Blog for Matt Sayre at GarageGames.com

What makes a sound effect bad?

Matt Sayre — 2008-09-25T18:25:15+00:00

Note- This comes from my game audio blog at gamenotes.org. I like to bring relevant articles here from time to time for the GG community to get some use out of.

Does this sound familiar, developers? You've received all the sound effects from your sound designer and you've gotten them all incorporated in your game. Most are decent and unoffensive, but a few of them are rubbing you the wrong way. Your sound designer seemed to have followed your instructions, but you know some changes are going to have to be made. But what changes? Here's a little guide to help you identify some problems with sounds that you may not have had to think about before.

So what makes a sound effect bad? It only takes one of the following issues to ruin a sound.

- Low quality audio: There may be fuzz in the background of the sound file. Maybe there's a hiss or it sounds muffled. Maybe the beginning starts too abruptly or the end ends too soon. There could be a click somewhere in the file which you may not notice with only one listen, but put it on repeat and you're sure to notice it. Perhaps the sound was recorded too hot and clips, a definite no-no. With today's digital recording and digital editing, there is so excuse for anything less than pristine audio quality. Demand it.

- Too much treble (or bass): The problem here is usually too much high frequency, so I'll talk about that first. Nothing will make a sound become more annoying than having too much treble. It can actually cause some physical discomfort. Many amateur sound designers will have way too much high frequency in their mix, thinking it adds some punch or crispness to the sound. Actually, they're distorting the sound giving an unnatural sheen to it that will sooner or later tire the listener. The other side of this, too much bass, can muddy an otherwise decent sound and make it unnoticeable within your game. It can also wreak havoc on the player's subwoofer. A good EQ balance is needed to help achieve a natural sound.

- Inappropriate sound for the event: Ok, you may have goofed on this one. Are you sure you're asking for the right sounds? Maybe a baby crying isn't the right sound for a lawn mower (an extreme example, sorry). But it could be more subtle than that... and really not your fault. Maybe the pigeon sound your sound designer provided you is actually a crow or that wood door slam sounds suspiciously like a steel door slam. Let's say you have a sweet new FPS game that takes place in the 1600's. The footsteps aren't going to sound like squeaky rubber-soled sneakers (which were first used in the late 1800's... random fact of the day). You may not know that right off the bat, but subconsciously you know it isn't right. If it sounds like it doesn't fit, it probably doesn't.

- Outside the game's soundscape: Your game should have an overall sound "feel"... its soundscape. Are the sounds generally organic, artificial, watery, etc? There should be a consistency to the sound effects just like there should be a consistency to the music. Going back to our 1600's FPS, those sounds should be sturdy and real. A sudden pinball bell isn't going to fit in that soundscape. Once you have a soundscape envisioned for your game, this becomes a subset of the previous "inappropriate" problem, but it still deserves its own mention.

- Bland: Yawn, we've heard that gem sound a thousand times before. Give us something a little more interesting. Not every sound has to be awe-inspiring, but it's important not to have blandness be the major feature of the important sound effects. A good sound designer should wow you with something that fits the overall vision of your game and is a joy to listen to again and again. One sound effect that always jumps to mind as an example of this is the Bookworm word munch sound. They definitely got that right. There's no reason why every game can't have at least one sound that's that satisfying and idiosyncratic.

One final issue with sound effects is that as the number of times a sound is going to be played increases, the tolerance for these problems significantly decreases. Considering this, you may want to consider multiple sounds for an event that's going to be played often, like footsteps or puzzle piece dropping. No matter how good a sound is, if it's played too often it's going to get old.

Also keep in mind, maybe a particular ambient sound doesn't have to be played as often as you currently have it playing. I'm working on a game now that takes place partly in a snake cage room. The snake hisses were playing far too frequently so they reduced its frequency by 50%. The level suddenly became much more fun and tense, both things that we're going for. This is a common problem right now in games. Don't be afraid to cut back a little. Less is often indeed more.

