Sounds Like a Plan

P as in Pneumonia

2010-05-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

P as in Pneumonia by grhufnagl Rundown • Items recorded: Electric Trimmer, Metal Canister, Box of Dice, Plastic Vitamin Bottle, Duffle Bag, Salad Spinner • 232 Different Unprocessed Sound Files (mono and stereo versions), categorized by object type and length (short < 1 sec; medium 1-5 sec; long > 5 sec) Design goals • Continued focus on creating convincing background material with

A Celebrity Worth Stalking

2010-03-23T14:55:00.002-05:00

Kids, I wanted to take some time away from audio to just give a brief kudos to a collection of short stories I've recently read and have given me that inspirational "wow" factor. Written by the mucho talented Kevin Fanning, Jennifer Love Hewitt Times Infinity is a foray into the mythology of our aforementioned actress heroine that is surreal, emotional and always engaging. Did you know that the

3 x 5 Interview with Dren McDonald

2010-02-25T14:14:00.001-06:00

In Fives: What are five timbres/sounds/instruments of which you cannot get enough? Banjo, running water, cello, my cats' nails walking on the hardwood floors, and my kids laughing (or wailing, cuz I'm whipping their ass...kidding, kidding). Name five resources (equipment, people, etc.) without which you could not live (figuratively speaking, of course). My wife, my kids, my parents, my

Reel Good Sounds

2010-02-21T09:07:00.002-06:00

I have FINALLY put together two sound reels instead of using nebulous bits and pieces of work for demonstration purposes. In the Soundcloud player above, you can listen to some of my sound design work from the past 8 months and music from as far back as 2005. Some notes are listed below. Music Reel I am looking forward to the day when I can actually have some great software synths, but until

A Linguist Who Worked on 'Avatar' Knows His Na'vi

2010-02-15T09:19:00.001-06:00

A very brief but interesting interview with Paul R. Frommer, professor of Clinical Management Communicaiton at USC, who developed the language of the Na'vi used in James Cameron's Avatar.

Jumpstarting Your Creativity

2010-02-04T14:27:00.003-06:00

A great article by Brad Meyer (sound designer for DJ Hero) was published on Gamasutra's feature section. It's a wonderful read not only for sound designers, but for anyone who plans to pursue a longterm creative career with sound and music. I haven't yet dealt with creative fatigue, but taking to heart a few of these ideas will be advantageous down the road.

28 Missions to Accomplish Before January 27th, 2011.

2010-01-27T21:13:00.001-06:00

Playing the last year in rewind has really been a great exercise in realizing that, although there isn't a lot of material evidence, significant change has arisen and I am heading in a postive direction. The actions of last year have created the needed energy to move forward, develop new ideas, obtain new skills and focus on some new tasks for life. Therefore, as a reflection of those

3 x 5 Interview with James Romig

2010-01-19T16:09:00.002-06:00

In Fives: What are five timbres/sounds/instruments of which you cannot get enough? Flute in its lowest octave Single, plucked strings (harp, cello, guitar, etc.) Piano above Middle C Vibraphone, struck or bowed Stewart Copeland’s hi-hat and snare drum on early Police albums Name five resources (equipment, people, etc.) without which you could not live (figuratively speaking, of course).

Tesla Coil Music - "Risky Business: A Tribute to Nikola Tesla"

2010-01-07T10:04:00.001-06:00

This piece was composed by Scott Wyatt and Mark Smart and was performed during the SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States) conference at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 18, 2009.

3 x 5 Interview with Richie Nieto

2009-12-21T15:47:00.000-06:00

In Fives: What are five timbres/sounds/instruments of which you cannot get enough? Waves crashing on a beach, a tongue drum, distant highway traffic, Andy Summers’ guitar tone on “Omegaman”, and my dachshund’s footsteps and collar jangle. Name five resources (equipment, people, etc.) without which you could not live (figuratively speaking, of course). In no particular order, my Mac computer,

Ok, Let's Go With It!

