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Sean Charles has produced music and effects for games for Sony, EA, Fox Midway, THQ and Radical Entertainment.
He is currently Audio Director at Propaganda Games and utilises some top software for his work: the GForce software range…
Sean Charles has spent many years composing music and effects for the biggest games companies out there, as he explains…
"I stumbled upon doing audio for video games by accident when Sony were preparing to unveil the PS1," he remembers. "A friend of mine recommended me to a company here in Vancouver and, the next thing you know, I started on this crazy roller coaster ride! After 14 years, I am now Audio Director at Propaganda Games, a Disney Interactive Studios for The Walt Disney Company."
Sean was initially skeptical about using software plug-ins for his work. "The results were always thin sounding in relation to their hardware counterparts."
But his mind changed when he saw GForce's Oddity demoed…
"I couldn't believe the width and depth of the sound," he remarks, "and also the incredible software emulation, especially with the filters. My jaw hit the floor when they showed the sliders and other parameters that were being manipulated in real time - you heard the full bandwidth of the trademark ARP Odyssey sound."
"I was instantly hooked and the possibilities seemed endless with the MIDI controller implementation. I have always wanted the sounds of the great analogue synthesisers, but the service costs and the fact that I can't afford any down time made them prohibitive. However, with GForce Software I have the sounds of 'yesteryear' and the ability to make sounds of 'today' without the instability issues and other quirkiness that plagued those models."
"I am now using the Minimonsta, Oddity and ImpOSCar plug-ins," say Sean.
"They are like my Swiss Army knife for audio production. It is not uncommon for me to layer some low end out of the GForce plug-ins with, for example, an explosion to give it a wider and deeper experience - I don't seem to get the same results from using a sub bass plug-in. There's just something about the filters on the GForce plug-ins that are extremely sweet for this same reason.
"There was a request for some computer type sound effects, and with the Oddity I was able to achieve the desired results and create banks very quickly. It was effortless and, most of all, fun! The Minimonsta and ImpOSCar are very dramatic synths - we use them for incidental musical cues and for building tension."
And the software's instant recall is also a major advantage for Sean… "In this fast paced world of audio for video games, it's amazing that I can have multiple projects on my DAW with multiple instances of the GForce suite of plug-ins, and am able to recall them at a later date with all my settings retained."
"I also absolutely love the MIDI syncing. It's usually the first thing I mess with when I get a soft-synth. It's invaluable, as everything locks up to the chosen tempo - true bliss. The other fascinating option is to use the Minimonsta as an insert FX - talk about some insane sound effects!"
"Other products don't have the 'sound' that you hear from the GForce plug-ins. Everyone else wants to make a 'faithful' emulation, but you end up with the same limitations as on the original, except in a virtual version. What I really dig about the GForce suite is that they are not only faithful emulations of their analogue counterparts, but they enhance the models of yesteryear to make epic versions that have the sounds for today's demanding sound designer and composer."
Sean is currently working on titles for the next gen Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles…
"I expect that GForce Software will be right there along side me as we push the envelope of audio for video games into the next decade."
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