The Nighttime Nature Library
Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 takes place March 18-22 in Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA, US.
Written by Damian Kastbauer
The Game
GDC is a pure expression of interactivity. There’s no right way to traverse the path from start to finish. From the moment you hit the ground in San Francisco you are faced with a (myriad of options splayed-out before you, do you: BART? Car-share? Cab? Walk (don’t try it!)? But you’ve already been making decisions about how to navigate your time on-the-ground for months: lining up travel & accommodations, printing contact cards, breaking in new shoes, getting plenty of sleep, all in preparation for an intensive week of maximizing time with the largest gathering of game developers in the CONUS. Or maybe you haven’t, and you’re just going to take it as it comes, find the good conversations and pinball-around the conference based on your moment-to-moment experience. It’s all up to you!
After 12 years of GDC interactivity, my days end up anchored around a pleasurable routine that attempts to leave room for the dynamic possibilities that emerge day-to-day:
- 10 PRINT WAKE UP
- 7-9am Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup community check-in
- Grab a breakfast burrito on the way to Moscone for some audio hallway time.
- First session of the day: settling-in for epiphanies, deep thinking, and brain-work.
- Grab-and-go lunch on-the-run to the audio meetup behind the carousel around noon
- CarouselCon providing solid perspectives from crowd-sourced micro-talks
- Afternoon dynamics: presentations? Expo Floor? Coffee? Meetings?
- Is there time for dinner Y/N?
- Where’s the parties?
- Is it morning yet?
- GOTO 10
No matter what pattern your interactive GDC falls into, the conference is usually best experienced with people. To me, there’s nothing better than making a new friend and randomizing your day with a shared passion. Whether new or old, friends provide additional context and perspective on everything from: where to eat to what is the future of game audio. Don’t be afraid to take the adventure off-script, tamp-down the FOMO and get the most out of the day on your own terms, interactively, in the best way possible. With or without people, make sure there is time in your day to recharge your batteries (literally and figuratively) and take care of yourself. Each day is a sprint and the week of GDC can feel like a marathon. Pace yourself.
We choose this opportunity as ambassadors of audio in the game development community, so lead with the greatest optimism, collaboration, humbleness, and grace in-conversation
Have a look at the GDC Code of Conduct before you hit town and engage its guidelines while onsite (and continue to adhere to its sensible advice even outside of the presentation hall). Forming relationships and cultivating conversations should begin with mutual respect; always stay positive and within the bounds of social etiquette. Find ways to include people in your adventures when possible. Find ways to bring other people into your conversations, and always treat people in the best way possible. We choose this opportunity as ambassadors of audio in the game development community, so lead with the greatest optimism, collaboration, humbleness, and grace in-conversation.
Keep your social media trained at #GameAudioGDC on twitter for up to the moment information and don’t forget to share insight and epiphanies there and with the #GameAudio community at-large. One of the greatest feelings is being able to extend knowledge learned on-the-ground to folks who are unable to make it to the conference to experience it first-hand. Twitter doesn’t always make sense in this strange world of social media, but I have seen it work wonders on-the-ground towards pulling together people towards the goal of socializing and keeping in-touch during the week.
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[tweet_box]The Bohemian Guide to Game Audio GDC 2019:[/tweet_box]
News of the World
Monday March 18th
Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup
After years at the venerable Sightglass coffee, this years conversations will be held on the ground floor of the Sennheiser SF retail location near Union Square. What started as a small group of folks with a shared-love for good coffee and game audio has evolved into a community-catalyzing force that helps set the tone for each days activity during the conference. From 7:00-9:00AM Monday through Saturday folks gather and unravel their experience as part of a group discussion that hovers around game audio and touches on topics in-between our professional aspirations and personal stories. Moving locations to Sennheiser SF is an attempt to increase accessibility and lower the noise floor for the event. I hope you can join us and be part of the conversation.
Monday March 18th through Saturday March 23rd
7:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: Sennheiser SF, 278 Post St
For folks with an All Access, Summits, VRDC Add On passes, Monday begins with some incredible talks!
