The Essential Guide to Game Audio: The Theory and Practice of Sound for Games

by Steve Horowitz, Scott Looney

Overview

The Essential Guide to Game Audio: The Theory and Practice of Sound for Games is a first of its kind textbook and must-have reference guide for everything you ever wanted to know about sound for games. This book provides a basic overview of game audio, how it has developed over time, and how you can make a career in this industry. Each chapter gives you the background and context you will need to understand the unique workflow associated with interactive media. The practical, easy to understand interactive examples provide hands-on experience applying the concepts in real world'situations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415706704
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/17/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Steve Horowitz is a creator of odd but highly accessible sounds and a diverse and prolific musician. Perhaps best known as a composer and producer for his original soundtrack to the Academy Award-nominated film "Super Size Me.", Steve is also a noted expert in the field of sound for games. Since 1991, he has literally worked on hundreds of titles, including a ten year run as the audio director at Nickelodeon Digital, where he garnered both Webby and Broadcast Design awards. Horowitz also has a Grammy Award in recognition of his engineering work on the multi-artist release, "True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe [Sugar Hill]." Best Bluegrass Album" (1996). Currently living in San Francisco, with his wife and son, he composes, teaches, lectures, consults, plays bass and continues to release strange and beautiful new sounds on an unsuspecting world.

Scott Looney is a passionate artist, soundsmith, educator, and curriculum developer who has been helping students understand the basic concepts and practices behind the creation of content for interactive media and games for over ten years. He pioneered interactive online audio courses for the Academy Of Art University, and has also taught at Ex'pression College, Cogswell College, and Pyramind Training. As a musician and composer, he has created compelling sounds for audiences, game developers and ad agencies alike across a broad spectrum of genres and styles, from contemporary music to experimental noise. He has also performed at numerous experimental festivals, designed custom instruments, and created performance interfaces utilizing sensors and microcontrollers. In addition to his work in game audio and education, he is currently researching procedural and generative sound applications in games, and mastering the art of code. He lives in Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Level 1: AAA (Animation, Art, Audio) - Making Sense of Sound For Games

   

Level 2: On the Road - to NOW!- A Brief History of Games and Game Audio

 

Level 3: My Non-Linear Life - Audio For Interactive Environments

 

Level 4: What Is Hip? Styles and Genres - Welcome to Acronym Hell

 

Level 5: Bleeps, Blops, Clicks, and Pops - Sound Design In Games

Level 6: Compose Yourself! - The Art of Composing for Games

 

Level 7: Do you Hear That Voice In My Head? - Voice Over For Games

 

Level 8: Meet the Middleman: Understanding Audio Middleware

Level 9: The Early Bird Gets the Worm- Preparing your Audio

Level 10: ‘Silly Human…’ - How Game Engines Think

Level 11: Unify My World – Audio in Unity 3D

 

Level 12: Unity Too - Basic Audio Implementation in Unity 3D

Level 13: Back To The Future -The World Of Mobile And Web Games

Level 14: Show Me The Money-Getting a job in sound for games