Basic Ideas


When you are given the assignment to create music for a game, you usually begin with a basic understanding of the type of music being requested. For instance, if you are creating music for a wrestling game, classical music is probably not going to be part of the piece. With this in mind, your research often begins with discussing the piece or watching a specific type of program. Looking at the wrestling sample, you might watch wrestling on television or perhaps visit a live version in person. This would allow you to get a very good understanding of what the fans would be interested in.

On the other hand, if you were writing music for a game that reenacts the Civil War, you might watch movies on the Civil War or even talk with music historians about the types of instruments or music that would have been popular in the time period.

It’s important to understand that you would not do this research so that you could simply copy the music but would instead use this approach to discover what in the music makes it fit the time or era. Keep your mind open as you might come up with completely unique ideas, or perhaps you’ll find the original composers’ work is adequate and choose to use their basic premise.

We’re going to use ACID, a program we looked at previously in this book. This program offers several advantages over other applications. First, even if you don’t have a music background, you can use ACID. Additionally, it comes with several samples that can be used in many ways. There are also several Web sites with clips readily available for download to use.

ACID Loops

ACID is based on the ability to create music from loops, much like mainstream music being produced today. In the past 15 years, the vast majority of the music industry has used loops or samples in one aspect or another. This concept has drastically altered the music landscape, changing the way both amateur and professional producers create their music. A quick glance at many modern albums will disclose their use of samples.

The use of samples in many forms of music has brought about an entire industry that produces music especially for this purpose. There are literally thousands of CDs that contain materials that can be used for almost any purpose. Along with the CDs that are filled with music in standard CD Audio format, there are also those that have been built with the file formats used by many leading music programs, including ACID.

There are two basic ways these CDs are distributed. One is a royalty-based system in which you are required to pay for every time the sample is used. The CDs are often free, but you pay as you use them. The other option usually involves paying a fee up front, but you then receive a royalty-free license that allows you to do most anything with the loops. With either option, you usually cannot distribute the material as a new collection of loops.

Recently, the Internet has offered a third solution for obtaining samples. There are countless Web sites that offer fee-based downloads, and others allow you to download their loops freely. There are several sites that offer free loops, but the first one we’ll look at specifically is the Sony-run ACIDPlanet.com. It has a freely available download every week called an 8Pack, which is essentially an ACID project file that includes eight loops arranged into a song. An 8Pack will not only help to teach you how to combine loops into a final project, but it also comes with tips and tricks that were used to put it together.

Another site that is excellent is PocketFuel.com. It offers the largest collection of files for ACID on the Internet, and they are royalty free. For the production of this book, I downloaded files from this site. If you register at the site, you can also download the same files as we’ll use in the next section.

Creating the Music

Because of licensing issues, I have included only the final project on the CD-ROM in MP3 format. This was to make certain that I complied with the licensing information located at PocketFuel. You should thoroughly read the licensing agreement before downloading anything from this Web site. To begin our composition, you should first locate and download several types of loops from the Web site. I’m not going to try to get you to duplicate this project exactly, as the files that were downloaded may no longer exist.

Note

The screen shots in this chapter are from ACID Pro 3. They may look slightly different from the free version of ACID you can now obtain from Sony. However, you should have the ability to follow along, as the project we’ll create is limited only in that it uses the capabilities available in the free version.

When you open ACID, you’ll be presented with an empty project such as that seen in Figure 13.1.

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Figure 13.1: A blank project in ACID.

Next, from the File menu choose Properties and set the information for your project, such as the title of the project and the copyright information. The Project Properties window can be seen in Figure 13.2.

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Figure 13.2: The Project Properties window.

Next, add your first loop to the project. Double-click a file in the Explorer or drag it to the Track List to add it to your ACID project. If you add a file that is longer than 30 seconds in length, ACID’s Beatmapper Wizard will automatically be displayed. Right-click and drag a file to the Track View or Track List to specify the type of track that will be created. When you drop the file, a shortcut menu is displayed that allows you to choose whether the file will be treated as a loop, one-shot, Beatmapped track, or autodetected type. Your project should look something like Figure 13.3.

