AUDIO 4N6
  • Home
  • About
  • Musicians
    • Ally Paradis
    • Angela Nethersole
    • Jemanein
    • P'Jamz
    • Ross Tom
  • Games
    • Games
    • Game Soundtracks
  • Films
    • Films
    • Film Soundtracks
  • Clients
  • Blog

Composing for the Films I Used to Want to Draw

9/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Drawing was my greatest passion growing up!  Till it wasn't.  

​I wanted to go to Sheridan College and make comic books like my hero Todd McFarlane or work for Disney, but that didn't happen.  Toward the end of high school I learned that drawing was a joy I simply couldn't treat like work.  To put it plainly, I loved drawing for myself, but not for others.  I also couldn't fathom doing it day in, day out anymore.  Because I couldn't see myself happy in a career with it, my passion was snuffed out.  I didn't draw again for a decade, but here are some old favourites:
Picture
When I was roughly 11-years old
Picture
When I was roughly 16-years old
Picture
When I was roughly 18-years old (one of my last dedicated drawings)
​It was around the age of 18 that I started messing around with music making.  At first it was a private hobby as well, but years later I actually wanted to treat it like work, producing and recording for my own clients.  I think this was largely fuelled by 'the recording studio experience' which I pretty much fell in love with once I got my own first taste.  While drawing was wildly inventive and rewarding, I needed a different kind of broader stimulation in order to enjoy my craft long-term, especially in a professional work environment.
When I make music, the smallest sound can end up driving the entire song.  While that sound is filling the air for the first time, I get to go anywhere I want with it; write a chorus, strum a guitar, sing a vocal, bang something, or dance like a fool in my studio - all of that counts as work!  Every instrument (real or virtual) puts me in a different mindset and often requires a different physicality.  I get to find or create sounds I've never heard before as well as consider mic placement and room acoustics.  There are cables to run, knobs to twist, buttons to push, faders to slide, and switches to flip!  I can take my eyes off the screen and still be working.  Add on to that when other artists take the adventure with me, as if our pencils are on the page together sketching away, and you might understand why it better suits my busy mind and physicality.
Picture
Anyways, while attending Sheridan College for my Bachelor of Game Design degree, I shared an elective class (Intro to Short Story) with a ton of animation students.  It was there that I befriended some great talent who would eventually need composers for future projects.  One day my name came up in one of their meetings and we arranged to meet while I pitched my candidacy to a group that already had access to free composers through a Sheridan / UofT collaboration.  That's right, I had to sell my paid, never-composed-for-a-film-before services to a group who had access to a plethora of free, film-based composer students from the University of Toronto.  Yikes.  Well, I must have smelled good that day because I convinced them to take a chance on me and the rest is history.  Because of half the group becoming repeat clients and their generous referrals, I eventually totalled 10 awesome animation short film projects!
Picture
Stepping into the bull character of "Kobe Spa"
Doing scores and sound design for these animation films proved to be a very foreign, but very welcomed challenged for me.  When I sat down to begin the very first film, I remember thinking, "I have no idea how I'm going to do this".  Having said that, I also knew it didn't matter because I spent so much of my life understanding visual arts, and so much of my life understanding audio, that bringing them together was just a matter of will.  I wanted to make this marriage happen, badly.  Using the intended vision of my client, it took some trial and error but I eventually got that first small scene of the film feeling great.  That scene then inspired another scene, and another, until I was finally able to say, "Wow!  This is a film score!"
Each film was very different, so I got to create some very different things and learned a ton of stuff along the way.  Plus, I got to record some fun dialogue.  One thing I've learned over the years is that working with others in my studio tends to produce a lot of vulnerability and a lot of laughter; both of which I think are essential for yielding great results!
I guess you could say that for me, drawing is like soldering the computer of a spaceship (which is cool), and making music is like flying the spaceship itself.  Both are highly detail-oriented (and technical), but I want to fly the spaceship.  This is of course 100% subjective.  I'm sure visual artists out there feel their passion is actually the spaceship and audio is the soldering, which is great!  Own it!  This is probably why I get inspired by the look of a recording studio because it can kind of resemble the cockpit of a spaceship!  I get to sit at the helm and discover soundscapes that resonate through the body like a turbine.
Picture
Do I secretly just want to be an Astronaut?
Picture
Thesis film characters from the graduating class of 2019. I helped to give some of these characters a voice!
What a pleasure it was to work with these kind and gifted people.  I absolutely loved being introduced to their films, the stories in them and the stories behind them.  I loved immersing myself in their crazy and loveable worlds and characters, thinking of the audible possibilities.  According to them, finally having sound brought their films to life.  To me, finally having visuals brought my music and sound design to life in such an exciting way.  Fusing together two worlds I loved felt like the long-lost visual artist in me was being listened to again.  That part of me sees and deeply appreciates the immense thought and work that goes into each stroke of every animated frame.
There is so much understanding and intention being displayed in even the smallest movements.  Every time I make a soundscape that highlights those things the way my client (the expert) intends, it warms the part of me that used to want to draw such things.  One day I'll take my time again and draw something amazing, but I'm happy with my audio profession.  These films brought about results in me that I would have never otherwise produced without these collaborations.  In fact, I was so proud of these films that I had to release them as a soundtrack which is OUT NOW on all platforms!!!
Picture
The beautiful album cover was created by Chayadol Lomtong, a.k.a. "Dol" - creator of "The Golden Ice Cream" short film!  It's a unique and colourful collage of some of the characters and themes in the films.  It was a combination of his naturally inspired concepts and my poorly-explained vision.  In fact, Dol had no idea what I was talking about when I first tried to explain it!  But, when I better explained what I meant by things like "Golden ice cream sun... rainbow water... headphone boat... and musical note fish", he got it right away and went beyond my expectations!
A genuine 'thank you' to all you animators who let me take part in your films!  You're already successful at what you do, so keep doing it.  I loved it and would absolutely do it all again!

