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0s | hello everyone and welcome back to the |
---|---|
3s | third episode of deconstructing this |
5s | month community manager Megan Everett |
7s | sits down with audio director George |
9s | Spanos and sound designer Erik Preston |
12s | to talk about the process of sound |
13s | production and design and warframe so |
16s | wherever you are |
17s | grab some coffee sit back and enjoy |
35s | hello and welcome back to the |
38s | deconstructing podcast |
39s | I'm your host Megan Everett and I am |
41s | joined by George Spanos audio director |
45s | on warframe and I've been at de for 1300 |
49s | years 13 years Wow |
52s | my name is Eric Preston senior sound |
55s | designer for warframe and I've been here |
57s | for over four years |
60s | a Batman for years warframe Eric Preston |
65s | sound designer senior 13 years four |
74s | years for plus 13 plus what were you |
77s | doing before working at D well I I |
81s | worked in the advertising industry for |
85s | about seven years doing post-production |
87s | work so I would record voiceovers I |
91s | would mix television radio commercials I |
93s | would do some sound design I did some |
96s | short film I did some albums I did a |
98s | bunch of a little bit of a little bit of |
101s | everything before joining to eat similar |
103s | to George I was in TV and film for ten |
106s | years sound design recording voiceovers |
110s | mixing and doing some music here and |
112s | there is there anything that sticks out |
114s | during that time is a good memory yeah |
118s | one of the things that stuck out for me |
120s | was the first film that I got to work on |
121s | which was saw seven so you saw seven oh |
124s | seven yeah that was fun |
126s | so the first time I got to work on like |
127s | a biggish kind of yeah movie but yeah |
131s | all along the way there was great |
132s | memories of meeting people and working |
134s | with different different types |
135s | voiceovers and directors and producers |
138s | and I'm gonna presume that it was like |
141s | gory sounds you were working on yeah |
144s | gory sounds and screams yeah you get |
147s | used to it effort desensitize turns into |
151s | tomatoes and Oh carrots cracking and |
154s | stuff was that it was the vegetable |
156s | route you took to the always always the |
159s | Viceroy's you don't do a pudding or |
161s | choking yourself oh you're on |
164s | and pudding I do the choking thing my |
172s | actually my first the first show that I |
174s | ever worked on I was an assistant |
177s | sound effects editor for must be Santa |
181s | oh well that's my claim to fame it was a |
184s | CBC special that's amazing it was it was |
189s | very joyous yeah it was like a kids |
193s | thing with you know I don't even |
194s | remember the premise but she had to find |
198s | Santa or something there's a long time |
200s | ago |
201s | yeah this is last century so your first |
208s | day or week here at de what sound you |
211s | remember working on that was your first |
213s | for warframe if you can remember that |
216s | far back George well yeah I know well |
219s | when I first started here at de we |
221s | weren't working on work right we were |
222s | working on Dark Sector and one of the |
224s | sounds on Dark Sector that I remember |
227s | having the hardest that took me forever |
230s | to make was the sound if any if any of |
233s | you have played that game Haydn was the |
237s | main character in it and he through a |
239s | thing called the glaive which is what we |
240s | have in warframe now but this was like |
243s | this is OG clave so and I remember I |
246s | tried a whole bunch of different sounds |
247s | for it like what what what would make |
250s | the sound of blade spinning in the air |
252s | and I tried just I tried like knives and |
257s | kind of just editing them and cutting |
260s | them up close to each other so that they |
261s | sounded like they were swishing through |
262s | the air that didn't really work I tried |
264s | a whole bunch of other things and then |
266s | the thing that ended up working for it |
268s | funny enough I had these little bowls |
270s | these little metallic kind of they're |
274s | called singing bowls or like Tibetan |
276s | bowls that were you like rub the ends |
278s | yeah you can rub the inside of it and it |
280s | makes like a note and it's it's you know |
