sd23david wrote:
> Thanks for the replies.
>
> Unfortunately, we use Sony Vegas here. I'm slowly warming my
> co-workers up to the ProTools idea and I think I'm going to get them
> to purchase an LE package soon. Then they will see the light. Haha...
>
> I do have sound forge so maybe I will look into that.
>
> If you think of anything else, please let me know because there's
> surely a better way to do this. :)

Reaper.

You can literally save hours with that thing.

Attach a key to the action "Item: Auto trim/split selected items..." or
put in to the icon bar (brand new in v3.0a2+).

Not only that, but you can create macros and customize fades, and that's
not counting all the functions two people have built with extensions to
Reaper. Sws and Xenakios are the users responsible for those.

If you need detail help on it, email me or visit the forum. The macro
hackers in the forum are plenty, and macros can loop too.

When you're processing lots of little bits, you will benefit from
Shane's Autorender AHK script, that reads out all the region definitions
of the active session(region ala Soundforge/Vegas, not PT) and render
them with the name you've given to the directory you specify and the
codec of your choosing. That's not even counting the ways to apply fx in
the session itself across any number of items. Clip effects, clip
automation of volume/pan/mute.

But I digress. The split function is simple, but needs to be set up to
be triggered from a key or the action window, where all triggering
keyboard/midi messages and macros are set up or the icon toolbar.

In it you'll get threshold, hysteresis, ignore silence shorter than x
ms, minimum result length, leading and trailing pad, optional fade of
pad, autoadjust snap offse to peak value in first x ms, four split
modes( split and remove silent areas, split and keep silent areas, split
only before non-silent areas and split only before silence), split group
items at time of selected item splits(drum editors like this), preserve
timing of non-silend areas and one of the most important "Run Signal
Through Track FX for detection". That last one gives you the chance to
tune the ReaGate plugin you stick in to an insert. It's just about the
best gate I've ever used, bar none.

All in all, I can't recommend Reaper highly enough.

  Tony

I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the guys over at Naughty
Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are acting out their
motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be recorded during the
mo-cap for a more realistic performance.

What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board tried anything
like that before with game audio? All of a sudden it's almost
production audio from a film.

I'm not in the industry, but they did this with the first one if I remember
correct and I LOVED that game. I watched all the behind the scenes and it blew
me away. =)I think the process is a great idea, if you watch the actors they
totally lose themselves in the moment.

--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Grimm, Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
>
> I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if it necessitates some ADR
> later on in the process.  It creates a much more realistic sense of
> timing and intensity.
>
> They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it turned out great IMHO.
>
> I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.  Especially concerning
> mic choice and placement,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Matt
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of eighthronin
> Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
>
> I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the guys over at Naughty
> Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are acting out their
> motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be recorded during the
> mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
>
> What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board tried anything
> like that before with game audio? All of a sudden it's almost
> production audio from a film.
>

"not in the industry YET!" lol I don't want to seem like I'm here for nothing.
=3 Sorry bout that.

--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Alyssa Galindo" <alyssa.galindo@...>
wrote:
>
> I'm not in the industry, but they did this with the first one if I remember
correct and I LOVED that game. I watched all the behind the scenes and it blew
me away. =)I think the process is a great idea, if you watch the actors they
totally lose themselves in the moment.
>
> --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Grimm, Matthew" <mgrimm@> wrote:
> >
> > I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if it necessitates some ADR
> > later on in the process.  It creates a much more realistic sense of
> > timing and intensity.
> >
> > They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it turned out great IMHO.
> >
> > I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.  Especially concerning
> > mic choice and placement,
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Matt
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> >
> > I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the guys over at Naughty
> > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are acting out their
> > motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be recorded during the
> > mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
> >
> > What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board tried anything
> > like that before with game audio? All of a sudden it's almost
> > production audio from a film.
> >
>

Hi Everyone,

We did this on Star Wars The Force Unleashed as well.... all of the Cinematic VO
was captured with a 416 during the mocap shoot, as if it were production
dialogue.  We had ILM bring a "Portable" mocap rig into our studio space so that
we could get great facial mocap as well as clean dialogue recordings.

