Game sound instructor's Dave Kalberg (far left) and Sean Condlking (far right) flank Rainbow Studios Karen Murow Waller and Dave Lowmiller

On December 16th 2009, Rainbow Studios Dave Lowmilller and Karen Muro Waller talked game audio with CRAS students in an after hours special event that drew a packed house. The duo talked about everything from the production process, technical tools they use and shared insight into how they achieve the motor sport racing sounds Rainbow is known for in titles such as MX vs ATV and Cars. They also showed the other side of Rainbow by explaining sound design in the Wii hit Deadly Creatures as well as techniques for capturing weapon sounds. CRAS integrates game audio into its master recording program and graduates have enjoyed success with audio credits on titles from the Modern Warfare, Call of Duty, Halo, and Saints Row series just to name a few.

Wired Magazine reported today that a new Rock Band type standalone game featuring the Beatles was in development. Read more here. You can also vote for the Beatle’s songs you’d most like to play.

CRAS grad Ariel Gross parlayed his CRAS education into a full-time gig at Volition Inc. He is now able to focus his skills on creating innovative audio for games. He has composed soundtracks to and created sound effects for over ten published games, and the list grows daily. In his spare time, he manages an IDM record label and writes lots of funky music. The CRAS offers a game audio program based on the Wwise audio pipeline solution. Wwise allows a programmer to work within a game audio team for a company like Volition, or act as an independent content provider offering freelance services for a range of clients.

CRAS Instructor Robert Brock did one-on-one and group teaching of Audiokinetic’s Wwise game audio pipeline solution at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. The Conservatory currently teaches Wwise in their game audio classes and is working on a manufacturer certification of the new 2008.2 release software. Wwise allows the audio game developer to write game-critical audio cues into the game without needing a programmer.

CRAS Instructor Michel Henein wears many hats. Besides being a Digital Department instructor, he also has his own game company with a title in development (Diesel Games), and he writes features for Mix Magazine. His latest work in the February 2008 issue of Mix chronicles the audio production behind Call of Duty (CoD). Michel interiewed the audio engineers and sound designers who recorded 14 weapons perspectives for each shot, spent 170 hours recording voice overs, referenced 10,000 unique sound effects and created 750,000 individual sound parameters for the game.

CRAS grad Clay Barlow from the 8/3/2007 graduating class has rocketed to the top of his new job in Game Audio. He is part of the team at WaveGroup Sound in Fremont California who has produced the audio for a string of wildly successful game titles including Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero: Rock the 80’s. The studio is featured in the February 2008 issue, and cover of Mix magazine and Clay is pictured on page 50. “Clay had a perfect GPA and attendance over the 8 months he was here and was motivated from day one,” says Director of Education Kevin Becka. “It’s no wonder he’s done well in his new career. Students like Clay make our jobs something special, we wish him the all the best of luck.”

photo caption: l to r: Tim LeBlanc (Warners), Sean Richardson (GenAudio), Jerry Bentley (GenAudio), Tolga Katas (GenAudio), Jerry Mahabub (GenAudio), Tomlinson Holman (TMH Corp.), Michel Henein (Diesel Games), Kevin Wooten (Diesel Games)

CRAS Instructors are not only noted for their classroom skills, but also for their work in the field. For instance, Digital instructor Michel Henein also works for his own game company, Diesel Games, and is actively working with GenAudio on a game to demo their 3D surround technology called AstoundSound. Also on hand helping mix was 1997 CRAS grad Sean Richardson who now works for GenAudio.

Henein, Richardson and many others were recently on at Stage 6 on the Warner Lot in Burbank to mix another AstoundSound demo for film use. The technology creates a very realistic surround experience from just two speakers. You can hear more about the product on the Diesel Games or GenAudio websites.

Audiokinetic’s pipeline solution for game audio in operation on dual screens

The Conservatory will be teaching Wwise classes during the upcoming Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco in March. CRAS instructor’s Michel Henein and Robert Brock will be in the Audiokinetic booth showcasing what the app can do on a dual screen setup. The software is to game audio creation what Pro Tools is to the record business, and then some. It can react in real time based on a game player’s actions, and change the audio to match the scene. The Conservatory not only teaches the first-ever classes in Wwise to 9th Cycle students, but will be offering a special version of the curriculum to the professional game world in the spring when the official manfacturer-certified curriculum is unvelied. If you’re at the GDC, be sure to stop by the Audiokinetic booth at ES 5812, and the Conservatory booth #859 to see the software in action and learn about the program.

The Conservatory booth (#859) at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco on March 7-9 will display a new look; a banner that announces the upcoming manufacturer certification developed in conjunction with Audiokinetic. The Canadian company’s Wwise 2007.1 release, to be previewed at the show and coming in Spring 2007, will offer many new features. In addition, for the first time, game producers and content providers can be professionally certified by the Conservatory on how to operate the award-winning audio pipeline solution for video games. If you’re at the show, stop by the Audiokinetic suite on the mezzanine Booth # ES 5812 and sign up for the training classes offered in the booth’s classroom/demo area.

A version of this pro training will also filter down into the school’s on-campus curriculum, giving students who qualify the opportunity to step up their skill level. CRAS students now receive training in game audio, taught on individual Mac Book laptops running the current version of Wwise, the only such training in the world. Once the new release and program is in place, the CRAS will also offer an advanced curriculum, making those who certify even more employable in the growing world of game audio.