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Plan for Joel Steudler
Plan for Joel Steudler
| Name: | Joel Steudler | |
|---|---|---|
| Date Posted: | Jul 10, 2005 | |
| Rating: |  Not Rated | |
| Public: | YES | |
| Comments: | YES | |
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| Profile Page: | View profile page for Joel Steudler |
Blog post
Sound FX pack: Looking for feedback from game developers.
Greetings to those of you who've decided to give this blog a read. This is the first time I've posted a .plan file here, largely because up until now I've not had anything to promote. That has recently changed, so I'd like to make an announcement and also request the input and feedback of the game developers here, since you're the ones I'm creating content for.
In conjunction with GameBeep, I am going to be marketing a series of sound FX packs and royalty free music tracks. These will be thematically centered around genres that I am hoping game developers will find useful. The first such pack is already available:
PACK 001: CREATURE FEATURE
If you're looking to give a voice to beasts, dragons, or alien monstrosities, 'Pack 001: Creature Feature' will snarl, growl, and roar its way into your production. The pack covers two distinct creatures, representing each with a series of vicious vocalizations suitable to strike fear into even the stout-hearted. Also included are four footsteps and four claw-swipe swooshes, so as to allow your creature to plod through the underbrush and maul its hapless victims.
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There are several things I'd like to know from you developers out there, if you have some time to share your thoughts:
- When considering whether to purchase such a sound pack, what kind of demo material do you need available to base your decision on? (I've included an audio teaser of the Creature Feature sounds in use on the GB page linked above)
- When considering whether to purchase a track of royalty free music, is a full length 56kbps mp3 preview of the track sufficient to base your decision on?
- What kind of music would you find most useful? My plans so far include making tracks in various tempos (fast, medium, ambient) and genres (action, fantasy, puzzle game), and including several variations on selected tracks that are similar in theme and pace to one another.
- I am planning on offering a series of 'voice packs' with common click responses for units in games, particularly RTS's. The first one will be a sampling of soldiers and things they might say. There is also a 'knight & orc' pack in the works. Do you find this idea useful? What other themes / genres would be good to cover?
That's a lot of questions, for sure... I am very open to any input and comments you game developers might have, since I am making this material for you to use!
GameBeep will soon have the first 7 action music tracks I've composed up for purchase, so I'll post an update as they go up. For now, though, you can hear some of my music at my portfolio site if you want an idea of what to expect.
Finally, on a personal note, I'd just like to say 'hi' to Jeff Tunnell, Phil Carlisle, and anyone else I worked with ages ago on the first Realm Wars builds. Looks like RW is being worked on again, so I contacted Logan Foster and am going to be updating the old musical score with some cool new tracks. Maybe I can share a preview of the music here soon!
In conjunction with GameBeep, I am going to be marketing a series of sound FX packs and royalty free music tracks. These will be thematically centered around genres that I am hoping game developers will find useful. The first such pack is already available:
PACK 001: CREATURE FEATURE
If you're looking to give a voice to beasts, dragons, or alien monstrosities, 'Pack 001: Creature Feature' will snarl, growl, and roar its way into your production. The pack covers two distinct creatures, representing each with a series of vicious vocalizations suitable to strike fear into even the stout-hearted. Also included are four footsteps and four claw-swipe swooshes, so as to allow your creature to plod through the underbrush and maul its hapless victims.
_________________________
There are several things I'd like to know from you developers out there, if you have some time to share your thoughts:
- When considering whether to purchase such a sound pack, what kind of demo material do you need available to base your decision on? (I've included an audio teaser of the Creature Feature sounds in use on the GB page linked above)
- When considering whether to purchase a track of royalty free music, is a full length 56kbps mp3 preview of the track sufficient to base your decision on?
- What kind of music would you find most useful? My plans so far include making tracks in various tempos (fast, medium, ambient) and genres (action, fantasy, puzzle game), and including several variations on selected tracks that are similar in theme and pace to one another.
