Customer Reviews

Beginning Game Audio Programming

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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.

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!