To everyone else out there, give these artists a follow after clicking here to watch their memorable films!
Follow me on Spotify for all my film and game soundtracks!
0 Comments

Becoming A Musical Atheist

11/7/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Surrounded by my favourite things: mirrors
In the Beginning...
This is me at roughly 20-years old in one of my first studio setups.  No audio interface, no reference monitors, no condenser mic, no acoustic treatment, no music lessons, no theory knowledge, no technical knowhow; just a basic keyboard, a no-name guitar, a Radio Shack mic, cheap headphones, blank CDs, a computer from the Jurassic period, Fruity Loops, Cool Edit Pro, and a devout Christian Faith.

Yep, those were the good 'ol days of homemade jewel case albums, terrible freestyles, and panning everything to the center (*cringe*).

Christian Music
I grew up a devout Christian, so when I started making music at 18, there was always a blatant Christian message to it.  The overlap of making music while being a Christian spanned about 5 years for me (age 18-23); during that time I made hundreds of songs and produced for my own Christian clients.  I had my favourite Christian artists back then like The Cross Movement, Relient K, Steven Curtis Chapman, KJ-52, Grits, Superchick, Out of Eden, and others.  I had just obtained my Diploma of Biblical Studies from Kawartha Lakes Bible College so I was abstaining from all kinds of secular influences and had tons to write about.  I also performed some of my Christian Raps in front of small religious audiences.  Below is one of my old Christian raps from 2005 - not long before everything started to change for me.

Picture
A page from one of my old lyric books

Picture
My 2018 EP
Atheist Music
​Fast forward to today.  I'm 35 years old and have recently released my latest EP titled "
Foibles & Fiction" - two of the five songs are about my de-conversion into Atheism: "Odd One Out"  and "Proud".  "Odd One Out" is about being the black sheep (which I now experience as the only Atheist in my family), and "Proud" is my farewell to the pride once had in believing in a god, and being the brother of my religious siblings.  When I was sitting in that old studio chair I felt like I had a hundred more Christian songs to make, and now as I sit in my current studio chair, I feel like I have a hundred more Atheist songs to make.  So, what the hell happened?  

No Personal Identity
At age 23 (2006) I had a crippling epiphany that religion raised me to have no personal identity.  Soon after I started on a very painful, very lonely journey to step back from it all and start over.  From 2006-2007, I didn't make any music, which was a long time for someone who normally couldn't go a couple days without creating something.

I had spent years making Christian songs of hip-hop, pop, R&B, and even praise music, but I had become so confused about who I was supposed to be that I simply had no idea what to create anymore.  Leering at my neglected equipment I simply had no motivation.  I remember moving out on my own to get away from all the judgemental religious noise of everyone I knew and I couldn't even bring myself to setup my studio gear - such was unheard of for me.  Setting up my creative workspace was always the best part about moving somewhere.  The arrangement of my living space would always revolve around my studio, even if it meant not having a proper sleeping space.

It's no small thing to shape your entire identity around an ideology that later becomes your downfall, especially when that ideology fuels your deepest passion.  But it all started to finally change when one of the few real things left in me started to surface - the pain of my mom's death.
Picture
Screenshot from the "Proud" music video (below)

Picture
My mom and I
Life from Death
In 1993, on Mother's Day, my mom died from breast cancer.  Days beforehand, I had just turned 10 and that birthday was the last time I saw her alive.  Shortly after, we moved and I had to endure a step-family merger that did not go well for many years.  With so much drama and so many changes, I was not able to properly mourn my mom's death for 13 years.  

In 2007, amidst my year-long musical drought, starting over finally provided the opportunity to let my pain surface.  At a time when I didn't know who I was or what was real anymore, I knew at least one thing for sure; I really missed my mom.  So, I started to write a song about her.  Through hours of tears I never cared so much about choosing the right words, the right chords, and the right vocal melody.  They needed to mirror exactly how I felt - how I always felt.  Crudely recorded because I just didn't care at the time, but here it is in all that realness...
There was a genuineness in that song I had never experienced beforehand - not even with my Christian music.  There's the realness of a story you didn't actually live, and then there's the realness of a story you really did live.  I think centuries-old religious claims can only be so real to a person; we can own those, believe them, and even die for them, but they can never be as real as the things we actually experience.  My life changed because my religious beliefs no longer corresponded to the things I was actually experiencing.  The song about my mom helped me identify something that was real again at a time when religion left me unable to distinguish between things I really knew and things I just really believed.

And So It Begins
Since becoming free to search for and develop the identity I always should have had, my songs have been changing with me.  I've been able to create so many therapeutic pieces and it's helped to take real pain, real experiences, and reality itself, and put them into an art form where they can safely exist outside of me - far enough to be free from any burden, yet close enough to validate me when I need it.

I feel compelled to refute every Christian song I've ever written because I just don't agree with the way I used to see the world.  I now cringe over my old Christian lyrics; not just because I see it as harmful, unsubstantiated thinking, but also because my world used to be filled with people who agreed with every word, and that is truly bothersome.
Picture
Writing "Yearn & Bleed" from my "Foibles & Fiction" EP

My de-conversion song, "Proud"
I'm sharing this because I want people to know where I've been and that they're not alone if they've gone through anything similar.  Nothing of the paths I've taken ever turned out the way I expected.  Even now, I am happy with the direction I'm heading in, but there is nothing about my life that I could have possibly seen coming.  I thought I was going to die a believing Christian, and for 18 years I didn't have the slightest desire to be a music-maker.  Go figure...
Picture
P'JAMZ
0 Comments

Interview on the "Street Knowledge" SE Channel

8/18/2018

0 Comments

 
I had a great talk with Raul from "Street Knowledge" about my "Proud" song and EP release, leaving religion, and family.  Check it out!
0 Comments

Braving the Industry Podcast

2/22/2018

1 Comment

 
Check out this podcast with Armand Mech, Eirik Murbraech, and myself as we discuss forgettable functional vs. memorable functional sound design, breaking into the industry, mental health, and changing the world through games!  
1 Comment

Becoming a PreSoNut

1/31/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
Aaah, the love affair with a good brand; isn't that what we're all after?  Well, I wasn't, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a sucker for a good romance.  Just when I wasn't sure I could trust again, I found myself falling for a new pretty interface, a sharp DAW mind, long-throw faders, and encoder knobs for days.  2.5 years in and I'm still receiving confirmation that it hasn't been just puppy love or infatuation.  Indulge me while I brag about my relationship.

