systems of the game, they are already aware of the adaptive music system and how to trigger it appropriately.

I remember once having to go back through a bunch of sounds (created by someone else) and optimize the crap outta of them because every sound was using 10-20 channels each. While they sounded great, the performance wasn't there. We needed great sounds AND great performance for the game I was working on.

Game development is always about compromise. Always.

Thanks for the questions!

@nsmadsen Hey, about advertising. What is the best method to make connections for somebody who doesn't have a lot of capital?

Let me explain - I am a ukrainian student with practically no money to spend on trips, convention tickets and all sorts. I've only been to a few industry conventions and even then I tried to advertise as efficiently (and, of course, as politely) as I could, but had no luck landing a gig. I'm also very remote and I don't really have anything gamedev related in the viscinity.

Since I don't know many such sites except for r/gameDevClassifieds, what are the online places for online outreach that you'd personally recommend resorting to? What is the proper way to advertise yourself online, in your opinion?

How do you balance between realistic dynamic range and audibility at typical volumes? Is it sufficient to base most things physically, and only selectively louden important cues like voice lines?

bouncytorch said:

@nsmadsen Hey, about advertising. What is the best method to make connections for somebody who doesn't have a lot of capital?

Let me explain - I am a ukrainian student with practically no money to spend on trips, convention tickets and all sorts. I've only been to a few industry conventions and even then I tried to advertise as efficiently (and, of course, as politely) as I could, but had no luck landing a gig. I'm also very remote and I don't really have anything gamedev related in the vicinity.

Since I don't know many such sites except for r/gameDevClassifieds, what are the online places for online outreach that you'd personally recommend resorting to? What is the proper way to advertise yourself online, in your opinion?

Thanks for writing! This is a very good question, and the answer is to think outside the box. For example, get more creative in finding spots where developers hang out online. It could be other forums, as GameDev is just one of MANY, it could be hubs where folks can make and distribute things like the Unity or Unreal asset stores (like Fab).

You can also land jobs by doing other things besides the “HIRE ME!” approach. Sending out links to your portfolio and resume only goes so far, and speaking honestly, it can get tiresome to some clients. It can come off needy sometimes. Compare these two approaches:

- Person A sends out lots of “Check out my portfolio” styled social media links. They're very driven and clearly want to work in games.

- Person B sends out just a few portfolio pieces but focuses more on tutorials that explain the neat approaches they're taking to creating highly effective, engaging sounds in games.

Person B can possibly land more work by showcasing their skill set and giving value BACK to the viewer. Person A is asking for value FROM the viewer. Do you see the difference?

Person A's approach could be forgettable in the long run, whereas Person B's approach could resonate, especially if they are sharing some high-quality content.

The great thing about Person B's approach is that you don't need extra money. It just takes extra effort and time to create resources that people find valuable.

silikone said:

How do you balance between realistic dynamic range and audibility at typical volumes? Is it sufficient to base most things physically, and only selectively louden important cues like voice lines?

Excellent question!

What most folks do is figure out what kinds of buckets to place various sounds into:

• Ambient sounds
• Player-driven sounds
• Enemy sounds
• Narrative sounds
• Music
• Dialog
• Cutscenes
• Etc

You want to get the sounds of a bucket feeling roughly the same. Then they design system(s) that will do some dynamic mixing to ensure the important sounds for each area/stage of the game are balanced.

The key is here; you're not going for realism. You're going for the best experience for the player that best informs them of what's important. Straight-up realism would, more often than not, just end up being a mess of sounds.

Consider warfare as an example. Here's a video of one such veteran's story: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL8ZDWHPvpc/

Actual combat has been described by veterans as so loud, things began to sound like nothing. The shock, POV, and cluster of extremely loud things make everything skew. When you're in shock, you experience tunnel vision where your sight (and your hearing perception) becomes altered.

We emulate some of this in combat games, but most games still strive to give a clear balance of player-crucial UI sounds, enemy sounds, and even music.