Slides/Audio (87 MB)
During this session, game developers and audio professionals have the opportunity to learn about the practice, process and benefits of adding live instruments, ensembles, singers and voice acting into game audio. Did you know that breathing some real life into a project can be done in an affordable way and can create a more enjoyable and profitable game? MIDI files, sampled music, and acoustic recording examples will be compared and some music "terms for dummies" will be explained in a clear way to give non-audio folks a greater understanding of the audio world. You will also not want to miss the live instrument recording demos during this presentation. Get an inside perspective on how audio professionals work to create stellar recordings.
Delivered at Casual Connect Seattle, July 2009
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Aaron WALZ (email)
Aaron Walz is no stranger to video games and music; he has enjoyed and studied both since the days of the Atari 2600. Aaron and his team are responsible for the award-winning soundtracks of the Amaranth Games hit series, Aveyond, which pioneered the use of live orchestrated symphonic instrumentation in Casual Games. Walz Music also crafted the music for Hardwood Hearts and Hardwood Spades by Silver Creek Entertainment. Both were nominated for Best Independent Game at the IGF; Hardwood Spades took the award. Walz Music has scored and designed sound for mobile game titles such as Stacks and the Road to Tyre. Among Aaron’s influences are Japanese video game composers Nobuo Uematsu, Noriyuki Iwadare and Koichi Sugiyama. These are the talented minds who brought us the sounds of Final Fantasy, Lunar, Grandia and Dragon Quest. Aaron earned a BA of music from Sonoma State University and is planning to pursue his MA at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition to composing, Aaron records with various live and studio projects, performs as a chorister and soloist with ensembles directed by Grammy award winner, Joseph Jennings, and has a passion for teaching. Aaron founded Walz Music with a clear vision in mind: To create music that stands alone as a worthy contribution to art, and to strive for constant musical improvement and understanding internally and throughout the industry. Walz Music can be found online at www.walzmusic.com.
