Adventures in Interactive Sound Design:
A Case Study
Who: Jeff Essex of Audiosync and Ian Bigelow
When: Thursday, February 21, 2002
Catered Reception: 6:30-7:30 PM (Food and wine are served buffet style)
Program: 7:30-9:00 PM
Location: McInnis Atrium at Autodesk HQ (Directions)
Cost: Free to members; $15 for non-members; $10 for students with valid ID
Info Contact: Ann Smulka, Educational Programs Director at
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Sound design and audio production for multimedia involve more than
composing great music and delivering sound effects under tight deadlines.
They require a combination of skills and talent unique to the multimedia
industry. One must be an artist, engineer, technician, and hacker (or have
the resources to hire someone who is). Join us on Thursday, February 21,
when sound designer Jeff Essex and programmer Ian Bigelow — two guys who
have that unique combination of skills and talent — take us on an adventure
in interactive sound design.
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“I’ve heard Jeff Essex speak many times and have learned more from him, at
a higher rate per minute, than from any other source.”
— Leroy Shyne
NBMA’s Audio Engineer
and Board Member
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Jeff says they’ll “open the hood and expose the wiring of an award-winning
audio project: Sutter Home’s Moodmaker.” Sounds perfect for the month of
valentines.
“Imagine you’re high on a hillside, surrounded by tall, whispering grass.
Vineyards stretch out below you, while birds dance in the gentle breezes
above.” So begins the promotional copy for Moodmaker. Now imagine your
clients have asked you to recreate the sounds of Napa Valley for an “audio
screensaver” that could play sounds all day long without becoming
repetitive or boring. And, oh yes, could you add interactivity so that
listeners can customize it? And make it small enough to download from a Web
site?
At this meeting, you will learn how Jeff and Ian contributed their
expertise to this project which was a winner in the Entertainment category
of last year’s Communication Arts’ Interactive Design Annual
(www.commarts.com/CA/interactive/cai01).
Topics will include:
- Programming with Beatnik Xtra and Director to create an immersive audio
experience.
- Developing and leveraging reusable tools to facilitate the creative process.
- Building compact sound effect libraries in Beatnik Editor.
- Using Beatnik to generate interactive music as well as sound effects.
- A detailed walk through the design, engineering and integration phases of a complex audio-focused project.
Before the meeting, you may want to experience Moodmaker for yourself. You
can download it at www.sutterhome.com/moodmaker.
Jeff specializes in using digital audio and MIDI to create custom music and
audio for multimedia and video. His company, audiosyncrasy, was founded in
1992, and is credited on over 50 CD-ROM titles and leading entertainment
Web sites. Clients include Corbis Productions, Disney Interactive, Aureal
Semiconductor, Apple Computer, Headspace, Mindscape, 3DO, the Ad-Hoc Group
and Red Sky Interactive.
Audiosyncrasy’s mission is to deliver a full range of audio production services, while lending technical expertise to help
multimedia producers navigate through the process of creating sound,
including file formats, delivery systems, production techniques and
authoring tools. Jeff is also the author of “Multimedia Sound and Music
Studio,” published by Random House for the Apple New Media Library. The book
won the 1996 Computer Press Award for “Best Advanced How-To Book.”
Ian Bigelow has nine years of experience as a Lingo developer. He
discovered Director 3.0 while traveling in Japan. Returning to San
Francisco in 1993 (just as the term “multimedia gulch” was coming into
fashion), he joined Big Top Productions, working on edutainment titles such
as “Hello Kitty Big Fun” and “Felix The Cat Cartoon Toolbox.” Seeking
greater technical challenges, Ian joined the programming team at Robert de
Niro1s multimedia venture, Tribeca Interactive, working on the
award-winning adventure game, “9:The Last Resort.”
In 1997, Ian formed interactive production company Art Interact, developing
a fully compliant Japanese email client completely in Director. He also
served two years as the senior technical lead at Red Sky Interactive. Ian
is not just your average code geek. He also holds an M.F.A. from the San
Francisco Art Institute.
Come early to mingle during the catered reception from 6:30-7:30 PM. The
“Adventure” will run from 7:30-9:00 PM.
Directions to McInnis Atrium, Autodesk HQ
111 McInnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA
- Take Highway 101
- Exit at Terra Linda/Freitas Pkwy
- Head EAST and turn RIGHT onto Civic Center Driver (the frontage road)
- Turn LEFT onto McInnis Pkwy (at the 2nd signal light, just past the RR tracks)
- Follow McInnis past the Embassy Suites Hotel
- Turn RIGHT into the Autodesk parking lot
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