作者：Ben Long

在使用耳机时，我们可以听到多数声谱。为手机应用制作音效内容的挑战之一是考虑到用户有可能使用耳机。iPad支持更多中频内容，我在同Backflip Studios合作开发高清项目时考虑过这方面的内容。

通常来说，手机游戏有环状环境音效、背景音乐、对话以及用户界面和游戏音效。为制作《Backflip Slots》的菜单环境音效，我带着手持Zoom H4到赌场录制环境音效。幸运的是，我带着这个奇怪的小设备走进赌场时保安并未过问。

Backflip Slots(from itunes.apple.com)

找到成排的老虎机后，我坐下来开始玩。这个位置的环境音平衡性良好，我将录音机放在邻座上，开始尝试不同的游戏机。在此试验过程中，我并没有戴耳机，因而只能尽量发挥自己最佳的判别能力。

我在赌场中发现了件有趣的事情，每台老虎机的C键都会发出叮当声，这种声音令玩家着迷。我此前曾在赌场参加过现场演奏会（游戏邦注：指用赌具来演奏音乐），用C键来附和每首曲子。这种声音给人带来梦幻般的感觉，就像在机器唱诗班中玩游戏。

由于《Backflip Slots》看起来较为传统，因而我们需要传统音效与之相配。在滚轴旋转上，我采用带轻微摩擦质感的环状机械音效。为达成此目标，我将拖拉机发动机音效和音效库中工厂机器样品音效结合起来，并融入《Sonic Fiction》（游戏邦注：某音乐专辑）的元素。

无缝循环在游戏中很常见，但通常会带来技术上的难题。这可能会对游戏的创意有所损害，但这也是硬件技术局限性所带来的必然结果。滚轴停止的音效需要带有厚重的感觉，这样才不会让人感到不适。

每个奖励显示在屏幕上时都带有特定的动画顺序和音效，而这些动作来源于火焰喷射器以及武士拔剑出鞘的音效。

关键点之一在于能够巧妙地营造出声波诉求，这需要进行大量的测试。即便听过数百遍也不会感到厌烦，这才是游戏音效应该达到的目标。通常需要改变音量、均衡和音调来进行测试，最终制成让整个开发团队和玩家获得良好的听觉体验。

胜利时的音效也与滚轴转动和按键有很大的不同。胜利动画呈现在屏幕上，金币如雨点般往下落。加上脉冲激光和闪电，就会有出众的视觉效果！这部分音效方面要做的工作很多，而且在完成前还需要大量的修正。

Paper Toss(from iphonegamespace.com)

即使放置于其他文件之上，音效文件也必须清晰明了。这款游戏与工作室其他游戏（游戏邦注：如《Paper Toss》、《NinJump》等）有相似的特征，我将其他游戏的现有音效运用到《Backflip Slots》中。以《NinJump》为例，我在“hiyaahh”音效中加入锣钹声，作为成功组合的音效。游戏中还深藏着某些音效组合，只有顶级玩家才能听出来。

测试的最佳方法是利用Pro Tools同时播放这些音效，从中听出所有的断点。由于金币是游戏的主题，在多数情况下我给它们配上的是高频音，但剪去上述游戏中现有的某些高调音效。

值得注意的是，我制作音效的过程并不艰苦，这是因为整个工作过程都围绕着“听”来展开。有个弹吉他的好友曾经跟我说过，从本质上来说，音乐制作90%是“听”，“做”只占10%。当我在编写吉他演奏音效遇到障碍时，以下解决方案尤有成效：向上或向下调整吉他至新音调。这种感觉很像首次接触某种乐器，以前所熟悉的音弦和音阶都已毫无用处！这迫使你更多地依靠“听”，以如孩童般的好奇心去接触新乐器。

重点在于局限性通常会带来意想不到的结果。别因当今琳琅满目的工具而感到不知所措，你可以用有限的工具制作出令人惊奇的音效或音乐。《超级马里奥》主题歌曲制作环境受到极大的限制，而Koji Kondo却可其用所掌握的资源制作出现代游戏史上最让人印象深刻的曲目，并因此而闻名于世。

现在，虚拟乐器同样也能做出精品音效。目前市场上已经充斥大量出色的游戏，开发者得多费点心思，才可使自己的游戏项目从众多竞争对手中脱颖而出。尝试过现代虚拟乐器，你就会理解我的说法。总之，切记让自己游戏截图或视频在第一时间抓住用户的注意力。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Excerpt: The Insider’s Guide to Music and Sound for Mobile Games

Ben Long

When using headphones, we hear most of the sonic spectrum. One challenge of creating audio content for mobile is taking into account the possibility of headphone usage. The iPad allows for a bit more mid-range frequency content, so I considered this when working with Backflip Studios on their HD stuff.

