Project: Video Game Audio 1
Sound in video games make them more entertaining to play. The audio cues give players greater control music adds engagement. Understanding the history of video-game audio will help you become a better sound designer and composer.
Terms
Action Asset: One shot sounds that connect the action of the game to the player
OST: Original Soundtrack, looped original audio that plays during the game.
Stinger: A short musical phrase used to highlight an important event.
1 | Play A Game
Choose a Scratch game remake (or any game you like). Play it with the sound on, then turn the sound off. How does the experience change?
Mario Remake →
Sonic Remake →
Paper Minecraft →
2 | Understand The Code
Algorithm – a step-by-step plan to do something
Events – triggers that tell the game to act
Controls – when and how long to do something; if-then statements
Sensing – the eyes and ears of the game
Variables – the game’s memory, tracking changes as you go
3 | Record Action Assets
Record three takes of the sounds for pipe warp, jump, coin, and power-up using your voice or found objects.
Action Asset Template →
4 | Edit The Action Assets
Choose the best take and trim it to include the beginning (transient) and end (tail). Add a bitcrusher effect to make it sound like an 8-bit Nintendo effect.
5 | Find A Reference
Listen to examples from these playlists for ideas.
Chiptune →
NES OSTs →
Sega OSTs →
6 | Add Drums & Structure
Determine the structure of your overworld theme. Create a drum part that fits the genre and loop it throughout the form.
7 | Create Scratch Chords
Create a chord progression and add variation by adjusting the harmonic rhythm (when the chords change).
8 | Write Melody & Harmony
Use notes with a repeatable rhythm from the Scratch chord part to create a melody. Add chord tones above or below to create a harmony line.
9 | Create A Bass Part
Add MIDI notes from the Scratch chord part and add rhythm to create a bass line. Outline the chords to form a walking bass; start each bar with the chord’s root letter.
10 | Make Stingers
Create short musical phrases (chords and bass only) for death and winning stingers—ascending chords for winning, descending for death.
11 | Export Files
Download the mixes of the action assets, stingers, and overworld theme. Rename each file to keep them organized.
12 | Import & Play
Remix the Mario remake in Scratch. Click the button to find the overworld theme’s length. Add the audio files, trim the action assets and stingers in Scratch’s audio panel, update the code targets, and play your game!