Just scroll down to see the “DAW of the Future”

The debate of MAC vs. PC has long been a problem among digital composers. On the one hand, Apple’s MAC OS provides so many usability enhancements over its Windows counterpart that it is easy to see why so many composers would prefer the clean and uniform interface over the often messy and disgruntled Windows experience (although, with the advent of Windows 8 and metro, this may be changing). The other common complaint about PCs are their aptitude for crashing. On the other hand, since I switched over to a MAC a few months ago, I haven’t experienced a single inspiration-shattering crash or memory fault (knock on wood!).

For any power composer, however, the drawbacks of Apple’s system are in the price-tag. To build an Apple iMac to the same specifications as its PC counterpart costs a modest amount more – one of the most frequently spoken drawbacks of the Apple brand.

So how does one achieve the ultimate modern composing experience – the ease of use of the Macintosh operating system with the power and affordability of a custom-built PC? Well, simply put – the answer is unfortunately: you don’t. But I’ve found a way to come close! The answer is to use both.

For as long as I’ve been composing on a modern computer, I’ve been in search of that ultimate composition experience. I had read about composers who had amazing and elaborate orchestral templates where all of the samples were preloaded into computers separate of their master workstation. It conjures an image not so different from how I imagine Pixar’s render farms look – of course, in reality, it need not be so complicated.

Thanks to software like Vienna Ensemble Pro, it has become possible to very easily drive a cross-platform sample machine (in this case, an affordable PC equipped with 7200RPM hard drives that don’t cost a fortune and lots of DDR3 RAM that you don’t have to breach a warranty to install). What’s even better is that it finally gave me an excuse to create that orchestral template – one where all of the my string sections are elaborately setup (thanks, LASS, for the groupings!). The secondary advantage to this setup is that I can run my CPU intensive reverb (in this case, Altiverb 7) on my MAC host running Cubase 6.5 and not worry about any buffer under-runs or extensive latency which would normally be created by this setup.

The obvious disadvantage here, of course, is that it’s kind of a pain to control the PC. You can either have it plugged into an entirely separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse, or you can remotely control it via VNC or alternatives like Logmein. I’ll save you some trouble – nothing will kill your workflow like having to jump over to a separate computer – it’s frustrating and can kill your workflow when you want to perform the simple task of loading an extra instrument. And VNC: slow, even on a wired LAN.

The best way I’ve found to control a remote sample machine is to use Logmein.com and an iPad. The touch interface turns out to be incredibly intuitive, and controlling Kontakt (or other software) turns out to be pretty easy on the device. Of course, before I made the realization, I was using Logmein.com in a browser window – this works fine and was actually faster than VNC in my experience. The whole process of switching back and forth between the java applet and Cubase, however, was beginning to give me a headache – and without two monitors I’d have deemed it impossible.

So, in conclusion, I’d like to present my DAW of the Future for the professional composer (of course, many of these things can be substituted, and there are plenty of arguments for why a second computer would never be needed which I tend to agree with – this is obviously for those of whom prefer the user experience provided by OS X):

Moogle (PC)

• Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
• Intel i7 CPU (3.07ghz) – a lot cheaper from newegg.com than in a new iMac
• 24gb of DDR3 RAM – also cheaper in a PC
• 2 x 1TB 7200RPM Western Digital HDDs - Samples on one, OS and projects on the other (important to separate them, see below)
• 1 x 120gb Corsair SSD drive - contrary to most people, I have my most common samples here (LASS + and EWQLSO) – this makes loading FAST and no worries of disk skips. Common practices encourage installation of your OS and vitals on this drive. I’ve had no problems with this and things are still very snappy.
• Native Instruments Komplete – namely Kontakt is the big player here
• Vienna Ensemble Pro – for AUDIO and MIDI over LAN
• Logmein.com (free!)
• M-Audio Delta I/O – I technically do not need this anymore!

In my case, this setup was mostly facilitated by the fact that I had already built my powerful PC and I was in need of a MAC for development. (plus – have you used Sparrow for email yet?)

Also, because I can only “see” my PC through a remote screen, I’ve reduced my Skyrim playtime by 100%! That means I have more time to WORK!

The soundtrack is available for PRE-ORDER now, which currently costs $3.99. The pre-order comes with 4 tracks which you can listen to online now. Currently, I plan on raising the price to $4.99 on release, so this is a good way to save a dollar and buy something small and sweet for your parents with all that saved cash.

To further entice you, here is a FIFTH unheard track from Ravenmark, which you can download for free here:

Climactic (Battle Jeopardy!)

The soundtrack consists of ten tracks which rely heavily on the harpsichord. The styles are pretty diverse within, featuring a fughetta (short informal fugue), toccata, and even some quirky jazzish stuff. Let me know what you think!

