The Sound Architect speaks to Audio Director, Rodney Gates. Rodney is currently the Audio Director at Sony Online Entertainment and has worked on projects including; Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, Transformers: War for Cybertron, DC Universe Online and Magic: The Gathering – Tactics. We discuss his career path and gain a great insight into the industry and how to get that sound designer job.
How did your journey into audio begin and how did you progress to Audio Director?
When I was attending the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in 1996-97, game audio as we know it today was barely on the horizon, and wasn’t really a viable option for a career choice back then. What inspired me into pursuing sound design for games as a career choice was the 2002 Medal of Honor: Allied Assault PC game title. I was blown away by the authentic-sounding weaponry and beautiful (early career) Michael Giacchino score and figured this had to be something that I needed to be a part of.
I spent the better part of a year crafting a demo with of three, 2-minute audio “stories” that required a lot of field and sound effects recording, as at the time I only owned the Hollywood Edge Premier Edition 4-CD sound effects collection. I recorded voiceover with friends, traveled to rural areas in Arizona for various field recordings, recorded the bolt action of a borrowed rifle in my clothes closet (poor man’s Auralex), and assembled the whole thing in an old version of Vegas with some Waves plug-ins.
I cold-mailed this demo out to a bunch of companies and just one responded, which followed up with an interview and getting hired on as an Associate Sound Designer in early 2004 at (then) Sammy Studios in Carlsbad, CA.
Sammy turned into High Moon, changed parent companies a couple of times over the years (currently with Activision) and I came up through the ranks, working on “Darkwatch”, “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy”, and “Transformers: War For Cybertron” there, until leaving in late 2009 as a Principal Sound Designer to head over to Sony Online Entertainment to work on “Clone Wars Adventures”. It was during this title’s development that I became Audio Director at SOE, and still remain so to this day.
What has been your proudest project so far?
I have two favorites – the most current is SOE’s “PlanetSide 2”. We were able to get a lot of non-existing tech into that game in a short 18 month timeframe before launch, which was a feat in itself. My other favorite title was one I worked on at High Moon for Vivendi-Universal, “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy”. There were so many little fun sound design moments in that game, with hand-to-hand fighting that was really cool to work on, and a great FMOD-based audio engine integrated with Unreal 3 that I still miss! I became a Lead on that project halfway through, so I handled more of the responsibilities than previous titles, which is another reason I enjoyed it so much.
What has been your most challenging project so far?
“PlanetSide 2” was probably the biggest challenge to complete, but fortunately we were able to fix our riskiest tech issues and get the soundscape balanced early enough for a smooth launch last Fall. With servers that hold 2000 players, battles of this magnitude are much larger than any console shooters and most PC titles, and it took quite a bit of balancing and control to get it right.
What would be your dream project to work on?
I am a huge fan of the “Half-Life” series from Valve and would love to one day have my hand in that series, if it continues.
Have you ever created a sound that has stuck with you since?
Well, there is kind of a signature thing I like to do for low-end emphasis, especially with synthetic sounds – using RectiFi on sine waves in the 50-90Hz range. On a more comical note, there is a Rhinocerous Hornbill call / reply I recorded at the zoo many years back that I use for my New Email sound:
https://soundcloud.com/soundcues/what-is-this
How is it being an audio director compared to a sound designer?
It can be quite similar, but there is always a lot more administrative stuff to do. Spearheading a lot of game audio technology with the team is a great deal of fun , though, and seeing yourideas come to life is an exciting aspect to this kind of work.
Who is your main inspiration for sound design?
My (and many sound designer’s favorite), Ben Burtt. Using organic source in unexpected ways and finding those happy accidents that fit so well is something I love to do.
Do you play games a lot?
Not as much as I used to with my two young girls at home (3 and 5 years old). But any chance I get!
Do you have a favourite?
As I mentioned before, the “Half-Life” series is my all-time fav, as well as the “Dead Space” series, “Mass Effect” series, “Alan Wake”, the 2010 “Medal of Honor”, and “GTA IV” are some of the top ones.
What advice would you give to aspiring sound designers?
I wrote an article for Designing Sound during a featured sound designer series covering this very topic back in 2011, if you would wish to link to it:
Any advice for applications?
Much of the industry uses Avid Pro Tools and Sony Sound Forge Pro for creating / editing their work, which is what we did at High Moon and also here at SOE. I am also a huge fan of Steinberg Nuendo, which I use at home as well. Some use other DAWs, such as Cubase, Reaper, and even Sony Vegas for audio work.
What advice would you give for show reels?
Also in the article listed above (Tip 5).
Any major Do’s and Don’ts for these?
Try as to tailor the audio work in your demo towards the company’s type of games they make, if possible. Hopefully they will offer you a sound test, in which you can complete with 100% of “you” in it, which is harder to do once you’re in the industry and always part of a team.
Do you provide intern-ships or work experience at Sony Online Entertainment?
We haven’t had any internships for Audio as of yet, though SOE does offer some on the art side, many times with students from the local Art Institute. I hope to be able to provide this in the future.
Finally what lies in the future for you?
In addition to continuing our audio mission at SOE, I have started up a sample library company (SoundCues) creating virtual instruments for film, TV and video game composers. I’m nearly finished with the first product, which I’m pretty excited about!
Rodney was great to speak to and gives a great insight for aspiring sound designers. You can find him on Twitter @rodneygates. We hope you enjoyed the interview and as always feel free to contact us with any suggestions or requests! sam@thesoundarchitect.co.uk
Article by Sam Hughes
Uploaded 07/10/13