All adr and vo pickups were then shot with the same mic later on for
consistency.

It's a great way to get great performances when combined with traditional VO.

Best,

David W. Collins
Audio Lead, LucasArts

PS:  Uncharted was wonderful!  Very inspiring performances.


--- On Wed, 3/4/09, Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...> wrote:

> From: Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...>
> Subject: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 10:41 AM
> I'm not in the industry, but they did this with the
> first one if I remember correct and I LOVED that game. I
> watched all the behind the scenes and it blew me away. =)I
> think the process is a great idea, if you watch the actors
> they totally lose themselves in the moment.
>
> --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Grimm,
> Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
> >
> > I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if it
> necessitates some ADR
> > later on in the process.  It creates a much more
> realistic sense of
> > timing and intensity.
> >
> > They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it
> turned out great IMHO.
> >
> > I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.
>  Especially concerning
> > mic choice and placement,
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Matt
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> >
> > I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the
> guys over at Naughty
> > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are
> acting out their
> > motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be
> recorded during the
> > mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
> >
> > What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board
> tried anything
> > like that before with game audio? All of a sudden
> it's almost
> > production audio from a film.
> >

a cautionary tale from the MoCap stage for Beowulf -- the MoCap suits
had a *lot* of velcro on them, holding various transmitters and cables
in place, and needless to say, this created a lot of loud velcro
crunching and tearing.  i think the production sound guys were hoping
for an easy time, since there was no need to hide the radio mics and
transmitters, but there were some anxious discussions between the
costume, MoCap, and sound guys before they sorted it out.

likewise, despite the lack of "official" cameras, there were enough
reference video cameras, not to mention the MoCap sensors themselves,
that the boom operators didn't have the worry-free experience they
might have expected.

also, a MoCap stage can also have a *lot* of computers and other
electronics running, so interference can be a problem.

also remember: while recording original dialogue and even ADR on set
is great...  there isn't really a set!  the MoCap facility may not
have anything like the shape and acoustics of the final virtual set.
capturing good performances is of course great, but less so if the
audio is unusable at the end of the day...

Beowulf  was very complex capture sessions, however, and i should add
that i was just watching from the sidelines, as a member of the art
department.  i guess the lesson is: get there early and expect
Murphy's Law to apply!

-g
-- www.suddensound.com --

Hey David,

I'm curious about your recording process (loved the game btw.)

Was your mocap studio acoustically treated?  Were you able to turn off the
ventilation system, or did you rely on noise reduction in the post?  How
extensive were your ADR sessions?

Any answers or details would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


-----Original Message-----
From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com on behalf of David Collins
Sent: Wed 3/4/2009 8:50 PM
To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2

Hi Everyone,

We did this on Star Wars The Force Unleashed as well.... all of the Cinematic VO
was captured with a 416 during the mocap shoot, as if it were production
dialogue. We had ILM bring a "Portable" mocap rig into our studio space so that
we could get great facial mocap as well as clean dialogue recordings.

All adr and vo pickups were then shot with the same mic later on for
consistency.

It's a great way to get great performances when combined with traditional VO.

Best,

David W. Collins
Audio Lead, LucasArts

PS: Uncharted was wonderful! Very inspiring performances.

--- On Wed, 3/4/09, Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...
<mailto:alyssa.galindo%40gmail.com> > wrote:

> From: Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...
<mailto:alyssa.galindo%40gmail.com> >
> Subject: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 10:41 AM
> I'm not in the industry, but they did this with the
> first one if I remember correct and I LOVED that game. I
> watched all the behind the scenes and it blew me away. =)I
> think the process is a great idea, if you watch the actors
> they totally lose themselves in the moment.
>
> --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com> ,
"Grimm,
> Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
> >
> > I think that it's a fantastic idea. Even if it
> necessitates some ADR
> > later on in the process. It creates a much more
> realistic sense of
> > timing and intensity.
> >
> > They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it
> turned out great IMHO.
> >
> > I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.
> Especially concerning
> > mic choice and placement,
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Matt
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com> ]
> > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> >
> > I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the
> guys over at Naughty
> > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are
> acting out their
> > motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be
> recorded during the
> > mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
> >
> > What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board
> tried anything
> > like that before with game audio? All of a sudden
> it's almost
> > production audio from a film.
> >

For vocals accompanying action sequences, rather than spoken
dialogue, it does seem a great idea. Speech is affected by
body movement, so it will sound much better than a sitting or
upright actor just delivering the lines.

