dSonic Interview

Posted by: Aaron Lockard on Mon, 16 October 2006 21:43:40

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We interviewed dSonic, which is a sound effects company, there crew was a blast to interview and look forward to working with them again. We asked questions ranging from how they got started to how they are currently progressing on Mage Knight: Apocalypse.

How did dSonic start as a sound effects company?
I worked at Looking Glass studios for about six years where I did the audio on titles such as System Shock 2 and the Thief series. From that experience, I learned the importance of implementation as part of the process of creating sound and music for games. When Looking Glass sadly had to close its doors in 2000, my brother Simon and I started talking about forming a company that created audio specifically for game engines, our area of expertise. We knew that as games continued to grow in size and content, there would be a need for companies such as ours, with an audio team that could handle not only creating music and sound, but how to do it in a way that would translate seamlessly into the game environment.

When did dSonic's big break come and how did it happen?
I don't think you could say we've had a big break and we're always thinking so far ahead each step feels more like something we planned rather than an overwhelming surprise. However one highlight that comes to mind is the Adaptive Audio patch for Unreal Tournament we created in collaboration with Creative Labs. We developed music that transitioned seamlessly in real time depending on game play events such as making a kill, capturing the flag, losing too many health points, etc. There are not many examples of Adaptive Audio in games to date and we feel this stands as a leading example.

What is something about dSonic that most people do not know?
I'm much better looking than Simon.people need to understand this and accept it.

What games does the staff at dSonic enjoy Playing?
I've recently been playing Okami, which is great fun, but also appeals to me because it's just so unique. The art is great. In general I'm also a big fan of horror games. I love the tension involved, and the different ideas developers come up with to try to scare people.

What kind of music does the staff of dSonic enjoy listening to? Does this influence sound effects at all?
Simon and I are classically trained so there's a heavy mix of that in our listening especially the works in the 20th century style, then other guys are into the heavier types of rock, but overall I think everyone tends to enjoy music that is adventurous in some way, so that can range from thrash metal to tango nuevo to Penderecki's avant-garde orchestral works.

The music and the sound do directly influence each other as at the end of the day everything needs to work together and it's all going to be coming out of the same speakers. In creating sound effects we maintain that same attitude of going for uniqueness and originality.

How does dSonic go about selecting voice actors?
Well we go through an audition process, as you might expect, and as well as looking for the right voice for the part, we look for actors who can create a distinct variety of character voices. Since there are so many characters in most games, many with only a few, small lines, it's not practical to have a different actor read each part, so versatility is the name of the game.

The final decision on the actors is usually in the hands of the publisher or developer. In the case of Mage Knight Apocalypse we were lucky that Dave Georgeson, a senior producer at Namco, was writing the script and he became closely involved in the casting and recording of the actors. He's a very talented guy and we had a great time working with him.

About Mage Knight: Apocalypse:
How long does it take you to create an average sound for Mage Knight: Apocalypse?
That really depends on the sound. Footsteps, while not being as simple as you might think, don't take as long as spells and skills, for example, but the range is probably anywhere from half an hour to half a day, if there's a sound that takes several tries to get it right.

How many sounds on average make up game? How many are you anticipating Namco's Mage Knight: Apocalypse to have?
It's actually really hard to count, especially because a single "sound," e.g. a creature growling, can be made up of several wave files, either playing randomly or layered on top of each other or both. At some point in the process you lose count and become more focused on what is required for the game.

However, to give you and idea, for Mage Knight Apocalypse there is nearly 900MB of data-compressed sound files. That is a lot of sound! We had around 40-60 unique sounds per creature, the environmental sounds are made of many sounds weaving through the world (rather than a single stereo loop) and the majority of sounds and music pieces are each a collection of randomized sounds

With the next-generation coming up how will sound effects benefit from the more powerful systems?
We're definitely able to do more as the consoles become bigger and more capable of handling more complex audio engines. We anticipate and are pushing for a next-gen title that features Adaptive Audio in Realtime, which is only a hope right now because audio is often overlooked as a viable asset to storytelling.

Audio can be used as a way to move a story forward or create a more diverse story in the title. Publishers and developers are only starting to explore this option, and many don't know how to go about it. By partnering with a company like dSonic in the early development stages, something like this is totally achievable. It's just a matter of time until Adaptive Audio becomes more known - we can actually do a lot of it today, but it's a matter of people catching on to what a great addition to the game Adaptive Audio can be.

How do you think Next-generation gaming systems will change the sound effects industry, if at all?
It's still an uphill battle for Adaptive Audio, and I think if the fans started demanding better audio, we'd see changes more quickly. This industry is unique in that it really is run by the fans. If they make enough noise about it, no pun intended, we'd definitely start to see changes.

How are the sound effects in Namco's Mage Knight: Apocalypse unique from other games?
Where do I start? Each character set has 40-60 unique sounds, and all of them are made "as ordered" - for example, we used tire squeals cross-processed with a steam engine to give the Steam Mauler character a vicious, yet mechanical vocal quality. We did this to get the sound of a robot that might exist in a medieval world, and not something that sounds overly "synthy" and futuristic.

Another good example is the Frost Minion. We had to create a set of sounds that would reflect the sound a creature who was made out of ice would make. Staying away from animal sounds, we went for musical instruments such as screeching violins and asian flutes for the raw material.

What was the oddest item used at dSonic to create sound effects?
Well it's not that the items themselves are necessarily odd, but that the purposes they are used for can be quite unusual. Simon's daughter for example, was a perfectly normal 9 month old but we turned her crying into the howling of a rather abnormal, possessed, giant Troll.

Notes from the editor
I for one never knew so much went into making the sounds within each video game. As Kemal mentioned the Video Games industry is fan driven and we all should look more deeply into the sound of the video games we play.

Recently I was playing Midway's The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and noticed how they had very few unique sounds and they continued repeating, I believe this is a sign of a "lower class" game, so I guess to a degree we already base a video game upon the sound but we as a community should demand improved audio.

Also a nice touch to mention that he is better looking than his brother Simon. LOL. Everyone have fun and peace out.

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