These aren't the only problems you may find with sound effects, but they're definitely some of the biggest. This list should help you identify problems you may not have been able to quite put your finger on as you work with your sound designer. You don't have to tell them to fix the high frequency problem by "dropping the high frequency shelf 4dB at 9000 Hz", but it's good to have a general idea what's bothering you.

gamenotes.org

How to talk to composers.

Matt Sayre — 2008-07-07T20:23:49+00:00

Note: This is the latest post from my game music blog for developers and composers at gamenotes.org

This post is dedicated to the many fine game developers out there who may not be sure whether or not they've been communicating "correctly" with composers in order to achieve the best soundtrack possible. It was inspired somewhat by my own dealings in the industry (which have almost all been great) and also inspired by watching our dog and cat try to figure out each other's weird forms of communication. Cats are not receptive to play bows.

If the sum total of your musical experience are those miserable 3 months of piano lessons your parents forced you to take when you were 7 years old, you may be hesitant to talk to a composer about the soundtrack of your game. You may have a good idea about what you want, but you could be unsure about discussing music with someone who makes their living doing music. You're sure to look like a fool talking with someone who possesses so much more musical knowledge than you, right?

Well, here's a little secret about most composers. They BS like crazy. You see, there are no absolutes in music. Music can't say "tree" or "scarf" or "flaming tarantula". It's an incredibly abstract art. It's a great way to communicate feelings or moods but a horrible way to communicate information. So when someone claims to know exactly what a composer is saying with a text-less piece of music, you can be sure they are practicing the timeless art of BS. Sure, it's fun to talk about music and attribute all sorts of deeply meaningful high-falutin' concepts to it, but in the end all the discussion can not possibly mean squat. The only thing that means squat is what the music says to an individual.

Now with that mind, you should feel easier talking to a composer about your soundtrack. Takes the pressure off knowing that there is in fact no right and wrong in music, eh? Tell them what feeling you want the music to evoke. Tell them how fast or slow you'd like it. Describe anything you feel will help bring the musical vision in your head into light. Talking to the composer is important, but there's another thing you should do to really help communicate your needs for the soundtrack:

Show the composer pieces of music that you think are appropriate for the game, or pieces that at least have some aspect that you would like to hear in your game. Don't worry about plagiarism. Any composer worth his or her salt will give you something fresh and new that uses the aspects you like from the other pieces, but in no way steals those specific aspects. Browse Amazon and send links to their demos. Upload an MP3 of a piece that you think captures your needs. Pictures are worth 1000 words. Music is the same way.

Let me go back a second to clarify my "there is no right and wrong in music" statement from above. That statement only applies to the overall conceptual ideas contained in the music. One person's reminiscent feeling may be another's foreboding feeling. Neither is right, neither is wrong. However, when discussing music theory and using musical terminology, there is indeed a right and wrong. You can't say something is in a major key when it is in a minor key, for instance. And that bring me to my next point:

A little musical knowledge can be dangerous. If you tell the composer you want the tempo to be "andante" but you actually want "presto", you may be sabotaging the soundtrack from the beginning. You would never tell a visual artist that you want an "azul" color when what you actually want is brown, right? If you're not sure about your musical terminology, just use plain old simple English. We understand that just as well, if not better than, the silly (mostly Italian) words we've come up with to describe the various parts of music making.

And finally, part of talking to anyone is listening to them as well. Do go into the soundtrack discussion with an open mind. Composers have made it their life's work to create and listen to soundtracks. We may have an idea or two that is worth considering. Before giving them your ideas about the soundtrack, give them all the information you can about the game (art, story, maybe a prototype) and ask them to come up with their own vision for the game. We enjoy that sort of thing. And we may come at the soundtrack from a different angle than you do, which you may actually find very appealing.

Or not. Keep in mind, the composer is there to make the soundtrack you want. It's got to be true to the overall vision for the game. If they come up with something wonderful, by all means use it. But you, having lived with the game for far longer than they have, should be quite secure letting them know what you want. Don't worry about being looked down upon. If that happens, you can be sure that composer is probably very insecure and they're artificially inflating their security by belittling you. Music isn't about security. The good ones know that and are happy to take each game's unique musical journey with you.

gamenotes.org

How to get started as a game industry composer.

