Video Game – 'Manor'
//Actual Budget:
Cost of equipment:
Rhode NT1-A Microphone £100
Xoom H2n recorder £120
Komplete 8 effects library £300
Total £520
Real world budget:
Recording Studio – 2x 10 hour days £400 (http://www.fpstudio.co.uk/?p=recording)
Equipment hire £50 (http://www.fpstudio.co.uk/?p=pahire)
Sound designer wage (55 hour week) £1624 (https://www.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/library/218)
Total £2074
//As Amelia’s hand in date is the 20th, and mine is the 8th of may, the game will not be finished in time for me to record a gameplay video as discussed with David McSherry. So instead, David has suggested that I put my sounds to Amelia’s draft animation. As Amelia is happy with all the sounds I have designed and music I have composed, I was ready to put some finishing touches to the project.
//After a chat with Amelia about the dialogue recordings, she asked if we could get Ashley Lewis in again to record some more lines. After trying to arrange a date with Ashley, we finally set a date. Ashley arrived early this morning ready to record. I set up the microphone, loading the same settings as last time, and we were all set to go. The recordings didn;t take too long, as we just need a few extra lines for the gameplay and some breathing sounds. I managed to get some really good takes from Ashley.
Breathing:
Scream:
I found it:
Help:
//As I was getting closer to finishing my project, I looked at what requirements the were for game audio levels. For broadcast and television, the audio lever is monitored using a loudness meter as per the technical delivery standards. For games, however, there are currently no standards for audio levels. There is an on-going debate on whether to introduce technical standards for games but there is currently none.
While we think that BS.1770 would be a popular metering standard and great for short-term loudness measurement, we believe users should be able to work with whichever metering tools and standards they feel most comfortable with. Better loudness metering and normalisation at the asset level, right through submixes and up to the master mix should not only result in more predictable loudness levels but also save time when it comes to adding or modifying content or snapshots and performing the final mix. (Designing sound, 2013)
Bibliography
Designing Sound, 2013, Loudness in Game Audio [online] Available at: http://designingsound.org/2013/02/loudness-in-game-audio/ Accessed: 5th May 2014
//Armed with my Zoom H2N digital recorder, I went around the house to record some sounds I needed. I needed to get the following:
Firstly, I recorded the key locking. I recorded the sound 6 times to make sure I had plenty of takes to choose from. I uploaded the recording to Pro Tools and started to edit the sound. I took some high end off the recording, and remembering the advice from The Complete guide to Game Audio, I stripped both ends completely of silence.
Key in lock:
Next I recorded myself rustling a house plant. The effect was very similar to leaves rustling and didn’t need any EQing.
Leaves rustling:
As I didn’t have a tool box for the rattling tools sound effect, I got a tin box and placed a few metal items in there and fumbled around. I then put the file into Pro Tools, and using elastic properties, I lowered the pitch, so that it sounded like a tool box.
Tools rattling:
For the door bell, I tried hitting pans and using a church bell but to no avail. I wanted the door bell to be low sounding, ominous and victorian in style. Instead of recording a bell, I used a tubular bell, and lowered the pitch until it sounded just right.
Door Bell:
For each sound effect I made sure that there was no silence before and after each sound. This was to ensure that when the sound was triggered in the game, it would sound straight away.
