Dear Sound Community, What are your thoughts in regards to having a background of C++ programming in relation to sound design? Is there an advantage in having a basic/advanced skillset with this type of programming language? Also, are there other programming languages that work well with technical and creative endeavors and are helpful in the workflow of game design? For example, if I have an understanding of "X" programming language, I will be better equipped to do "Y" and will have advantage over doing it "this way" in place of "that way." I am interested because I might have an opportunity to learn about it in a classroom setting. I am of the ilk that no education is unuseful, but if I am going to spend the time and energy learning, I would hope that it would lead to a logical step in gaining skills. I am excited to hear what you all think. Thanks for your thoughts!

It is very nice to have a good programming background if you want to enter the world of sound design. A lot of middleware is using c++ or similar language and it helps you certainly going if you know who to program audio. For a company it saves time, resources and energy if the sound designer/composer knows how to communicate with the programming team when it comes to audio implementation. Budgets are getting more tight and time often more limited.

Some good programs to look into that are used for audio implementation:

OpenAl (free), Fmod, Wwise, Miles, Xact and it's worth as well to look into the unreal editor.
Most of the middleware such as Fmod and Wwise you can download for free to check out at your system (you have to pay for different types of licenses).

Some good read about audio middleware:

Article: part 1
Article: part 2
Article: part 3

Jaap,

Thank you for the great information - the links to the articles were very interesting and I feel I am heading in a positive direction. Here's a follow-up question: in relationship to middleware and communication with programmers, what level of programming should I be expected to understand with an entry level sound design position?

My background is in traditional composition, so my strengths are more traditional (musically speaking - i.e. orchestration, performance issues, notation) but I've been playing games for 20 years and feel there is a lot of creative potential by pursuing this field. I bring up my background because I noticed in your bio that you have similar experience as well.

I am not at all afraid to pursue gaining skills in different areas, I just want to make sure I take the best, most efficient steps to get to the skills most desired.

Thanks again for your information!