2nd Law [Dev Log 3 | Music & SFX]

_This is part of a 5 part Dev Log where I will be talking about the process I took through implementing 2nd Law, a short, adventure-style game about cause and effect._ https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/2nd-law

0 - Lessons | 1 - Design | 2 - Development | 3 - Music | 4 - Artwork

Where to Start?

The music is often a part that I enjoy the most for creating jam games (when I can fit it in). It's usually a creative break from debugging code or fighting with Unity. I usually already have an idea of the mood or aesthetic that I'd like to bring. This goes as well for any sound effects, as I typically want the whole "sonic-scape" to integrate well together.

The Tools

• Audacity - If I am just editing sound clips for effects, I like the simplicity of Audacity.
• Ableton - For creating music, I use Ableton Lite as my Digital Audio Workspace. It might sometimes be a bit overkill, and it has a learning curve, but I'm comfortable enough at this point to create what I want out of it.
• AKAI MPK mini - This is my MIDI controller.

My Process

The quickest way for me to create a track for a jam is to build a simple foundation (e.g., drum loop or pad or melody), then add elements on top of that as they come to my brain. I ultimately want a track that's long enough to not get overly repetitive, but loops well. I usually start with the controller as I'm drafting or improvising to find the right sequence, and then tweak notes with the mouse or over-dubs as needed to refine.

Music for 2nd Law

I began with a basic track that I had started earlier in the week when I was practicing--just a pad and a rough melody. I cleaned up the melody with some quantization, and then I basically had my track. Since I knew that I was going to have multiple environments, I wanted to emphasize that to the player by altering the voice of the melody when switching. For the Forest scene, I chose something halfway between pizzicato strings and flutes. It kind of reminded me of the music from the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time, which I thought was totally appropriate!

In order to switch tracks between scenes, the music had to remain seamless. The way I implemented that was taking the current time sample when exiting a scene, and starting the new track at that time sample. Since the two tracks are virtually the same, this achieves what appears to be a seamless transition!

The full track is on my soundcloud, if you're interested in hearing it outside of the game!

SFX for 2nd Law

While I will sometimes create SFX myself for simple things, I often find it easier to get the exact sound or tone I want from freesounds.org. It's important to me to find the right mood (like the wind in the meadow, or the birds in the forest)--again, I wanted to sonically separate the environments as well as visually separate them.

I put hooks into the Environment Manager to advance music or ambiance tracks as the game progressed into chaos, which you might notice after tipping the boulder over! I really was excited to do more with this, but time is always the issue.

One thing that I always seem to run out of time for is implementing volume controls. I previously mentioned my Game Overly starter, which includes support for a mute button ... I just didn't get around to adding it this time. These little features are small, but I feel like they contribute to a more personalized experience for the player.

What’s next?

I’m excited to talk about more aspects of my experience. If you’d like, please follow along!

• Artwork

_- Hawkin_