1. AmyBrockbank
BTEC Level 3 Games Design Unit 73: SoundFor ComputerGames
Audio Cut Sequence Production Costings
The Role Of The Sound Designer
The sounddesignerhasmanydifferentresponsibilitieswhendesigninggames.The atmosphere of
the game dependsontheirwork,andhow well the soundslinkuptothe restof the game’s visuals.
One of the firsttaskstheyhave on the jobis workingalongsidethe creative director,andofferinput
as to what the game shouldsoundlike,andwhatsortof atmosphere the soundinthe game should
provoke forthe player.Thisiswhere the sound designershouldgetageneral ideaof whattheyare
doingwiththe sounddesigninthe game.
Anotherone of the responsibilitiesthe sounddesignerhasiscomposingthe musicthatwill playin
the game.Using the inputofferedbythe creative director,hereisthe time the sounddesignerwill
have to map outwhat musicshouldplayduringdifferentscenesof the game,tokeepthe player
intrigued,andevenprovokedifferentemotionsatcertainpartsof the story if the game hasone.
The sounddesigneralso hasthe
responsibilitytooutsource
differentaspectsof the soundto
differentpeopleandcompanies,
whichmeanstheyshouldbe
lookingathiringvoice actorsfor
the characters inthe game,
musicians(Eitherindividual
musicians,bands,orevenfull
orchestras) tohelpcreate the
music,as well ashiringout
recordingstudioswhere the
soundcan be recorded.
The sounddesigneralsohasto lookat recordingthe voicesof the voice actorsonce theyhave been
hired.Theyshouldkeepthe voice actorsacting inmind,andnot be afraidto change anythingor re-
record linesif somethingdoesn’tquitework.
Theyare alsoresponsibleforthe soundeffectswithinthe game,eitherbycreatingthemdigitally,or
actuallygoingouton locationtoactuallyrecordthe soundsthemselves.The soundeffectsingame
take up a large portionof the soundinthe game,and playa vital role,soit isimportantthat the
sounddesignergetsthemright.
Firstof all,the sounddesignerhastoresearchhow theyare goingto create eachsound,and
whetherornot that soundcan be re-createddigitally,orwhetherithasto be recordedon location.
It isimportantfor the sounddesignertoknow exactlywhatsoundsare neededatthisstage inthe
productionof the sound.

2. AmyBrockbank
BTEC Level 3 Games Design Unit 73: SoundFor ComputerGames
If the soundeffectshave tobe gatheredina
particularlocation,itisthe sounddesigner’s
dutyto go on locationandgatherall of the
soundsthat are necessary inthat place,which
alsomeansthat theywill have totake the
equipmentthattheywillneedtorecordwith
out to that location.
If the soundeffectsdonotneedtobe recorded
on location,the sounddesignerhasa
responsibilitytogatherdifferentpropsthatcan
be usedfor foleyartistrytogetsoundeffects
for the game.These propsdonot have to exactlyrepresentwhatthe soundissupposedtobe inthe
game (For example,if they needasoundof someone beingstabbedforthe game,they wouldn’t
actuallygo outand stab someone justtogetthe soundeffect,butfindsomethingthatreplicatesthe
sound.), butfindobjectsthatmake
a similarsoundwhenusedin
certainways.
Some recordingsof soundeffects
may alreadyexistoutindifferent
typesof archives,inwhichcase,it
isthe sounddesigner’s
responsibilitytouse those intheir
worktoo, justso longas theyget
the properpermissiontouse the
soundsthemselves.Usingsounds
othershave createdisa good way
to save time andmoney,especiallyif those soundscoveranyrecordingsthatwouldhave tobe done
on location.
If none of the three above apply,the dutyof the sounddesigneristothencreate those sounds
digitally;usingsoftware thatcanbe usedto manipulate soundsindifferentways,socertainsounds
can be created.Creatingsoundsdigitallycansave time bynot havingtorecord the soundeffectslive
fromthe actual objectitself.
From this,the sounddesignershouldalso
knowhowto use MIDI instruments,and
howto create MIDI musicusingspecialised
software.Thiswill allowthe sounddesigner
to create most of the musicand soundsthey
wantfor the game quicklyandefficiently,as
well asbeingable tochange the sounds
midwaythroughrecording.
The sounddesignermustalsoknowtheir
wayaround the recordingequipmentthatisused,andwhenitisappropriate touse it. Theyshould

3. AmyBrockbank
BTEC Level 3 Games Design Unit 73: SoundFor ComputerGames
knowwhatrecordingequipmentdoeswhat,whethertheyare
recordingonlocation,recordinginthe studio,orcreating
soundsviaMIDI technology.Itisimportantthatthe sound
designerkeepsuptodate withsoundrecordingequipmentand
software,toensure thatsoundsare the besttheycan possibly
be.
Sounddesignersalsohave the responsibilityto editingsound,
or sequencingit,tomake the soundforthe game as suitable as
it possiblycanbe.Toeditthe sound,designersmayuse audio
productionsoftware tomanipulate it.