Studio One 3
So, it's been a while and I'm still developing a deeper connection with this beautiful brain.  We serenade each other all the time - maybe to the annoyance of neighbours, but we really don't care.  After all the updates that I've coddled and had a say in (PreSonus Feature Requests), it still feels like we just met yesterday; that's how fresh and promising it still is.  Steadily I encounter a feature or workflow aid that makes me feel like I'm truly done with neglectful DAWs.  I keep putting myself out there for Studio One, and Studio One keeps reciprocating.

For example, when I was creating the music for Oddbird Studio's award-winning game "Arrow Heads", I needed to separate the instrumentals into 3 different layers that would gradually compile during gameplay.  Even though some of the music was already made, the Scratch Pads (and Arranger) made it incredibly easy to create and organize new arrangements within the existing sessions.  I also used this convenient feature when I songified that same loopable music for the official soundtrack - a soundtrack created entirely within Studio One 3.  To me, great software isn't just having the right features; it's making those features accessible, desirable, intuitive, and adaptable.  So, it's not enough for me if another DAW can accommodate similar needs.  The how, where, and why of a feature is just as crucial to me as the what.  Studio One has done this better than any other DAW I've used.  There's really no substitute for your significant other being able to handle the unexpected, and handle it with such creative tact.

Also, I need to mention how much I love Studio One's browser.  It didn't even dawn on me until about 1 year in that I didn't have to leave Studio One in order to find, preview, and drag 'n drop external files.  I think I just keep assuming Studio One can't possibly surprise me again; I'm not sure why considering that's all it ever does.  This browser feature is an epic time-saver, but the main reason I love it is because it keeps me immersed in my session.  It feels like everything I could possibly need is already in there with me; not just files, but cloud connectivity, and even the PreSonus Shop too.  When a DAW does this sort of thing here and there, it's called getting lucky.  When a DAW does this sort of thing all the time, it's called Studio One.
Picture
Studio One 3
Picture
Scratch Pad Layers for "Arrow Heads"
Picture

Picture
PreSonus Faderport
Picture
My Command 8 in 2007
Faderport
Once upon a time I had the Command 8 with my old Pro Tools LE setup.  I had been wanting a controller with motorized faders ever since I got to touch my first studio console.  But I found myself not really using it, so I sold it and just kept developing my craft.  Years later I really started to feel the itch to be more hands-on.  So, factoring in design, budget, my past falling out with a controller, and my newly acquired Studio One 3 software; I went with the PreSonus Faderport.  I wanted it to be my new test drive for the controller experience.  Surprisingly, this little thing made a big impact; it showed me what a fader controller was supposed to be.  

​It spoke volumes that this one-track motorized fader controller even existed!  I wondered why anyone would make such a thing.  The norm among brands was always a big price tag for 8 faders or more, yet I kept seeing this singular Faderport in big and small studios around the world.  Turns out, a motorized fader controller is less about the breadth and more about the depth; PreSonus understood this.  This one-track Faderport doesn't have a one-track mind toward your DAW; it communicates to it simply, but deeply.​  

After using this, I finally grasped the value of a bigger controller.  When I purchased the Faderport 8 (which I was dying for), the Faderport didn't cease to be useful.  My favourite use now is to assign it to my master fader.  They didn't make the Faderport irrelevant, which was a good call.

Monitor Station
I got this one used and immediately loved it.  When I acquired 3 sets of studio monitors, it was a no brainer for simple, yet dynamic monitoring.  It also worked as a great travelling headphone amp when showcasing my team's award-winning "Unspokin" game at public events like Level Up Toronto, TCAF, and DigiFest; that's my main use for it now.  I can even give hints to stuck players during gameplay using the talkback mic; that way they don't have to keep losing the immersion by ripping off their headphones.  Once again, this product suggests that PreSonus cared a little bit more than other brands about what this type of gear needed to be.  And yes, I also just love seeing the PreSonus logo in my setup more and more.
Picture
PreSonus Monitor Station
Picture
The Monitor Station at Level Up Toronto

Picture
PreSonus Studio 192
Picture
Studio 192
This was an exciting upgrade for me!  It marked the end of my 12-year DigiDesign/Avid interface era (Mbox 2 / Mbox 3 Pro).  I wanted a newer and more inspiring interface; I wanted it to be rackmountable to save desk space, and I also just wanted to get the Avid brand off my studio desk (long story.. bad breakup).  I looked into Motu and some other interfaces I had been eyeballing, but the Studio 192 had me drooling for the same practical and romantic reasons as my other PreSonus investments.

The recallable preamps, the built-in DSP / fat channel, the DP88 expandability, the UC Surface app, and 10 freakin' outputs!  I don't know about you but I can never have enough outputs.  If I could have an entire room of A-Z speakers to cycle through, I would.  I love seeing this machine pump out results no matter what's hooked up to it.  If Studio One 3 is the brain, then Studio 192 is the beat clocking heart.  Once something is connected to it, the free flow begins.  I never have to worry about cold latent hands, malnourished signal, or noise murmurs.  I don't feel locked out of my interface anymore; I feel invited.  It centralizes my setup, it's helping me solve capture problems before they occur, and it remembers all the important things I tell it.

