http://forums.samods.com/showthread.php?tid=888 In short, a friend is going to do an interview with Julian Kwasneski, one of the main sound engineers on StarCraft: Ghost (And many other games, but the interview is for a Blizzard fansite, hence the SC:G factor). If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them here or there. However, I''d like to ask - is there an exact description of what a sound engineer is? It would help me think up some questions if I knew - is it recording actors, editing (processing and adding effects), implementing it in the game or what? I''ve a feeling if it could be any, since it''s a very broad description, but any advice to steer my ideas for questions in the right direction would be appreciated.

Keep technical questions, like what is your favourite microphone? , to a minimum because the answers tend not to be all that interesting. If Kwasneski has a particular piece of kit which he couldn't live without then that might be interesting if he explains why and how he uses it. Techie discussions about the pros and cons of Pro Tools should be avoided like the plague because there are plenty of places on the net for discussing such things. If you have to please the carabiner-wearers then get a list of his kit and they can drool over that and draw their own conclusions...

Questions which are specific to a particular project that Kwasneski has worked on would be a good idea because then we can get lots of info about the whole process; the brief, any specific challenges and how he overcame them, things he wanted to do but couldn't.

If you're not entirely sure what it is that Kwasneski does, then that is a perfectly good question to start the whole thing off. He is the audio director for SC:Ghost so he will be overseeing the creation of music and audio. Ask him if being an audio director means that he has less time to create and implement content.

[edited by - Kenbar on February 1, 2004 9:26:51 AM]

He creates Games music, special effect sounds like star wars warp engine, Guns, music composing, live orchestra, dramatic orchestral music and any sound a game needs.

Read this past interview to find more:
http://gamecube.gamezone.com/news/09_23_03_08_50AM.htm

His Background:


Julian Kwasneski - Audio Director/Sound Designer

Julian Kwasneski started his career in game audio at LucasArts Entertainment Company, and is credited with sound design on over 40 leading titles. After leaving the company in 2000, he co-founded the Bay Area Sound Department with Clint Bajakian.

Julian has worked on many award-winning game titles, including: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Starcraft: Ghost, James Bond: Everything or Nothing, Star Trek: Bridge Commander, Star Wars: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and SOCOM: Navy Seals. His innovative sound design has been critically acclaimed by ign.com, epigamer.com, gamezone.com, Computer Gaming World, gamepro.com and others.

Julian attributes a lot of his success to the use of custom sound recordings: all of his projects begin with field recordings that ultimately give each game its unique sound. With the sheer volume of titles released each year, this is one of the most important factors in keeping a game sounding fresh and new.

Technically, Julian has developed a complete system for scoring games---a central production machine of databases, scripts and utilities, plus a myriad of audio hardware and software tools used by the full sound team. These tools allow them great flexibility and have contributed to the Bay Area Sound Department’s ability to maintain high quality over numerous projects. From his experience on big titles, under strenuous schedules, and in many different production environments, Julian developed a work style that insists on keeping to the schedule while getting the most out of his creative team. In the end though, it is his personal dedication and his team’s tight collaborative process that make a game sound great.

In addition to his game credits, Julian also has many independent film credits, including sound design for Big Love – Starring Sam Rockwell (Sundance 2000), The Upgrade – Starring Minnie Driver (Mill Valley Film Festival 2000), The Last Birthday Card, and Skate Warrior (Slamdance 1999). He has sound credits in several television commercials, most recently working on spots for Yu-Gi-Oh, Hamtaro and Robbie Williams. Julian has worked extensively with toy manufactures, wireless device hardware manufacturers and other similar platforms to bring quality audio to limited bandwidth applications.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of California at Davis.