Music in Video Games

Adaptive Audio tools provide advanced music creation possibilities that differ from the features found in more traditional DAWs. Here is the theme for one of the monster encounters (cf. sound in video games). It is a collage I created from a Donizetti opera1 recorded in 1911, Omnisphere synth sounds, and the preceding page’s soundscape. Some sonic elements as well as the volume balance are adapted dynamically during gameplay.

Adaptive Audio for a Platform Game

For the next example, I used only Tempest, a drum computer designed by Roger Linn to create a groove with different drum and synth layers. The main groove uses the Batá rhythm Olokun as a template.




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Drag and release the slider to start the percussion playback on 1 and increase the volume on 2 and 3. Slide back to 0 to mute the percussion instruments. Note that the percussion loop will only start every 2 bars due to its quantization settings. The only random element is a 3-bar section of the main loop that has 2 alternatives. Channel count increases to 2 when the Batá drums are playing.

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I simplified this example and created 3 videos to illustrate the different adaptive layers and random features. An easy way to imagine the use of FMOD is to think of having a scaled-down version of Ableton Live that can be hidden in a game, an app, or (like here) on a website:

Intro, Single Loop, and 3-Bar Random Versions

Percussion Track Triggered with a 2-Bar Quantized Setting

One-Beat Quantized Jump to End of Tune if Player Fails

Complex Example with Changing Song Structure and Randomly Triggered Percussive Instruments

Similarities and Differences with DAWs

These examples only scratch the surface of what is possible in an audio game engine. To understand the full potential of FMOD, imagine a compact DAW hidden in a game or multimedia installation. Real-time effects and interactive mixing further extend the possibilities for The Aquatic Museum app.

  1. Una furtiva lagrima (L’elisir d’amore, Act 2) - Gaetano Donizetti - performed by Enrico Caruso (public domain). ↩︎