Faderport 8
I really don't know how to say enough about this award-winning work of art.  It's just everything I've wanted and never knew I needed for so long.  If Studio One 3 is the brain, Faderport 8 is the most intimate way to communicate with that mind.  I still keep learning what this can do, and I still keep upgrading my workflow.  Besides the perfect Studio One 3 integration, ease of use, and sheer beauty of it, you can quickly program a handful of its buttons to command virtually any conceivable function of Studio One 3.  I have buttons now for my A/B/C speakers, song mixdown, loudness detection, and even song info.  And changing those up is so easy it's practically unfair.  Finding your tracks are a cinch between the navigation, real-time track colours, and scribble strip info.  Once I discovered how easy it was to access and execute with my Faderport 8, I found myself making better use of things like busses, writing automation, and most imperatively, mixing with my ears instead of my eyes.  There's really no way to do the Faderport 8 justice apart from experiencing it.  I could go on and on but I don't even want to; I'm insulted that you expect me to keep going when you should already own one.

​....well?  Go!
Picture
PreSonus Faderport 8
Picture

Picture
Studio One RC
Picture
Studio One Remote
Apps like this are the reason I bought an iPad in the first place.  It's a communicate with anything from anywhere proposition - like a shared telepathy with your DAW.  I can clip this to my mic stand and control what I need to without running back and forth between my computer and the mic.  If I need to mix while standing in different spots; this app does it.  If I need to record in my closet for that old school absorption; this app does it.  If I need a second operational screen; this app does it.  If I want to impress people by controlling my studio with my iPad... well, you get the idea!  You can control so much, so easily, and without being tied down.

Universal Control Surface
The only thing potentially cooler than having a Studio 192 is the ability to interact with it from anywhere in the room!  This is so great for standing in different sweet (and bitter) spots of my studio and cycling through speakers A, B, and C.  It's amazing to control the fat channel on each input, the headphone mixes, and so much more with this.  This app demonstrates the extended thought put into the 192.  If PreSonus cares enough about their products when they make them, it will return an equal appreciation from us when we use them.  Audio is our passion, and in some cases, our means of living, so why on earth would we want to use products that hardly reflect that same passion?  
Picture
UC Surface
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
PreSoNut
Oh, did I mention that the PreSonus headphones are also a steal?  Well, they are.  I also managed to find a pair of PreSonus SD7 pencil condenser mics, and yes, I love the stickers too.

I have my eye on more PreSonus products that I'm sure will find their way into my setup eventually.  The AMT or Sceptre monitors, their new StudioLive Series III ecosystem which I keep salivating over, and also some older classics that I would love to obtain for their unique sound, like the Vacuum-Tube Studio Channel.  I'm even looking to get their apparel!  I don't ever do that unless I'm truly moved by a brand.  I'm incredibly curious if they'll come out with a new central station (even though the current one is still holding up after so many years), or a monitor station V3, or more dedicated processors and preamps.

Anyways, the point is that the PreSonus brand has been doing its part to help me create better, work happier, and be excited for the long-term relationship.  I'm proud to be seen in public with it and I'm always telling my friends about it.  Some might say we've been moving kind of fast, but that's because they don't know what we have.  Yeah, I'm a bit of a PreSoNut, but I think we all do crazy things when we're in lov... ely states of growth!

Stay creative!

PJ
​
1 Comment

Composing the music for "Arrow heads"

10/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Take a closer listen to the how and why of my creative choices when composing the music for Oddbird Studio's award-winning game, "Arrow Heads"

Arrow Heads the game is available NOW on Steam!

The Arrow Heads Original Soundtrack is available NOW in 30+ digital music stores worldwide!
iTunes | Spotify

Arrow Heads (Original Soundtrack)
1) Camp Fire Arrows
2) A Blue Bird Bath
3) Arrow Forge
4) Bear House
5) An Oddbird Christmas
6) Sky Fall
7) Avian Ruins
8) Summit
9) Player Lobby
10) Pirate Ship
11) Cliffside
12) El Pollo
13) Factory
14) Beach
15) Post-Match Lobby
16) Birds Of A Feather (feat. The Oddbird Team, Seb, Blue Bird)
0 Comments

Unspokin - Dev Team Commentary

4/18/2017

0 Comments

 
After a 7-month labour of love (and frustration), it feels great to sit back and talk about our game, especially as people are now downloading, experiencing, and reviewing what we've put a lot of thought and work into.  Even though we managed to create a reasonably big world with approx. 1hr of gameplay, I feel like the development of this game produced more lessons for us than actual content.  It makes me want to make a hundred more games, and it makes me wish I had done a hundred things differently.  I'm anxious to apply what we've learned primarily because I want to see what improved thinking and a more efficient workflow will enable me to create.  I love that our game is connecting with people on a personal level - that was our ultimate goal, and it feels incredible to get here!

"Unspokin" can be downloaded for FREE on Itch.io!
​https://5horsemengames.itch.io/unspokin
0 Comments

Unspokin - Dev Log 5 of 5

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Wwisdom
​

The majority of my time since my last blog has been dedicated to learning and using Audio Kinetic's Wwise software.  Before diving into it, my only impression of middleware was of FMod - something I used briefly during our Sound Design course in 2nd year.  I appreciated what it was offering the sound designer, which was essentially less dependency on code and the programmer, but I wasn't as enthralled by it as I felt I was supposed to be.  FMod tries to look very much like a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), which is definitely something I identify with, since that is a standard audio software design.  However, it's precisely because of that design that I found it difficult to make logical connections between FMod and the code within Unity.

