Hello readers!

I’m the Audio & Music Director here at Frozenbyte Inc. I compose and produce music but I also design, produce, edit and mix all of our audio assets.

Good audio design and music is critical to reach those top 10/10 review scores, but sometimes I feel that game audio doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Reviews sometimes don’t even mention audio at all, or just make a general comment without any details. I wish there’d be more critique, positive or negative – constructive criticism always helps, and positive comments make it all worth it. When I read how much people have enjoyed the audio in our Shadowgrounds games, it makes me very happy, because that is the ultimate goal: to make gamers totally immersed in the game world and enhance their emotions and create memorable moments during gameplay.

For me, I like what I do and that’s how I get the best results. However, I still have to make things work IN THE GAME, I can’t just do whatever I want. Everything must sound fitting within the sonic boundaries of the game design and the virtual world. Unfortunately, budget and time constraints always play a role in music and audio decisions – and like it or not, you really can’t underestimate the impact of other people either.

IT’S A DOUBLE-BARRELED ROLE

Making audio assets and music are really, really different things. They require a different mindset and I need to separate these areas to be able to focus on one at a time. Usually an Audio Director doesn’t compose much because he/she is mainly responsible for the audio design and assets – or making sure the juniors do what they’re supposed to do.

But I on the other hand have a double job. It’s a whole different ball game when you make the entire game soundtrack and still manage to accomplish good, working audio design. It takes a little bit of extra days and cold beers, but it’s good for my sanity.
I enjoy making music more than sound work, because music is a more creative process, whereas creating sound effects and integrating them into the game is a bit more technical. It’s not all fun and games!

In addition to that, there are times when I need to focus on vocal outsourcing and managing other people like trainees. Managing is surprisingly tough sometimes but if it’s done efficiently and with care, [insert cliché here].

ENLIGHTENING

We have regular meetings and it’s my job to be active and participate in the overall development of the game world. It really helps when I see some concept art and other visual things where I can draw inspiration from. It’s important to be on the same page as everyone else, and to have a clear vision (or even a clue) about the game that you are making. I also like to walk around the office from time to time. It gives my ears some well-earned rest and I can keep track of the projects and see what everyone else is doing. My walkabouts are also a way to tell (and hear) stupid jokes every day. Luckily the jokes are getting better.

I love my work.