In a long fight sequence, naturally sounding out of
breath, or shouting as you duck or swing, will sound
pretty fake and plastic if you try to act it sitting
down.

What would concern me is the floor treatment. You want very
well damped mats (A kind of spongy 'play area' floor) so
that feet movements aren't spoiling things.



On Wed, 4 Mar 2009 09:58:41 -0600
"Grimm, Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:

> I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if it necessitates some ADR
> later on in the process.  It creates a much more realistic sense of
> timing and intensity.
>
> They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it turned out great IMHO.
>
> I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.  Especially concerning
> mic choice and placement,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Matt
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of eighthronin
> Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
>
> I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the guys over at Naughty
> Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are acting out their
> motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be recorded during the
> mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
>
> What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board tried anything
> like that before with game audio? All of a sudden it's almost
> production audio from a film.
>
>


--
Use the source

Hello again,

Greg's word of caution and Andy's e-nmail are pretty dead-on: to further explain
my brief e-mail yesterday (and to answer your question Matt), I should mention
that not all of the dialogue captured in a mocap situation can be used in the
end... but as mentioned, it makes for great reference material for the actor and
for the team later on when doing adr and other vocal pickup sessions.  That,
more than anything else, is the point I think.

I had a lucky situation on my project, because I was in a treated room doing
facial mocap, rather than recording on a big, untreated stage.  The actors
weren't in mocap suits... they were being captured from the neck up, and wore
sensible clothes that didn't make noise.  The whole cast was there, with one
actor being shot in close-up, and the others behind the mocap cameras acting the
scene as well.  We also shot video for reference.

Not all dialogue was usable, but again, that's similar to production dialogue in
a film situation.  Either way, it was extremely valuable in helping us avoid
that "VO-sounding" dialogue in our game.

Hope that makes sense.  :-)

Best,

David


--- On Wed, 3/4/09, David Collins <swsoundes@...> wrote:

> From: David Collins <swsoundes@...>
> Subject: Re: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 6:50 PM
> Hi Everyone,
>
> We did this on Star Wars The Force Unleashed as well....
> all of the Cinematic VO was captured with a 416 during the
> mocap shoot, as if it were production dialogue.  We had ILM
> bring a "Portable" mocap rig into our studio space
> so that we could get great facial mocap as well as clean
> dialogue recordings.
>
> All adr and vo pickups were then shot with the same mic
> later on for consistency.
>
> It's a great way to get great performances when
> combined with traditional VO.
>
> Best,
>
> David W. Collins
> Audio Lead, LucasArts
>
> PS:  Uncharted was wonderful!  Very inspiring performances.
>
>
> --- On Wed, 3/4/09, Alyssa Galindo
> <alyssa.galindo@...> wrote:
>
> > From: Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...>
> > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in
> Uncharted 2
> > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 10:41 AM
> > I'm not in the industry, but they did this with
> the
> > first one if I remember correct and I LOVED that game.
> I
> > watched all the behind the scenes and it blew me away.
> =)I
> > think the process is a great idea, if you watch the
> actors
> > they totally lose themselves in the moment.
> >
> > --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Grimm,
> > Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if
> it
> > necessitates some ADR
> > > later on in the process.  It creates a much more
> > realistic sense of
> > > timing and intensity.
> > >
> > > They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it
> > turned out great IMHO.
> > >
> > > I'd love to hear people's experiences as
> well.
> >  Especially concerning
> > > mic choice and placement,
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >
> > > Matt
> > >
> > > ________________________________
> > >
> > > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> > > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in
> Uncharted 2
> > >
> > > I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and
> the
> > guys over at Naughty
> > > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors
> are
> > acting out their
> > > motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be
> > recorded during the
> > > mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
> > >
> > > What do people think of this? Has anyone on this
> board
> > tried anything
> > > like that before with game audio? All of a sudden
> > it's almost
> > > production audio from a film.
> > >

Hi David,

Just going through this now too.