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Figure 13.3: The project with a single loop added to it.

Next, drag the time so that it ends at approximately 21 seconds. Your screen should now look like Figure 13.4. If for some reason your ruler has a different measure of time, you can change it by choosing View, Time Ruler and then selecting the appropriate format.

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Figure 13.4: The Time Ruler with a time of approximately 21 seconds.

Next, you should select the Paint tool. If you remember Chapter 8, “Multimedia Fusion Editors,” the Paint tool is designed to paint events across multiple tracks. With the Paint tool selected, you can paint events across multiple tracks by clicking and dragging the mouse. This tool is also useful for inserting one-shot events evenly along the grid, which is basically how we are planning to use it.

With the Paint tool, draw in the first location in the grid directly to the right of the filename that can be seen in the Track List. Your project should look like Figure 13.5.

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Figure 13.5: The first entry in the grid.

You can click the Play button to test the project before moving on. If it plays correctly, it would be a good time to give your project the name MyFirstACIDProject.

The next step is to add the rest of your loops to the project. Once you have finished, you can begin creating your music by drawing with the Paint tool or Draw tool inside the grid next to the individual tracks. For an example, see Figure 13.6 to see the finished project.

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Figure 13.6: The finished project.

If you have any problems with this project, you should take the time to download the 8Packs available at ACIDPlanet.com. They have preconstructed projects that will give you an idea of how to put things together better.

Once you have finished your project, you need to save it in WAV format for our project in MMF.

On the CD The final project can be found in several formats on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book, including MP3, WAV, and RM. It is in the Music and SFX directory.

Creating SFX

Sound is everywhere in our daily life, so it’s obvious why it would be so important to a gameplayer. Sound effects often take on meaning in a game. A dark alley with a strange noise coming from behind an overflowing dumpster delivers a message of fear more than the dark alley would by itself. People yelling loudly draw our attention to an area or might make us want to flee in the opposite direction. You can also use sound effects to establish a time and a place. For instance, crickets in the background or waves beating a shore can add a great deal to a setting without visually displaying anything.

Sound effects can also convey actions such as a gun being fired or a car colliding with a wall in a racing game. It is this part of sound effects, the part that adds emotion or action to a scene, that game programmers are most interested in.

Like the CDs that are available with loops, there are also sound effect libraries that can be purchased. For the vast majority of sound effects, there are probably CD libraries that contain something that will work or can be modified slightly to work.

For those sounds that are unique or for sounds you’d just prefer to do yourself, it is often a very simple process. If you have a PDA or a portable recorder of some sort, you can often visit a site to obtain sound recordings. For instance, if you have a game with animals, a visit to a pet store or local zoo is often all you would need to do to get the appropriate noises. If you are creating a sports title, visiting a local sporting even will give you all the crowd and background noises you would ever need.

If you choose to visit local areas to record your noises, keep in mind that you often need more than you would have imagined. This is true for many reasons, such as the noises not being as good as you had thought or, after editing, you are left with only part of a 10-minute recorded segment. Again, you should always try to get more material than you think you’ll need.

The other basic type of sound effect for a game is the sounds that occur when some type of action occurs. The action types take a great deal of time to produce and may require a tremendous amount of specialized equipment. Fortunately, with a little effort and common items, you can use some very simple ideas to record these types of sound for our game.

Recording Sounds

It doesn’t really matter what type of device you are using to record the sounds. Ultimately, we have to get the data into the computer. For our setup, we’ll assume you are using a tape recorder, digital recorder, or PDA to record your sounds. We’ll then connect these devices to the sound or microphone inputs on your sound card. We’ll then use Audition to edit these noises after changing them into digital form.