Matt Sayre — 2008-06-25T20:46:59+00:00

Note: This was posted at my blog gamenotes.org. I posted it here because it deals with my history with GarageGames and also should help aspiring composers get their start.

As promised, here is some advice on how to break into the game industry as a composer. I decided to just post an interview I did a few years ago with Paul Taylor for the January 2006 issue of Computer Music magazine's feature story "How to be a games musician". It is a good overview on how at least one composer got his start (me) and has advice for others looking to get their start.

And now, the interview (questions by Paul Taylor, answers by yours truly):

1.) How did you get into composing music for indie games?
After graduating from grad school in 2000 I started looking around for permanent employment in game companies around the country. During my search I came across the GarageGames website and I recognized it as a place with great potential to help indie developers create some innovative and fun games. I visited the site regularly and noticed that one of the "GarageGames community" companies, 21-6 Productions, seemed to really have its act together so I contacted them. They enjoyed my demo CD and I started doing the music for their cooperative sci-fi FPS, Myrmidon. Since then, I've helped 21-6 with a number of games while continuing to peruse the GarageGames website looking for similarly dedicated and talented indie companies. GarageGames actually helped me make the decision to freelance rather than find a permanent job. I could do contract work for the commercial companies but I felt there would also be a booming indie scene, spurred on by GG support. And there has been, though a little slower than anticipated.

2.) What do you feel are the advantages of this kind of work?
There are two big advantages in doing indie game music. First, you may be given more leeway in your musical choices. As long as you create something good and something that you think should fit into the game and conduct yourself professionally, the developers will often at least give it a chance. Big budget games are nice in one way, in that you'll get a paycheck, but can often have a constricting effect on your creativity. The corporate number crunchers often want everything to appeal to the broadest audience, including the music. I think some of the best soundtracks, like Grim Fandango, have been created when the producers have trusted the composer enough to do what he or she thinks is best. That trust comes from having familiarity with the composer, but can also come from the fact that an indie composer is willing to do some work for royalties or just for recognition or portfolio-building.

The second advantage is that you can have an influence on the game outside the music. As indies, the developers are very passionate about making their game fun. They'll be willing to listen, especially if you're an avid gamer. This creates a sense of camaraderie that really can't be beat. Everyone's in the same boat, trying to get the game done and fun.

3.) The disadvantages?
99% of the games being developed by indies will never be completed. You really have to look out for the indies that are in over their heads. That strategy/FPS Civilization/Doom 3 hybrid will probably never make it out of Billy's parents' basement (lovingly decorated with X-Files and Captain Janeway posters). Indies shouldn't be trying to compete with the big boys. They can't. But there are plenty of niches out there for indies to fill. Look for those innovative, simpler projects.

Also, the infectious indie enthusiasm that permeates the beginning of a project probably won't last through the entire development cycle. As unexpected problems arise and the weeks pass by, the project can seem more like a chore, especially if you're not getting paid for it up front. As much as you'd like to deny it, money is a powerfully motivating factor. The lack of it is noticeable. But the rewards of contributing to a fresh indie project are worth it.

4.) Are you receiving any payment for your work, and if not, would you consider doing it for nothing?
Most indie projects are going to be for royalties, which is ok. Again, you just have to pick the projects that have a good chance of being completed. When first starting out, though, look for projects that may not pay but that may get your name out there. Produce Panic was a free game but it had permission to use the Penny Arcade universe. I felt it had a good chance of getting me some exposure so I provided some tracks. At this point in my career, I can't consider doing a game for nothing, however. My family and I have invested too much into my studio and myself to take less than what I deserve. I'm a modest guy so it's hard to say something like that, but it's the absolute truth.