283s | it's used for meditation and that kind |
284s | of thing but what I did with it was I |
286s | spun it on a wood surface and so it made |
290s | this |
291s | with a bit of a metallic sound to it and |
294s | that's the story of how I came came to |
296s | across the glaive sound and that's one |
298s | of my earliest memories from de was |
300s | having the challenge of doing that and |
302s | then yeah and then and then coming up |
305s | with that so yeah mining for a jewel |
307s | yeah well that's that sound design right |
310s | like it's like you got a you got to chip |
312s | away at things to kind of uncover the |
315s | true essence of it and sometimes where |
317s | you start doesn't you don't end in that |
319s | same place so yeah so that was one of my |
322s | earliest memories absolutely one of the |
325s | first sounds that I did I remember when |
328s | I got here was probably about a month in |
329s | and I apologize for anyone who liked the |
332s | original sounds but it was the power-ups |
336s | like the pickups pickups yeah yeah |
339s | redoing and that was an interesting |
342s | challenge that was the first sound that |
343s | I ever made for video games so if you |
347s | listen closely there's still some of the |
348s | original stuff peppered in there but |
351s | yeah that was that was the first thing |
353s | that I cut my teeth on here do you |
354s | remember your first sound that was |
356s | outside of computer sounds like having |
358s | to do a bowl on a wooden surface yeah |
361s | totally the first sounds outside of that |
363s | would have been all of the ambient |
364s | sounds for the grenier ocean title sang |
367s | so we actually went to a pool and we |
370s | ended up recording horns underwater and |
372s | splashing right and that was like a day |
376s | long of just recording these organic |
378s | sounds and a pool was freezing cold and |
380s | it was so cold one of one of it was four |
383s | or five of us at the time I think and |
385s | one of the other sound designers on the |
386s | team we had this like little mixer like |
389s | portable hand blender thing you know |
391s | that you'd used to blend in a cup or |
393s | whatever and that you'd plug in and so |
395s | he's like oh look let me put that in the |
397s | pool and just see like what the sound of |
399s | the blade is in the pool so like okay |
400s | cool so he does that and then I noticed |
402s | that he's plugged into an extension cord |
404s | and the extension cord is slowly moving |
406s | to the edge of the pool and I'm like and |
408s | I it was one of those moments where I |
410s | ran and I loved it was slow motion and I |
412s | pulled it out of the way and and it was |
414s | like ooh yeah too close for comfort on |
417s | that but the things you do for your |
419s | craft things we do for warframe yeah for |
422s | all the players out there |
424s | we put our lives on the line regularly |
430s | so I do have some questions from our |
432s | actual players ask them on Twitter so |
435s | they'd have a few so I'm just gonna go |
436s | through them someone on Twitter wants to |
438s | know how are the spoken languages of |
440s | each faction created yeah well that's |
443s | that's an interesting story too actually |
445s | I forget when this happened probably |
448s | when he later part of 2013 the Grenier |
452s | used to just speak in English and they |
455s | kind of had some funny phrases actually |
456s | and I know some of you out there want it |
458s | want to bring those back maybe we'll do |
460s | that one day in a special pack but we |
462s | wanted we wanted to make them sound |
464s | different and guttural and meaner and so |
469s | one of the ways of doing that is is to |
472s | me anyway as an English speaker it's to |
474s | have hard sounding letters and hard |
477s | sounding like phrases for the enemies to |
483s | say and so what we did was Steve |
486s | actually developed a script a Lua script |
489s | where we can type in the sentence that |
492s | we want the enemy to say for a grenier |
495s | let's say you know attack or whatever |
498s | and then we can choose certain consonant |
501s | pairs and vowel pairs to make it sound |
503s | more guttural and so we set that all up |
505s | and then now you just type your phrase |
508s | in you hit enter and it spits it out in |
510s | grenier and we have a similar one for |
