GAME SOUND
PORTFOLIO
Highlights
On Music Mechanics
Although the focus of this project was not the music itself, Jack Rathbone (https://jackfr.itch.io/) and I set out to discover the different ways sound and music could function as game mechanics. At the same time, I used it as an opportunity to learn how to use FMOD. By the end of the project, Jack Rathbone and I had created four games, each of which used sound and music as a game mechanic in different ways.
The process of creating games in this way was particularly useful because, since the sound in these games had to be functional first and foremost, many "unmusical" decisions had to be made for the sake of communication and clarity. As a result, designing the sound for these games was a valuable experience in exploring the differences and advantages of game audio compared to the linear audio that many of us are so used to.
Midiban
Mechanic: Note Identification
The goal is for the player to push note blocks around in order to match a melody. These notes are set out on a grid just like MIDI piano rolls in Digital Audio Workstations. Each block represents a note, which will change in pitch if pushed upwards or downwards, and timing if it is pushed either left or right.
Barrow
Mechanic: Storytelling Through Music and Musical Cohesion
Explore an ancient barrow and find objects which once belonged to a skeleton. Each object will have memories attached to it in the form of music. The player's aim is to find the objects which fit together to form a song.
Punk Manager
Mechanic: Recognising Changes in Tempo
Run an unruly punk band that always ends up playing out of sync. When members start playing too slowly, throw them a beer to speed them back up. If they being to play too quickly, throw them a joint. The crowd will occasionally block your throws.
Synth Wizard
Mechanic: Keyboard Chord Playing
Use a mystical keyboard (a midi keyboard controller) to banish enemies. Cast Spells by playing chords on a keyboard and get past obstacles by using the correct spell and timing. Listening and recognising the different music genres helps the player to determine enemy weakness to specific spells.
'Drenched' Menu UI Sound
'Drenched' is a game created by Alyssa Coetzee (https://lysard.itch.io/) who invited me to design sound for the project. My aim for the menu was to focus on atmosphere and a clean UI audio aesthetic which did not disrupt the overall feeling of calm. Although it was not my focus, I also created the music for this scene. In doing so, I treated it as part of the atmosphere rather than a standalone track.
'Dine In!'
'Dine In!' is a proof of concept for a horror game set in a 1960s-themed diner, worked on in conjunction with Michaela Bussey (https://mickybussey.itch.io/).
There is a focus on atmospheric sound and sound effects rather than music, in order to build an unsettling atmosphere. There are three chapters to the story, each one more tension-filled than the last. The music for the first two chapters is diegetic, and would come from the diner's poor-quality speakers within the game world. This diegetic music within the first chapter consists of a Chuck Berry-inspired 12-bar blues, interspersed with static. This static only increases in the music of the second chapter. Finally, in the third chapter, the music becomes non-diegetic, and consists of eerie tones created by distorted guitar harmonics.
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Miscellaneous Sound Design
These are several of various practice clips which I have been working on in the past few months in order to better my understanding of sound design.
'Otherworld'
'Otherworld' is a piece written for solo cello and electronics. The electronics are intended to be played from a quadrophonic sound system, with a speaker set up in each corner of the room.
This piece was inspired by stories about the Otherworld in Celtic mythology, and how various people unwittingly become lost in it. The cello soloist represents a character, while the electronics in this piece create the world which this character interacts with and moves through. The live cello sound is captured and manipulated in various ways, musically symbolising how the character interacts with the strange magic of the faery Otherworld. The Otherworld is represented by the manipulated sounds in each section of the work.