Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538144
86 M PS E . O R G goal of a collection from producing finished sounds to creating flexible sounds. It becomes a shift in mindset and approach to library design. From the perspective of Strata users, the key questions become: How adaptive is this collection to my needs, how will I customize it, and during runtime, how can I tie the evolution of the sound more closely to the gameplay experience as it changes over time? Educational Applications Reverse Engineering Sound How can beginner sound designers or students benefit from exploring Strata sessions? What might more experienced professionals take away? Nour Al Hammoud: Strata serves as both an educational masterclass and a professional accelerator, offering distinct but equally valuable benefits to creators at different stages of their careers. type, and force, is an impossible task. There are just too many combinations. The answer is to combine sounds to create a unique one, using data about the collision from the game engine's physics system. The engine already has the data we need to choose the sounds to combine. The collision sound produced by a large case falling on a concrete floor, for example, is a combination of two sounds: the vase breaking and the concrete absorbing the impact. Designing with Intent "It influences what they record, how much variation they capture, and changes the goal of a collection from producing finished sounds to creating flexible sounds. It becomes a shift in mindset and approach to library design." –SIMON PRESSEY It sounds like these collections were built not just to inspire creativity, but to solve real production challenges. How do you see these kinds of deeply focused libraries shaping the future of sound design in games? Simon Pressey: For sure, we see Strata as having the potential to influence sound design in games. If you take the concept of designing sounds in layers within your runtime sound engine, which is a core feature of Strata, the sound can have variation that is both subtle and realistic every time it plays, while also being able to change based on gameplay. This is not something that is simple to achieve out-of-the- box with other libraries. It is an example of how Strata is facilitating meaningful change beneath the surface. When I work with library creators and we begin planning a new Strata collection, it often shifts their focus on how they build sounds. They start thinking about how to design with the most flexibility for customization. It influences what they record, how much variation they capture, and changes the Behind the scenes of recording the Robotic collection. Another behind the scenes of recording the Robotic collection.