I've been advised a Blue Sky Pro Desk + Presonus Fire Studio - apparently the
FireStudio has a built in surround decoder and an optical input - so you can
monitor your mixes from the console directly.



--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "sd23david" <sd23david@...> wrote:
>
> Can anyone recommend a professional, external sound card that will
> drive a 5.1 system (I'm looking at the BlueSky media desk) and allow
> for an Xbox 360 and PS3 to be plugged into it? (the 360 and PS3 have
> optical outs and HDMI).
>
> Also, we use PC's here (so we can go USB or FIREWIRE) from the PC to
> the sound card.
>
> It has to be professional enough to mix a game and, also, create sound
> assets in 5.1
>

Sorry I forgot to mention you also need the MSR Optional Remote for the fire
studio.


--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Yannis Brown" <yjbrown@...> wrote:
>
> Hi David,
>
> Just going through this now too.
>
> I've been advised a Blue Sky Pro Desk + Presonus Fire Studio - apparently the
FireStudio has a built in surround decoder and an optical input - so you can
monitor your mixes from the console directly.
>
>
>
> --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "sd23david" <sd23david@> wrote:
> >
> > Can anyone recommend a professional, external sound card that will
> > drive a 5.1 system (I'm looking at the BlueSky media desk) and allow
> > for an Xbox 360 and PS3 to be plugged into it? (the 360 and PS3 have
> > optical outs and HDMI).
> >
> > Also, we use PC's here (so we can go USB or FIREWIRE) from the PC to
> > the sound card.
> >
> > It has to be professional enough to mix a game and, also, create sound
> > assets in 5.1
> >
>

Did you hire a dialog editor to polish the recordings for the cinematics
? If so, how finished was the picture that the editor got ?

  Tony

steve.tushar wrote:
> I've got a RME PCI Madi card hooked up to a SSL 24in/out audio converter.
>
> Stay with PCI or PCIe for sure.
> FW just doesn't cut it.
> I'm so glad I switched back to PCI!

I'm looking at the new RME HDSPe AIO card for the i7 rig I'll be
building this year. Has all the outputs I need and digital I/O to my
converters. My old Digi-96 hasn't had it yet, but it won't survive the
next mainboard.

Love the drivers, the quality and the tools you get with their cards.
I've been using RME products for over nine years now.

  Tony

I actually recorded the dialogue on the mocap stage for the first Uncharted. The
stage is basically a big warehouse with all kinds of computers running and
lights buzzing. So, the audio recorded was really just reference audio to be
looped later. I approached it just like I would a regular production gig.
Wireless mics on the actors, multi-track recorder, comteks going to the director
and other people.

-Dave



--- On Wed, 3/4/09, Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...> wrote:

> From: Alyssa Galindo <alyssa.galindo@...>
> Subject: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 10:41 AM
> I'm not in the industry, but they did this with the
> first one if I remember correct and I LOVED that game. I
> watched all the behind the scenes and it blew me away. =)I
> think the process is a great idea, if you watch the actors
> they totally lose themselves in the moment.
>
> --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Grimm,
> Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
> >
> > I think that it's a fantastic idea.  Even if it
> necessitates some ADR
> > later on in the process.  It creates a much more
> realistic sense of
> > timing and intensity.
> >
> > They did this with Heavenly Sword as well, and it
> turned out great IMHO.
> >
> > I'd love to hear people's experiences as well.
>  Especially concerning
> > mic choice and placement,
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Matt
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com]
> > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> >
> > I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the
> guys over at Naughty
> > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are
> acting out their
> > motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be
> recorded during the
> > mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
> >
> > What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board
> tried anything
> > like that before with game audio? All of a sudden
> it's almost
> > production audio from a film.
> >

I should mention that since the velcro thing was brought up, I chose not to boom
because it was picking up way too much velcro. I mounted the lavs on the actors
foreheads pointing down. I used the omni Sanken COS-11's with the rubber mount.
I just used a bit of gaff tape to hold it down, and it worked great. Didn't get
any velcro.