512s | the corpus and so it they all follow |
514s | that same kind of language convention |
516s | and it that's why if you hear some some |
520s | phrases like attack for example in |
522s | grenier zat's half if whenever you hear |
525s | that it's going to be consistent any |
526s | time I go near says attack it's gonna |
528s | sound like a Taff and so actually an |
531s | interesting story about that is that's |
533s | how Clem was born yet Clem because get |
537s | them translated into Grenier is get Clem |
540s | and so someone one day heard it and was |
544s | like yeah who drew up a comic of this |
548s | Clem character yeah then he was born yes |
551s | so that was kind of cool actually when |
552s | that happened it's like he's like it |
555s | came from from |
556s | in your language so yeah you can |
558s | translate it all technically yeah and |
562s | you can do it in reverse and I think |
563s | some people have done that actually so I |
565s | saw spreadsheet once where someone had |
567s | figured it out |
569s | really yeah someone posted it on Twitter |
570s | or something and then infested is |
573s | obviously just gargles and yes it is all |
576s | the saw seven sounds see this which is |
584s | an English language that's just voice |
586s | actors yeah most of the time now what we |
589s | do is is we is is we we get people to |
593s | speak in English at this point because |
594s | that's the other thing too I think for |
596s | us you know and obviously as English |
599s | speakers I think you it resonates more |
602s | with you to hear it in that language and |
604s | you know what they're saying and you |
605s | know warframe has come a long way in |
607s | story and character development and so |
610s | back in the day it was more about |
612s | creating a vibe for the enemy NPCs to |
615s | have but when you want to tell a story |
617s | it helps to to for it to make sense in |
621s | that respect and that's why for again |
623s | there's a lot of you will remember or |
625s | used to speaking Grenier but now he |
628s | speaks in English just because you got |
631s | to be annoying to hear him in |
633s | transmissions speak yeah yeah even |
637s | though you have the translation I think |
638s | if it's something that's in the |
639s | forefront you kind of need to it needs |
641s | to make sense in that well the source |
643s | monologue is one of the most popular |
645s | memes right we've seen that I know which |
649s | one his is a corrupted war when he talks |
651s | about like come to this place you think |
654s | you are pure whatever is like that giant |
656s | section of his monologue is on like Know |
659s | Your Meme calm is it really you I didn't |
661s | know that oh there was actually I don't |
663s | know might have been you might have been |
665s | someone else but in today or this week's |
667s | update there'll be a fix for him not |
670s | saying his monologue and people were |
672s | very upset about it oh he got fixed |
675s | he added thank goodness thank goodness |
677s | keep the meme alive alright so what |
681s | inspires the theme of the toons lore of |
683s | the enemy or the feel of a planet well |
685s | the inspirations behind |
687s | yeah so we look at a lot of the concept |
689s | art we look a lot of a lot of sort of |
692s | what the level designers are doing and |
694s | we kind of get a vibe for a feel for |
697s | what it's you know what the tilesets |
700s | gonna be about you know like or valise |
702s | for example coal this desolate it's |
704s | windy a lot of blue a lot of gray for us |
708s | that meant electronic and more kind of |
710s | hard and angular sounds whereas a lot of |
713s | the Grenier music in the game is more |
715s | orchestral it's it's it's a little more |
718s | kind of not futuristic technology but |
721s | you know current day or older technology |
725s | kind of a thing and so that's also what |
727s | we do with the weapons sound weapons |
730s | sounds for any of the factions because |
732s | we try to keep keep it you know corpus |
735s | stuff is very high tech and grenier |
737s | stuff is more more organic and oily and |
740s | mechanical sounding and so that kind of |
743s | feeling and methodology goes behind |
746s | music and sounds and everything |
748s | depending on faction and depending on |
750s | planet so yeah and that's that's that's |
754s | the basic kind of idea behind it we |
