Does anybody else get really sleepy when working on background ambience for outdoorsy levels? After a couple of hours going through wind and water and bird sounds, I’m ready to have a nap right there in my chair. There must be something to those relaxing nature CDs after all.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Book recommendation: John Powell's 'How Music Works'
I have a book recommendation! How Music Works by John Powell.
I picked it up originally thinking it was written by the composer John Powell (responsible for the scores of Happy Feet, Bolt, and How To Train Your Dragon, among many others), but this turned out not to be the case - though there's no explicit mention that they are not the same person, it's hard to imagine any bookseller or author who would be able to resist leveraging such impressive credentials. Regardless, the story has a happy ending, as I found the book an unexpectedly entertaining and educational read.
The book focuses on the science of music - the history and science behind modern keys, what makes some tones harmonious and others not, how people develop perfect pitch, explains the differences between western and eastern music, and the mechanics of several different types of instruments, and the basics of acoustics, just for starters. Of particular interest was the section on 'loudness', which explained how the rather messy measure of decibels came about and detailed several better options that were bypassed and are mostly lost to history.
I'd consider it a must-read for any music enthusiast without much formal education, any beginners, or even established musicians looking for a refresher on the theory of their craft. It maintains a light sense of humour and a conversational tone throughout that makes it an easy read, and keeps to laymen's terms as much as possible, rather than becoming too bogged down in technical nitpickery.
It also dispels some common myths about music, the most surprising being that outside of the minor and major scales, there's no particular mood difference between which key you pick - for example, A flat major is no moodier/happier than, say, D major. (Obviously choosing major or minor will influence the mood, simply for how the scale is arranged). I'd long subscribed to this notion myself, so to see the myth broken down was a surprise but rather enlightening - it is in fact a self-perpetuating myth, in that composers will often choose their key for a sadder/happier piece based on this long-held belief.
All in all, not bad for $20 (and probably a lot less if you buy it online/in a country other than Australia). It's certainly a good deal cheaper than a level 1 course at the Conservatorium of Music.
I picked it up originally thinking it was written by the composer John Powell (responsible for the scores of Happy Feet, Bolt, and How To Train Your Dragon, among many others), but this turned out not to be the case - though there's no explicit mention that they are not the same person, it's hard to imagine any bookseller or author who would be able to resist leveraging such impressive credentials. Regardless, the story has a happy ending, as I found the book an unexpectedly entertaining and educational read.
The book focuses on the science of music - the history and science behind modern keys, what makes some tones harmonious and others not, how people develop perfect pitch, explains the differences between western and eastern music, and the mechanics of several different types of instruments, and the basics of acoustics, just for starters. Of particular interest was the section on 'loudness', which explained how the rather messy measure of decibels came about and detailed several better options that were bypassed and are mostly lost to history.
I'd consider it a must-read for any music enthusiast without much formal education, any beginners, or even established musicians looking for a refresher on the theory of their craft. It maintains a light sense of humour and a conversational tone throughout that makes it an easy read, and keeps to laymen's terms as much as possible, rather than becoming too bogged down in technical nitpickery.
It also dispels some common myths about music, the most surprising being that outside of the minor and major scales, there's no particular mood difference between which key you pick - for example, A flat major is no moodier/happier than, say, D major. (Obviously choosing major or minor will influence the mood, simply for how the scale is arranged). I'd long subscribed to this notion myself, so to see the myth broken down was a surprise but rather enlightening - it is in fact a self-perpetuating myth, in that composers will often choose their key for a sadder/happier piece based on this long-held belief.
All in all, not bad for $20 (and probably a lot less if you buy it online/in a country other than Australia). It's certainly a good deal cheaper than a level 1 course at the Conservatorium of Music.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Great DAW debate
My desktop PC recently died, so with the new PC I've been contemplating new software for home. I currently use Cubase and Sound Forge combo, and while they have their strengths, neither are quite working out for me. Now that Pro Tools 9 finally supports any ASIO soundcard (instead of just Digidesign), I've been giving it some serious consideration, despite the comparatively exorbitant cost.
It seems like a no-brainer - Pro Tools is so entrenched in the sound design industry that any other DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) might as well be mud. The Churchill Trust did a very interesting report on the state of sound design worldwide and how Australia measures up recently, and the DAW section in particular I found interesting: http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellows/detail/3401/john+kassab
It basically reiterates what we all know - Pro Tools is pervasive, and few others DAWs get a look in, despite the fact that the days where Pro Tools was far and away the industry leader are long gone. I've sampled a great many DAWs, Pro Tools included (thought not yet the latest version), and the differences between the market leaders grow ever smaller.
In fact, aside from the branding, the only thing Pro Tools is truly holding over its peers these days is its native plugins, which becomes a moot point if you have one of the external plugin sets such as WAVES. In terms of usability, it's become a bit of a dinosaur - Sony Vegas, primarily a video editor, is more pleasant to use. In fact, I'd argue that most professional-level DAWs can claim better usability. And they often offer better value for money, too - Sony Vegas being one example, but there's also Adobe Audition, which in addition to multitrack has quite a robust stereo editor as well - to the point where it has become my favourite application for any audio surgery.
