PlanetSide 2 Audio & Music

**Rodney Gates** · 2012-05-25, 12:11 AM

Greetings, all. I'm Rodney Gates, Audio Director at Sony Online Entertainment here in San Diego.

My team and I (including Injectedsenses on this forum) have been working hard to deliver some killer audio for this fantastic game that you are all just going to love.

We've taken some big strides forward with the audio tech this past year for PS2, getting a lot of new features integrated to help make this title sing.

Feel free to shoot over any questions - in the meantime, "Live Free In The NC!".

- Rodney

Xyntech · 2012-05-25, 12:19 AM

Get this man hooked up with some credentials, stat!

Fantastic work sir. We really haven't had the opportunity to hear much of the games audio until recently, and I have to say that it has sounded better and better with each new video we have seen.

I really appreciate what you are doing with making all of the different vehicles and weapons have cool and unique sounds. Audio is rarely something that you think of for that wow factor the way graphics are looked up to, but awesome sounds can make a 20 year old game still feel amazing and immersive and pump the nostalgia up to 11.

I'm curious if you guys have any plans to make different engine or weapon sounds be a cosmetic cash shop option. On the one hand, customization is cool and the game needs to get funded. On the flip side, being able to identify what vehicle or weapon is being used based on its sounds is a fantastic feature that I would had to see tarnished.

Keep up the amazing work. For all of the cool things we have seen, I don't think anything has made me quite as excited as the first time I heard that Liberator flying in the TB video.

Bags · 2012-05-25, 12:21 AM

Jets sound good so far, haven't been able to hear the guns very well over all the talking. Glad to hear Don F. is back on music!

Virulence · 2012-05-25, 12:25 AM

I was absolutely floored (even though it was only about a second long) by the sound of that Reaver's cannon in the air combat video posted today, and the way all of those aircraft engines sound is just incredibly satisfying. Seriously - amazing stuff!

Roidster · 2012-05-25, 12:35 AM

so far from what im able to hear over the talking,has been good,now is the distant gun fire im hearing

basti · 2012-05-25, 12:54 AM

Originally Posted by Rodney Gates

Greetings, all. I'm Rodney Gates, Audio Director at Sony Online Entertainment here in San Diego.

My team and I (including Injectedsenses on this forum) have been working hard to deliver some killer audio for this fantastic game that you are all just going to love.

We've taken some big strides forward with the audio tech this past year for PS2, getting a lot of new features integrated to help make this title sing.

Feel free to shoot over any questions - in the meantime, "Live Free In The NC!".

- Rodney

There is only one Question: DId you got Don to make the Music?

Whalenator · 2012-05-25, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Rodney Gates

"Live Free In The NC!".- Rodney

This is all I need to hear.

Welcome to the forums.

Insanekanifer · 2012-05-25, 01:04 AM

I agree did you get don to do music, only question I want answered :3

Ghryphen · 2012-05-25, 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by Insanekanifer

I agree did you get don to do music, only question I want answered :3

http://www.planetside-universe.com/s...887#post685887

Crazyduckling · 2012-05-25, 01:07 AM

Yes. Don is doing the music. See this: http://www.planetside-universe.com/s...ad.php?t=40974

Its also been said multiple times in the PS2 section of the forum.

---

The game sounds great. Can't wait to play it and blast it on my KRKs.

ShadoViper · 2012-05-25, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by Rodney Gates

Greetings, all. I'm Rodney Gates, Audio Director at Sony Online Entertainment here in San Diego.

My team and I (including Injectedsenses on this forum) have been working hard to deliver some killer audio for this fantastic game that you are all just going to love.

We've taken some big strides forward with the audio tech this past year for PS2, getting a lot of new features integrated to help make this title sing.

Feel free to shoot over any questions - in the meantime, "Live Free In The NC!".

- Rodney

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post!

So far the sound effects shown have been very promising and awesome! I'm looking forward very much to hearing the games musical score as well!

Question:

What game(s), if any, are influencing your design process on the audio for the game and how?

basti · 2012-05-25, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by Gryphon

http://www.planetside-universe.com/s...887#post685887

Woha, totally missed that.

Well then, much <3

Xyntech · 2012-05-25, 08:11 AM

Rodney Gates, Don Ferrone, and the rest of the Planetside 2 audio department: Making Planetside 2 sound like a boss since 2012.

My ears are ready.

**Rodney Gates** · 2012-05-25, 08:21 AM

Thank you all,

The big thing we are focusing on now is faction distinction - from the weaponry, bullet flybys, vehicles, etc. We want to you to know who is firing at you on the battlefield without having to even see them.

The game is in 5.1 surround and depending on your hardware, will also decode in Dolby Surround and DTS.

We've taken care to ensure that you as the player will be treated like any of the major shooters out there that we can be compared to. Your weapons are powerful 2D stereo with some subwoofer kick thrown in for good measure. Your first-person vehicle cockpits are in 4.0 quad that you can snap out to third-person exterior with the audio following suit. From the ground as a soldier on foot, the vehicles sound even more different still; more aggressive, with doppler and engine distance treatment.

We're just starting to make use of some DSP in game, such as low and high pass filtering, different reverb settings based on distance, etc.

There is a lot of crossfading of 3D audio files you'll hear in the world, with close and distant treatments that will differentiate how far the sounds play from you. I can tell you the play tests are starting to sound fantastic as we get things tuned up! :-)

A lot of this tech didn't exist in our game engine before PlanetSide 2, so we're excited to be bringing this level of attention and quality to SOE's players.

We will be planning an official announcement on the music for the game soon enough - but I can tell you this: You will be treated to three soundtracks in the game, depending on what faction you play, with very distinct music styles for each.

Exciting stuff - stay tuned!

- Rodney

Pyreal · 2012-05-25, 08:29 AM

/e cheer

Good sounds add so much to a game! I still remember the sound of the beach at Hebian-to in Asheron's Call.

Glad to know there an emphasis on having good sound effects.

Thanks guys!