Metaphysical Media Services

Constellation is a 3D music sequencer project i have been involved with for several years on and off in the Unity game engine. It is a unique music application/experience based upon the idea of being able to rotate a musical idea along a 3D while viewing it on 2D screen. The name of the app is based on the phenomenon that any given arrangement of stars in a constellation is not actually equidistant from the viewer. Instead stars are at different levels of distance from the viewer. Thus rotation of the constellation from a center point would result in vastly different patterns than what was originally perceived.

 

Did consulting work for Pollen Music Group through Intonic contract, analyzed the code in Unity to determine best approaches for integration of ambisonic audio with Easy Movie Texture's FFMPEG based video playback on GearVR platform.

Video is best played back on Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a device supporting side by side 360 degree video.

Metaphysical Media was privileged to work on this critically acclaimed co-op physics based puzzle platformer. We provided audio implementation assistance to Studio Jory in this Unity based PC and Wii U title using Fabric audio middleware. Duties Included light scripting, configuring of scripts, configuring trigger objects in the Unity scene, and communicating needs to the Programming Lead.

Awards & Recognition:

• "Winner «Shadow Puppeteer – Indie Prize Europe: Director's Choice Award»" - Amsterdam, February 2015
• "Winner «Shadow Puppeteer – Game Connection Development Awards: Most Promising IP»" - San Francisco, March 2015

For this iOS based educational title I worked closely with the founder and the audio director to realize a whimsical, fun series of games oriented to teach children about the brain. This involved designing and implementing all sound effects and music in Unity using Master Audio. Definitely a fun challenge!

I designed all sounds and music for the Flash-based promo website created by the Attik ad agency for the Scion XD launch campaign. This campaign used Tim Burton-inspired horror featuring the Little Deviants assaulting the boring Sheeple. The site consisted of 'chapters' - short cutscenes with VO, usually followed by a simple game. This was two weeks of intense but fun work of creating Deviant and Sheeple voices, sound effects and several loops of music. All content except announcer VO was delivered and then implemented by Attik into the website.

Click here to Play (Needs Flash to view)

NOTES AND DISCLAIMER: I do not own the copyrights for this work. Use Passcode SLOG to unlock all of the chapters.

I designed all of the music and sound effects for this title to accompany our book The Essential Guide to Game Audio. Both the book and the app were published by Focal Press. I also programmed all of the interactive game examples in the app (The Holodeck section) which also featured videos and quizzes. The developer was Zephyr Media and Teravision.

This demo is a video of the Music Maze game lesson from the Game Audio Institute. There is a link to a video of the FMOD demonstration and a link to a WebGL version based on Unity (FMOD does not work in a browser currently). I designed this level in Unity in order to show students how you can use different types of interactive music to navigate your way through a maze that only has two directions. In one direction you'll get progressively positive reinforcement and in the other direction the feedback will be increasingly negative. This game lesson is available in FMOD and Unity audio based flavors through the Game Audio Institute.

Click here to Play in WebGL (only on Mac or PC for now)

Use arrow keys or WSAD and mouse to navigate your way through the demo.

This demo shows the power and usability of Fabric as well as Unity's Mixer objects and plugins for creating interesting and immersive sound environments. This Screenflow video annotates the various Fabric features I have employed. The level I am using is from the Game Audio Institute's Mysterious Warehouse ver 2.0 game lesson. This lesson is based on an older Unity demo which I adapted and designed a simple puzzle based game around, along with some programming assistance from Graham Pezzutti. This level will soon be available from the Game Audio Institutes website as a Unity based lesson with a Fabric-based add-on module.

Probably one of my most ambitious projects, this tangible interface was the first step in trying to create a portable prepared piano of sorts. It utilized a custom interface featuring piezoresistive fabric ribbons on a conductive copper base, using objects that had Reactivision fiducial symbols that would be recognized by Reactivision via an overhead webcam and turned into data that would control instrument switching in MaxMSP using a fluidsynth object playing samples of prepared piano. Sensor data for the ribbons (onset and resistance value) were sent to Max via a SlipOSC code installed on a Teensy microcontroller. Additionally extra controls over the sound were possible by adding a Korg Nanokontrol. The included clip is a demo video, briefly explaining the setup. A short performance clip is available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxrDQvKgjGI

Many thanks to Adrian Freed of CNMAT for invaluable assistance with materials and use of the Teensy!

This started out as an entry for the SF Indy Game Jam. The basic plot is that you are a bird that needs to escape and you can slow time down but if you hit an obstacle time reverses and you have to try again, only you have time clones of your previous self to have to take with you. I provided a few high energy music loops for this fun, quick project which was made available on Google Play for a while.

David Geisert - programming and design
Adam Rickert - art and design
Scott R. Looney - audio

This is the second stage of my obsession with a portable piano of sorts. After abandoning the fabric controllers which were not stable, I opted instead for real strings. Several designs were considered and discarded when I discovered the Harpejji, a variation of an earlier custom instrument called the Starr Board. This is a tapping instrument where both hands face the same direction rather than a Chapman Stick where the hands face in opposite directions. As a Harpejji was out of my price range, I enlisted the help of a tapping instrument maker (Kevin Siebold of Krappy Guitars) to make the body, bridge and strings to my specs, and a young engineer to design the active pickup system ( a dual octal buffer, for 16 strings). I then found  a set of piezo saddles which i adapted and wired up to the buffer circuit boards, and the Hypertap was born.

Future versions of this will exploit the individual string output available to do A/D conversion (onset,pitch detection) to potentially controll other kinds of processing.

Created for the Whammy Jammy game jam, a 48-hour event to make games around the theme of music and sound.

"Sounds Like Snatch" is a game about "snatching" sounds from the environment and using them to activate other creatures and objects in the level to solve puzzles. The game was built with an early version of Stencyl. I handled the music and sound effects, but also handled implementation of a simple four level interactive music score using Stencyl's visual scripting editor. Each level is triggered in game as you release the notes.

Game Plot:

You are a raccoon who can snatch sounds from one animal or object and play it for another. Use this ability to pass obstacles and break through the wall at the end.

Click here to Play (requires Flash)

For this space based RTS mobile game I provided several clips of music and designed an adaptive music system in Unity based on varying levels of tension. Optimization of audio asset file sizes was also important in order for the gameplay to be fast and efficient.

Bumble Bounce was made in 27 hours for the "Life Is A Game" Jam with the theme of "Life Is A Game". Originally conceived as a game about beekeeping, the idea evolved into a pollination game using flowers as slingshots. Bumble Bounce was the Grand Prize winner of the jam. I handled all the sounds effects and music for the team.

Game Plot:

You play as a bee trying to find his way back to the hive, but you're tired after a long day of pollination and don't feel like flying anymore. Use the flowers as slingshots to launch yourself back to the hive. It's also really fun to bounce off of things so the more objects you hit the more points you get. Try to make it to the end with the most points and the most bounces.

Click here to Play

This low budget indy children's title used voice recognition to guide the reader through an adventure to teach kids improved behavior, using bears in a treehouse. I provided advice and the relaxing yet curious music for this project.