“If you can't find the creature, be the creature”

April 3, 2012 9:35 AM

How Video Game Sounds Are Made: a brief but fascinating look inside the world of video game sound production.
posted by quin (15 comments total)

How Video Game Sounds Are Made:

Like this, "pew, pew, pew!"
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 9:55 AM on April 3, 2012 [3 favorites]

If you need something quickly, there's bfxr, a flash thingy for making video game sounds.
posted by zamboni at 10:09 AM on April 3, 2012 [8 favorites]

Yeah I was pretty sure they just got Michael Winslow in a locked room for half an hour and edited down.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:21 AM on April 3, 2012

Not a video game noise, but boy do I love that sound of Skype 2.7 when it closes.

Shoomp
posted by frecklefaerie at 11:14 AM on April 3, 2012

If you need something quickly, there's bfxr, a flash thingy for making video game sounds.

And there went an hour of my morning. Sorry, boss.
posted by Blue Meanie at 12:02 PM on April 3, 2012

this is very cool! Although, I wish they showed more about how the banging, clanking, strumming, and swishing were glued together
posted by rebent at 12:06 PM on April 3, 2012

to give props to the original writer of the link zamboni posted, here's the info, file, and source for sfxr. Which is the bomb-diggity for "programmer's sound fx" [FX which we "indie game devs" use for placeholders -or actual releases!].
posted by ill13 at 12:46 PM on April 3, 2012

Just in case there's any confusion, this is not how the sounds in Super Mario Bros. were made.
posted by curious nu at 12:46 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

Not video game sounds, but still of related interest: Disney Imagineers and Sound Design. Found via this previous FPP.

Also: RAWRRGHKFGHLLXGHSS!! SQUEEEEEEEE!? GRXAAAA3LKHELEHELHEBZ... somebody hire me please!
posted by Doleful Creature at 1:01 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

There's something wonderfully surreal about knowing that the screams and grunts of the hideous eldritch creature you just fought were largely generated by putting a man called Geoff in front of a microphone and letting him make silly noises at it. Also, I want that job so much.
posted by ZsigE at 1:59 PM on April 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

Slightly off-topic, but I just started watching The Walking Dead and have been chuckling at how many Left 4 Dead / L4D2 sounds they use in that show.
posted by xedrik at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2012

Are there any videos of Mike Patton doing his monster noises?
posted by buriednexttoyou at 3:35 PM on April 3, 2012

Slightly off-topic, but I just started watching The Walking Dead and have been chuckling at how many Left 4 Dead / L4D2 sounds they use in that show.

At last, a replacement for DOOM Imp!
posted by curious nu at 3:39 PM on April 3, 2012

Oh them crazy video game noises... Too bad games aren't as challenging as they use to be... Back to two bit please !!!
posted by ates at 5:53 PM on April 3, 2012

You mean to tell me that Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider didn't invent these? Well, you've gone and destroyed my world now.
posted by droplet at 7:09 PM on April 3, 2012