It’s quite strange to work on the sound of this video because the situation in Syria distrub me a lot and every day I’m thinking about their suffering. So I tried to let my feelings aside and play my part as technician. It was a bit special… Maybe you’ve been already in this situation, where you worked on something that touched you?

If I choose this video it’s because of the sound of the rocket that impressed me a lot when I’ve watched it for the first time. It remember me the sound of Battlefield 3 where the sound of explosions are destructed, saturated. So I’ve downloaded the video, import the audio in Nuendo. I’m working since two weeks on Nuendo, I’m discovering the advantages and disadvantages which is a bit difficult after several years on Protools.

I have also use the Komplete from Native Instrument with only the effects functions on FM8, Absynth5, Guitar Rig and Kore Player + noise supressor Izotope RX 2 + defaults plugs of Nuendo (Chopper, SynthBass, EQ, comp…)

I start without any wanted results. I wanted first to make it exportable, then transform it to be a little more unreal, then try experimentions on it.

In order:

• Edit the end of the second explosion to put on the first explosion (remove the voice : لله أَكْبَ)
• Try to make some decrackling with the RX 2 Decrackler (thanks Charles Deenen for this ideas that I read in and interview of you)
• Put differents decrackled sounds into the SynthBass of Nuendo to put more bass. I didn’t managed to do what I wanted. I would like to try with the Lowender plug from Refuse.
• I’ve also try differents effects like the KorePlayer, Absynth5, FM8 and Guitar Rig. Sometimes combined.
• I use at the end the Chopper who is a Volume sync with LFO on a sound proccesed by the KorePlayer.
• Final editing with two sounds processed.

Syria Rocket – Sound Processing – Feel free to download it

I regret to didn’t edited the original sound better. It was quite difficult to clean; breathing, sounds of movements of the camera, voice, breath …

FREE SYRIA!

Since few months, I have time to do what I want. It’s a luxury. I really put the sound in general aside (except for few jobs) to work on other things.

I’ve learned a lot on Unix and Shell commands. I’ve re-open my books about PHP and try to make my own private music sharing project base on Dropbox:

With friends we share music on our Dropbox with the shared folder function, very often we don’t know what is new, so I’ve made a service how publish an xml feed for iTunes or your podcast software. This service tells you when a new track arrived. It’s approximately take me 2 weeks of works, because I had to learn PHP, shell function on Linux and many other stuffs, but it’s works.

I have also worked a lot on radio communications, trying to decode data communication (POCSAG, Rtty..). I was like a kid who try to discover something, seeking THE frequency with data to decode or identify which service I’m listening.

The community of Radio Amateur is really impressive.

But now it’s nearly over. I’m starting a big mission on a new game at Ubisoft Paris tomorrow. It’s great. I have to give me a big kick in the ass and start reworking on sound design for my own projects. I would like also to contribute to Crowd/Choir project who interest me a lot.

I know that all I’ve learned on computer development and radio communications will help me to do various recording and processing techniques. I will try during my Ubisoft mission to work more with Reaktor effects like I did 5 years ago (don’t worry I will share my « ensemble »).

Clearly, the more technical it is, the more I like it, even I get lost. 

If I want to write today it’s because i’m just went out from the cinema to see Drive from Nicolas Winding Refn. I’ve watch most of this films except Valhalla Rising that I’ve discover yesterday. I was fan of the Pusher Trilogy, I’m now realy fan of Drive.

The majority of environments, particularly in the first part of the film or the two principal actors meet, put me in a rather special state. I was well. The slowness of the film and pleasant weightlessness were great before violence arrived in the film (who his also good). The original soundtrack is well chosen. I’m basically a big fan of Cliff Martinez including its OST to Solaris, the pieces by Desire, College and The Chromatics are very well chosen and match perfectly with the film, giving us a special style.

I really liked the mix of this film. I thought he had a strong bias artistic, and some accuracy. I was disappointed with the sound of Vahalla Rising lot of sfx from sound library where recognizable.

I’ll stop there and invite you to go see this movie!

After a silence of 5 months I’m back. I’ve started in February a mission at Ubisoft Paris for the game Just Dance 3 (and other versions…). First time in video game, with lots of surprises.
- THE open space : That’s for me the biggest and the worst surprise when you work in video game. You can sometimes work in separate studio but more often it’s in the open space. Specially on a musical game the average noise level is very high, some people play the game on TV or use speakers to do their reviews. At the end of the day you ears can be very tired. I’ve tried to always manage a good level to don’t destroy my ears but with 6 months with headphones several times I felt tinnitus/acouphenes. I think few of you have already thinking about what is the best « fast communication but with noise and difficulty to work sound » or vice versa.