- I am planning on offering a series of 'voice packs' with common click responses for units in games, particularly RTS's. The first one will be a sampling of soldiers and things they might say. There is also a 'knight & orc' pack in the works. Do you find this idea useful? What other themes / genres would be good to cover?
That's a lot of questions, for sure... I am very open to any input and comments you game developers might have, since I am making this material for you to use!
GameBeep will soon have the first 7 action music tracks I've composed up for purchase, so I'll post an update as they go up. For now, though, you can hear some of my music at my portfolio site if you want an idea of what to expect.
Finally, on a personal note, I'd just like to say 'hi' to Jeff Tunnell, Phil Carlisle, and anyone else I worked with ages ago on the first Realm Wars builds. Looks like RW is being worked on again, so I contacted Logan Foster and am going to be updating the old musical score with some cool new tracks. Maybe I can share a preview of the music here soon!
Recent Blog Posts
| List: | 08/10/05 - Plan for Joel Steudler 07/10/05 - Plan for Joel Steudler |
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Submit your own resources!| Philip Mansfield (Jul 11, 2005 at 07:33 GMT) |
But it does indicate that you can't really change the sample rate too much to reduce file size in order to give a preview. A shortish but good quality snippet would probably be enough for me to make a decision.
I also listened to the sample for the sound effect libraries that are available for purchase through GG, and over the top of the effects there is someone saying the name of the website over and over again. You can still hear the effects well enough, but the voice over prevents the sounds being ripped out and used from the preview.
As for music styles, I think it will vary depending on the game the music will used in. But a selection of dance/rock/fantasy themes would probably cover most bases.
| Skye Gellmann (Jul 11, 2005 at 11:29 GMT) |
| Logan Foster (Jul 12, 2005 at 05:55 GMT) |
Also what are your future plans for audio packs?
| Joel Steudler (Jul 12, 2005 at 06:37 GMT) |
Thanks for the comments and insights. For sound effects, you're likely right that presenting reduced quality examples leaves the buyer unaware of what he's actually getting. The little audio dramatization I did for the Creature Feature pack uses the sounds at their true quality and with the background music and such, should prevent them from being ripped and used.
The 'repeat the name of the webiste' option doesn't really appeal to me, nor does using white noise or a hum over the whole thing (other suggestions I've had)... though both would be effective. I'll probably continue making little demo productions out of the sounds in future sound packs, though those other ideas may merit consideration.
@ Skye
I certainly hope so, as that's why I'm making this stuff! I hope I can create useful materials that people will find worthwhile.
@ Logan
I think the teaser has 5 or 6 various growls and snarls out of the 20 or so in the pack, a few of the footsteps, and a couple claw swipes at the end.
I have a bunch of source material here waiting to be edited for future packs. I've been assembling one that will cover a wide range of Mecha sounds (whirring, motors, mechanical stomps, etc). Got a load of interface-ish sounds too (clicks and beeps). The closest ones to being ready, though, are the Soldier Voice-pack and the Knight & Orc voice pack listed above, which are geared mostly towards RTSish uses, but certainly can cover other ground as well. I hope to be able to cover all the more common game genres, eventually. I'll really be able to offer some cool stuff once I get portable recording gear.
| Phil Carlisle (Jul 28, 2005 at 08:29 GMT) |
Out of interest, how much to do some custom voice over kinda snippets? I mean, say the soldier voice pack was a custom thing, how much would you charge someone for it?
You can email me at zoombapup at gmail.com if you prefer :)
Just wondering how much difference there is, as I need some radio chatter for Air Ace.
I like the idea of sound packs.. off the top of my head:
Interface sounds
Mechanical sounds
Gunshots
Lazer blasts and explosions
In fact, most of this stuff is foley work..
What I dont get, is that most of the foley stuff Ive seen, is kind of... well. a bit.... not that useful :) like its got bits that are ok, but then something that wouldnt quite work. How do you clean those up?
Glad its not my bag to do it :) thats for sure.
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