Reaper is one to watch, too. It's ridiculously small, lean, fast, with an incredibly intuitive interface, and most importantly, dirt cheap - yet can do almost everything you expect of any other multitrack editor.
The question then becomes - in the interest of keeping abreast of the latest Pro Tools, do I continue to perpetuate its market dominance, or do I take the high road(and save some money) on a lesser-known DAW that might very well do almost the same job?
In the end, the issue has probably had more importance placed on it than it deserves. Good artists are not defined by their tools. If you've used one DAW to an expert level, it's an easy leap to acclimatise to another. Even if you're using clunky freeware like Audacity, if you know what you're doing, you'll be able to make great sound no matter what.
It seems like a no-brainer - Pro Tools is so entrenched in the sound design industry that any other DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) might as well be mud. The Churchill Trust did a very interesting report on the state of sound design worldwide and how Australia measures up recently, and the DAW section in particular I found interesting: http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellows/detail/3401/john+kassab
It basically reiterates what we all know - Pro Tools is pervasive, and few others DAWs get a look in, despite the fact that the days where Pro Tools was far and away the industry leader are long gone. I've sampled a great many DAWs, Pro Tools included (thought not yet the latest version), and the differences between the market leaders grow ever smaller.
In fact, aside from the branding, the only thing Pro Tools is truly holding over its peers these days is its native plugins, which becomes a moot point if you have one of the external plugin sets such as WAVES. In terms of usability, it's become a bit of a dinosaur - Sony Vegas, primarily a video editor, is more pleasant to use. In fact, I'd argue that most professional-level DAWs can claim better usability. And they often offer better value for money, too - Sony Vegas being one example, but there's also Adobe Audition, which in addition to multitrack has quite a robust stereo editor as well - to the point where it has become my favourite application for any audio surgery.
Reaper is one to watch, too. It's ridiculously small, lean, fast, with an incredibly intuitive interface, and most importantly, dirt cheap - yet can do almost everything you expect of any other multitrack editor.
The question then becomes - in the interest of keeping abreast of the latest Pro Tools, do I continue to perpetuate its market dominance, or do I take the high road
In the end, the issue has probably had more importance placed on it than it deserves. Good artists are not defined by their tools. If you've used one DAW to an expert level, it's an easy leap to acclimatise to another. Even if you're using clunky freeware like Audacity, if you know what you're doing, you'll be able to make great sound no matter what.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Oscars
Inception picked up both Sound Editing and Sound Mixing awards at the Oscars! I read a fascinating interview with the team behind the sound on it at the New York Times website - now seems like an appropriate time to link it.
Of the other contenders, Tron I thought had a good shot at Sound Editing, and True Grit wouldn't have been a poor choice either - I thought it was particularly interesting how they accurately pulled off the echo delay for gunshots in the distance without jarring the audience, who are long used to physics being ignored in movie soundtracks. Surprisingly strong field this year!
Though I have often had a hard time taking the Academy Awards seriously since 2008, when The Dark Knight beat out WALL-E for sound editing. Not to say The Dark Knight wasn't deserving of the accolade, but it was nowhere near the feat of a movie where sound design carried more of the script than actual speech. But perhaps that's just being jaded. :)
Of the other contenders, Tron I thought had a good shot at Sound Editing, and True Grit wouldn't have been a poor choice either - I thought it was particularly interesting how they accurately pulled off the echo delay for gunshots in the distance without jarring the audience, who are long used to physics being ignored in movie soundtracks. Surprisingly strong field this year!
Though I have often had a hard time taking the Academy Awards seriously since 2008, when The Dark Knight beat out WALL-E for sound editing. Not to say The Dark Knight wasn't deserving of the accolade, but it was nowhere near the feat of a movie where sound design carried more of the script than actual speech. But perhaps that's just being jaded. :)
Friday, February 11, 2011
But Will It Blend?
Looking at the prospect of moving house again soon, and came to the realisation that sound designers have the potential to be the very worst hoarders.
It's not just keeping cables of every sort - because you never know when you might need another midi to midi cable, or a midi to usb, or an XLR to stereo plug. Or those old speakers, either - you need a backup, and they're an extra set of reference speakers, after all. Or synths, or mixing desks, or microphones... yeah, there's a lot of gear involved in sound design.
But it's not really the gear I'm talking about. People understand not wanting to throw out or resell some of that - it was expensive to begin with, and can still be useful. The real danger is all the random bits of bric-and-brac you discover.
This random bit of plastic tubing. Those old vacuum hoses. That burnt out lightbulb. That tub of styrofoam. That broken slinky. Those glass marbles that used to sit in the fishtank. That blunt, gaudy, fake sword with the loose handle. That child's boomerang. A random piece of leftover balsa wood. Thirteen different rulers you never use. Silly putty. Empty jewellery boxes.