2009-12-16T12:32:00.002-06:00

With the semester over and a few small projects winding down, I wanted to give a sneak preview of some of the audio that's been taking time away from other leisurely activities (my hardcore hiphop album, for instance). (photo by Patti Sullivan-Howd) In the Audio File of the A/V media box, you'll find two new additions: 1) Ok, Let's Go With It and 2) My SFX Demo The SFX Demo reel is a

It Are Go Good with Pizza

2009-12-07T16:07:00.000-06:00

Planning, learning, composing, ear training, singing, listening, learning, reading, papering, penciling, orchestrating, sound designing, learning, writing, recording, editing, dubbing, editing, editing, editing, bouncing, converting, burning, sending, learning, meeting, greeting, interviewing, asking, learning, applying, denying, failing, STOP! And round it goes again… Don’t forget; wifing,

3 x 5 Interview with Henrik Nåmark

2009-12-02T12:38:00.000-06:00

"Things are made slowly and in pain." / Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid) In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. My mother's been singing and playing the guitar all my life. I guess that's why I feel so comfortable when I sing and play myself. For some reason I've been selected to do the sound design in

Interview with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

2009-11-19T08:33:00.002-06:00

One of my absolute favorite composers of the 20th-21st centuries:

50 Worst Videogame Voice Acting Lines

2009-11-13T12:39:00.002-06:00

I've cross-posted this to other forums, so for those of you who've seen this link pop up already, I apologize. Some really great weekend fun. Thanks to my friend John Griffin for sharing. Click to hear bad acting.

3 x 5 Interview with Sean Beeson

2009-11-11T10:37:00.000-06:00

In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. I have always had a fascination with technology, and was practically born playing video games. At a very young age, I began composing, and later decided to combine my love of games, technology, and music. While I am conservatory trained, I am mostly

Updates Among Us

2009-11-10T12:57:00.000-06:00

Dear Blog, I apologize for neglecting you. It's not my fault that I've decided to take on so much work that you have not been updated regularly. Really, they made me do it! So, wow, there's so much going on in the world of audio. Here are a few highlights: I'm nearing completion of one of the flash games, put out by Team Ko'Mano, LEAP. The audio will be completed and submitted before the

3 x 5 Interview with Kat Bella

2009-10-27T09:40:00.004-05:00

In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. When I was 10 years old I was given an electric keyboard for Christmas. I played it every day and slowly I began to learn songs by memory. Eventually, I learned chords and how to piece instruments together by layers. As I entered the online community, I

Mother of Troy's Mother

2009-10-26T14:35:00.002-05:00

I honestly can't remember the last time I was bored. I think it was some time around when the first Matrix came out, circa 1999. Today is definitely no exception. My work with Team Ko'mano proved to be a wonderful experience. I was able to get the project completed on time and, for my first game audio project and the amount of time I had, I was relatively pleased with the quality of work. It was

Music from a Tree

2009-10-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

From Living on Earth: Diego Stocco, a sound designer in Burbank, California discovers the wealth of sounds he can produce by playing a tree.

3 x 5 Interview with Brian Vlasak

2009-10-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. I was raised surrounded by the serene and sometimes austere natural environment that is upstate New York. This peaceful location stood in direct contrast to the turmoil caused by everyday life and the dichotomy that exists served as a “perfect storm” for the

Vhen I grow up, I vant zees job.

2009-10-15T09:39:00.004-05:00

A quick look into the sound design of "The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Athena." After watching, I realize how much fun this kind of work is. And, wearing stilettos is sometimes required to get the job done.

It Starts, Akimbo

2009-10-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

Here’s just a quick update on my latest project for class. We’ve moved past programming timbres using the a Kurzweill K2000 and are now in the composition phase. The goal is to create a work around six minutes using all the sounds (about 95) for a specific, formal intent. I’ve included a PDF of my intent in my A/V materials should you be interested in reading about it. A brief snippet: “This

3 x 5 Interview with Nathan Madsen

2009-10-12T16:12:00.008-05:00

In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. I started studying various instruments including saxophone, piano, flute, trombone and percussion as well as singing in choir at a young age. I come from a very musical family which has always strongly encourage music performance and excellence. I have two

What's Done is Done

2009-10-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it! After two intense weeks of writing, editing and sound designing, I have completed my first game audio project. What an experience! It has been a great experience working with these two guys: They were encouraging, patient and offered a lot of latitude to me with regard to the music. I love their work ethic. Here's an additional image of the original game, Solar (basic). I