Wwise I found easier to learn because I can connect the dots from audio file, to event, to event actions, to sound bank, to script event, to functionality.  Within Wwise I've steadily taken more work off the programmer's hands (i.e. state changes, switches, parameters, etc.), and I can test, troubleshoot, and create a more efficient sound design all within the middleware.  Wwise has a great debugging mode that provides comprehensive real-time data during gameplay so that I can observe and track every morsel of activity and burden on memory.  Wwise tutorials on the Audio Kinetic website and on YouTube have been very easy to follow.  The more I understand Wwise, the more I like it.  I don't want to work on another game project without it in fact - I would instantly feel powerless if I did.
​
It's through this learning experience that I've also seen how much I could have benefited from learning Wwise much earlier on.  Since I'm acquiring more control over the implementation of sound and its various conditions in a 3D game world, it has become very clear how many bugs audio can have.  So far, there are 95 different sound effects and music pieces in the game, and more are coming - not a single one hasn't needed adjusting in some noticeable way.  Most of them don't work as intended right off the bat, especially when there are conditions (i.e. only playing a sound during a certain animation, but stopping it if the animation is interrupted by only certain actions, without it interfering with other sounds that need to carry on).  It's been lots of confusing frowns on my part, but it's also been incredibly rewarding to figure these things out.  I almost enjoy problem-solving within Wwise - it feels like my sound stage.  I want to keep developing my Wwisdom in audio implementation so that I can see more and more of any game scene as the production window of my DAW - a tool only limited by my knowledge and imagination.
Picture
Audio Kinetic Wwise
I'm very excited about our game nearing completion.  While the game wet set out to make isn't necessarily what we've got, I think the game we have is certainly one we want to make.  The learning has been profound, and I am very anxious for more long-term game projects because I really don't see myself getting tired of development.
0 Comments

Unspokin - Dev Log 4 of 5

4/3/2017

1 Comment

 
All About The Relationship
Picture
The Last Guardian
Because of its mirroring qualities to our game, we as a team played The Last Guardian; it was an interesting play.  Overall it was an impressive game and certain routes the developers took with mechanics and narrative really validated some similar routes we naturally took with ours.  I also noticed how infrequent the music was, but when it did play it was for milestone type progression, and I felt that was very effective.

Initially, I considered background music during our gameplay, but The Last Guardian made me doubt that approach.  I started composing the short music pieces to cue the different state changes of Killian.  The music ended up feeling far better than what I had in mind for background music, and would be most effective if of course, it is only played when necessary as opposed to something on-going in the background.

It then occurred to me that because the heart of our gameplay is the trust-based relationship between Cairenn and Killian, that whatever sound and music helps emphasize that would be best.  With that being said, on-going background music (even if more periodic) would become more about the environment and scenery perhaps, rather than the relationship.  There will already be a lot of dynamic and specific sounds for the various aspects of the relationship actions and moods, so allowing that to have its audible space to breathe I think would be most effective.
​
We want the trust-based relationship to be the core gameplay, and rich enough that it could be enjoyed regardless of the setting.  In order to stay true to that, I need to ensure the sounds of the relationship are also rich enough so that they can be enjoyed regardless of whether there is music playing or not.  If I can achieve that, then the carefully selected and brief music pieces I do implement will just be icing on the audio cake.
1 Comment

Unspokin - Dev Log 3 of 5

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
EUREKA!
​

After approximately 14 attempts at our game's theme music, I was finally able to find the sound it needed to be, and it got me pumped enough to shout "Eureka!" (in my head).  If I were working at my home studio I would have just shouted.  Not surprisingly, the breakthrough had to do with our design needing to be more fleshed out.

Identifying with an existing and trending market was suggested to us by our stakeholders, so we steered our existing nature narrative toward the issue of deforestation.  This allowed us to give more specific intention to our level design, character backgrounds, and plot.  Much to my delight, this also made one of my theme song concepts immediately more fitting; it was already taking on an impression of going from beautiful to not so beautiful (much like the impact of deforestation on our environment and living conditions).  So, I reworked the music more intentionally with that in mind, and voila; it finally sounded right!  It was no longer a somewhat aimless exploration of instrumentation.  I now knew the theme song; what it needed and what it didn't need.  The fitting possibilities were flowing.

Another aspect I was wanting to implement was now more easy to envision; audible impressions of the main characters.  I wanted something to mimic characteristics of our bear and young girl; now I know what those can be, and having begun their implementations already is sounding very promising.

I'm excited to finish and refine it in the coming week, such that it truly becomes the custom music identifier of everything our game is.

The following screenshot shows the original theme song on the left half of the center window, and the reworked version on the right half.  I shared the same instruments and most of the same patterns to ensure I wouldn't lose the uniqueness of the original, and then I dropped or changed what wasn't catering to the new focus.  Once that was done, I was able to add newer elements that really enhanced the core concept that was finally sounding right.  The song is called "Intrusion".
Picture
Presonus Studio One 3
0 Comments

Unspokin - Dev Log 2 of 5

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
What Is The Core of Our Game?

It became apparent to our group that our design was missing something significant - something central. Through hearing development stories of other student groups, and after receiving feedback from classmates, we decided to address the concern of not having a core mechanic and not having done proper paper-prototyping. We were putting a lot of design thought into how puzzles would work with a player and their companion, but we didn't have a foundation or central concept to ground those things and tie it all together.
​
We took more than a day, slaved over the concern, and came up with a solution that has not only put our worries to rest, but has also inadvertently solved other miscellaneous problems we were having. The solution was a trust-based relationship system between the player and their companion.
Picture
The young mute Cairenn and her blind companion bear Killian can accomplish amazing tasks together, but the trust they establish will make or break that success. Without sight, Killian depends heavily on Cairenn to guide him considerately; if she doesn't, it will damage their bond and influence their progress, abilities, and the world around them. While embarking on a journey together, the quest between them will decide everything.