Monday, March 18 | 10:00am – 11:00am
INTEGRATING LIVE ACTORS INTO NON-LOCATION BASED IMMERSIVE THEATER VR EXPERIENCES
Speakers: Tanya Leal Soto (Tender Claws), Samantha Gorman (Tender Claws), Tara Ahmadinejad (Piehole), Julian Ceipek (Tender Claws)
Pass Type: All Access, VRDC Add On
Monday, March 18 | 11:20am – 12:20pm
MENTAL MODELS AND SYSTEMS FOR SPATIAL COMPUTING
Speaker: Timoni West (Unity Technologies)
Pass Type: All Access, VRDC Add On
Monday March 18th – Night
Keep your ears tuned to the wind (and to #GameAudioGDC on twitter) for info on any audio group meetups that might materialize. Be ready for the spontaneous, the goose-hunt, the wild sheep chase through the streets of San Francisco on a moments notice. Be safe, travel with friends when possible, and take care!
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Sheer Heart Attack
Tuesday March 19th
Tuesday is all about the Audio Bootcamp. Whether you’re new to interactive audio or an experienced professional, the line-up attempts to cover the full-spectrum across all disciplines and highlights evergreen topics as well as deep-dives into niche audio territory. Guaranteed to be a day of disparate perspectives and stimulating discourse (especially during the lunchtime surgeries*), this is where the fun will be!
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Tuesday, March 19 | 10:00am – 11:00am
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: HOW A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO GAME AUDIO INCREASED CREATIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY FOR ‘ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY’
Speaker: Lydia Andrew (Ubisoft Quebec)
Tuesday, March 19 | 11:20am – 12:20pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: THEATRICAL INTERACTIVITY IN VIDEO GAME MUSIC
Speaker: John Robert Matz (Independent)
Tuesday, March 19 | 12:20pm – 1:50pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: LUNCHTIME SURGERIES
Speakers: Lydia Andrew (Ubisoft Quebec), John Robert Matz (Independent), Filip Conic (Rovio), DB Cooper (DB Cooper VO, LLC), Gerard Marino (G-Musique), Stephan Schutze(Sound Librarian), Josie Brechner (Visager), Scott Selfon (Oculus), Damian Kastbauer (ArenaNet)
*An opportunity for deeper conversations with Audio Bootcamp speakers over lunch in a smaller scale setting. Grab some food and then come back to sit at tables-in-the-round with the day’s speakers and chat on the topics that have surfaced throughout the day.
Tuesday, March 19 | 2:10pm – 2:40pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: ‘ANGRY BIRDS 2’: HOW AUDIO CHANGES EVERYTHING
Speaker: Filip Conic (Rovio)
Tuesday, March 19 | 3:00pm – 3:30pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: DEVELOPING VOICES
Speaker: DB Cooper (DB Cooper VO, LLC)
Tuesday, March 19 | 3:50pm – 4:20pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: LOOP CLINIC: SEAMLESS AND FATIGUE-FREE MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGN LOOPING TECHNIQUES FOR INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Speaker: Gerard Marino (G-Musique)
Tuesday, March 19 | 4:40pm – 5:10pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VR AUDIO CAN BE LEARNED FROM YOUR CAR
Speaker: Stephan Schutze (Sound Librarian)
Tuesday, March 19 | 5:30pm – 6:00pm
AUDIO BOOTCAMP XVIII: INDIE FREELANCING: CREATING COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION
Speaker: Josie Brechner (Visager)
Tuesday March 19th – Night
Heard of Game Audio Denizens on FB? These folk shave been consistently coordinating one of the best, grassroots, community-focused meetups of all time. DB Cooper and her ilk will be on hand to huzzah and hooray your way into the night!