Typically, a mobile game will have a looping background ambience, background music, dialogue and UI/gameplay sounds. For the menu ambience in Backflip Slots, I visited a casino and brought along my Zoom H4 handheld recorder to capture the ambience. Luckily, security didn’t ask any questions as I entered the building with this strange little device.

After finding the rows of slots machines, I sat in the middle and started playing. This location gave me a nicely-balanced ambience, so I placed the recorder on the seat next to me and started experimenting with different configurations. All this was done without headphones, so I had to use my best judgment and just go for it.

The funny thing about casinos is that each slot machine plays jingles in the key of C. The result is a hypnotizing cacophony that keeps the players hooked. I have actually played live gigs at casinos before and been instructed to keep every song in the key of C. This is surreal, much like playing alongside a choir of robots!

Since Backflip Slots was getting a more traditional look, we needed the sound to follow suit. For the reel spin, I went for a looping mechanical sound with a subtle friction texture. To achieve this, I combined the sound of a tractor engine with factory machinery samples from my own sound library. The two sounds were then mixed together and combined with elements from Sonic Fiction.

Seamless looping is commonplace in games but often brings technical challenges. That can detract from the creative focus, but it’s a necessary evil, given the technical limitations of the hardware platforms. The reel landing sounds needed more of a chunky ‘click’ feel that would not be too overbearing.

Each bonus spin-character icon has an animated sequence in which they come to life and jump off the screen. These actions received everything from an 8-bit flamethrower to the sound of a samurai sword being unsheathed.

One of the keys to creating sonic appeal is subtlety and this can require extensive testing. Game sounds should not grate on the nerves even after being heard hundreds of times. This usually entails experimenting with volume, EQ and pitch shifting. The end result should always be a pleasant listening experience for the development team and ultimately, the player.

The win sequences were also in sharp contrast to the reel spins and button presses. Win animations explode on the screen with coins raining down on top of an animated logo. Add pulsating lasers and lightning strikes and you now have some serious eye candy! These received a good amount of ‘bling’ on the sonic end and went through extensive revisions before completion.

Even when being piled on top of each other, audio files must be audible and clean. Since the game featured all of their IP (Paper Toss, NinJump, Graffiti Ball, etc), I used the existing sounds from their other games and remixed them to work within Slots. In the case of “NinJump”, I blended the hiyaahh with a gong cymbal for the combo win. Some of the combinations are buried deep in the game and will only be heard by top players.

The best way to test for this was to play them simultaneously in Pro Tools and listen for any breakup in the sound. Since the coins are the theme of the game, I gave them most of the higher frequencies while cutting the highs out of some of the pre-existing sound effects from all the games represented.

Notice that I’m not going into painstaking detail on how I created the audio. That is because my entire process of working revolves around listening. A fellow guitarist once told me that creating music essentially boils down to 90% listening and 10% doing. When I get writers’ block with my own guitar playing, the solution that works best is this: Tune the guitar down (or up) to a new tuning. This is much like picking up an instrument for the first time. The chords or scales you once knew are now worthless! This forces you to rely more on listening, and you approach the instrument with more of a child-like wonder.

The point here is that restrictions often bring out the best material. Try not to get too overwhelmed with all of today’s fancy gear. You can make amazing sound or music with a limited set of tools. Listen to the Super Mario Brothers theme song. It was created in an environment of staggering limitations. Koji Kondo rose above them and worked with what he had to create one of the most memorable pieces of music in modern history.

It never ceases to amaze me what can be done with today’s virtual instruments. There are so many great products out there that you really have to focus on the game project. It’s easy to become distracted by attention-grabbing effects. Scroll through any of today’s modern VI’s (virtual instruments) and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Always keep a screenshot or video of the game visible to keep you focused. (Source: Game Career Guide)