Rating: Summary: great book for people wanting to get into game audio/music Review: a great book for people wanting to get into game audio/music production. though it does not cover all game audio format used for games (ie: mods for shareware games), it's still an excellent book with infos on what to charge for your work, what to do to get started.
Rating: Summary: Few specifics Review: Although an o.k. book, I have to agree with "mysticmusing" in his criticism. The industry advice is probably invaluable to professional or budding audio dudes, but it fills up half the book..!There are very few specfic examples of actual techniques for composition, sound effect development or integration. There are no concrete examples of game audio as implemented within any game engine - be it by C+ or through e.g. DirectMusic. All in all this book has very little to tell people that don't already master all the great techniques and tools. And if you do master those techniques and tools, I suspect half of this book would be old news.
Rating: Summary: mysticmusing get out and read about the industry Review: Great book, and ignore that first review where it talks about lack of coverage of developer issues. The term developer is not used the same way in the game industry as it is in the more general software world. Developer does not mean programmer. Game programmers use the term programmer (imagine that!). A developer is someone who works in a broader role to get the game created (or developed), like say a producer or project manager or whatever. It is not the narrow term that we all have come to know and love in other areas of software development. Maybe those chapters on how to get into the industry might do you some good after all, eh?
Rating: Summary: Be Warned! This book is not for DEVELOPERS Review: I bought this book after reading several reviews, on Amazon.com and other sites. Let's take a closer look at the title - The Complete Guide to Game Audio: For Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers, and Game Developers. For composers - yes. For musicians - yes. For sound designers - yes. For DEVELOPERS - NO! I am a DSP Engineer with extensive MATLAB programming experience and I'm looking for a book that will help me develop audio applications in C++. There is NOTHING here for the developer. Chapters 4,5,6 deal with finding jobs and landing a contract. What the Hell? I'm sure there are people that need that kind of advice - but when this is the title of your book, I expect job hunting to be appendix C. The rest of the book is for musicians. Being a musician myself, and with some experience of studio production, I found the material to be alright. Nothing that really made me hang on to this book. Pg. 289 0f 300 is where the developer bit starts. And it offers absolutely nothing, but more of the same general information contained in the preceding pages. In short, this book is short on specifics and has a rather misleading title. BE SURE TO READ THE CONTENTS THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU PURCHASE IT. And if you still want it, I have it for sale in the Amazon Marketplace
Rating: Summary: Caught off Guard Again Review: I bought this book on recommendation of a friend in the video game industry. Be away of what this book is and what it isn't. This is not a book on how to write audio for video games. This is an introductory book to audio and its role in the video game industry, and how to get into the industry. This book contains no technical information, as one might hope, about computer audio technologies such as Direct music or any others. If you already know how digital audio, MIDI, and mixers work then most of this book will bore you to tears. I have no doubt that, if you are looking for the information which is in this book it is good. The presentation is longwinded and very centered around the author rather than the topic itself it seems. At times, the book seems to lose all relevance to the audio industry. The interview with established video game artists are interesting, however I didn't find in them anything that I hadn't learned by playing around for a hours with recording techniques. In conclusion, there are better books on the market in all regards except for the video game audio industry notes. For that I have found no better source, however it is wrapped in information which I already know, and that I found nearly impossible to sit through.
Rating: Summary: Buy this book now! Review: If you want to know what it takes to make it in the games industry as an audio professional, then this book is for you. It exposes the business to you, covering all the important elements of audio production for start to finish. If you already work in audio and are looking for a new source of clients then this book will help you prepare to tackle a new market. If you make games and want to ensure that you will get the best from your audio staff then read this text. It will shed light on what is expected of you and what you can expect from composers and sound designers working in games. BUY IT NOW! LAX
Rating: Summary: Run, don't walk, and buy this title now! Review: Let's not beat about the bush here - there are currently no other titles on the market that cover game audio to the same degree as Aaron Marks' excellent book. This is an indispensable resource for those wanting to find out more about working as a composer/musician/sound designer in the games industry - a must-buy for those starting out and now the bible for professionals in the music field today.
Rating: Summary: Definitely a must-read for computer game musicians Review: Marks provides a facinating peek inside the world of audio content development in the computer game industry. With a casual and friendly style, he covers a broad range of topics in his book, from basic equipment setup to negotiating contracts for freelance work (and much more, of course). Having recently become a freelancer myself, I found his advice both helpful and inspiring. All in all, this book bolsters Marks' credentials as a professional musician and businessman, and comes highly recommended to anyone interested in getting some excellent and no doubt hard-earned advice.
Rating: Summary: Definitely a must-read for computer game musicians Review: Marks provides a facinating peek inside the world of audio content development in the computer game industry. With a casual and friendly style, he covers a broad range of topics in his book, from basic equipment setup to negotiating contracts for freelance work (and much more, of course). Having recently become a freelancer myself, I found his advice both helpful and inspiring. All in all, this book bolsters Marks' credentials as a professional musician and businessman, and comes highly recommended to anyone interested in getting some excellent and no doubt hard-earned advice.
Rating: Summary: Especially for neophyte musicians looking to make their mark Review: The Complete Guide To Game Audio by digital audio expert and music composer Aaron Marks is a solid resource for all composers, musicians, sound designers, and game developers which covers everything from the essential skills for making a living in the exciting world of video and computer game audio, to searching for and landing a job in the field, to how much to charge, as well as a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for creating exciting and suitable music. An accompanying CD-ROM contains music and sound effect samples, demo versions of sound editing programs, interviews with composers and sound designers, and much, much more. The Complete Guide To Game Audio is confidently recommended, especially for neophyte musicians looking to make their mark in a growing and popular field.
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