The Jillionth Annual Game Audio Denz ’n’ Friends Dinner
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
5:30pm to 8:30 or 9:00pm
Location: California Pizza Kitchen, 53 Third Street
Game Audio Karaoke
Tuesday March 19
8:00pm – midnight
Cost: Free!
Location: YamaSho, 1161 Post St
From the humblest beginnings comes one of the most-loved events of the conference. Spawned years ago by Luca Fusi and further championed these last years by the folks at A Shell In The Pit, this night of karaoke is a chance to sway and sing in camaraderie with like-minded people of all pitches. This year finds the fine folks at AK and ASITP picking up the tab leaving no excuse for anyone in game audio not to attend, eve if it’s just to soak in the good vibes.
Tickets will be available through Eventbrite early next week. Keep ‘em peeled over at #GameAudioGDC.
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A Day at the Races
Wednesday March 20th
Wednesday is all about the community conversations and roundtables for me. There are some great presentations that you won’t want to miss, for sure, but one of the things that has risen to the top of my GDC experience are the various audio community discussions that run throughout the week. There is never a shortage of content from experienced folks across all disciplines of game development, but for me, it’s difficult to go wrong sitting-in on a roundtable of interest and the ability to engage in the interactive quality of these forums. Aside from the roundtables listed here for Wednesday, there are other roundtables sprinkled throughout the week. So if you find yourself wanting to be a part of the conversation, or are just looking for something a bit more interactive, I encourage you to seek one out and see what they’re all about.
…and don’t forget the IASIG Party tonight and the IASIG Town Hall on Friday during lunch.
Wednesday, March 20 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm
G.A.N.G. TOWN HALL
Speaker: Brian Schmidt (Brian Schmidt Studios)
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Wednesday, March 20 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm
WOMEN/MARGINALIZED GENDERS IN GAME AUDIO ROUNDTABLE DAY 1: NAVIGATING THE WORKPLACE
Speakers: Becky Allen (343 Industries), Amanda Rose Smith (ARS Audio), Carlye Nyte (Camouflaj)
Wednesday, March 20 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm
GAME AUDIO PROGRAMMING ROUNDTABLE DAY 1: GAME INTEGRATION
Speakers: Guy Somberg (Echtra Games, Inc.), Tomas Neumann (Blizzard Entertainment)
Location: Room 215, South Hall
Wednesday, March 20 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm
GAME AUDIO CULTURE ROUNDTABLE DAY 1: HOW CULTURAL DIVERSITY COULD BE THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Speakers: Damian Kastbauer (ArenaNet), Atsushi Suganuma (Square Enix, Ltd.), Gwen Guo (Imba Interactive)
Location: Room 206, South Hall
Wednesday March 20th – Night
IASIG Audio Mixer
Wednesday, March 20
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Sennheiser, 278 Post St
Any audio professional attending GDC is welcome at this special social event. (Show your GDC Audio Pass or audio-related business card for entry.)
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Popular on A Sound Effect right now - article continues below:
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Nature & Countryside Ambiences High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature Play Track 10+ sounds included, 94 mins total $35In High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature, get a mini-nature collection of desolately beautiful sounds of the American southwest as the sun brings to life the songs of desert wildlife. This collection features sounds that will make you fall in love with the desert with the trickling of distant rivers, smooth cricket chirps, echoey caws from ravens so close you can hear the details in their wings flaps, snorts from a cautious yet curious mule deer, choruses of birds at dawn, and much more. Most recordings are well over 4 minutes, with one half-hour night-time track that will make you want to take out your tent immediately. For a mini-nature collection of lush, peaceful nature sounds from the heart of the American Southwest, here’s High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature.
2% for the Planet:
Two percent of the price of this library is donated to an environmental cause. I view it as an “artist royalty” for the planet!KEY FEATURES:• Sounds in this library are NOT included in High Desert Ambiences 2 and 3.
• This library contains a small selection of both “active” and “quiet” nature sounds from the high deserts of West Texas.
• If you need more “active” or “quiet” nature sounds check out: High Desert Ambiences 2: Active Nature or High Desert Ambiences 3: Quiet Nature.