On Silent Hill: Homecoming, The audio that I was recording was to be used in
game, so the mocap stage built a "soundproof" room. Basically they built a
seperate, smaller volume and then covered the whole thing in many layers of
duvatene. We had to turn off all the lights on the stage, and but mats and stuff
over the computers to keep the noise down. I haven't played the game yet, so I
don't know how the final product turned out, but even with all that done, the
production tracks didn't sound as good as I would have liked. Then again, I've
heard some raw production tracks for big budget feature films and tv shows, and
they are pretty rough too. It's amazing what re-recording mixers can do.


--- On Thu, 3/5/09, Bill Wolford <billwolford@...> wrote:

> From: Bill Wolford <billwolford@...>
> Subject: Re: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording in Uncharted 2
> To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thursday, March 5, 2009, 11:06 AM
> I hope Obama records his the rest of his speeches during his
> mo-cap
> sessions. (see article)
>
>
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/obama_outfitted_with_238_motion?utm_source=\
a-section
>
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 7:46 AM, David Collins
> <swsoundes@...> wrote:
>
> >   Hello again,
> >
> > Greg's word of caution and Andy's e-nmail are
> pretty dead-on: to further
> > explain my brief e-mail yesterday (and to answer your
> question Matt), I
> > should mention that not all of the dialogue captured
> in a mocap situation
> > can be used in the end... but as mentioned, it makes
> for great reference
> > material for the actor and for the team later on when
> doing adr and other
> > vocal pickup sessions. That, more than anything else,
> is the point I think.
> >
> > I had a lucky situation on my project, because I was
> in a treated room
> > doing facial mocap, rather than recording on a big,
> untreated stage. The
> > actors weren't in mocap suits... they were being
> captured from the neck up,
> > and wore sensible clothes that didn't make noise.
> The whole cast was there,
> > with one actor being shot in close-up, and the others
> behind the mocap
> > cameras acting the scene as well. We also shot video
> for reference.
> >
> > Not all dialogue was usable, but again, that's
> similar to production
> > dialogue in a film situation. Either way, it was
> extremely valuable in
> > helping us avoid that "VO-sounding" dialogue
> in our game.
> >
> > Hope that makes sense. :-)
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > David
> >
> > --- On Wed, 3/4/09, David Collins
> <swsoundes@...<swsoundes%40yahoo.com>>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > From: David Collins <swsoundes@...
> <swsoundes%40yahoo.com>>
> > > Subject: Re: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording
> in Uncharted 2
> > > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 6:50 PM
> >
> > > Hi Everyone,
> > >
> > > We did this on Star Wars The Force Unleashed as
> well....
> > > all of the Cinematic VO was captured with a 416
> during the
> > > mocap shoot, as if it were production dialogue.
> We had ILM
> > > bring a "Portable" mocap rig into our
> studio space
> > > so that we could get great facial mocap as well
> as clean
> > > dialogue recordings.
> > >
> > > All adr and vo pickups were then shot with the
> same mic
> > > later on for consistency.
> > >
> > > It's a great way to get great performances
> when
> > > combined with traditional VO.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > David W. Collins
> > > Audio Lead, LucasArts
> > >
> > > PS: Uncharted was wonderful! Very inspiring
> performances.
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Wed, 3/4/09, Alyssa Galindo
> > > <alyssa.galindo@...
> <alyssa.galindo%40gmail.com>> wrote:
> > >
> > > > From: Alyssa Galindo
> <alyssa.galindo@...<alyssa.galindo%40gmail.com>
> > >
> > > > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Re: Voice Recording
> in
> > > Uncharted 2
> > > > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 10:41 AM
> > > > I'm not in the industry, but they did
> this with
> > > the
> > > > first one if I remember correct and I LOVED
> that game.
> > > I
> > > > watched all the behind the scenes and it
> blew me away.
> > > =)I
> > > > think the process is a great idea, if you
> watch the
> > > actors
> > > > they totally lose themselves in the moment.
> > > >
> > > > --- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>,
> > "Grimm,
> > > > Matthew" <mgrimm@...> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I think that it's a fantastic idea.
> Even if
> > > it
> > > > necessitates some ADR
> > > > > later on in the process. It creates a
> much more
> > > > realistic sense of
> > > > > timing and intensity.
> > > > >
> > > > > They did this with Heavenly Sword as
> well, and it
> > > > turned out great IMHO.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'd love to hear people's
> experiences as
> > > well.
> > > > Especially concerning
> > > > > mic choice and placement,
> > > > >
> > > > > Cheers,
> > > > >
> > > > > Matt
> > > > >
> > > > > ________________________________
> > > > >
> > > > > From: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > [mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>]
> > > > > On Behalf Of eighthronin
> > > > > Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 12:59 PM
> > > > > To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > > Subject: [gameaudiopro] Voice Recording
> in
> > > Uncharted 2
> > > > >
> > > > > I was reading January's Edge
> Magazine, and
> > > the
> > > > guys over at Naughty
> > > > > Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2,
> the actors
> > > are
> > > > acting out their
> > > > > motion capture on a sound stage, so the
> VO can be
> > > > recorded during the
> > > > > mo-cap for a more realistic
> performance.
> > > > >
> > > > > What do people think of this? Has
> anyone on this
> > > board
> > > > tried anything
> > > > > like that before with game audio? All
> of a sudden
> > > > it's almost
> > > > > production audio from a film.
> > > > >
> >
> >
> >