- The workflow : I’ve learned very good technics that I’m sure will help me in my own project or with other team. Like submitting your work to the rest of the team, managing data without compromising data of your coworkers. I’ve also learned special meeting technics like Scrum from the Agile Method.

- Softwares : Ubisoft on this game use Lyn. An own made software used by all the team. Quite hard the 2 first month to learn Lyn,  software to manage data (Perforce), and all the other rules specific to the audio integration and management. Nice challenge, I like working on new software.

Conclusion

I’m sure that I’m going to publish other blog post about specific subjects in video games, because I have many things to say and normally I’m working again for Ubisoft soon. I know that I have to catch some informations about audio level and norm for example, if you have some, feel free to share it.

Before this job I’ve worked in animation as sound editor, recorder for dubbing… and when I arrived here I was quite surprised about the youth of the profession of sound designer. I finally found that it lacked organization despite by many technical implementation to settle the problem. We feel very much that is not as old as the cinema, animation.

I would be happy to know the techniques and working organization in other games producer in other countries because my opinion and point of view can’t be done on a single game (specially musical) on which I have worked only six months.

Three weeks done at my new job. Its a big change because i’m working now on video Games for Ubisoft. I have to adapt my perception of sound editing from linear to interactive…Its little bit difficult at the begining.

I’m working a lot on open space with headphones, it’s also a huge change.. I’m not with 5 coworkers like before but with nearly 100. So you have to learn more technics to manage, share, save you work it’s very interesting.

It’s quit old but I found this video yesterday. Congrats to James M. Wearing who finished second at the Sound Design Competition.

And for finishing, a little bit of music/interpretation.

Here some pictures of the making of the library.

Here it is! After almost two weeks late, my first recorded sound library with Lauriane Capaldi is out!

We work almost exclusively on cartoons. Too often the characters are knocking on windows and gliding along the windows. They have lacked of SFX for this type of action that’s why we had the idea to record this type of sound.
We recorded on a glass in the studio; squeaks, slide, wail with sponges, cardboard plate, polystyrene plate, small block of polystyrene and finally fingers.
Recorded sounds are very musical and can be used in many other actions that they originally planned.

Glass Squeak by BenoitTigeot

Jean Edoudard Miclot (JED) process some sound of the library with the Kyma and other secret tools Here are some examples.

Glass Squeaks – Demo Kyma – JED by BenoitTigeot

This is my first Sound Library, I know that I’m doing mistakes and i’m not fully bilingual so don’t hesitate to be critical on your returns.
It is by making mistakes that we learn.

Thanks to Talkover Studio who share the room to record sounds.

I have a lot of work actualy and I spent much time on Twitter and IRC to inform me about the situation in Egypt and Tunisia. So I didn’t spent a lot of time to write messagese on this blog and I apologize for that.

I’ve also start creating my first sound library call « Glass Squeak » that I hope will come out before the end of the weekend. It’s a very good experience where you learn a lots of things, more than just recording and editing your sounds.
February 26 I will be fired. Not enough work in my company. It’s a shame, the projects were interesting and they had an exceptional team that will miss me. Mars will be (again) the moment to contact companies, ask for jobs and hopfully working on good projects but sometimes it’s good to change…

Here a track of Balmorhea. Their music inspired me a lot and just feels good.

Buck is an ordinary guy. Well…if you except the « deer head » thing. And today, Buck is gonna spend this cool Sunday afternoon with his girlfriend who’s so happy to see him (she’s pretty much always happy). But when Buck find out that her father is not the sympathic and tolerant guy he excpected, the Sunday afternoon turns really bad.

——————————————————

Directed By :
Denis Bouyer
Yann De Preval
Vincent E Sousa
Laurent Monneron
Sound Design: Julien Begault
Music : Yannis Dumoutiers and Mickaël Védrine

More info http://salesmanbuck.com/

Arvo Part – Silhouette (in the vidéo from 1:00 to 11:00)

Description

The Orchestre de Paris under the direction of Paavo Jarvi hosts for this live concert the Georgian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja. Together they create the last work of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt: Silhouette, a piece for string orchestra in tribute to Gustave Eiffel. Also on the program, Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Symphony No. 2 by Jean Sibelius.

We no longer present Arvo Pärt, although it should recall the artistic resistance embodied his music, given the political context (Estonia under Soviet control) in which he lived. The composer is very close from Neeme Jarvi, Paavo Jarvi’s father: it defied the taboos of the Soviet regime in 1968, directing one of the first orchestral pieces by Arvo Pärt, inspired the Creed of the « church service » in Latin. This commitment worth Järvi sanctions and finaly exile. Today, the tone is festive, because Silhouette, the new work is an honor of Gustave Eiffel, is written for the arrival in Paris of Paavo Järvi.

Recorded November 4, 2010

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/L_Orchestre_de_Paris_interprete_Grieg__Sibelius_et_Arvo_Part/