Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538144
68 M PS E . O R G On the plug-in side, I like the FabFilter suite for EQ and compression, iZotope RX for de-noising, Soundtoys for creative effects, some Waves plug-ins, Soundminer for pre-processing, and the classic Pitch 'n Time Pro for pitch manipulation. I've also been enjoying the Kilohearts plug-ins—they're powerful, flexible, and affordable. For sound integration, I mainly use Wwise, along with proprietary tools as needed for the project. I have also used some earlier versions of FMOD, but I find it not as flexible and lacking some of the features that Wwise has. I had the opportunity to delve into Unreal 5 for a project, which is currently the most popular game engine for AAA games. Unreal is more of a challenge to use for audio than Wwise, as it involves some light audio scripting knowledge to use components like Blueprints and Metasounds. There is a lot to learn with all the tools, and thankfully there are many online tutorials available for Wwise, FMOD, and Unreal, most of which are free. Perspective & Implementation "The Foley 'perspective' for camera distance and angle is handled via the game engine." How do you handle perspective on Foley? Caron: If it is a longer form linear cinematic, the Foley is mixed similar to film/TV. It plays along with the cinematic and is edited and mixed for perspective based on the camera movement and what is going on in the scene. There are also some shorter "cutscenes" that get triggered as scripted events from the game engine. In that case, the Foley is delivered as separate audio files or as a Foley stem, which gets implemented into the audio engine. The Foley "perspective" for camera distance and angle is handled via the game engine using the sound implementation settings in tools such as Wwise and Unreal. The sound implementor or sound designer will import the Foley sounds into the implementation system and adjust them based on gameplay parameter data—such as the distance between the player and the camera—using high-pass and low-pass attenuation curves. They also adjust the mix for overall volume per sound or category, reverb levels based on the location in the game world (interior or exterior), pitch amount, pitch ranges, pitch randomization—the list goes on. There are a ton of parameters to control and tune in the game engine, and it is a constantly evolving process right up until the audio team is told everything is locked and they can't change anything further! Stylized Sound for Believable Worlds "Foley shines and helps bring the characters to life, to feel like they are existing inside the world." How do you strike a balance between realistic sound reproduction and the stylized audio often desired in game worlds? Caron: It depends on the needs of the project and what the game director or producer has in mind artistically, and Fab Filter Pro-Q3, a favorite EQ plug-in. Serato Pitch 'N Time, a great legacy tool for pitching. Kilohearts Transient Shaper, adds punch to the sound.