Musicians, composers, producers and publishers have long seen positioning music in film and TV as the metaphorical “gold mine” of building long-lasting residual income. But music positioning in computer game is rapidly becoming an important component of diversifying music licensing income. Composition, production and editing operate in video gaming can also be a benefit.
Why? The computer game market generates more annual revenue than the movie and music industries integrated. The digital age – streaming – has cut conventional sales profits for the music market. But advances in interactive home entertainment innovation like online gaming have allowed exponential development in the video game market. And, simply like films and TV, today’s sophisticated video games require huge amounts of music and audio. So it makes good sense that numerous music specialists are now working exclusively in game audio production.
Naturally, making up and producing music for interactive home entertainment innovations (i.e. computer games) shares a lot with producing live or studio music. This crossway between industries is the centerpiece of the Southern Utah University (SUU) of Music (M.M.) in Music Technology – Studio Technology Emphasis, which prepares students for a number of interesting careers in music and entertainment.
What Will I Learn in This Master’s Program?
Coursework in this program covers a breadth of subjects focused on providing trainees with a flexible range of music-related skills, all essential to building an effective profession in contemporary music production. Students establish core knowledge and abilities surrounding audio recording, live sound production, electronic music structure, music history and the music organization from the technological point of view.
Students even more explore their interests by choosing either the studio technology emphasis or the video game audio innovation emphasis. Both areas of focus look into the subtleties of scoring for movie, the common service matters involved, and the history and development of electronic music. Both locations of focus also include a capstone task.
The studio innovation focus consists of more sophisticated coursework on live and studio sound production and recording, consisting of advanced usage of taping software application programs and live sound reinforcement equipment. The game audio innovation emphasis concentrates on music and audio production for interactive home entertainment such as computer game.
What Is Unique About Video Game Audio Production?
Producing and modifying music for video games is various in lots of methods compared to conventional music production. Video video game sound design is complex in part since it should be reactive to the gamer’s actions and experience. A style song might play throughout a scenario in the game. But, at any given minute, a player may do something that triggers another musical style, needing each piece to transition backward and forward naturally.
Plus, sound design in computer game includes numerous layers of triggered audio, from the sound of a character’s feet crunching snow to the clash of swords. All of these distinct audio elements must easily exist side-by-side. This involves a more modular form of structure and production, which manufactures noises, music and computer shows, and incorporates it in genuine time to produce a smooth audio environment. In turn, this necessitates a close partnership between the game audio production group of sound designers, editors and composers.
What Kinds Of Career Aspirations Would This Degree Be Applicable To?
With the flexibility of knowledge and skills this degree program imparts, graduates may pursue numerous professions in music, varying from sound design to music entrepreneurship. But the 2 locations of emphasis available in this program are plainly geared towards their respective markets.
The studio technology emphasis prepares students for professions as music producers and sound engineers in tape-recording studios in addition to live sound engineers in clubs and theaters or with visiting bands and traveling productions. The video game audio focus prepares trainees to operate in lots of locations of computer game audio production. Sound designers develop manipulatable audio properties and artifacts. Editors incorporate music, audio and imagery into the interactive video gaming environment. Music supervisors supervise this whole process, working with and entrusting the various obligations, dealing with the organization aspects of licensing and contracts, ensuring the last product depends on quality requirements.
A number of these lines of music production and composition work require much of the very same skills and understanding, while locations like game audio modifying need specialized technological knowhow. Composition can be a totally various process when dealing with static audiovisual sync hints for a film versus flexible cues in the interactive video gaming setting. Yet the basics of music production, electronic composition, audio recording and the music business covered by SUU’s online Master of Music in studio and video game audio innovation can prepare students to master any of these expert pursuits.