5.) What do you feel that you can offer game music which somebody working for a commercial development team might not be able to provide?
There are some very talented composers working at commercial development teams full-time. But there are also many "buddies" of developers who have no business being full-time composers. That's part of the reason game music has traditionally been laughed at. Thankfully, as we move away from MIDI and techno soundtracks, there is a growing demand for composers who can create memorable, original soundtracks that have some depth to them.

6.) Do you enjoy your indie status?
I love working with indies.You never know what kinds of games you're going to find. And when there's an original game, there's going to have to be an original soundtrack. Look at Katamari Damacy. There's some good stuff going on in that soundtrack. Originality breeds originality. I think indies appeal to me because I have a quirky style to my music which fits in with indie games.

7.) Would you consider moving to a higher-paid, more mainstream game composing job, or are you happy where you are?
I would consider it if I could continue to freelance. I like composing in many different genres and would like to keep creatively fresh by having many different projects available to work on. The stability of a permanent job with benefits is certainly alluring, however.

8.) What kind of kit and software do you use?
I use Nuendo and love it. I also use GigaStudio as my main sampler. Everything runs on my trusty old Pentium 4 1.5 GHz computer running Windows XP. Some of my favorite sample libraries are Project SAM brass, Dan Dean Woodwinds, the new RA and Colossus from East West/Quantum Leap, and of course my own Front Porch Banjo and Tuba. I am able to record in my studio and I prefer to record live instruments when possible, especially brass. There are subtle things that sample libraries just can't do yet. I play tuba in a couple local orchestras, have played trombone since grade school, horn in college, and just started trumpet so I can record almost all the brass myself which lends a certain uniqueness to my orchestral sound.

9.) Has this kit helped/hindered you in the past?
Nuendo and GigaStudio are generally pretty stable. I've used ProTools a lot but I prefer Nuendo now. Nuendo is very friendly to use and very powerful. It certainly does everything I need it to do, though its MIDI could be better. I've been recording less live brass lately because the time involved doesn't warrant its use. As a bit of a perfectionist, I'll record maybe dozens of takes for each brass part. It can be tiring.

10.) What are your opinions about game music as a whole - what set of beliefs do you apply when you're working on something?
Game music is starting to get good. The days of creating a quick techno loop are just about over. As production values increase, the quality of music must also rise. I love that budgets are now including money for live orchestras and that more care is being taken when selecting composers.

My main concern when composing is to keep my music original. If I think I've heard something before, then I want to redo it. If something is too simple, then I want to throw some "spice" into it, as one of my profs liked to say. I want there to be more than one layer to my music so you can hear something new when the piece inevitably loops. A common comment I get is that, "I liked it at first, but then I looped it and started to like it more and more." That's the key to good game music. No matter how good the music is, the player will eventually get tired of it. The goal is to make sure that happens after the level has ended.

11.) How do you feel game music should differ from film music?
Game music should have more kazoos and hemiolas than film music. Seriously, game music should be just as thematically coherent as film music, if not more so. You might not know when a piece is going to be played, but having a theme come back in a different mode or rhythm can have a huge emotional impact. As a player plays a game, he or she is really telling the story to him- or herself. The music must enrich that story. Keeping the music coherent is vitally important. There's a lot to learn about that from film, and a lot to explore about that in games. Is the little snippet of theme you just heard a seed for or an echo from a fuller exploration of the theme? It's got to function as both and you have to plan for both. I studied musical structure a lot in school so figuring these things out for games is great fun.

gamenotes.org

Are you a com-poseur?

Matt Sayre — 2008-06-23T19:44:12+00:00

Note: This is the latest post from my blog, The Game Composer's Blog (www.gamenotes.org). I'm posting it here to help kickstart that blog. And I think it is quite relevant to the GG community, of course.

I get asked from time to time how one gets started writing music for games. I am happy to give advice and say what's worked for me and other people. And in the near future I will write a blog that gives advice on how to go about successfully achieving your dream career. But before I do that, I'd like you prospective (or maybe even current) game music creators to just ask yourselves some questions, with the underlying question... Are you a composer ready to take your craft into the world of games or are you a com-poseur?

