Beginning Game Audio Programming [Paperback]

Mason McCuskey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2003

No matter how exciting the game and how realistic the visual effects, without catchy audio in the background it’s obvious that something is missing. New developments in technology enable you to do things with audio that weren’t possible before, but they also make it necessary to find a guide that walks you through the technical hurdles. "Beginning Game Audio Programming" covers the challenges that you will face as you create sound effects and music for your games and gives you the information you need to face these challenges head-on. You’ll learn how to compose dynamic music and program 3D sound. There’s even coverage of using DirectPlay Voice for real- time voice chat in your games! If you are comfortable with C++ and DirectX, then you’re ready to dive into the exciting world of audio with "Beginning Game Audio Programming".

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mason McCuskey is a software engineer with 8 years of commercial programming experience. He has successfully managed his own game company since 1990. In 2000, his company, Spin Studios, was one of 9 world finalists at the Game Developer's Conference 2nd Annual Independent Games Festival. He has also written dozens of articles for gamedev.net. and other Web sites. Mason is the author of "Special Effects Game Programming with DirectX" by Premier Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade; 1 edition (April 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592000290
• ISBN-13: 978-1592000296
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing introductory resource, October 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Beginning Game Audio Programming (Paperback)

Computer audio programming has gained enormous momentum in recent years with the arrival of professional grade hardware at consumer prices. As a result, a surging opportunity has replaced the once desolate and antiquated field of audio software development.

Beginning Game Audio Programming provides students with the ability to implement a modern sound engine. It meticulously guides the reader through basic sound concepts, common API usage, and sound engine design as well as covering, in the process, a myriad of audio topics such as DirectPlay Voice, audio scripting, and visualization to familiarize the novice with the diverse facets of the field. This work is the ultimate tool for any aspiring sound programmer.

I recommend this book for any developer seeking an introductory course in audio programming. It provides a solid foundation of sound principles, API usage, file formats, effects, and sound engine design that are crucial to the field of game audio development.

This book carefully avoids becoming overly complex or didactic, offering descriptive explanations of the core concepts of audio programming. This refreshing outlook provides a student with a solid foundation from which to take large successive steps into the audio world.

This book is truly an excellent resource for anyone wishing to learn more about the blooming field of computer audio programming.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth buying..., February 5, 2006

By 

Mr. Dean B. White (Mt Beauty, VIC AUS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Game Audio Programming (Paperback)

Background: I created a game engine (Goblin 2D+ Engine) and for sound just used a 3rd party library (BASS). However I quickly found the additional A$150 for BASS was effecting the uptake of my engine because it was US$59.95 and the additional A$150 for BASS was killing it.

I knew nothing about sound programming so thought it was a hopeless dream to create my own sound engine.

In desperation I bought this book and was surprised (not just by the CD in 1 million bits :S)

Using this book as the basis I was able to create a fully functional sound library for my engine with all the features I was using in BASS.

Sound effects, music, 3d positional sound, panning, volume, pitch, playing .MOD music, OGG decoder. Basically all the functionality I wanted.

If anyone wants to see this in action... www.hoek.inkblue.com.

The book fills in the gaps MSDN seems to leave out. Also, unlike a lot of books, Mason has NOT cut and paste from MSDN documentation.

Thanks Mason!