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10:00am
Adele Cutting Soundcuts & Audio Track Host10:00am - 10:15amRoom 3Audio Track Welcome & Introduction
Thursday 13th July10:00am - 10:15amRoom 3This year’s Audio Track host, Adele Cutting, welcomes attendees and introduces the day’s audio sessions.
Eric Nielsen CCP Games10:15am - 11:00amRoom 3Finding the Signal in the Noise: Prioritizing Sound in EVE Online’s Vast Universe
Thursday 13th July10:15am - 11:00amRoom 3Released back in 2003, Eve Online has hosted some of the largest player-versus-player battles in video game history within its virtual world. Throughout the years, the players of EVE Online discovered numerous methods to gain an edge in these titanic clashes. One of these methods, codified in online documents that players call “fleet doctrines”, was to disable audio in order to save on CPU.
Join the audio programmer for EVE Online in a deep dive into the technical and artistic challenges they faced, as well as the lessons they learned, while developing a solution to this decades-old problem. Discover how this solution ended up revitalizing the overall mix of the game and how it encapsulates the often blurry boundary between sound design and programming that comes with the profession of audio programming.
Session Takeaway
- Practical examples for prioritizing sound in complex and unpredictable scenarios.
- Insights into mix design for larger scenes.
- Thoughts about the role of audio programmer and the interplay between tech and creativity.
11:15am
Matteo Cerquone JumpshipJay Steen SweejTech11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 3I Know What You Did Last Somerville
Thursday 13th July11:15am - 12:00pmRoom 3In this talk, Somerville’s Audio Director and Audio Programmer discuss the creative and technical challenges of the game’s sound design and how they overcame them. They will cover the cinematic, storytelling mix and creating Somerville’s brooding sonic atmosphere; how the alien elements of the audio were created and implemented; and how sound was used to ground the player in an interactable environment.
Session Takeaway
- How to empower sound designers to create mix moments for a story-driven game through flexible, reusable tools rather than strict rules.
- How to design and mix sound for a highly cinematic camera with an always-controllable character.
- Some good practices to use when you Wwise up Unity.
- What worked well and not so well when creating the sound of Somerville.
12:15pm
Jodie Kupsco PlayStation Studios // Creative ArtsSonia Coronado PlayStation Studios // Creative ArtsAlex Previty PlayStation Studios // Creative Arts12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 3Mixing AAA Games – Process, Collaboration & Systems
Thursday 13th July12:15pm - 1:00pmRoom 3Join PlayStation’s own Jodie Kupsco (Dialogue Supervisor), Sonia Coronado (Music Supervisor), and Alex Previty (Ambience Pillar Lead/Technical Mixer) for a deep dive into the process, collaboration, and systems involved in mixing the global hit games of today and the future.
Drawing on their latest work from God of War Ragnarök and beyond, this team of award-winning professionals will discuss timelines, thorough premix processes, thoughtfully designed bussing structure, mix targets, innovative dynamic mixing techniques, and immersive 3D audio. They will also reflect on lessons learned and opportunities for improvement, all with a positive and growth-oriented mindset.
Session Takeaway
- Be inspired by key PlayStation creatives explaining their mixing approach, design and methodology.
- Learn about mixing systems, processes, techniques and how to set-up for success.
- Benefit from lessons learned by the team and their thoughts on future opportunities for development.
2:00pm
Presenting an Authentic F1 Audio Experience: Insight into an Asset Heavy Cross Disciplinary PipelineWill Augar Frontier DevelopmentsTim Bartlett Frontier DevelopmentsAndy Hair Frontier Developments2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3Presenting an Authentic F1 Audio Experience: Insight into an Asset Heavy Cross Disciplinary Pipeline
Thursday 13th July2:00pm - 2:45pmRoom 3Key members of Frontier’s audio team tell the story of a deep collaboration of skillsets within tech audio, and how they turned the usual audio design process on its head by heavily mining real world assets from F1 - including recordings of every driver and car in every race from last year and this year’s seasons. They’ll discuss how they focused on designing automation and clever systems to select the correct asset to use in the simulation, based on game data (track, camera position, manufacturer, driver) at run time, and how by bringing together different aspects of automation and technical design to create a smart collaborative asset pipeline, they have created a compelling and authentic game sound experience.