I apologize in advance if this isn't a feel-good post and it seems unduly negative, but my mission for this blog is to simply help games have better soundtracks. There are people out there who are capable of this. And there are some who aren't. If you aren't right now, it doesn't mean you never will be. It just means you need to take some time to work on your art. And it does take work. Just because you're a kid who has a music keyboard hooked up to your computer doesn't mean you're ready to list yourself as a content provider on Gamasutra. Anyway, consider these questions:

1) Are you proud of all the music you've ever created? Do you look back on your collected body of work and revel in all its genius? Well, unless you're Mozart, you probably have no reason to. I am embarrassed by almost all the music I wrote in my undergraduate college years, up until my thesis. I had so much to learn. At the time, I was kind of ok with some of it, but what kept me going were the flashes of potential that I had at times. My professors recognized that potential and nurtured it. But the music itself was secondary to learning the process of how you become a good composer and learning how other works achieved their musical success (and defining what constitutes musical success). This leads to the next question...

2) Are you proud of having no formal musical education? Ah yes, you are untainted by the bounds of a formal education. Well, maybe a bad formal education will force you to write like Brahms or Beethoven but a good education will help you develop your own voice. It will guide you to a mastery of your own language. Yes, sometimes composers with no formal training go on to have very successful careers. But it's just easier to have teachers there to help point the way for you. No force, just a friendly hand. You will learn things that will pay off in your career. Definitely a good investment in your future. There is no test you must pass before you go on to start your career, but having a formal education on your resume does show future employers that you probably have at least a solid foundation in your craft. They need to trust your skills. Having been through a musical education, you will be able to trust and have real and proven confidence in your skills once you're selling yourself. That's big.

3) Do you know what subito means? What's the highest safe couple of notes you should write for a (live) horn player? This is related to the last question. You don't necessarily need a formal education to know these things, but it helps. Regardless, how can you call yourself a composer if you don't know the basics of our musical language? Again, it's strange some people take such pride in the fact that they don't know these things. Oh, let the orchestrator deal with that? Well, orchestration is part of composition. A melody played by a muted trumpet will have a very different effect when played by a clarinet. You, as the composer, have complete control of what you want your piece to sound like. Why not learn as much as you can about the entire palette of sound and how to use it?

4) Do you have one or more pirated sample libraries? These libraries cost money to make. You're hurting the very people who are trying to help improve your craft. You're also hurting the entire legitimate composer community. If you can't afford the more expensive libraries, maybe you are not ready to make it in this industry yet. Start smaller. Buy what you can afford, work with smaller companies that are also starting out. Your talent and bank account will grow together.

5) Can you point out problems in even your most favorite game soundtracks? No soundtrack is perfect. If you can't identify problems in other people's works, you probably can't identify problems in your own works. We must always look for ways to improve. If you're completely happy with your composing skills, you're not doing something right. Know your weaknesses and work on them. I reviewed the Grim Fandango soundtrack a few days ago. I believe it's one of the best soundtracks ever made. One problem, though, is that its instrumentation is a little too homogeneous. I would have preferred just a few more tracks to have an instrument or two that come out of the blue and surprise us a bit. They actually did do that for a couple tracks and they could have utilized that more. A nitpick, but it's important to question everything in the quest for improvement.

6) Do you own and wear a powdered wig when you compose? Duh. The best composers all wear powdered wigs. Bathing monthly is optional.

I hope these questions get you to think a little bit about if you're truly ready to put your skills on the line in the fast-paced world of game audio. I may sound like a crotchety old man here, but I think not to ask prospective or current composers to ask these questions would be a disservice to everyone. Composers should be fluent and ready for anything. Developers should expect competent and confident composers.

And now, since we're all ready to enter into the game industry with our powdered wigs, diplomas, and legal sample libraries, I will soon post a helpful guide to getting your first gigs which lead, I hope, to a long and successful career.

www.gamenotes.org

New game music blog

Matt Sayre — 2008-06-20T20:29:03+00:00

I've finally started the blog that I've been thinking about for quite awhile. Since starting my career 8 years ago, I wanted to have someplace to write about my adventures in the game industry as an audio freelancer. I've learned a ton since starting my career and I think that other composers may find some of my posts useful. But I also want game developers in general to get something out of it as well. Reading a post or two may help producers and designers more easily communicate with us oddball composers. What are we looking for from you? What do I think you are looking for or what should you look for from us?

