| F A Q | | Q: What are “linear media” and “non-linear media?” | | | | | A: Linear media is the traditional media you are familiar with: movies, TV, music, etc. In linear media, you know at production time when actions and events happen—they all occur on a well-defined time-line. In non-linear media such as video games, you do not know in advance when events will occur, or even if they will occur at all. While audio for linear and non-linear media share many common elements, they require specialized tools, techniques and aesthetics. | | | | | Q: I do sound design for short films and the occasional TV spot. I know ProTools like I was born with it. Why do I need to attend GameSoundCon? | | | | | A: Great ProTools (or similar) chops are always valuable. But for games, that’s just the starting point. Games typically use specialized tools for creating interactive, dynamic sound effects and integrating them into the game—the traditional audio tools aren’t designed or equipped for that. Understanding the tools, and the concepts behind them will put you far ahead of the majority of composers and sound designers who only understand linear audio. | | | | | Q: Is there a market for game composers these days? Don’t games just license songs these days? | | A: There is definitely a market for game music composers. Relatively few games simply license existing songs for their games. The majority of console games have custom-written scores composed specifically for the game. | | | | | Q: How do I get started in game music or game sound design if I have experience in other media? What kind of game music jobs or game sound designer jobs are there? What about someone just starting out? Do I need special tools? What are the budgets? Do iPhone games need music? What do I need to know and do? | | | | | A: Those questions are too much for a simple FAQ. In fact, providing concrete, detailed answers to those questions and others is exactly why GameSoundCon was created? | | | | | | | | | | |
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