Ludic Sound Lab: Beginner Level Workshop on 2D Game Sound Design

Greetings friends!

I’m collaborating with CCAM and the VGA Gallery to present a workshop on sound design for 2D games using Unity and FMOD studio. We’ll discuss the history of early sound design and composition in video games then dive into some ready-to-use Unity templates replicating platformers and topdown roguelikes, enabling participants to swap in their own unique sound libraries. We’ll also talk about creating generative music using 2D game physics. Workshop information and registration details are below!

The Ludic Sound Lab is a beginner level workshop exploring Unity 2D and FMOD Studio, a third party software that has become an industry standard for sound designers and musicians working in video game development.

The workshop will begin with a brief history of sound in early video games and then guide participants through the basics of sound design for 2D games, analyzing and replicating familiar forms including platformers and top-down roguelikes. The workshop will also dive into the potential for creating generative music through 2D game physics.

By the end of the workshop, participants will possess the knowledge and assets necessary for creating a simple 2D game, instrument, or interactive sound art piece. Participants will be introduced to a variety of freeware tools for generating their own unique sound libraries for further experimentation.

This workshop is open to individuals with no experience working in Unity as well as seasoned Unity users who are interested in learning more about FMOD. Some familiarity with coding and C# is helpful but not required. Participants must download Unity, FMOD Studio, and the FMOD Unity Plugin before the workshop. All of these are free and participants will receive detailed instructions for downloading them after registration. Workshop fee: $45

Registration

We updated the scope of this project! Now happening online to accommodate more people.

$20
Saturday February 1st
11am Central

Join us for a short talk titled Early Video Game Sound Design and the Politics of Nostalgia (11am-11:45am), followed by a brief introduction to FMOD, a valuable tool for iterative sound design (11:45am - 1:30pm). Participants will receive access to templates for 2D game concepts including a platformer and a top-down roguelike that will enable them to experiment using their own sound libraries. One-on-one project support is available for getting the templates up and working.

Registration