How to Record

The first step in this process is creating the recordings. We’re going to create a basic 3D shooter, and with this in mind, we’ll need to create effects for gunshots, footsteps, and perhaps even noises of collision. These are actually quite easy to record.

The following lists several types of actions that you can record easily with common household items. Of the list, we actually need to record the footsteps and a body collision.

Sound Type

How to Record

Car Crash

Fill a box with scrap metal and chunks of wood. Shake vigorously while recording.

Fire

Take a piece of cellophane and crinkle it with your hands.

Door Slamming

You can use a real door and simply place the recording device near the hinges. You can slam the door and then open and close the door slowly if you also need this type of noise.

Body-Type Collisions

You can use items such as a pumpkin or watermelon and strike them with a piece of wood or rubber mallet. Try various methods to get just the right sound. Watch out, though, this one can be very messy! Another method is to wrap wet towels around wood planks and then strike them together or let them fall a small distance to a concrete or hardwood surface.

Rain

You can simply record rain on a roof or metal sheet, or if you are in a hurry, you can simulate the effect by taping together five plastic cups with the bottoms cut into different shapes such as a square, a star, or an ellipse. After taping them together, you can pour uncooked rice into the top, and as it falls through, it will sound like rain falling.

Thunder

Thunder can be recorded during a storm, but like rain, it can be simulated using other methods. You can make up a simple “thunder sheet” by getting a piece of sheet metal cut approximately 18" by 50". Then fit it with 1" by 2" boards on one end and multiple holes in the other to hang it from a ceiling or beam. You can shake the end with the handle to simulate the thunder. This can take some practice to master, so be patient if it doesn’t sound realistic at first.

Footsteps

Depending on your needs, it is probably easiest to simulate footsteps by recording the real thing. You can record in gravel areas for outdoor simulations, or you could use a hardwood floor with a hard-heeled shoe for indoor areas. If you prefer, you can actually construct a wooden box that is large enough to step into. It would need to be approximately 3' x 3'. Additionally, you can flip it over for recording step noises or you can fill it with things like straw or newspaper to vary the noises. To simulate walking in snow, you can use a shoe to press on an old strawberry container or against a couch cushion or similar type of furniture. If you do this at the approximate stepping rhythm, it will simulate this very well. You can also simulate animal footsteps using similar methods.

For instance, you can simulate a horse by striking small squares of wood together or by striking together halves of a coconut with all of the pulp removed. You could use your box along with the coconut by adding some sand and then striking the halves with the box.

Machines

You should try to record the actual machine noises. For instance, if you are creating a car racing game, you might get the best effects by visiting a race and recording the sounds yourself. Additional sounds that work well in games include saws, drills, and even hammers.

Gunshots Hitting Wood

You can cut plywood into thin strips and break it while recording. It will sound as if the shots are splintering the wood.

Gunshots

Gunshots can be simulated by hitting a leather seat with a thin wooden stick such as a yardstick or ruler. For different types of sounds, you can experiment by hitting other materials with the wooden stick.

For practice, let’s look at the last item in the table, a gunshot. Using a thin wooden stick, strike various objects with varying strengths to get used to the idea. Creating these types of sound effect is very much trial and error. As such, you should spend some time finding several objects that sound good and record all of them.

Using a PDA

The next step is to connect your recorder to the computer. If you are using a PocketPC or Windows CE-based PDA, you can simply connect it to the computer and transfer the recordings, which will already be in WAV format. If you are using this method, you can skip the next section, “Using a Recording Device.” Depending on the sound quality of your PDA, the sounds will be of varying quality. If they are not of good quality, you will probably be forced to use another method to record your sounds.

Using a Recording Device

If you are using a tape recorder, mini-disc recorder, or other recording device, you will have to attach it to your computer’s sound card. On most sound cards, there are probably four connectors: Line In, Line Out, Microphone, and a MIDI/Game Port. Figure 13.7 displays a diagram of a typical sound card.

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Figure 13.7: The layout of a typical sound card.