It's hard to say how the blog will in fact evolve, but I hope to keep its mission simple: To help game composers and game developers make better soundtracks. Please do check it out and I'd love to hear your suggestions:

The Game Composer's Blog: www.gamenotes.org

In other news, I've finished a couple InstantAction games and am really looking forward to seeing how they look under the glittering IA lights online. More about later as they're released. And my first Wii game was just released this week! I did most of the new sound effects for Backyard Baseball 2009 for the Wii and PS2. It was quite a thrill working on that, I gotta say.

See you around the nets!

Lessons from MLB All-Star Fanfest.

Matt Sayre — 2007-07-13T18:36:26+00:00

I spent the last week down in San Francisco helping to man the Backyard Sports Baseball booth at the MLB All-Star Fanfest. I helped hand out lots of free stuff and watched tons of people, kids mostly, play Backyard Sports Baseball. My girlfriend, Melissa, now works as an Associate Producer for Humongous Entertainment and they were kind enough let me accompany her on the trip to San Francisco and help out at the booth. Unfortunately, days before our flight down there, I severely sprained my ankle playing basketball...

Yep.

Melissa trying out my crutches.

I've never had such a bad sprained ankle and I'm just now off crutches, barely hobbling around. But, let me tell you, having crutches or a wheelchair is kind of nice at airports. You get right to the front of the line. The only downside is that they pat you down and use their special metal detector wand, but overall it's probably much quicker than the usual line. They also did some sort of swab test on my hands and feet looking for explosive residue, which is kind of cool. But I digress.

The Fanfest was much more educational than I thought it would be and I thought I'd share some of the lessons or interesting things I found out.

1) Computer gaming is not dead, not even close! We had a thousand or two free Windows demos to give out. Even with Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game available, it seemed a lot more people said they played on their computer or would at least try the demo on their computer and then maybe buy it on another system. We gave out every CD. Sure, some people go crazy when they see free stuff and take stuff when they won't even use it, but because my ankle forced me to sit at the free stuff table almost the entire time, I got to ask many of them some questions. And most said they actually play on their computers. Cool.

"Would you like a free Windows demo of the game?"

2) Keep system requirements low! So many people thought, "Oh my computer's ancient, it'll never run this." But with the 700MHz processor spec, it should run on most people's computers nowadays. Not everyone is a hardcore, $400 video card player. Make it fun and they'll play. GarageGames definitely got that right.

3) Make a Mac version! Sure enough, about one in ten people asked if the demo worked on Macs. They always asked with the knowing sigh that of course it won't. Macs always get the shaft for games. When a game does come out for Mac, I think they really appreciate it and will be very supportive.

4) Put the controls onscreen if possible. I watched tons of kids, some only 4 years old, play the game. Almost every single one of them could easily get into the game even if they'd never played the game before. Part of that is that they already know the simple rules for baseball. Another part is that the controls were very clearly spelled out on the screen. Some of the trickier things, like stealing bases, needed explanation but it is still very easy to get into the game when you see controls onscreen.

Getting them addicted...

5) Video gaming is not the devil. I expected a lot more parents to try and keep their kids away from our video game kiosks. There were so many awesome things for kids to do at Fanfest, like clinics, batting practice, fielding practice, autograph booths, and shops, that I expected to hear a lot of parents pull their kids away from us in horror. Actually, many parents enthusiastically played the game with their kids. I figure, as long as kids are getting out and playing the real thing, what's the harm in playing some video games too? Many parents agreed with me there. I did hear one mother say, "We don't play those. They are intoxicating!" as she dragged her kid away from our booth which I thought was pretty hilarious.

I was on the comeback trail when his dad came to get him... darn!

