We are excited to announce we are transitioning our Sound Design for Video Games offerings to an exclusively online-only format with new content currently under development. As a result, we don’t currently have an onsite course scheduled at this time and apologize for any inconvenience. The new lessons will be broken into shorter topic-based modules drawing from the original year-long course. Our first offering will be an eight lesson series called “Sound Design Fundamentals”. This new format will give students the flexibility to mix and match modules, selecting what best supports their educational goals while.going at a speed which is comfortable for their learning, and get educated from anywhere in the world.
Scoring music isn’t limited to just the film industry anymore, video game music has grown to rival the sophistication and complexity of television and film scores, with new depths of creativity, innovation and a growing fan base in popular music culture. If composing music is your calling, you can put your talents to use in this exciting and diverse world of technology, and with over 300 gaming companies in the greater Seattle area alone, music is in demand.
Our new online modules in various techniques will teach you how to compose and score music, create sound design and effects, atmosphere and voices for different genres of games as well as the latest technology of interactive media, the multi-billion dollar industry that includes PC, mobile, console and Virtual Reality games.
See what SRA graduates have to say about their experience.
The hum of a light saber, the roar of a T-Rex, the clinking of coins, the beep of a button press, the howl of the wind… Sound design surrounds us in many forms: television, film, video games, radio shows, the internet, apps, robots, cars, electronic music production, theater… the list goes on. But what is sound design? Where did it come from and how has it evolved over time? How does one go about designing a sound?
In this module you will learn the fundamental concepts behind assembling audio source material and manipulating that source material to evoke a mood, emotion, or other response in your audience. Whether you are a student, a professional, a hobbyist, or something in between, this module will provide you with insights and strategies that will apply to any project that that has audio as a component (pro tip: that’s pretty much all of them!). Whether your project is destined for film, radio, television, web streaming, a podcast, an app store, a video game, or something hitherto unheard of: the techniques outlined in this module will teach you how to create whatever sounds you need to make your project stand out. The accompanying reference materials and training exercises will give you the practice and resources you need to get your personal production off to a great start on a solid foundation.
In addition to the online content, students can anticipate an average of 8-12 hours of homework, research and exercises each week.
Once our first online game audio module Sound Design Fundamentals is available, students will be able to purchase on our site with no application process, and begin anytime, anywhere.
Sound Design Fundamentals is an eight part series of lessons. There are two concept based lessons that do not require any additional software or equipment. One of those lessons will give an overview of software and hardware tools that are commonly used in sound design. For the remaining six practical/hands on lessons included in this module, you will need to have access to a DAW (digital audio workstation), microphones, midi controller, and a hardware or software synthesizer. We highly recommend completing our online Pro Tools certification course to give you the best foundation for success either before or in parallel with this module. A fundamental understanding of music an virtual instruments is also recommended.
We offer tours on select Wednesday evenings, this is a great time to see our unique campus, meet instructors and learn more about the programs. For a full listing of upcoming Tour Nights and Open Houses, please visit our Events and Campus Tours page.
Module 1: Sound Design Fundamentals. We’ll be announcing the tuition costs for our inaugural online offering in game audio closer to it’s launching (coming soon!). Please check back with us for details. We’ll be making announcements in our newsletter and online. Thank you!