759s | think through it quite a bit and we |
761s | iterate a lot autumn as well usually the |
762s | first pass is not what what people end |
765s | up hearing in the in the final the final |
767s | game so and it usually evolves as well |
770s | with with the arts and the other |
771s | departments as as things happen and |
773s | things change we we sort of change with |
776s | it so yeah it's it's like a long process |
779s | there's a lot usually lots of discussion |
781s | yeah yeah and that's that's a you know |
784s | it's it's always interesting whenever |
786s | there's like a dev stream and it's like |
788s | a work in progress it's always like yeah |
793s | what's the is that thing in or whatever |
795s | and um cuz you guys are working on so |
798s | much and then it's like oh we're gonna |
799s | show this part that's obviously not |
801s | released yet and it's like - have I had |
802s | time to touch that yet or don't work on |
804s | that yeah and a lot of the times it's |
806s | kind of like it's it's not at the place |
809s | that you want it to be right and so |
811s | things change but I think people |
812s | understand that they understand that |
814s | work in progress is worth 6 years and |
816s | they better understand that work in |
818s | progress |
819s | exactly |
820s | the charm of it I think yeah I agree |
822s | absolutely do you guys have a favorite |
823s | theme of anything like or Valis favorite |
829s | theme |
829s | I love the Grenier yeah I really like |
832s | the grineer I think they're just a solid |
833s | package altogether the music and the |
835s | voices and it's just such a it's just |
838s | such a solid identity that they have and |
842s | such a unique look as well so yeah but |
845s | I'm a big fan of all that is grittier |
848s | yeah I was a big fan I am a big fan of |
852s | we all live together actually the song |
855s | the Keith Road you know I think for us |
857s | that was such a big departure and we |
860s | were a bit kind of I'm nervous isn't the |
862s | right word but sort of like you know |
865s | when you're trying something new you're |
866s | like is this gonna work |
867s | apprehensive apprehensive is this gonna |
869s | be the right thing and you know when he |
871s | wrote it and we listened to it we were |
873s | like man this is gonna be really cool |
875s | and and I think for us to anything that |
878s | kind of has lyrics behind it really |
880s | carries weight and I think that really |
882s | there was a first for us you know so |
886s | yeah that for me is a proud moment I |
889s | think it's something I I never get tired |
892s | of hearing so I remember when we heard |
895s | his first demo it was just him on the |
897s | piano right yeah we have yeah yeah we |
905s | only the first part of the song - he's |
908s | like kid was crying in the back it was |
912s | it's literally the name of it the file |
913s | he sent me when you record like I guess |
916s | on the iPhone it's like it was called |
918s | home m4a you know I was like just like |
920s | whatever just and and he must have said |
923s | - he said his iPhone down and hit record |
925s | and he's like playing on the piano and |
927s | he's like here here's a melody what do |
928s | you guys think and really oh man that's |
930s | awesome let's develop that let's make |
932s | that into something and then the lyrics |
936s | kind of just came together for it and |
938s | kind of worked out really well and I |
940s | think that's that's one of Keith's |
942s | strengths is is matching music to lyrics |
946s | which isn't easy to do |
948s | yeah and I remember when he sent the it |
951s | was almost I think it might have been |
953s | the final version it was the first time |
955s | that I'd heard the lift when the |
956s | arpeggios come in and and it takes off |
958s | from the the beginning of the song |
960s | that's my favorite part |
961s | and I read yeah I remember hearing that |
963s | and like getting insane shivers yeah and |
966s | I was like okay there's something's |
967s | going on here this is special a sound |
971s | team that hear sounds all the time work |
973s | on them give you guys goosebumps then |
974s | you know it's gold yeah totally yeah I |
978s | remember before I'd even heard it I got |
981s | a message saying you're gonna love it |
983s | it's literally like an opening to frozen |
985s | yeah Disney movie and I was like I'm |
987s | sold |