Session Takeaway
- Gain insights into deep cross-discipline collaboration.
- Be challenged to think outside the box when approaching audio design.
- Learn how to create a highly effective asset pipeline using technical smarts.
3:00pm
Byron Bullock Formosa InteractiveRobert Krekel Formosa Interactive3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3Sound Effects Recording: Inspire Your Sound Design Workflow
Thursday 13th July3:00pm - 3:45pmRoom 3Hear from multi-award winning sound designers Byron Bullock and Robert Krekel about the amazing value of custom recorded sound effects for videogame projects. Value not just creatively in the nature of the bespoke assets captured but also in the team building benefits and morale boosting effects that come from the recording process itself.
This inspiring talk will feature both small and large scale examples from global hit titles such as Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part 2, as well as sharing expertise from one of the masters of the Boom Library!
Session Takeaway
- Learn much more about the true value of creating custom sound effects.
- Get insights to the team and morale positives that come from sound recording adventures.
- Be inspired by examples from top tier global hit videogame productions to get out there and record yourself!
4:00pm
Steve Brown Sonorous4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3A Daily Practice - Safeguarding Your Audio Team’s Mental Health & Wellbeing
Thursday 13th July4:00pm - 4:45pmRoom 3Creating best of breed game audio can provide many moments of fun, joy and job satisfaction. But it can also be challenging, tough and failure-prone. Worse, we all too often hear stories of crunch, poor management, stress and even burnout where companies have lost sight of what makes all those profit-generating pixels and wave forms sing – namely the talented human beings behind them. We need to look after those creative souls, and respect and motivate them to continue authoring awesome game audio experiences. Doing so whilst balancing project parameters and deadlines is will not always easy but it’s the right and wise path. This talk will offer tools and advice for working to maintain and improve your team's mental wellbeing – you may not always succeed but the key is to try – and to make it a daily ‘practice’.
Session Takeaway
- Discover how prioritising your teams mental wellbeing will benefit your project and ultimately your company’s future.
- Explore practical techniques and methodologies for helping your team manage stress.
- Find out how you can help others plan to succeed and be fulfilled in their work.
- Learn how to create a healthy creative environment which promotes openness and positive critique and what it means practically and in daily practice to respect, motivate and encourage your colleagues.
5:00pm
Michael Kent PlayStation Studios // Creative Arts5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3Creating the Epic Audio for God of War Ragnarök
Thursday 13th July5:00pm - 5:45pmRoom 3In this talk, God Of War Ragnarök’s Supervisor Sound Designer Michael Kent will take you on a journey through the approach, development, and execution of the sound design for one of the most loved and critically acclaimed video game franchises of all time. You’ll learn about the work that went into the ambience, creatures, player design, HDR system, and cinematic workflows for this multi award-winning game—and get some insight into the challenges faced when building a sequel.
Session Takeaway
- Be inspired by Michael Kent and his team’s approach to, and development and execution of God of War’s hugely acclaimed sound design.
- Learn about the challenges faced when building a sequel within such a beloved franchise.
- Benefit from insights into the team’s work on ambience, creatures, player design, HDR and cinematics.
Adele Cutting Soundcuts & Audio Track HostPaul Lipson Formosa GroupDominque Devoucoux KingJeremie Voillot PlayStation Studios Sound5:45pm - 6:30pmRoom 3Open Mic 2023
Thursday 13th July5:45pm - 6:30pmRoom 3In keeping with Develop Conference tradition, our panel of game audio experts limber up for an inclusive town hall style discussion with conference delegates about the current state-of-the-art of music, sound and dialogue for games and what the future holds for game audio business, technology and creativity.
Moderated by Soundcut's Adele Cutting.
More special guests to be announced soon.