Killian will have a trust meter with three states: bad, good, and great. The most common gameplay aims to be the "good" state; this is also the state with the largest meter range. In this state Killian partially trusts Cairenn which makes for moderate obedience of commands. If Cairenn tells him to stay, he may wander off. Killian's wander can lead him to follow the smell of food, uncover narrative elements, or get caught in harmful traps. If Cairenn doesn't help him avoid those traps, he will lose some trust in her and the trust meter will go down a bit. If enough misguidance causes the meter to dip into the "bad" state, Killian will lose his temper and roar. Cairenn will have to stay out of his designated roar radius to allow him to cool down on his own. Once he stops roaring, she can pet him to bring the meter back into the bottom of the "good" state. The more positive guidance Cairenn gives Killian (e.g. leading him to food and avoiding traps), the more likely the meter will move into the "great" state. In this state, Cairenn has earned Killian's trust so much that he won't wander and get into trouble if she tells him to stay. They can also complete tasks more efficiently in this state. There are other details we plan to implement for this system but that is the general idea.

This has provided a number of solutions for us:
- We have a core mechanic that is appealing, meaningful, and easily explained ("trust")
- We have a system that level and puzzle design can be more easily developed to
- We have increased replay value without needing to multiply companions and workload
- Killian is now a meaningful personality with consequences and not just a tool
- We have reduced the amount of required and/or expected one-off assets and designs
- We have more defined boundaries now that designs can spring from the trust system
- Our whole team feels more confident and excited about our game
- Our whole team feels better about our scope
​
We're finding that questions are easier to address now and this has turned a lot of redoing into a lot of refining.
Picture
I have also spent some time composing some music concepts. I have 8 different compositions so far. Most of my references are Celtic, but I also wanted to embed some futurism because of the narrative's hidden portrayal of an advanced civilization and future time period. I researched some ancient Celtic instruments like the bone flute, carnyx, and crotals. I have some musical references I've found to be somewhat fitting for our game's look and feel. I've also noted keywords and phrases that depict the theme of our game and the personalities of our characters. I also use our artists' concepts for visual inspiration and guidance. It's a huge aid for me to see our characters and the environments they might inhabit as I conceive the soundtrack to their lives and ultimately, their world.

I'm taking all these things into consideration as I carefully select and customize instruments to establish potential audio palettes for the game's music. After several attempts, there are elements that seem to work well, and others not so well. I take the parts that work well and see if they can become something more in a second attempt if I strip away the parts that don't work. Eventually it seemed like the music wasn't representing enough of the narrative and characters - something was missing. I did some more research and came across African choirs. They seemed to represent the details I was missing.

This is the current breakdown of styles I'm trying to combine:

50% Celtic (for mythical, festive, merry, bright, hills and valleys)
30% African (for earthy, tribal, village, bare hands, community, plains, jungle, huts)
20% Mechanical Futurism (for sophisticated tech, propulsion, turbines)
​
I'm going to keep composing and refining my approach until it all fits in a representative and impacting way.
0 Comments

Unspokin - Dev Log 1 of 5

4/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Concept art for our game
It started off with a pitch to me. A group had already been slaving over the formation of a general concept and wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing the sound design and composing for it. Long story short, I was inspired, so I was on board.  It was a 3rd-person, narrative-driven, celtic-inspired, mythical puzzled-based adventure game with the special feature of choosing your own animal companion. The choice of companion - and the respective gameplay that resulted - was to be the hallmark of the game.

​Challenge 1: Multiple companion choices meant multiple versions of the game

It's no exaggeration to say that the original ambition of 3 companions would be triple the project work. We all knew our project scope should always be factored in, but it was felt by some that being able to choose a companion was the heart of the game. We had many meetings where we tried to find alternatives (i.e. planning for 3 but creating 1). After much deliberation and a great concern for our scope, we agreed to only do one companion and reintegrate a strong sense of choice and companion-bonding through the options and consequences of controlling your one companion.
​
Challenge 2: Narrative-driven vs. companion driven
It was challenging to blend a strong, linear narrative with puzzle-based companion gameplay. Typically, a puzzle pauses the flow of a narrative, but we wanted to dress up simpler puzzles with layers of narrative to minimize the complication of designing puzzles that weren't too hard or too easy. This would also drive the narrative more powerfully and more consistently. There were many instances however, of the puzzle dominating the narrative. As we fleshed out the puzzle mechanics - how they would work with input and a companion, and make sense in our particular game world - we learned that having it make sense from every logical angle made it overly complicated to design.  Here is an example:
Picture
This isn't to say that figuring it out wasn't possible, but possible within our scope for making a prototype, or even creating our vertical slice?  Perhaps not. So we agreed to chop it back down again to its most basic form; player brings companion to general "push down trigger zone", player pushes a button, companion pushes over a tree object. And then, figure out how to implement the tried and true "Teach, Test, and Challenge" approach, which we eventually accomplished. Next, the goal will be to add as many narrative layers as possible to it so that the player wouldn't notice or care that the push-down animation has a bit of a "snap to", or that the blind bear wouldn't have known to turn an extra 30 degrees to push the tree down from the right angle after you commanded "push down", or that the puzzle isn't incredibly hard or incredibly easy, etc. If anything, the goal is to make the puzzle a means of following and experiencing the story.
​

Picture
Alien Isolation
This a great example of what is essentially non-stop "lock and key" gameplay, but dressed in some of the most frightening narrative that finding the key to open the door never feels mundane; it feels like searching for that key puts you in the most terrifying situations, and finding that key is the only thing that can save you from a horrifying death.