• Featured on Designing Sound: “Our Favorite Sounds of 2016”
• Desert dawn and evening choruses
• Distant flowing river, songbirds, and insects
• Ravens soaring and squawking in a stark and resonant valley
• Lengthy night-time cricket chorus
• Partially audible and ultrasonic bat clicks up to 70kHz
• Ghostly distant animal calls
• Mule deer warning snorts and jumping movement
• Files ranging from 31 seconds to 30 minutes
• Rio Grande dawn chorus along the Texas/Mexico river border
• Locations: Near Marfa, Texas (in a mountain valley at an altitude of 6,000 ft) and Big Bend National Park along the Rio Grande River, Texas/Mexico border.
• These desert ambiences are extremely quiet, so I have included descriptive markers to signal interesting events in an otherwise featureless waveform. These markers can be read in programs such as RX, Reaper, and Soundminer. The markers are also included as .txt files in the sound files folder.
GEAR USED:
• Sennheiser MKH 50/30 MS pair
• Mid/Side recordings decoded to LR stereo
• Sound Devices 702
• Rycote AG MS Blimp
• ***Note – the name of this library was changed from High Desert Ambiences 1 to High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature on 11/28/17. This was a name change only. No audio files were updated. -
Diffuse City is the unique urban ambience sound effects library you didn’t know you were missing. It captures the urban environment in its many forms – all based around the idea of diffuse ambience.
The Diffuse City library is purpose-built for the times an environment needs to be felt, but not be distracting.
Every track in Diffuse City was recorded with some sort of real life “filter” in mind; be it distance, elevation, time of day, physical material – Anything to provide the feeling of city life with out the specificity of many urban ambience libraries. No distracting close car pass-bys or people talking; only great natural ambience beds.
Diffuse City was recorded in big cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural settings over a span of two years. It was largely recorded over very late nights, when very few people we’re around. Occasionally, however, a car would pass by… a gun would go off… While these were edited out of the recordings, they are included as “extras” in the library. Perfect for adding some flavor to a moment that’s authentic to the environment it was recorded in.
Metadata – and markers:In addition to thorough metadata, each ambience in Diffuse City is embedded with markers highlighting unique moments that aren’t easily visible in a waveform. Software like Soundminer v4.5 and Reaper can display these markers, making it easy to identify distinct sonic moments in an otherwise nondescript waveform.
Markers in Reaper
There are 10 areas of focus in Diffuse City:Elevated City • Distant Highways • Underground City • Distant City • Under Bridges • City Rumble • Empty Parking Lots • Alleys • Industrial • Window Contacts
Hear examples and learn more about each one below
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A Night at the Opera
Thursday March 21st
Thursday is a powerhouse of sound design juxtapositions. From the bonkers action and verve of Yoku’s Island Express through-to the cultural influences of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the day is jam-packed with different ways of expressing and hearing sound. I sat down for a preview of the ‘Moss’: Design Before Sound presentation on-the-ground up here in Seattle from Stephen Hodde; he has put together a succinct illustration of the role that sound plays in delivering on, and how it can better deliver on, the emotional potential in a games design. Part storytelling, part TED talk, and 100% heart. Not to be missed!
Thursday, March 21 | 10:00am – 11:00am
ADVENTURES IN III AUDIO: ‘YOKU’S ISLAND EXPRESS’
Speakers: Jesse Harlin (Submersion Audio), Thomas Bible (Submersion Audio)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Thursday, March 21 | 2:00pm – 2:30pm
THE SOUND DESIGN FOR ‘GOD OF WAR’
Speaker: Mike Niederquell (PlayStation)
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Thursday, March 21 | 3:00pm – 3:30pm
‘MOSS’: DESIGN BEFORE SOUND
Speaker: Stephen Hodde (Polyarc)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Thursday, March 21 | 4:00pm – 5:00pm
BRINGING VIRTUAL AUDIO INTO THE REAL WORLD WITH ‘CREATE’
Speaker: Dave Shumway (Magic Leap)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Thursday, March 21 | 5:30pm – 6:00pm
THE INFLUENCE OF PRE-HISPANIC CULTURE ON ‘SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER’
Speakers: Rob Bridgett (Eidos Montreal), Brian D’Oliveira (La Hacienda Creative)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Thursday March 21st – Night
Game Audio Network Guild Awards
Thursday March 21st
7:00pm – Doors
7:30pm – Start
Location: 2nd floor of Moscone West.
