Flagship Studios Interview
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Q: This is a tough job too, you can't recycle sounds without people noticing, and it's quite a creative job! What kind of materials have you used in previous or current jobs to get certain sound effects? I hear smushing food and using every day objects is a great way.
A: Right now, I am handling the sounds for the game, which is a great deal of fun for me since that is how I got started in the industry! Creating sounds is a challenging process that requires the sound designer to be part scientist, part artist and part adventurer. You have to be able to look at something in the game, work with the intentions of the artist and designers and then create a sound that represents the spirit of the piece. You also have to make sure that if the sound represents a play mechanic that it will be clear to the player what is happening. You also have to make sure you think about how often the sound will be heard to determine how many variations you may need so it doesn't become overly repetitive. Then there's working with the programmatic guidelines imposed by the programmers. Just like artists, sound designers are always trying to push the envelope of what the engine can do.
From the standpoint of creating new sounds, this is where being an adventurer comes into play. It is absolutely true that the sound designer will bring in piles of fruits, vegetables, random weapons and a LOT of plastic sheeting into the studio to get those unique and extra juicy sounds. I've hacked into all sorts of melons with various medieval weapons, twisted celery inside of a shammy cloth for a nice organic crunchy sound, dropped various objects onto a wide assortment of materials for thuds, clanks and crashes, and going into the field to capture new sounds can be a blast, as well. Any and all sounds can be a part of the sound designer's palette, just like various colors and textures are there for the artists. Almost every effect you hear in a game is a mixture of numerous sounds, so the more source materials you have to play with, the better.
