game audio

Game Music, Gear, Music Production, Software

Black Friday 2017 Game Music & Game Audio Sales

November 24, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Black Friday 2017 Game Music & Game Audio Sales Share this
It’s yet again the time of year to batten down the proverbial hatches for Black Friday chaos. Thankfully, the internet makes the whole daunting task of taking advantage of post-Thanksgiving sales a lot easier, what without the stabbings and trampling. We’ve put together a list of some of the Black Friday Sales we’ve found for video game soundtracks, game audio production software and gear, and anything else game music related. (Disclosure: Some products may include affiliate links)

Video Game Soundtracks & Albums
- Limited Run Games – Breach & Clear: Deadline Soundtrack Vinyl (new, on sale!)
- GOG.com – 50% off The Metronomicon Original Game Soundtrack
- GOG.com – 40% off Furi Original Soundtrack
- GOG.com – 25% off Owlboy Soundtrack
- GOG.com – 80% off This War of Mine Soundtrack
- Square-Enix – 10% – 30% off All Game Soundtracks (83% off Infinite Undiscovery OST)
Game Audio Software
- Impact Soundworks – 25% off nearly all audio bundles & plugins (including Super Audio Cart & Ventus Shakuhachi)
Audio Gear
- Ebay – 25% – 60% off Musical Instruments & Gear (with free shipping)
- Newegg – $299 (save 35%) Audio Technica Direct Drive Professional DJ Turntable with USB Output
- Newegg – $159 (save 29%) Blue Microphones YETI Mic w/ Knox Boom Arm Stand & Pop Filter (Midnight Blue)
- Newegg – $79 (save 29%) Blue Microphones Snowball iCE Condenser Microphone w/ Knox Pop Filter & Full-Size Headphones (Black)
- Newegg – $89 (save 29%) Blue Microphones SNOWBALL-GB Mic w Knox Mic Desktop Boom Arm & Pop Filter
- Newegg – $18 (save 28%) ENHANCE USB Condenser Microphone with Adjustable Stand
- Amazon – $15 (save 40%) On Stage Stands Tripod Boom Microphone Stand
- Amazon – $6 (save 25%) Hantwin Chromatic Guitar Tuner
Miscellaneous Albums & Music
- Screen Archives – Misc. Film Scores
Music & Rhythm Games
- Steam – 40% off Thumper
- Steam – 80% off Crypt of the Necrodancer (69% off Amplified Pack)
- Steam – 40% off Rez Infinite
Game Music

Women Working in Video Game Audio: The Video Game Music Database Report

October 6, 2017 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Women Working in Video Game Audio: The Video Game Music Database Report Share this

About a month ago I reached out to the administrators at the Video Game Music Database (VGMdb) to ask if they could make some modifications to their advanced search. I wanted to be able to search for something specific: Women artists involved in game music. With the help of VGMdb admin Bigblah the advanced search was updated and here’s what you can search for now:

You can now refine the database search results by Male, Female or Unspecified genders, and isolate the results by Composer. Performing a search to include composers who were female for an original game soundtrack revealed 1,040 results! You can also make further refinements to your search to reveal more women that have worked in the video game audio industry.

Part of my motivations behind refining the advanced search was because a while back Original Sound Version began a series called Matron Maestras which highlighted some of the women working as composers in the video game industry. The composers included Winifred Phillips, Tomoka Sasaki, Eveline Fischer, and Michiru Oshima. We wanted to let you know that this series will be making a comeback in the coming months. In the meantime, please feel free to re-visit our previous Matron Maestras articles or perform some searches of your own with these new options in the VGMdb.

If there are woman composer or artist that you would like to see covered in OSV’s Matron Maestra series? Please let us know!
Miscellaneous, Music Production

PopCap Layoffs Highlight the Difficulties of Game Audio Careers

May 4, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on PopCap Layoffs Highlight the Difficulties of Game Audio Careers Share this

Recently, PopCap Games announced a wave of layoffs at their Seattle development branch to “refocus on new titles and key projects”. There was no confirmation of how many where laid off or what departments saw the cut in staff, but at least one member of their audio team announced their position had been the victim of the downsizing.

