I am fascinated with any aspects of game audio, and I am definitely determined to learn more. So, I conducted an interview with successful, veteran
High Voltage Software Audio
Video Director, Michael Metz, in order to gain expert insight into the world of
audio for games and how entry-level sound designers can be successful in it as
well:
- What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
“I oversee the audio and video department for HVS. I
am in charge of overseeing creation, implementation, direction of all things
audio and video for our games, which includes sound design, music, voice over,
and also any video work that the studio may need.”
- How many people do you have on your audio team and what do they do specifically? Do they each perform the same job or do they have differing responsibilities?
“Things have changed over the years. At one point we had 7 people on the
AV team that I oversaw. Today, it is just one part time audio employee and I.
The advent of smartphones has greatly reduced the amount of content that are
needed for the smaller smart phone games.”
- For aspiring video game sound designers, what advice do you have for those just starting out, in terms of what an executive in your field would look for in a potential audio team employee?
“For me, I try to look to see how much work they have done on their
own. If they have only worked on school projects and nothing else, then I may
think that they are not that passionate about game audio. But if they are
recording their own sounds, maybe re-creating cinema, or creating their own
music without a teacher’s instructions, then I know they are probably pretty
passionate about what they are doing and generally enjoy doing it.”
- In your opinion, what aspects of a sound design portfolio make it stand out amongst others?
“When I started, most audio tools were proprietary or came with a
platforms SDK, which the normal public did not have access too. These days you
can download most of the tools and engines for free. So there should be no
reason that you don’t have any experience with Wwise
or FMOD and implanting in
engines like Unity or Unreal, since they are available for everyone. Also,
make sure you have some coding experience, even if it’s just HTML. At some
point, you are probably going to have to be able to at least understand the
basics of code and its basic syntax. Also, if you want to be in game audio and
you send me a CD of your band, it’s probably going in the garbage. I need to
see a video reel with a compilation of all things audio that you have done.”
- What do you feel is most important for creating quality audio for video games?
“Knowing where each part of the SFX/music/VO sit in the mix. They all
need their own room on the frequency spectrum.”
- When you have been presented with a project, how, and at what point do you determine whether or not the sound will be handled in house or from an outside agency?
“We usually have quicker turnaround times and shorter milestone
schedules at HVS than probably at some of the larger studios, so we have always
done our audio in house. Depending on the time, budget, and genre needed, we
may outsource the music.”
- If you decide that you must go outside of your company for sound design, how do you determine which company to use?
“Over the years we have kept in contact with many game audio companies
and contract composers. We choose the one who we feel can best articulate the
needs and direction of our project.”
- What general advice do you have for sound designers of video games, whether they seek to be employed or own their own business?
“Get out there and meet people in the industry. Go to conferences;
join forums (like G.A.N.G.).
Human interaction is very important. I get reels and CD’s on a daily basis.
They will not all get looked at/heard. But if I met you at GDC and you came off as a
knowledgeable and cool person, I may check out your
work!”
I hope this interview has provided some helpful
information for anyone endeavoring to enter this particular field of audio!
Game on!
Game on!
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