“The soundtrack is very medieval sounding with a bit of techno beats thrown in. If more classic/medieval/renaissance music is your thing, you’ll love this soundtrack” – the independent games musician network

I finished up the soundtrack to Skn3′s Deli Stack about a month ago, and when the game is eventually released – so will the soundtrack.

I also provided music for Kyle Pulver and J. Otto Seibold’s Jottobots - you should expect this game and it’s short musical accompaniment to be out soon.

The soundtrack to Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion will be released on November 11th, 2011 with the game.  I’m going to be opening up a pre-order very soon for this for anyone who wants to get it for cheaper.  You can follow some of the development progress and see what they’re up to on Toucharcade (I hope you have an hour or so to waste reading).

Chevy Ray’s Hollow’s Deep is another project I’ve begun working out, but there is no tentative release schedule – I’ll keep you posted!

I collaborated with Jordan Fehr for Robot Invader’s Wind-up Knight, a game that will make you wonder how they squeezed your gaming console into your phone.  It’s going to be out very soon on Android and iOS.

Benjamin Jelter’s been creating an insanely addictive space shooter tentatively called Uberhitzen that I’ve been providing sweet FM jams for.  You’ll see this one at IGF!

MADSOFT Games will be releasing Space Chase soon – a very fun game with music by yours truly.

Tom Rab also made a small game called Corridor which I made a few tunes for.

In a few weeks I’ll begin work on The Light of the Darkness - a game which was successfully funded on Kickstarter recently.

Of course, Mojang’s Scrolls is underway, and I’m still having way too much fun with Mattias on it.  I’ll be presenting a short panel this weekend on how we scored this gig at the GANG Fall Summit and Demo Derby - if you’re not in the San Francisco area than I highly recommend you grab a ticket to the Ustream broadcast for free!  I’m sure you’ll learn something, I know I will!

There are also three unannounced projects I’m also working on – but you’ll hear them soon!

Now that I’m done talking, enjoy

20 seconds of ear-goo!

Wait! Before you go, this happened:

The Game Audio Network Guild (or, GANG) is a great resource for composers, sound designers, and voice over actors to collaborate, share success stories, tips, tricks, and hang out. GANG also offers a lot of discounts and hosts several events, some of the most valuable being the “Demo Derby” they host annually at the Game Developers Conference. Well, this October, the first non-GDC Demo Derby is being hosted, which means you don’t have to have a GDC pass to submit your demo reel and have it evaluated by professionals.

Furthermore, we’ve each been asked to give a brief discussion on our field. I’ll be discussing some of the nuances of working in indie games and sharing my experience working with companies like Mojang, Robot Invader, Skn3 and Witching Hour Studios.  I’ll also be showing off the material and resources Mattias and I used to make our pitch to Mojang to get the gig for Scrolls.  (hint: you’ll probably hear some new music!)

The best part – the demo derby is open to EVERYONE. Attending in person is free for GANG members and PYRAMIND students, but the event will also be BROADCAST ONLINE through USTREAM. However, to get the link, you must RSVP for a free ticket through the event’s website at eventbrite.

Click here to get your tickets now! Remember: to get the Ustream link you MUST sign up in advance – it’s free!

Update: Dren points out that you must be a member of GANG to submit a demo.

More:

Each panelist plans to share their own experiences working in a non-AAA console space, whether the challenges they’ve come across specific to various platforms (mobile, iOS, Facebook), or working with independent developers, and discuss their solutions to the problems they’ve run into in these new game platforms and work environments. The game audio professional working in this market is very often working as an entire audio department, and the panel will spend some time discussing expectations, budgets, skill sets, and problem solving.

After an hour of sharing some examples and stories from the trenches, there will be a demo derby, much like the demo derbies that GANG conducts at GDC San Francisco every year. Submissions will be accepted through the GANG website and we are limited to 15 submissions so submit soon!  In an effort to save time during the derby, all demo submissions will have been ported to a power point slide set so we will not be accepting submissions on the night of the event.

It Sounds Uber!

You can learn more about this game in my post Apocalyptic Reunion.  The game has no announced release date, but the tentative soundtrack list appears below:

1. The Sourdough Swing (Menu Theme)
2. Parmesan Polka (Easy Mode)
3. Blue Cheese Boogie (Medium Mode)
4. Gouda Groove (Hard Mode)
5. Dubliner Disco (Really Hard Mode)
6. Brie Bounce (Mood: Calm)
7. Stinking Bishop Sneak (Mood: Mystery)
8. Mozzarella Medley (Mood: Happy)
9. Beer Cheese Blues (Mood: Sad)
10. The Colby-Jack Climax (Mood: Hard)
11. Impastable (from Deli Dash 2003)
12. Magic Tomatoes (from Deli Dash 2003)

The Light of the Darkness is game being developed by Epifanica, a small indie team hoping to have their project funded. Currently, The Light of the Darkness has raised around $11,000, and is half way to their goal of $22k. If the project is funded, I’ll be scoring the entire soundtrack (woohoo!).