Video game development has boomed unstoppably in recent years, which has led hundreds of professionals to focus their careers on electronic entertainment. In fact, there is a palpable need for qualified people to create music and sound effects for video games, since without them the gaming experience will never be complete.
Escuela Microfusa is launching the course “Music Composition and Sound Design for Video Games,” aimed at anyone interested in how a video game soundtrack is made. It will cover in depth: the history of music for video games and film, composition for picture, applied harmony, orchestration, music technology, MIDI orchestration, sound design... and of course a complete final project in which students will take on the responsibility of creating their own soundtrack. The syllabus will cover the following areas.
History of music for video games and film
To know where we need to go, we first have to know where we come from. This subject is essential for students to learn what has already been done and what it meant for the industry at the time.
Composition for picture
Music for video games or film works completely differently from the music we know for traditional listening, in separate tracks. We have to find a way to tell stories with it, describe characters with a short melody or create endless loops that are pleasant to the player’s ear without tiring it. All this is achieved by knowing which harmony to choose, which instruments are most appropriate and how to implement everything within the project so that it all hangs together in the end.
Applied harmony
This subject, which complements Composition for Picture, explains in greater depth and more technically the foundations of the harmony we use in video games and film. Exercises and assignments will be set for students to work on at home, which will then be corrected in class with examples.
Orchestration
This subject explains the role each instrument plays within an orchestra: ranges, tonal colors, characteristics, chord voicing, voice leading... everything students need to take their first steps as composers and arrive at the final project well trained.
Music technology
Time to get down to work with sequencers! In this subject, we will study the process by which we can compose on the computer as if we had an orchestra at our keyboard, using the most widely used programs today (Logic, Cubase...) and everything related to them (Kontakt, EastWest, plug-ins, Omnisphere, etc.) so that students can produce good samples of their work in a single year. We will also work with WWISE or FMOD, so students understand how music and audio can be implemented in a video game so that, during gameplay, everything changes automatically according to the parameters set between the composer and the programming team.
MIDI orchestration
A vitally important subject for the final project, since we will study how to transfer what we have created on the computer to paper so that any musician can read and play it easily (Sibelius, Finale...). We will also go over important tips to make the work sound more "real" (blending libraries, plug-ins...), so students can orchestrate in the sequencer and make more organic, dynamic music.
Sound design
This subject is essential for students to be able to create sound effects and implement them in the project. Recording, sound processing, effects... it’s a very broad field, but a very enjoyable one to work in for video games. In addition, the job market really values composers who can also offer sound FX services, since that way a single person can cover everything to do with sound.
Final project
This subject, carried out over the final semester, gives students the responsibility of creating a soundtrack (about 10 minutes of music) using all the tools we have learned throughout the year. The final project consists of composing, sequencing, having all the material written out on paper and recording it with an orchestra or band by the end of the course, a magnificent experience.
Goals and faculty
The goal of the course is to bring students closer to the real experience of management, composition and recording. Throughout the course, we will study each of the small steps needed so that, when students leave the school, they not only know how to work efficiently, but also how to navigate the industry to achieve success. During the course we will have some very special guests who will share their experience with us in master classes: Óscar Araujo, Eduardo de la Iglesia, Matías Lizana and Pep Terradas, among others. Students will also be eligible for collaborations with renowned universities in the field.
Gabriel Garrido will be the course’s lead instructor. He is a composer with a degree from ESMUC. He has worked in the music industry since 2005 as a session musician in various bands. He began working as a composer in 2008, for film and video games. Since then he has worked on various projects, up to today, when together with a group of colleagues he founded his own development studio, "Altered Matter," which is currently working on "Etherborn," a video game that has won several awards and great reviews. He has also worked for other studios and film production companies as a composer and audio designer: Escac Films, Blowing Minds, Forgotten Games, Sonder VR Studios...
Want more information about the course?
Phone: 934 353 688
Email: Contact the school
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