3 x 5 Interview with John C. Griffin

2009-10-07T12:36:00.003-05:00

In Fives: 1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your musical/sonic background. I grew up exposed to a wide variety of music. My parents listened to everything from Hank Williams to George Gershwin to Richard Wagner and everything in between. In junior high, I became obsessed with film and television music, which I believe convinced me

Incoming Interviews: The 3 x 5

2009-10-05T13:11:00.001-05:00

In an effort to get to know people and create a wider community for myself and others, I have put together an interview called the 3 x 5. Its aim is to not only learn more about the interviewee, but to stimulate creativity in thought process and answers and also learn more about each other (e.g. how we think, what our creative goals are, our working process, etc.). My goal is to collect

NYT: "Classical" Composers & Video Games: A Fun Read

2009-10-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

An older article from the NY Times, but a nice read for the weekend. Enjoy! IN the video game BioShock turbulent Rachmaninoff-like music plays while an evil composer named Cohen shouts, “Presto, presto” before incinerating a hapless pianist and his instrument. In Battlefield: Bad Company gamers hear a string quintet playing earthy music redolent of Bartok. In Alone in the Dark: Inferno the

Gamasutra Feature with Rob Bridgett

2009-10-01T14:34:00.002-05:00

I've put a permanent link of Gamasutra Audio Features under my Audio Resources, but I thought this one was worth sharing with my formalist friends. Here's a look into the process by which some audio designers might create the dramatic audio curve in the development cycle of a game. To quote the beginning. Video game sound can often be perceived as a car-crash of sound effects, wall to wall

Re-cap 9/21/09-9/27/09

2009-09-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

Whoa... busy weekend. So, yeah, there's a lot to tell and not a lot to tell. (huh?) Well, in true "I have a point to make" form, I will provide information in bullet-point form. *Spent 'nother six hours in the studio for class again. Almost have 100 sounds completed and will do so tonight. I'm not sure what the next step is, but it's likely to be the actual composing stage of the class. *As

Marty O'Donnell - Bungie Composer

2009-09-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

Interesting interview with Bungie (Halo) game composer Marty O'Donnell. (f you have any trouble viewing the video, just click on the area below this text.)

My First Game Audio Project

2009-09-23T13:35:00.001-05:00

I received an email from a really polite gentleman from the UK who is porting a Flash game called Solar Basic over to the iPhone and needs music and SFX for it. "Can you do it?" "Yes I can!" The levels of awesome-i-tude are numerous: 1) The project is small in scope - They need 6 music tracks, ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length plus 8-10 sound effects. 2) The work is pretty much

Re-cap 9/14/09-9/20/09

2009-09-21T09:40:00.002-05:00

I was a good human this week. Productive, receptive AND, I got to have pizza and beer (my favy). Let's recapitulate: *Spent another six hours in the studio this week for class, one of which resulted in many technical errors. "It's part of the game," I told my brain, so I rewrote a plan for the next three sessions in order to stay on task. *I met with Scott Wyatt this week to go over the three

What does death sound like?

2009-09-17T23:15:00.000-05:00

A short video giving some detail about how the audio designers of Dead Space (2008) came up with some of their ideas. Intense! Warning, graphic violence:

A Minor Victory

2009-09-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

So I bid on this ad for a Yoga business which needed the following: And yesterday, I received this notification: It's a small win, but I think this goes down as my first bid I've won for sound design. Carry on, carry on...

Re-cap 9/7/09-9/13/09

2009-09-13T11:45:00.002-05:00

Week 1 of the blog went quickly, and I imagine that's because it's been a very busy week. Here are some of the things I've been up to: -Spent six hours in the EMS studio at UIUC and listened to some killer award-winning music written on the Kurzweil K2000. I also spent time programming and creating 12 instruments. My goal is around 100 by October 1st. Oh, and here's a link to the lab if you're

Crispity Crunchity Sound Design

2009-09-10T12:58:00.005-05:00

You're not hardcore unless you live hardcore.

Hownagl do you do?

2009-09-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

Since there are approximately 133,000,000 blogs in existence, I considered, reconsidered and subsequently re-reconsidered doing one of my own. I mean really, what could I say that couldn't be said elsewhere? You said it already. She's said it. Hell, even that guy selling grilled steak on Green Street has almost said it. Know what I'm sayin'? This attitude, however, is not that of a creative-type