987s | I don't even care what it is yeah we're |
989s | turning into Disney and I'm okay with it |
991s | yeah actually frozen was one of the kind |
993s | of like song that song the worker song |
997s | was we looked at that as one of the kind |
1000s | of inspirations for it and wanting it to |
1003s | feel like like that kind of choral kind |
1006s | of piece so so you kind of George you |
1010s | talked about the glaive being one of the |
1012s | hard sounds that you had to do is there |
1014s | any other sounds that you recall both of |
1016s | you that were super challenging to do |
1019s | mm-hmm |
1021s | it's always the short small sounds that |
1024s | are challenging like that the things |
1026s | that you just feel they're really quick |
1028s | it's the suit that the sounds that you |
1030s | hear over and over and over though and |
1033s | they're very short those are by far the |
1034s | hardest so like the hit notifications |
1037s | what do you shoot somebody getting that |
1038s | sound right is extremely difficult |
1041s | because you hear it all the time right |
1043s | and even then right we put in a toggle |
1047s | so you could turn it off if you don't |
1048s | like it because all right every single |
1050s | time you guys have to put in exactly |
1052s | what's it's like you know he hears a |
1054s | sound that you're gonna hear for hours |
1056s | especially if you play a lot you can |
1058s | hear it for a very long time those are |
1060s | always the hardest sounds for me for |
1061s | sure they take a long time and it's |
1063s | because as soon as you hear something on |
1064s | repeat all of the flaws start to become |
1067s | extremely apparent so it's it's like you |
1069s | have to you have to file it down it's |
1071s | like it's like crumpling up a piece of |
1073s | aluminum and then just and then just |
1076s | rubbing it until it's this smooth |
1078s | ball is perfectly smooth ball it takes a |
1081s | long time yeah yeah yeah it's funny |
1084s | because like especially if it's |
1085s | something you that you need to |
1087s | communicate an idea with that players |
1090s | need to hear and be aware of but it |
1091s | can't be annoying and and one thing that |
1093s | I just remembered right now is the |
1095s | shield the shield down and shield up |
1097s | sound which I think some people probably |
1100s | hate exactly I like it yeah but like I |
1104s | think I worked on that for forever to |
1106s | get to that point and it's such a short |
1108s | sound right I mean it's like they're |
1110s | what maybe half a second to a second for |
1112s | each and I went through so many |
1114s | iterations of it and I don't know it's |
1117s | not probably still not the best it could |
1119s | be but it's one of those things it's |
1122s | like well how do you communicate to |
1123s | players what's happening probably during |
1126s | a really intense situation so there's a |
1128s | lot of other sounds happening how do you |
1130s | make this sound kind of cut through and |
1132s | let you know what's happening and not be |
1135s | annoying and so that took a long time to |
1137s | work on and and to get and again it's a |
1140s | short sound aim gliding and bullet |
1143s | jumping I worked on those and I worked |
1145s | on those forever simple just simple |
1148s | sounds now that you hear and you're like |
1149s | whatever but I tried so many different |
1151s | things for those it is it's it's the |
1154s | sounds that are the shortest that you |
1155s | think are the simplest sounds are |
1158s | actually the hardest like creating |
1160s | sounds for warframes it's hard work and |
1162s | it's it's it's intense but I think |
1165s | that's on it's on a different level |
1166s | mm-hm you know because it's sort of like |
1168s | once you figure out the sonic palette of |
1171s | a warframe you kind of go down that path |
1173s | but I don't know what it is there's just |
1177s | something about the shorter simpler |
1179s | sounds that are harder to harder to make |
1181s | and take the most time I remember |
1183s | spending a lot of time on the head shot |
1185s | sounds yeah and a lot of time on the |
1187s | keep on the kill shot sounds is the |
1189s | sound you make when you just kill a guy |
1190s | those take forever to do and correct me |
1194s | if I'm wrong but different factions have |
1196s | different headshot sounds with |