​Challenge 3: Flying Too Close

I was concerned that we would be flying too close to some of our references, namely "Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons".
Picture
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
Picture
Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
Brothers is beautiful and has an interesting gameplay that requires both characters to be controlled with respective joysticks on the same controller. Together, they solve environmental puzzles in order to save their father.
Our game is intended to be beautiful and have an interesting gameplay where the player controls their companion uniquely and together they solve environmental puzzles in order to find the player's father.
Even the art styles might end up mimicking too much. However, after learning the goal of thirds for game development (1/3 = what's already out there, 1/3 = make something about that better, 1/3 = do something innovative), I'm starting to think we're actually on the right track. We need to make sure that a huge chunk of our game is something that is already suitable for the public in terms of content and functionality; I think we are doing that. We also need to make sure that we're improving upon something in that mimicked 1/3; I think we are doing that with a simpler, yet stronger narrative-driven type of player control. Lastly, we need to be innovative which I think will naturally form. It feels like our current state is setting the stage for innovation, but we need to figure out some more things before we get there.
0 Comments

How 1min of Studio One dethroned 10yrs of Pro Tools

2/28/2016

36 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Like many young, new music makers, my first legit piece of music software was Fruity Loops (now FL Studio). For years it was a beginner software that fueled my creativity and I still recommend it to production virgins who can't afford the higher end DAWs. Among those Digital Audio Workstations, I've worked inside Pro Tools, Reason, Studio One, Cubase, Live, Digital Performer, and have had quick skims of Logic, Nuendo and Acid. Secondarily, I've also used Audition (even back when it was Cool Edit Pro), Garage Band, and some interesting iPad recording and production apps.
It Was Great, At First
I didn't even consider making music until I was about 18 years old, so my entire journey has always felt like I'm catching up - to what? The 10-year old me who could have hit the ground running I suppose. Regardless, it's only too late when you're dead, so here I am, loving and learning. After about 4 years of Fruity Loops, a Sound Technology program exposed me to Pro Tools (version 6 then) and after a month I bought it bundled with the Mbox 2 and started recording for clients. It was common knowledge that it was an "industry standard", so if it was good enough for multi-million dollar studios around the world, surely it was good enough for my bodacious bedroom setup. It was certainly a professional step up - its look and capabilities made me feel more like a pro. Particularly, my favourite aspect of it was its editing workflow.
A Pro Tools 'Pro'
Anyone whose had to "clean up" audio, do vocal compilations, fix strange anomalies, etc., would know how valuable a good editing workflow is. Tedious editing is one of the many reasons workers at the helm grind out a task non-stop, only to find they've finished it on a different day than they started. There have been times that after a long editing session I've had to spend about 10 minutes wandering around my room looking for clues as to the date, time and all the surrounding events I've missed. Some DAWs make you feel like you're serving a life sentence in post-production, and each time you come out of that workflow prison you have to adjust to the world that hasn't waited for you. Suddenly, you're being re-introduced to things like showers, hot meals and other non-waveform humanoids - the luxuries you didn't have while serving your time in solitary confinement. Granted, I'm exaggerating (not really), but you get the idea. Pro Tools had a handful of other pluses, but my hangups were steadily outweighing them more and more.
Picture
Picture
Hardware Limitation
For many years, Pro Tools restricted you to use its proprietary hardware. To a beginner, this may not have mattered so much, and it didn't to me at first, but once I started learning what else was out there and wanted to upgrade, it meant sticking to the one, mediocre Mbox family, or paying for a whole new DAW in order to get something else. If there's one thing any creative person loathes, it's limitations. Our imaginations don't understand the concept of boundaries, so when we attempt to translate that creativity honestly and vividly, but get told we can't because of a cable, a weak signal, a software glitch, a crappy preamp, or non-sufficient funds, it burns us to the core. It's like someone or something telling us we're not allowed to express ourselves in the way we need. When Pro Tools said we could only use a cheap Mbox, or a bankrupting HD system, we were being forced to express ourselves in the way they wanted. While Pro Tools no longer has that restriction, the fact that they took so long to lift it (and while other DAWs didn't have that problem), said something about the company. I found it harder to trust that they wouldn't keep carrying that same "Well, I guess if everyone else is doing it" attitude down the road.
High End, High Neglect
Pro Tools was designed for top tier commercial use and in that context it has pleased many users and produced many great works. However, when they targeted the smaller, home-studio market, it quickly became clear that said market was not their expertise or priority. All these years later in 2016, I still feel like that's the case. Their time, energy and passion continue to pour into the high end user, and the rest of us tend to get the left-overs. They release more high end products, tools and features, have a support system designed for big industry (requiring a fee), and continue to do strange things like release a new line of Mbox interfaces (that were actually quite good), and then discontinue them soon after. I purchased the 3rd Generation Mbox Pro shortly after it was released and by the time I wanted to sell it and get something better suited for my needs, the value had dropped so low that it made just as little sense to sell it as it did to keep it. That's an in-between I hate being in. I've also watched Avid's Pro Tools announcements at NAMM and for the most part I've always felt like I'm not supposed to be in that crowd - too often the content doesn't apply to me.

Multimedia Mess
When Avid acquired Digidesign, it seemed like an okay idea - everything under one powerhouse of a roof. But I just found myself lost in the heap of things, especially their website. I needed multiple accounts and logins and when they tried to conslidate things, it still confused the hell out of me. There were too many links, too many categories, too many products, too many services, too many different GUIs and layouts, etc. There was such a lack of harmony. I remember many times doing everything I could to avoid needing to go into that website and when I had no choice, it was always a pain. Personally, I judge a company a great deal by their website. To me, a website is a company's most important asset. It is your 24/7, primary advertiser, customer service representative, and even retailer for many. Most customers these days will only know a company through their website - all their dealings from start to finish will be through those internet pages. Thus, the personality, care and attentiveness of a site in relation to its users, is paramount. Avid failed me in this regard for years.
Picture
Picture
Look and Feel
As I mentioned, the look and feel of Pro Tools was actually a plus for me in the beginning. I thought it was "just like the pros" (because it actually was). As time progressed though, that same look and feel was actually hindering my creativity. Some people don't care about the way a piece of software looks, they just want it to work. I completely respect that, but besides wanting something to work well, I get inspired by visuals, and I also know the power visuals can have in improving workflow. I am currently a Bachelor of Game Design student at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario Canada (class of 2017), with an emphasis in sound design and composing for games. In this program I have learned how crucial a colour, the size and placement of a button, or the feedback of an interaction can be to the user's experience. Through that understanding has come a yearning for it in my personal tools. Pro Tools has always been very industrial looking to me - very mechanical. It's clearly just about "getting things done", and to some users that's what they want. I need more than that.
Those are the main reasons why after a decade with Pro Tools, I was aching for something better. So, my search began. Because I had tried some other DAWs in the past, looking back into them was a quicker decision. If I saw that old hangups still existed, I moved on. It wasn't really worth crossing over unless the change was big and inspiring.  Some demos I couldn't even sample for more than 5 minutes because in all honesty, many DAWs over the years have just tried to mimic Pro Tools, and that was the vibe I was still getting. I wanted to get away from that. I wanted something that worked great, looked great, inspired me and cared about me as a customer and a creator.