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A Kind of Magic
Friday March 23rd
Friday finds a grab-bag of potential, especially for folks interested in mainlining musical insights across multiple genres, perspectives, and voices. The day kicks off with a fantastic panel filled with some favorite folks and rounds-up with giant robots performing a ballet of symphonic destruction! (If that doesn’t peak your interest, rest assured the music is gonna be great!)
Friday, March 22 | 10:00am – 11:00am
RELATIVE PERFECTION: FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN FLAWED AND FLAWLESS
Speakers: John Robert Matz (Independent), Guy Whitmore (Foxface Rabbitfish, LLC), Austin Wintory (Independent), Neal Acree (Independent), Penka Kouneva (Independent)
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Friday, March 22 | 11:30am – 12:00pm
THE MUSICAL BRUSH: THE INTERACTIVE MUSIC OF ‘CONCRETE GENIE’
Speaker: Samuel Marshall (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Pixel Opus)
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Friday, March 22 | 12:15pm – 1:15pm
25TH ANNUAL IASIG TOWN HALL
Speakers: Owen Peterson (Utah Valley University), Kurt Heiden (IASIG), Tom White (MMA, IASIG)
Location: Room 3002, West Hall
Friday, March 22 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm
THE GANGS BITE BACK: MUSIC AND SOUND OF ‘CRACKDOWN 3’
Speakers: Brian Trifon (Finishing Move, Inc.), Brian White (Finishing Move, Inc.), Kristofor Mellroth (Microsoft Studios Global Publishing)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Friday, March 22 | 3:00pm – 3:30pm
THE MUSIC OF ‘BATTLETECH’: BIG SOUND ON A BUDGET
Speaker: Jon Everist (Everist Sound, LLC)
Location: Room 3006, West Hall
Friday March 23rd – Night
School of Game Audio Meetup
Friday March 23rd
5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: California Pizza Kitchen, 53 Third Street
Followed swiftly by Friday Night Foley
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Jazz
Saturday March 24th
One last Game Audio Podcast GDC Morning Meetup at Sennheiser SF before attendees are scattered to the four-winds of everyday life. The world subtly shifted, the colors twice as bright, and the sounds more detailed. Each year brings new opportunities to align oneself with their career path, hopes, dreams, and vision of the future. My last suggestions for you in this Bohemian Guide to Game Audio GDC are to: make friends, make memories, and envision the role you will play in the future of game audio. I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco.
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A big thanks to Damian Kastbauer for sharing with us his a guide to #GameAudioGDC! Learn more about Damian Kastbauer here
• See all Game Audio Sessions at GDC 2019
• See the 2019 GDC Party List
• See the list of devs connecting at GDC 2019
• Join the GDC Mixer Discord Server here
• Overview of places offering free food at GDC
• Visit the official GDC page here here
• See tweets with the #GameAudioGDC hashtag here, and #gameaudiogdc2019 here
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• 44 community tips and insights for making the most of GDC
• GDC 2 Electric Boogaloo: Attending my second Game Developers Conference
• The SUPPLEMENTAL Guide to Game Audio GDC 2018
• The Definitive Guide to Game Audio at GDC 2018
• The Grand Guide to Game Audio at GDC 2017
• The Ultimate Guide To Game Audio at GDC 2016
• Are you at GDC ’15? Here are the Game Audio Top Picks from Damian Kastbauer, Jack Menhorn & Frank Bry
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