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Game Music, Miscellaneous

PSA: Check your Humble Bundle Purchases for Hidden Soundtracks

March 28, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on PSA: Check your Humble Bundle Purchases for Hidden Soundtracks Share this

Be it for cheap deals or philanthropic karma, most of us have at least a few Humble Bundle purchases to our names. Many of the hundreds of bundles the site has offered since 2010 have also included soundtracks, and not always from the bundled games. Between my bundle obsession of 2013, bonus content being unlocked, and the site’s dense purchases page, it’s no wonder I’ve recently found several soundtracks I didn’t even know I owned.

It’s been improving over the years but the latest version of the site has a handy dropdown for Audio, narrowing down your hundreds of purchases to just the ones with music downloads.You can also do the same to find purchases that include eBooks or wallpapers or to quickly find Steam and Origin keys.

So for this combination Public Service Announcement and Community Question we want to know what are some of your favorite or overlooked soundtracks you’ve picked up from a Humble Bundle?

Some of my most listened to soundtracks came from bundles: Dungeons of Dredmor, FEZ, Frozen Synapse and Starbound are just a few. But just this week I’ve been re-discovering the chiptune bliss of Mercenary Kings, the whimsical fantasy sounds of Trine 2 and the otherworldly ambiance of Rymdkapsel. What about you? Let us know in the comments below.
Music Production

Three Of The Most Common Fears New Game Composers Face (And How To Overcome Them)

March 25, 2017 | Chris Lines | Comments Off on Three Of The Most Common Fears New Game Composers Face (And How To Overcome Them) Share this
If you are reading this site you obviously have a keen interest in game music, you may even be a game composer yourself.

However, I suspect there is also a reasonable percentage of readers who are composers outside of games, want to get involved, but don’t really know how to get started. Either that or a fear lingering fears are holding them back.

Whenever I’ve spoken to composers looking at getting into games, apart from the problem of actually finding work (which is more of a practical issue), they nearly always have three fears that they mention:
1. What if I’m not a gamer?
2. What if I don’t know anything about interactive music?
3. I’m not sure my music is not good enough and I first need to learn [insert skill, software or strange music theory lesson].
These concerns are natural, and indeed I had these concerns myself when I started.

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Music Production

Top Podcasts For Learning Music and Audio Production

February 2, 2017 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Top Podcasts For Learning Music and Audio Production Share this

For those looking to expand their knowledge about the field of audio and music, the task to find good information can be daunting. The internet is full of message boards, forums, and tutorials about how to create, mix, master, and implement audio. It can be difficult to filter through the massive amount of information to find useful tips and advice for improving these skills.

In my own searches I’ve come across a number of podcasts that provide coverage of these specific topics. These podcasts range from covering specific aspects of mastering and mixing music to wider discussions on events and trends in the game industry concerning audio. Today I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite music and audio production podcasts that have helped expand my knowledge of these topics. This is by no means a complete list, but I hope it can be a good jumping off point for anyone else looking to learn more about the audio world. (more…)
Events, Game Music, Music Production, Software

2016 Survey sheds light on the Game Audio Profession

August 24, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on 2016 Survey sheds light on the Game Audio Profession Share this

The results of the third annual Game Audio Industry Survey — conducted by the GameSoundCon organizers with the help of the Game Audio Network Guild — have been tabulated and analyzed for 2016. Between May and June 587 individual respondents working in games audio reported on compensation, work environment, contract terms, use of live musicians and education to shed new light on the industry landscape. I wanted to pull out some of the more fascinating findings but the full report, available here, offers much more technical insight for those working in the industry or trying to break in. Let’s take a look.

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