Enter Studio One
I had come across Studio One years ago in their first version, but never tried it because of the look - I figured it was probably no different than Pro Tools, and it was a brand new DAW as well, so how could it compete with an industry veteran like Pro Tools? Well, in this new search I came across it again literally a few days before they were about to release Studio One 3, which they were hailing as "The New Standard". I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by that slogan alone, because "the standard" I had known up to that point was the source of my anguish, so a "new standard" was exactly what I was looking for. That line along with a screenshot of its completely redesigned look had me frozen like a Pro Tools glitch. I stared at that screenshot and immediately felt a surge of enthusiasm and interest. I was being inspired in a way I hadn't experienced in a decade and it was solely because of this one gorgeous and promising picture:
Picture
I was immensely curious, so I read PreSonus' website, I watched the videos, and sure enough my interest was peaking more and more. I had to download it and try (thankfully for free). Now, this is no lie - once it started up and showed me the startup page (example below), my mind was made up.
Picture
After one minute in that startup page, PreSonus catered to my most important need - the need to be cared about as a customer and a creator. That attractive startup page enables a user to not just setup their session, but also establish their identity within the program. This is something I never had before - an identity within my DAW. What this was saying to me, was that PreSonus wanted Studio One to revolve around its user, whoever they may be. I always felt that Pro Tools was designed to revolve around the rich and privileged, and in the ways Avid wanted. I am more likely to trust a company that says "Come in, have a seat, what's your name? Can I get anything for you? Here's a sample on the house. Tell us how we can do things better", and not a company that says, "Come in but don't sit down. Our name is more important than your name, and I can only help you if you pay me". I soaked in that startup page and enjoyed thinking of what it would mean for the actual workflow.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I started up a session and said "Wow!". It was like a breath of fresh air. So pleasing to the eye even in its bare session form. One thing I noticed right away was my ambition to discover it. Pro Tools had plenty in it to discover, but too much of it rarely applied to the little guy and was often drowning in exhaustive menus - that made me lose interest in learning it more than I needed to. Studio One has a more inviting and efficient workflow because it's based on an appealing, one-window experience. These days, dual monitors is a normal minimum for any workspace, simply because we have to multitask that much. But while other companies may seek ways to utilize multiple screens, it's as if PreSonus stopped and said, "Wait, wouldn't it be better if a person didn't 'need' that second screen?" Of course you can still use one, but with Studio One, you don't need it, or it frees up that second screen for whatever else you want to fill it with. I see that logic throughout Studio One 3's design, and somehow they managed to do that without cluttering the space. In fact, I find myself turning on every window and section just to fill it up more - not just because it looks so good, but because there are so many useful features that can be at my fingertips. I explored and discovered. Drag & drop? Wow! Window customization? Wow! Custom colour themes? Wow! Rapid mixdown? Wow! The arranger? Double Wow! Scratch pads? Triple Wow! Solid editing tools and workflow? Big Wow! Track monitoring? Because I was a Pro Tools user, that's a Wow! A free remote app for iPad? A Wow that I've always wanted and needed! The delights went on, and they still continue to go on, especially with their recent release of version 3.2! VCA faders, console shaping and improved editing workflow? Geez... All those bells and whistles without any compromise to stability, and to think, PreSonus had me at "hello".
Their website reflects all these same qualities - everything from presentation to my own user account experience. Licenses are easy to transfer or remove (Avid couldn't have made that more complicated when I needed that done), it has the same personality and flow as Studio One, everything I need is there and clear, and everything I don't need isn't there. There's no noise - not with their website, software or hardware ;-). I'm confident in saying my raw audio and mixes even sound better in Studio One.
Picture
Picture
After this newness I remembered that my very first audio interface was a PreSonus TubePRE (shown on the left) - I loved it and to be honest, I miss it. I sold it back when I got Pro Tools with the Mbox 2. I guess in a way I'm going back to my first love. I'm so thirsty for more Presonus products because they inspire with good-looking things that work well for everyone. That's too much to ask from some companies, but not them. They rekindled my love for audio software. My arsenol has always included Propellerhead Reason - a piece of software that I could never live without - and it of course works seamlessly with Studio One, so I finally feel I have everything I need in a Digital Audio Workstation. It can be really hard to leave a DAW when you're used to it (or stuck with it), so thank you PreSonus for working so hard to make that decision so damn easy... and fun!
36 Comments
Contact: info@audio4n6.ca
My Soundtracks
Picture
Serving Clients for
Years
My Hip-Hop Albums
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Audio 4n6 © Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • About
  • Musicians
    • Ally Paradis
    • Angela Nethersole
    • Jemanein
    • P'Jamz
    • Ross Tom
  • Games
    • Games
    • Game Soundtracks
  • Films
    • Films
    • Film Soundtracks
  • Clients
  • Blog