Sound Engineer - Vassago

[Vassago]

Hi, I'm Vassago, a 19 years old student from Sweden. I'm a dedicated musician and I also have a couple of other tricks up my sleeve such as access almost 24/7 to a professional-level studio and the skills to actually use it.

I got really really excited when I came across this project, and as such I've made a quick little thing intended to be menu music, admittedly this isn't made in the real studio, but made with whatever stuff I found at home. This means lesser software as opposed to Reason, which would be my main tool for doing this.

Anyways I hope you like it enough to give me some kind of entrance task. Sound effects, music, some voice acting, you name it.

http://rapidshare.com/files/104868925/project_stealth.mp3.html

Regards / Vassago

[element54]

Thanks for your interest Vassago,

We currently have someone working exclusivly on the music for the project but we could use another hand with sound effects.

Would you be interested in recording sound effects for the game?

[frvge]

Hi,

Thanks for your interest in PS :)
We already got a musician/composer, but sound effects and voice-overs are still open positions.

[MacBryce]

Exactly...

Musician: Too bad, we've got that.
Sound engineer: Great, we could use you (if you've got the skills).

[Vassago]

Yeah, I would be more than interested, although concerning sound effects I have nothing right here to show you. I can however guarentee that I won't give you stuff that I don't really believe in. I know what we can do, give me a task, some kind of tryout. Some things I can conjure up at home, and some things will have to wait until I get a hold of my real gear (monday perhaps).

At least I have the interest, the time, and ideas. I am not an educated sound effect person, but I can damn right improvise to make it sound right enough!


On a side note, was the music track of any value? I kind of liked it to be a half-an-hour job in FL Studio.

[frvge]

TBH, a 30 minute job pales in comparison with the music we have already ;) But then again, it's almost impossible to beat our Theodore.
What about voice-overs? Maybe you can record some lines of text. Just make up something.

[MacBryce]

Well, can you show us the process of how you make a sound?

If Frvge agrees, then here's a second assignment: Pick one of the weapons that have been announced for Project Stealth and make a sound for it. Document (both text- and audiowise) the creation process step by step and post that here. (E.g. a flashbang that goes off.)

[Bionic-Blob]

what, like the rocket launcher? :P

[Vassago]

Okay, I can accept being beaten at game music, but he'll never beat me at my home court! HEAVY METAL! Or something.

Anyways, Mission Accepted, I'll make some kind of effects for one of the weapons, and document it so you know I ain't cheating.

[Theodore W]

Okay, I can accept being beaten at game music, but he'll never beat me at my home court! HEAVY METAL! Or something.

I appreciate your interests and enthusiasm, thats something important to become a good composer. However I do consider this comment has gone a bit too far, and I am too old for this amount of adrenaline and testosterone. I would really prefer not to work with someone who has no respect for could be colleagues.

Its never about beating or being beaten, on the contrary its nothing less than beating yourself up all the time and bettering yourself when your scars heal up. I hope you remember it, if you want to be a good composer thats very fundamental.


Speaking of !HEAVY METAL! I wrote this little piece when I was 19 at college (exact your age now), obviously I didnt do the vocals, it was a lot of fun when I wrote the music, I know what you feel, at that age it is almost impossible to compromise, and making the right musical choices before personal preferences.

http://rapidshare.com/files/ Link Deleted

This projects deserves far more than just "Fruit Loop Studio" or even Reason, its more than just an electronic act or remix.

Next time give some half-an-hour jobs in Sibelius or Finale.

I wish you a lot of successes in the future, if you are truly dedicated and passionate about your chosen profession the whole world is waiting for you.

[LennardF1989]

No offense Theodore, but don't you think he meaned it jokingly? If he can how us some effects, it would be great to have him on the team. Animations might seem hell a lot of work, but we need hell a lot of sound effects aswell.

[Vassago]

As stated by LennardF1989, it was absolutely intended as nothing more than a joke, I do, however, wholeheartedly apologize for any kind of offense taken. It was not meant that way. Rather on the contrary the statement in question was aimed to be a joking statement saying that "hell, perhaps i'm not good enough in this kind of music". I can however see where your frustration comes from, and I pull back from this dispute one lesson learned about manners. I also thank you for the words of experience.

Now for a question. This is not in any way meant to demean you, your work, Finale or Sibelius. Or anything else for that matter.

Why would a piece written in a step sequencer account for less than a piece written with musical notation? I can surely see how it would seem far less professional, however does not one define the quality of a track from what one can hear? Rather than how it was concieved?

Yes admittedly the little sample I sent was far from any kind of professional level, but I still feel that I have to make a statement saying that it is fully possible to create music at a commersial level in Reason, depending upon one's artistic idea of how it should sound. My vision for music in a futuristic spy versus mercenary setting is in fact some kind of electronica, and for that purpose, would not Reason be quite an excellent choice for realizing one's ideas?

Thanks for your time.

/Vassago (who is currently trying to figure out which weapon sound to focus on)

[Bionic-Blob]

* Bionic-Blob pssts "sticky shocker"

:D

[Theodore W]

Thanks Lennard, I do understand your point  ;) I value your input. nevertheless he needs to know that respect and self respect are very important to others and the person who said it, whether its supposed to be a joke or not.

[Theodore W]

Vassago:

I appreciate your apology.

To answer your question,

Its very necessary to choose the right tools according to projects, and its specific needs. Of course I am not comparing functionalities of sequencers in the nature of favoring pencil and paper to computers or vice versa.

The composer should know and make the right decision of which technical approaches are needed and suitable for the sonority that the project itself asks for, instead of limiting your own imagination to certain tools.

Its like if you are building a concrete or timber house, you would not use a bricklayer to do the job, or the other way around.

With multimedia artforms, films, games, video arts etc. cue points and synchronization are very important, sometimes even down to the milliseconds. Fruit Loop Studio and Reason simply do not have the capacity providing for such needs.

Same principle as the models in the game are built in Maya, and if you put a character made in Poser it would not fit and look odd, even though they all look "human-like".

I do not have a preferences in "superior" or "inferior" music production programs, whether its a pattern based step sequencer or music notation system. But I do have a preference when it comes to choosing the right tools according to the projects.

If it was for some retro style games, there would be no better candidates than pattern sequencers like Reason, Schaltwerk etc. Because of the quantization and pitch limitations that step sequencers have. 

Orchestration wise Project Stealth needs a electro-acoustic sound, based on micro rhythmic structures, combined with influences of aleatory techniques and music concrete, modern but yet rooted in the classical tradition. More than just "some kind of electronica". And it is impossible to deliver that kind of subtlety, variations in articulations of instruments with Fruit Loop Studio and Reason.

It is even out of music notations range and capability, certain pieces that I wrote for Project Stealth cannot even be translated onto paper, however I do expand my initial ideas with the help of notations.

The reason why I said Finale or Sibelius jobs are preferable in submission, its because of that there are much less limitations with notations than any kind of sequencers, which would really show your capability and imagination. At least thats what I would ask for if I was a QA in sound department.

Same as asking a programmer to send codes done in Notepad, instead of in C++  *.cpp

Imagine if you dump Pierre Boulez or Elliott Carter on an island with Reason and unlimited battery supplies, would he just kick his laptop into the sea or simply become a Reason or Fruit Loop master?

I d say he would use Reason for half year then chuck the laptop to the sea, simply because of he cannot get updated versions of the sequencer to expand its functionalities, and all the limits have been reached.

I hope you found the advice useful, and good luck with your future works and studies.