1197s | corporates you have the helmet grenier |
1199s | well corpus and grenadiers share the |
1202s | same sound a chance thing but if you do |
1204s | a headshot on like a mole or you kill |
1206s | them all there's slightly more |
1207s | mechanical that |
1208s | Organic but that's another thing too is |
1211s | you don't want to make too many |
1212s | variations either because you're |
1214s | communicating some information so you |
1216s | want to use a sound that people are |
1218s | going to learn and if you have too many |
1220s | different ones then it sort of takes it |
1222s | from I got a headshot - was that a |
1224s | headshot I don't know so it's it's that |
1226s | tough balance of like the same sound |
1228s | over and over about trying not to make |
1230s | it too annoying well and then it becomes |
1235s | almost musical too sometimes because |
1237s | then you have like you know like you're |
1240s | shooting it you're shooting a guy and |
1241s | you're hitting and you're hitting a |
1242s | metal surface you don't want it to feel |
1244s | like you're playing keyboard or whatever |
1246s | but you want to communicate the idea but |
1248s | you don't want it to be sound repetitive |
1250s | either yes so it's a challenge for sure |
1254s | I'm curious about wisp because she has |
1257s | some really interesting sounds is there |
1258s | any behind-the-scenes info on how you |
1261s | did whisper sounds yeah Eric |
1263s | Eric's been working on whisper yeah yeah |
1265s | yeah it was ma'am the wisp is all well |
1268s | we did a first iteration that what that |
1270s | was never heard on live stream and the |
1273s | first iteration was much more playful |
1275s | and total and it ended up just not |
1277s | fitting and suiting it very well |
1280s | so we went back to the drawing board and |
1282s | we went for a more like raw raw |
1287s | in-your-face approach with it so we have |
1289s | this weird blue tube in my office and if |
1293s | you make sounds into this tube it makes |
1295s | all these weird whispery effects so I |
1298s | used a lot of that that tube actually |
1301s | most of the sounds that you hear and |
1302s | there are yeah and then of course you |
1307s | know you reinforce them with other with |
1309s | other sound effects like like snuffing |
1311s | out a candle and like a match is being |
1314s | lit and little tiny things like that |
1316s | that when you feature them or you put |
1317s | them up against you know some cool |
1319s | effects they take on a completely |
1321s | different sound and then what it |
1323s | actually is but yes a lot of its that |
1326s | the tube that's the thing - I think |
1329s | that's an important thing for anyone out |
1331s | there who's starting to do sound design |
1333s | you know it's a perfect lesson of like |
1336s | don't think that you need the most |
1338s | expensive equipment or that you need to |
1340s | layer tons of sounds sometimes |
1342s | it's just the simplest things it's the |
1344s | blue tube you know or whatever because |
1347s | something that it's all about getting |
1349s | the unique sound and something that |
1350s | hopefully we haven't heard before and |
1352s | those sounds exist all around you and |
1354s | you just you just have to kind of open |
1357s | your mind to them and try different |
1358s | things and see what you can make some of |
1361s | the best sounds that's how they're made |
1362s | mm-hmm it like if you know the simplest |
1365s | kind of elements go into some of the |
1367s | most interesting sounds you know and you |
1370s | time stretch it or you pitch shift it or |
1372s | you do whatever to it and you get |
1374s | something really unique and different |
1375s | that way yeah thank you for the same to |
1379s | the deconstructing podcast and thank you |
1381s | very much to george Spanos Erik Preston |
1383s | thanks for joining me today you guys are |
1385s | amazing |
1386s | and I'm excited for the new sounds that |
1388s | you put into were free yes I learned so |
1406s | much thank you for listening to the |
1409s | third episode of deconstructing as a |
1411s | neat little tidbit just after we |
1413s | recorded this podcast the sound team won |
1415s | the webby People's Voice award for best |
1417s | music and sound design congratulations |
1419s | to the warframe sound team on their win |
1421s | tune in next month for another episode |
1423s | of deconstructing |