Hello.

I'm working on a title for scea/zipper and we are shooting mocap & vo as well. 
Before actually shooting, we ran a series of tests with mic(s), mic pres and mic
placement.

The mics tested were Sanken COS11 which is an omni lav, DPA 4066 which is an
omni headset, and DPA 4088 which is a caroid headset.
Additionally, we tested with the John Hardy M1 mic pre and the Yahmaha DM1000
mic pre.

While testing we made sure to have all mocap cameras and lights on, we had the
ventilation systems on and any other noise making machines.  This helped us to
know exactly what to expect when recording.
We tested whispering, normal dialog and yelling with both male and female
voices.

Our goal was to record great performances with high quality vo. Since recording
vo and mocap with union talent is more expensive, we wanted to use as much of
the set material as possible.  If we have to adr later in the project we will,
but the goal is to keep what we can.

The tests turned out to be quite interesting and successful. The results are
subjective, but here's what we found.

The cos11 omni's were placed on the forehead(in the center and to the side) were
easy to set up.  They captured less vocal lowend, sounded a little further away
and had a layer of noise from the room.

The 4066 omni headset took a little more time to setup as you have to sculpt the
headset for the actors head and play around with placement. The results were
similar to the co11, but it captured a little more vocal lowend.

The 4088 cardioid headset took about much more time to setup compared to the
4066 and cos11. We had to sculpt them to the actors head and play around with
the mic placement.  I found that the cardioid needed to be placed further back
(think middle of cheek)as it was a more sensitive to plosives and air than the
omnis.  This mic sounded the cleanest of the three with little to no noise and
full vocal range. We decided to go with the 4088's.

We did not have any issues with velcro noise.

The John Hardy mic pre was clean and colorless (to me) the DM100 pres sounded a
little more harsh in the high frequency range.  We ended up using the John Hardy
pres.

Overall, recording mocap & vo together is light years away from recording each
piece separately.  It ties everything together, the actor chemistry, the timing,
the action and the voice. It is important to note that we hired a director who
had experience with both vo and mocap. Additionally, we hired actors who had on
camera and or mocap experience.

`hope



--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "eighthronin" <eighthronin@...> wrote:
>
> I was reading January's Edge Magazine, and the guys over at Naughty
> Dog were saying that on Uncharted 2, the actors are acting out their
> motion capture on a sound stage, so the VO can be recorded during the
> mo-cap for a more realistic performance.
>
> What do people think of this? Has anyone on this board tried anything
> like that before with game audio? All of a sudden it's almost
> production audio from a film.
>

I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to monitor PC
builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with an interface that works
for this? Thanks!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com

I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to monitor PC builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with an interface that works for this? Thanks!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Mark

To: gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:04 AM

Subject: [gameaudiopro] ASIO-compatible pro interface for monitoring games

I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to monitor PC builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with an interface that works for this? Thanks!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com

We're doing that too. We want a higher quality analog output of our PCs
to the decoder/amp. Creative X-Fi sucks, quite frankly, and we're trying
to phase it out of our setups entirely. We're looking at the RME units,
they might do the job. I think we're just going to order a few different
units, see what works, buy more of the one that does and return the rest.

