Another obvious choice for appropriate usage of spatial audio were the in-game cutscenes and vignettes. These were the few places where we could really push some more intense panning for dramatic effect. For example, the main antagonist, Shriek, was a giant owl that frequently flew overhead for her introduction into the scene.

Ori ShreikOverhead.jpg
Shriek, after swooping overhead of the listener from rear to front

We implemented cutscenes and vignettes with a combination of in-engine sources, mostly ambience and characters, and 12 channel stems in a 7.1.4 configuration. Like any game, this combination of in-engine and stems lends itself to a seamless transition in and out of cinematics. The decision of what would be done offline was based on the complexity of the content, if it was going to be a custom one-off, or sometimes just the production schedule. The stems were created in Nuendo and exported as multi-mono files, which were in turn interleaved using the Wwise Multi-Channel Creator.

In my final post of this series I’ll go over some of the considerations for mixing and testing, along with some final thoughts.

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Award-winning sound veteran Kristoffer Larson joined Formosa Interactive in the summer of 2016. With over two decades of sound experience, including post, games, and VR/AR, Larson truly understands the needs of developers. He’s happiest when a project is collaborative across all levels, from concept to integration. Recent projects with Formosa include Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Marvel Strike Force, State of Decay 2, and Mission: ISS.

Prior to joining Formosa, Larson founded his own company, Tension Studios, based in Seattle, Washington. After having spent years in various internal audio roles with companies like Cranky Pants Games, Konami, WB Games and Dolby Labs, his goal was to create a game-centric audio studio that specifically catered to interactive development. His unique approach and experience can be heard on Tiny Bubbles, Fable: The Journey, State of Decay and Halo 4.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Part 2

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