6) Be careful with free stuff when promoting your game. I don't think throwing stuff out into the wind is terribly effective. When promoting your game, especially at a booth like this, be careful of the people who just want to fill their bags because they think it's Halloween or something. They want the hat, the shirt, the temporary tattoo, whatever just because it's free! You know it's just going to sit in their closet at home until they finally throw it away. So, it was fun seeing who would really appreciate the bigger stuff, like the hats. Maybe they really got into the kiosk demo or they knew all the players in the game... they were thrilled when I pulled out a hat to give to them and they're going to become even bigger fans and evangelists for you.

7) Characters in games are important. Give your characters a little personality, a little backstory. A voice. It doesn't take much to help draw the players into your game a great deal. Helps them relate to the game a bit easier and have a more rounded-out experience. Faceless characters are, of course, not as much fun as characters you get to know. When you only have an hour to hook someone on a demo, a good character or three could really help out. (This probably applies triple to kids' games.)

Well, that's about all I can remember at this point. If I remember any other things I learned from the show, I'll post them here. Now back to business as usual. Speaking of that, I got a really crazy job doing the voice for a talking apple tree at a McDonald's in Nesquehoning, New Jersey. If you're around there, check it out. I'm really curious to see that actually.

Eets: Chowdown on XBLA and TubeTwist in stores!

Matt Sayre — 2007-04-25T17:34:36+00:00

This morning Eets: Chowdown was released on Xbox Live Arcade. Normally, I wouldn't care so much about a game coming to XBLA, but this is the first XBLA game I worked on so I'm pretty excited. They kept most of the original music and sounds but asked me to provide a couple extra sounds for the main game (including the jazzy little musical flourish when you get a puzzle piece) and most of the sounds for Marsho Madness. I also provided the Animal Crossing-esque tutorial guy's voice, which was a lot of fun to come up with.

Klei Entertainment did a great job bringing the game to the 360. The controls feel really tight and it looks great in HD. All you 360 owners, check it out! Klei's a bunch of great Canadian indie developers and they deserve much success with this title.

Also, TubeTwist is in stores! I know it's been blogged about here before but I spotted a copy at my local EB Games (Northgate Mall in Seattle) and snapped myself a picture with my grimy cell phone's camera.

There it is, on the right side of the shelf! There was another copy resting next to a Space Quest compilation on the shelf below, which was thrilling (I loved the Space Quest games). 21-6 is another great group of guys and I love seeing the game in stores. Qapla'!

SFX484 launch and new game

Matt Sayre — 2006-12-27T23:35:02+00:00

First off, I'm happy to say SFX484 has had a great first two weeks. I'm very glad developers are getting some good use out of it! Thanks once again to Timothy Aste who helped get it up for sale here on GarageGames. With all the new content packs, tools, and games coming online here, GG's future looks brighter than ever.

In other news, less than a week after SFX484 was launched, Solitaire Pop was launched on PlayFirst. Developed by Say Design , it's a new take on solitaire games and has you travelling throughout the world as an archaeologist, digging up artifacts from 5 different ancient civilizations.

I did all the music and all but a couple of the sound effects for the game. The music was especially fun to work on. I got to research the music and instruments of the cultures and then compose music in their respective styles. For example, here are a couple pieces from ancient cities in China and Greece:

China Module (mp3)
Greece Module (mp3)

We only had about 5 minutes of play music for the game's levels, but we came up with an excellent modular music system so that you could hear one of ten different things at any moment. Using appropriate modules and layers this way, repetition is kept to a minimum. And, of course, all the pieces tie into the main menu theme of the game to keep all the music coherent. I may go into more detail about this system later.

And now for a little end of the year fun I thought I'd share a recording I did with the renowned Three Drunks a couple years ago. Manuelo Faltini, Veesel Hoalz, and Johnny Sabado sang the B. Spears classic "Baby One More Time" accompanied by the Bacchanalian Philharmonic. The pop sensation Cray Blake-Hayden joined the Drunks and the orchestra for a couple verses in this powerful performance. Enjoy, and happy new year!