Most modern sound cards also use diagrams to label the connections. You can view a sample of this in Figure 13.8.

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Figure 13.8: Sound cards often have labels.

The following list details the various connectors:

MIDI/Game Port: This is a port that is most commonly used to connect a game paddle or joystick to the computer. This port will also allow you to connect a device such as a MIDI keyboard to the computer.

Line In: A connector that allows you to connect a cassette tape, CD, or other recording device to the computer.

Line Out: This is used for speakers or headphones that can be connected to get sound out of the sound card.

Microphone: It allows you to connect a microphone to the computer and record your own sound files. If necessary, you can also connect a recording device to this port.

Once you have located the Line In or Microphone connection, you should attach your device to the computer. Depending on the device, you may need different types of cables and connectors. The vast majority of sound cards use 1/8" (miniplug) jacks for Microphone and Line In.

After connecting the device, the next step is to open up your sound card’s mixer panel by double-clicking on the yellow speaker icon in your System Tray, which is near the clock on your task bar. A standard sound card mixer looks like Figure 13.9.

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Figure 13.9: The mixer panel allows you to choose options related to the sound card.

When you first open the mixer, you will see all of the possible playback volumes. Make sure that Wave is not muted and that its volume slider and the master volume slider are both at least halfway up.

Next, set the sound card’s recording devices by going to Options, Properties and then select Recording. Each of the devices your sound card can record from will be listed in the window. The next step is to click the OK button, which will display the Recording Controls window. Make sure that the volume of the category you plan to use is halfway up. For instance, if you are using Line In, you should make sure that Line In is halfway up. Figure 13.10 displays Line Up as it should appear.

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Figure 13.10: Line In with the correct settings.

The next step is to open Audition and select Options, Settings and then click on Devices. Make sure that the correct device is selected for both Waveform Playback and Waveform Record. Create a new file by clicking File, New. Choose the WAV file type, and click OK. Next, click the Record button in Audition and start the playback of the device. When you have finished recording, press the Stop button. Depending on your sample, you should see something like Figure 13.11.

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Figure 13.11: Audition displaying the recorded sample.

You should test the playback volume in Audition before moving on. If the volume is too low, you can rewind or reset your device, increase or decrease its volume as necessary, and then record it again to a new file. Once it is within Audition and the volume seems OK, we can save it and then begin editing it as needed. First, you may notice that there are basically three areas that can be seen in the figure. These areas represent the three times that the stick was used to strike a leather chair in my sample recording. Our plan will be to alter this file such that there is a single “shot.” We’ll begin by selecting one of the first areas and then choose Edit, Copy. Next, place your mouse at the end of the selection and single-click. If it appears that you have selected the area directly next to the first sample, choose Edit, Paste. The area should now look like Figure 13.12.

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Figure 13.12: The newly pasted area.

The next step is to select Transfer, Amplitude and then Envelope. Drag the line down in the window so that it looks like Figure 13.13. Next, click OK.

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Figure 13.13: After the envelope has been applied.

The tapered effect will act as a sort of echo type of effect to the gunshot. The next step is to highlight areas past the first gunshot and newly pasted area and then press the Delete button. This will leave only the single gunshot and echo. You can see the final result in Figure 13.14.

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Figure 13.14: The final version of the WAV file.

You may notice in the previous figure that there is an area within the taper that actually begins to increase in volume before falling back down. This adds to the echo effect and is accomplished by selecting an area and then choosing Transfer, Amplitude and then Amplify. From this window, drag Amplify to create a higher value. You can also use Amplify to increase or decrease the volume of the entire sample if your volume is too high or low.

That’s all there is to the creation of a gunshot. You can follow this same basic process for creating the other sound effects using the methods we looked at previously.




Awesome 3d Game Development(c) No Programming Required
Awesome 3d Game Development: No Programming Required (Charles River Media Game Development)
ISBN: 1584503254
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 168

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