I'm either going to have to have a marathon session one day to record every possible use of these things so they can finally be thrown out, or accept that moving house is going to remain a nightmare forever.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sticking Up Acoustic Foam
Received four big rolls of second hand acoustic foam for the office! \o/ It's kind of like Christmas! However my office is unfortunately both my recording and mixing environment, so I likely won't need all of it, but it should take a bit of the bite out of the current echo. I have a feeling the rest of the team think the foam is soundproofing, not sound deadening - although it is probably soundproofing to some degree... for them, that is.
After finally getting some room treatment materials (aside from the ever-faithful mattress), the challenge now is mounting the foam on the wall - without either terribly damaging the foam or the wall.
Spray adhesive is typically the best for this sort of thing, but without that option I've had to get a bit creative with double-sided mounting tape:
These are works in progress. After a bit of trial-and-error, this seems to be the method that's finally held up using the available materials on hand. It's not beautiful or tidy, but it gets the job done. That's packing tape, glued directly to the foam (since packing tape won't stick to foam), and then double-sided mounting tape stuck to the back of that (since mounting tape won't stick to foam either.) Turns out once you rule out spray adhesive, getting anything to stick to foam is a real challenge!
I should have used glitter.
After finally getting some room treatment materials (aside from the ever-faithful mattress), the challenge now is mounting the foam on the wall - without either terribly damaging the foam or the wall.
Spray adhesive is typically the best for this sort of thing, but without that option I've had to get a bit creative with double-sided mounting tape:
These are works in progress. After a bit of trial-and-error, this seems to be the method that's finally held up using the available materials on hand. It's not beautiful or tidy, but it gets the job done. That's packing tape, glued directly to the foam (since packing tape won't stick to foam), and then double-sided mounting tape stuck to the back of that (since mounting tape won't stick to foam either.) Turns out once you rule out spray adhesive, getting anything to stick to foam is a real challenge!
I should have used glitter.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Outrage Bandwagon
Stephen Tolito of Kotaku recently posted an article: 'The Year I Gained the Courage to Ignore Video Game Music'.
I couldn't let this pass without comment. He's missed the point. If he can play the game without music and feel as though the experience has been uncompromised, there's something wrong with the music, not that music is 'unnecessary' for the game. It can't lose something it never had. Music should be creating mood, warning of danger, reassuring the player of safety, building tension, rewarding them for good performance. And that’s not just for RPGs or survival horror or shooters – puzzlers, platformers and racing games should all be doing this. If it's not doing these things, something has gone wrong. How much of the high from finding a rare collectible or fighting a tough battle comes from the victory sting? How much tension from a puzzle game, when the music changes as you get too close to the top of the screen? How much energy in a racing game, when the music speeds up for the final lap?
The only games I can think of that are improved without music are those who use the absence of music for effect - much like how the starkness of the aural landscape throughout most of Ico further enhances the player's loneliness. And if you're listening to podcasts in games like that, you're losing that, too.
An excellent response was written here on Cruise Elroy - he eloquently covers a number of other issues in regards to Totilo's article, and is worth reading.
As one last note, so as to avoid beating a drum everyone else has already had a fairly good whack at, I'm not too sure if I want video game opinions from somebody who is more interested in multi-tasking than immersing themselves in the full game experience. It's rather like reading movie reviews from a reviewer who watched the movie on TV while talking on the phone and baking a cake. He has things to do, sure - everyone does. But if you're so worried about all the things you have to do and resort to listening to podcasts while gaming to maximise your time, is it still recreation?
I couldn't let this pass without comment. He's missed the point. If he can play the game without music and feel as though the experience has been uncompromised, there's something wrong with the music, not that music is 'unnecessary' for the game. It can't lose something it never had. Music should be creating mood, warning of danger, reassuring the player of safety, building tension, rewarding them for good performance. And that’s not just for RPGs or survival horror or shooters – puzzlers, platformers and racing games should all be doing this. If it's not doing these things, something has gone wrong. How much of the high from finding a rare collectible or fighting a tough battle comes from the victory sting? How much tension from a puzzle game, when the music changes as you get too close to the top of the screen? How much energy in a racing game, when the music speeds up for the final lap?
The only games I can think of that are improved without music are those who use the absence of music for effect - much like how the starkness of the aural landscape throughout most of Ico further enhances the player's loneliness. And if you're listening to podcasts in games like that, you're losing that, too.
An excellent response was written here on Cruise Elroy - he eloquently covers a number of other issues in regards to Totilo's article, and is worth reading.
As one last note, so as to avoid beating a drum everyone else has already had a fairly good whack at, I'm not too sure if I want video game opinions from somebody who is more interested in multi-tasking than immersing themselves in the full game experience. It's rather like reading movie reviews from a reviewer who watched the movie on TV while talking on the phone and baking a cake. He has things to do, sure - everyone does. But if you're so worried about all the things you have to do and resort to listening to podcasts while gaming to maximise your time, is it still recreation?
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