Baby One More Time

Puzzle Poker "Higher Def" music download

Matt Sayre — 2006-09-12T22:13:27+00:00

I've been meaning to put this up for a while, but I've finally uploaded less compressed versions of all the music tracks in Puzzle Poker. We had to really squash the music to fit it under 3.5 MB total and I was happy with the results, but it's always nice to have less squashed music available. Unfortunately, the music is still mono because of some sort of bug that happens when you combine mono and stereo audio in the game, but it's an improvement regardless.

You can find the new music here. (ZIP file)

Backup the old theme.ogg, game.ogg, and award.ogg files then unzip the new files into Puzzle Poker's game\client\sounds directory.

In other news, last week I started work on an upcoming Xbox 360 Live Arcade game, my first such project. It's not a lot of work but it'll get me on to the 360 and that's pretty thrilling. I can't say what the game is, but chances are you've heard of it and probably played it. I'm honored to be part of the project I gotta say.

Also, last week I successfully auditioned for the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra to become their official Principal Tuba. I played with them all last year on a temporary basis, but managed to get through the audition and become their permanent tubist. I practiced more over the last couple of weeks than I probably ever have, which resulted in a bloody lip the weekend before the audition. It decided to start bleeding even more while I was warming up for the actual audition, which cause a bit of consternation. Luckily, the audition committee was in a separate room for the audition so they didn't have to witness me dabbing the blood off my lip and mouthpiece between pieces.

Man, am I glad that's all over with.

Anyway, if you live around Seattle and want to hear some good old classical music, be sure and check out the Seattle Phil and Lake Union Civic Orchestra, my two orchestras. LUCO's doing the entire Firebird ballet with the Tacoma City Ballet this year... should be good.

A new studio, Casuality & IGC, Puzzle Poker, etc.: an update

Matt Sayre — 2006-07-11T22:33:14+00:00

"What I Did This Summer" by Matt Sayre (in progress)

Well, after months of looking we finally found a new house in the crazy Seattle real estate market. One of the best features of the house is its 730 sq ft detached garage, most of which we'll be transforming into my new recording studio. I've learned a great deal about soundproofing and soon we'll be able to get into the actual construction. It's currently unfinished, which is great since that'll make it easier to seal all the holes, stick insulation in, and then frame a new wall. It's going to be a double wall construction when it's all done which should give us some good soundproofing. It has a high ceiling, which will be the tricky part in terms of construction, but will be awesome for the sound waves that will be bouncing around in there. I'll be posting a postmortem when it's all done and maybe someone somewhere can learn from my inevitable mistakes and unlikely successes. If you've ever wanted to watch "This Old House" hosted by a tuba-playing video gamer, this is as close as you can get. :)

the unfinished loft area of the garage

----------
I attended Casuality a couple weeks ago and came away feeling pretty good about it. I met some great people who all seem very dedicated to making the next big (money-making) game. The conference seemed geared especially toward questions of how best to make a lot of money, which is fine. But issues of fun seemed secondary. So the conference just seemed pretty dry. Advergaming, conversion rates... that sort of thing. It made me realize just how awesome IndieGamesCon is. Really, for less money you get tons more content, excellent food, the ShowOff zone, and comparable networking potential. I got to chat with Jay and Jeff from GG a bit and it was great seeing GG there spreading the word. I pimped TGB a lot myself actually, seeing as how a non-programming audio guy like me is able to make my own prototypes without too many tears.
----------
Puzzle Poker is addictive. I've been able to tear myself away from it lately, but in order to really get a good feel for the game I had to play it a lot. I have over a million chips and have the fourth highest game on the casual setting. I'm no SecretSauce but I can hold my own. Yes, fear Yogurt. Ah, it's so nice being able to "research" a game like this. I'm glad the new music has been received well. I've been working on my big band sound and I think I've got it working about right. Many thanks to Kevin Ryan for allowing me to work on the game and give its audio a little update!
----------
Looking forward to the rest of summer...