Thanks for getting back to me though. It's nice to hear that you guys
have upgraded. That was sorely needed. I'm working on a new post for my
site about the mix signal path and a proposed process for mixing games,
and I rail on the school of thought that leads to mixing through
consumer speakers. Now you're not a target of my ire :)

Later!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com



Raison Varner wrote:
>
> Hey dude,
>
> I can't remember... were you still at gearbox when we came up with our
> new setup? Using the denon pro preamp (XLR balanced outputs for
> speaker outs) to route everything (including PC) through it as a hub
> to our 5.1 setup of Adam A7s?
>
> http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817
> <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817>
>
> Take a look at it's rear connections, it has analog inputs you can run
> any regular PC audio card/integrated sound solution to.
>
> It's under $1K as well I believe...
>
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Mark <mailto:mark@...>
>     *To:* gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com>
>     *Sent:* Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:04 AM
>     *Subject:* [gameaudiopro] ASIO-compatible pro interface for
>     monitoring games
>
>     I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to
>     monitor PC builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with
>     an interface that works for this? Thanks!
>
>     Mark Kilborn
>     Sound Designer
>     www.markkilborn.com <http://www.markkilborn.com>
>
>

Aaaaand that was totally intended to be a private response. D'oh!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com



Mark Kilborn wrote:
>
> We're doing that too. We want a higher quality analog output of our PCs
> to the decoder/amp. Creative X-Fi sucks, quite frankly, and we're trying
> to phase it out of our setups entirely. We're looking at the RME units,
> they might do the job. I think we're just going to order a few different
> units, see what works, buy more of the one that does and return the rest.
>
> Thanks for getting back to me though. It's nice to hear that you guys
> have upgraded. That was sorely needed. I'm working on a new post for my
> site about the mix signal path and a proposed process for mixing games,
> and I rail on the school of thought that leads to mixing through
> consumer speakers. Now you're not a target of my ire :)
>
> Later!
>
> Mark Kilborn
> Sound Designer
> www.markkilborn.com
>
> Raison Varner wrote:
> >
> > Hey dude,
> >
> > I can't remember... were you still at gearbox when we came up with our
> > new setup? Using the denon pro preamp (XLR balanced outputs for
> > speaker outs) to route everything (including PC) through it as a hub
> > to our 5.1 setup of Adam A7s?
> >
> > http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817
> <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817>
> > <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817
> <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817>>
> >
> > Take a look at it's rear connections, it has analog inputs you can run
> > any regular PC audio card/integrated sound solution to.
> >
> > It's under $1K as well I believe...
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Mark <mailto:mark@...
> <mailto:mark%40markkilborn.com>>
> > *To:* gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
> > <mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>>
> > *Sent:* Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:04 AM
> > *Subject:* [gameaudiopro] ASIO-compatible pro interface for
> > monitoring games
> >
> > I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to
> > monitor PC builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with
> > an interface that works for this? Thanks!
> >
> > Mark Kilborn
> > Sound Designer
> > www.markkilborn.com <http://www.markkilborn.com
> <http://www.markkilborn.com>>
> >
> >
>
>

That's one I'm investigating as well!

