10 hours ago, nsmadsen said:

So, what you've cited above doesn't really apply to most of the game dev I've been a part of in the last 13 years.

That makes sense - I've been in a really different seat in the process so far. I've been working with game audio casting agencies, voiceover artists, and editors working my up to the implementation and design gig. I have ended up trading a lot of sessions because I've been fortunate enough to have been called for remote recordings - and when they come to my facility, many VO artists are able to edit the material themselves, but the production company pays to have a decent room with a good mic locker (and a reliable mix rig) to shoot it in. I usually dropbox them the session or throw it on their hard drive, they take it back, and also bill the developer for the time it took them to edit their own deliverables. I have NO idea if this is normal as my first notable game contracts have just come in over the last several months (after a good year or so of pounding the pavement for SOMETHING to put in a portfolio). The only other game I was ever involved in was working with a collaborative situation with a composer in California who was an excellent musician and understood basic game audio implementation but had zero tools or knowledge on how to mix it. I assumed that sharing sessions was normal...he had to send me the Cubase session in order for me to dump his VI's and overhaul them with my better ones. 

I guess I was surprised that the turnover and deliverable workflow isn't like film at all. I obviously have nowhere near your level of expertise with this stuff and I am sincerely grateful you're taking the time to elaborate on your experiences here! Much appreciated

...For the two 'special cases' I mentioned above, one was film, and the other was broadcast. I probably should have stated that.

On 8/1/2018 at 6:48 PM, JoAndRoPo said:

Hi! 

I need a sound artist for creating bg, sfx, etc for games in a small startup company.

1. What qualification or skills should I search for?
2. What software should he/she know?
3. Is there anything else he/she should know when creating BG music, sfx, etc?
4. Any tips before I start searching?

 

Well I think this is actually pretty hard to describe, but I'll try my best. 

1. If you are looking for 'all-in-one' kind of  guy, look for a person who knows the whole pipeline. Generally speaking audio production is a combination of different discipline. You need a music composer and performer for BGM, you need an audio synthesis and a foley artist for SFX. You need an audio engineer to make sure all sounds go through loud and clear (this is the most overlooked area IMO). 

Luckily many audio guys/gals nowaday know pretty much all area, but might not master in all of them. 

2. At least a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Which DAW is up to your preferrence. In fact, it should be *their* preferrence :). In DAW, you can do pretty much everything, regarding audio, and the rest may be filled in by using plugins (which, by the way, can be more expensive). I primarily use Studio One 2.0 and Cakewalk Sonar (which is distinued), with NI Komplete is on the plan. 

The audio personal here might want to use standalone tool as well, including hardware and stuffs. One of my sound designer friend use a hardware which is quite popular in film (which unfortunately I can't recall the name at the moment). 

Also, if your budget and space allows, consider setting up a proper audio studio. It does not have to be very large, but should be treated well and equip with adequate equipment. One of my soud designer (no the guy above, as that one has his own studio), always complains that he has to use storage room for his foley recording, and that translate to the game.

Oh and, knowing audio middleware like WWISE and FMOD is a big plus, given that your studio uses one.

3. BGM and SFX is kind of different beasts, and it needs different skills to tame. I think for BGM, you need at least someone who can compose. For SFX, you'd need a foley artist and a synthesis (what should this one called ?). 

Many people can do all of them, but some'd want to stay focus on one area. In fact, you might even see some high profile composer that only do scores. You then need another ochestrator to translate it to BGM, if not hiring a Ochestra session to record a music for you (this is actually cheaper than many people think AFAIK).

4. My recomendation is, don't hire one in house unless your production is large enough to fully occupy one. I've seen a studio who hire a composer, and left him starve for work. For a small game you might want only a few tracks with says 10-20 sfx, that's probably a month worth of works for a composer, while the game itself might take longer than that. This should be left as an outsourcing work.

Also, if you decided to hire one, don't look at the resume (alone), look at the portfolio. If you have a candidate, ask him to do a simple set of BGM and SFX (it takes quite a lot of affort to do actually, so you might want to pay the candidate). 

PS. I'm not a sound desinger nor music composer myself, but I happened to work closely with one long time ago. I also have an interest group here in Thailand that we discuss about game audio a lot (we even have an AAA composer visitting every now and then, most of the members works for indie games). You might find one in your area, so try go to one of the group's meetup.

On 8/8/2018 at 1:27 AM, JoAndRoPo said:

Edit: I forgot to mention, regarding VO, I know the sound artist won't be able to come up with the VO we are expecting. So is there any agencies that can make the VO according to our specifications? Like an old man's voice, child's voice, etc? I'm searching online but just want to be sure if anyone here has any experience in sending VO and how should I send them the list? In Excel? What should I mention in the list? BTW, I'm situated in India. 

There are many sites that allow you to audition and hire VO actors directly. They'll record your lines and deliver the audio. https://voice123.com/ is one such site. Check them out. 

On 8/8/2018 at 2:27 AM, JoAndRoPo said:

DOES THIS MAKES SENSE? //scratching head//  Do you think this is enough for creating BG Music, SFX & VO for small games or did I miss something?

That sounds quite reasonable and adequate given the scope!

On 8/8/2018 at 2:27 AM, JoAndRoPo said:

I forgot to mention, regarding VO, I know the sound artist won't be able to come up with the VO we are expecting. So is there any agencies that can make the VO according to our specifications?

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the sound artist being able to assist you with the VO process. I would at least check with them before assuming they can't. If they're in areas that have VO industry and local acting talent, some sound studios have general purpose voiceover booths and that could offer a one-stop-shop solution for the entire project.