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Cut SceneGame Sound SpecialSpeciald Game Sound Sound SpecialSpecialGame Sound SpecialSound Game Game SpecialGame Sound Sound Game SpecialGame SpecialSound Game SoundSpecSBattle Stations Pacific – music by Richard Jacques.Hunting ForThe Best SoundRichard Jacques explains to Audio Media why thereshould be no reason for game audio quality to be inferiorto that of films.Over the last sixteen years, the nameRichard Jacques has become synonymouswith high quality video game music.Richard started out in the industry as anIn-house Composer and Sound Designer at SEGAEurope, working on titles including Sonic,Jet Set Radio, Daytona and one of his personalfavourites: Headhunter.In 2000 he went out on his own and formedRichard Jacques Studios, based in South London.The key areas of the business are music composition(with an emphasis on orchestral music), recording,surround mixing, and music licensing. He’s in greatdemand from some of the world’s top gamesdevelopers and publishers to deliver in-game musicwith the same sound and quality as a blockbustermovie. It’s no wonder the walls of his studio arecovered with awards.He’s been using Prism Sound products for yearsand first used the ADA-8XR converter when recordingthe music for Headhunter: an 86-piece orchestra atAbbey Road. This was the first time the famous studioshad been used to record games music in this way.The ADA-8XR had just been launched onto the market,and Richard was one of the first to get his hands onone, direct from Prism Sound. In Richard’s own wordsit sounded “mind-blowing”. The game, and its music,went on to receive critical acclaim and won a place inthe hearts of gamers the world over. As a footnote:the Abbey Road engineers were so impressed thatthey kitted outRichard Jacques.every room in thebuilding with one.S o w h y g oto such lengthst o r e c o r dgames music?Why orchestratea n d r e c o r da f u l l - b l o w norchestra whenso many samplelibraries exist?To many outsiders, game audio is still very much abedroom business, with practitioners seen as keenamateurs. Richard is keen to scotch this myth fromthe start. “There’s no reason on earth why gamesound should not be as good as that found anywhereelse,” he said. “If I’m sat at home watching a DVD orBlu-ray movie playing on my PS3 or 360, it will soundgood. If I then take that disc out and start playing agame, which had probably cost me a lot more to buy,I want it to sound just as good.”Mass Effect – music by Richard Jacques.He’s seen a lot of changes in the industry over thelast few years. “The technology has really moved on,allowing us to do what we really want to do. Not justin terms of sound quality, but in real time mixingand effects, giving the best possible overall sound tothe player. I always want to do the best I can but inthe past the limits of the hardware could hold youback. That’s no longer the case.”He’s currently working on a major projectthat he’s keeping under wraps for the time being.But he says the demand for complex interactivemusical scores is higher than ever. “With respect, it’snot something a lot of film or TV composers wouldbe able to do; compose and orchestrate music thatchanges according to the actions of the player.Some have tried but over the years we’ve provenourselves. I have just about every musical samplelibrary going, but I still believe that nothing beatsrecording a live orchestra to bring the very best soundto a game. We’re using Prism Sound kit all the time.At first it was quite groundbreaking but todayit’s a given. ∫A MULTI-FRACTIONOF USESPrism Sound’s ADA-8XR and Orpheusprovide the highest quality andversatility for interface and conversion.Prism Sound’s ADA-8XR multi-channel modularAD/DA converter provides all the pristine soundquality you’d expect from the UK-based company,as well as a hugely versatile choice of interfaceand conversion options. The unit can be configuredas a 16-channel AD converter, a 16-channel DAconverter, or an eight-channel AD/DA converter.It doesn’t stop there though. It can also functionas a multi-channel FireWire interface, an AES/EBU/AES3/SPDIF digital to analogue or analogueto digital converter, a high resolution Pro Toolsinterface, or as an interface for a wide array ofother DAWs. The 8XR is ideal for music and soundrecording, mastering, broadcast, and postproduction,and has been used in many of theworld’s most revered studios.Providing a more affordable opportunity toharness Prism Sound’s world-renowned audioquality is the company’s new Orpheus FireWirerecording interface. Its design philosophy is ano-compromise approach to providing the bestsound quality available. The company statedits mission was to, “Get Prism Sound qualityconversion and mic preamps into a 1U box at a moreaccessible price point.” The dedicated FireWireinterface is compatible with both Windows andMac OSX, andoffers fourintegratedmic pres withswitchablephantom poweraugmentedby eight premium-quality AD and DA channels.For added versatility, output can be selectablebetween workstation bus or the Orpheusmixer itself.............................INFORMATIONwww.prismsound.comAUDIO MEDIA JULY 2009 – PROMOTIONAL FEATURE39