Mark Kilborn
Sound Designer
www.markkilborn.com



W. B. Latta wrote:
>
> Does Yannis's prior recommendation of the Presonus Fire Studio (with
> remote) not also fall into this category?
>
>
> -West
>
> On Mar 12, 2009, at 9:38 PM, Mark Kilborn wrote:
>
>> We're doing that too. We want a higher quality analog output of our PCs
>> to the decoder/amp. Creative X-Fi sucks, quite frankly, and we're trying
>> to phase it out of our setups entirely. We're looking at the RME units,
>> they might do the job. I think we're just going to order a few different
>> units, see what works, buy more of the one that does and return the rest.
>>
>> Thanks for getting back to me though. It's nice to hear that you guys
>> have upgraded. That was sorely needed. I'm working on a new post for my
>> site about the mix signal path and a proposed process for mixing games,
>> and I rail on the school of thought that leads to mixing through
>> consumer speakers. Now you're not a target of my ire :)
>>
>> Later!
>>
>> Mark Kilborn
>> Sound Designer
>> www.markkilborn.com
>>
>> Raison Varner wrote:
>> >
>> > Hey dude,
>> >
>> > I can't remember... were you still at gearbox when we came up with our
>> > new setup? Using the denon pro preamp (XLR balanced outputs for
>> > speaker outs) to route everything (including PC) through it as a hub
>> > to our 5.1 setup of Adam A7s?
>> >
>> > http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817
>> <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817>
>> > <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817
>> <http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1817>>
>> >
>> > Take a look at it's rear connections, it has analog inputs you can run
>> > any regular PC audio card/integrated sound solution to.
>> >
>> > It's under $1K as well I believe...
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > *From:* Mark <mailto:mark@...
>> <mailto:mark%40markkilborn.com>>
>> > *To:* gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
>> <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>
>> > <mailto:gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com
>> <mailto:gameaudiopro%40yahoogroups.com>>
>> > *Sent:* Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:04 AM
>> > *Subject:* [gameaudiopro] ASIO-compatible pro interface for
>> > monitoring games
>> >
>> > I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to
>> > monitor PC builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with
>> > an interface that works for this? Thanks!
>> >
>> > Mark Kilborn
>> > Sound Designer
>> > www.markkilborn.com <http://www.markkilborn.com
>> <http://www.markkilborn.com>>
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>

Mark,

We use the Auzentech HDAXplosion PCI sound cards in Vista for monitoring
everything out of our PCs.

We utilize the DTS / Dolby Digital Live optical outputs feeding Denon preamp
decoders, but they also have decent-sounding 1/8" analog outs as well (the Op
amps can be upgraded too).

The cards actually run better in Vista as XP used to 'forget' they were set to
5.1 and default to Desktop Speakers, which was annoying.

Not bad for $99 cards. :-)

- Rodney



--- In gameaudiopro@yahoogroups.com, "Mark" <mark@...> wrote:
>
> I'm on the hunt for a pro audio interface that would allow me to monitor PC
builds in 5.1 in Windows Vista. Has anyone worked with an interface that works
for this? Thanks!
>
> Mark Kilborn
> Sound Designer
> www.markkilborn.com
>

Hello everyone,

We've got an opening for someone to take care of sound design at our Barcelona
studio. It'll be an awesome project to work on the coming years... :) I'll
include the post below. Cheers!

Jonatan Crafoord
Sound Designer - Grin Stockholm

---

Sound Designer – Grin Barcelona

Grin, developers of Bionic Commando and Wanted: Weapons of Fate, is looking for
a talented and experienced sound designer to take responsibility for the audio
creation for current and future projects at our studio in Barcelona, Spain. The
sound designer will be working alone with the sound design for the Barcelona
project, supported when needed by the lead and sound team at our Stockholm
headquarters.

Responsibilities:
* Layering and editing library effects and original recordings to create new top
quality sounds
* Implementation of sound and dialog using proprietary and middleware tools
* Quality control through constant testing and listening
* Debugging and problem solving of audio issues
* Meeting with producers and designers to agree on milestone deliveries

Requirements:
* Several years of industry experience with at least one completed project for a
current gen platform
* Skilled in layering, editing and mixing sound effects and dialog
* Great technical understanding and problem solving skills
* Excellent written and spoken English

Plusses:
* Experience using a middleware audio solution such as Wwise or Fmod
* Programming or scripting skills
* Experience with on location recording and microphone techniques
* Knowledge in Spanish and an ambition to learn the language

Please note that there is no music creation involved in this position.

The position is full-time on location at Grin Barcelona. To apply, please send
your CV and cover letter to jonatan.crafoord AT grin.se before or on the 18th of
March. Feel free to include links to any relevant work you wish to show us. All
applicants will also be expected to complete a special recruitment test for the
position.