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Free Software Resources
A list of free / cheap software, plugins, & sound effects that we maintain:
- Sound Effects
- Plugins / Synths
- Music Samples
- Audio Software
A list of free / cheap software, plugins, & sound effects maintained by other people:
- Presley Hynes - Audio Resources List
General Game Audio
Game Audio Bibliography: Society for the Study of Sound and Music in Games
The Game Audio Podcast
Game Developers Conference
GameSound.org
GameSoundCon
A Sound Effect Blog
Designing Sound
Lost Chocolate Lab
GameDeveloper.com
Reddit Game Audio
#GameAudio (Twitter / X)
Game Audio Hour Podcast
Michael Sweet's Game Audio Links
Boulanger, R., Lazzarini, V. & Mathews, M. (2010) The Audio Programming Book. Har/DVD. MIT Press.
Brandon, A. (2004) Audio for Games: Planning, Process, and Production. New Riders Games.
Bridgett, R. (2010) From the Shadows of Film Sound : Cinematic Production & Creative Process in Video Game Audio. Blurb.
Bridgett, R. (2013) Game Audio Culture. Blurb.
Bridgett, R. (2021) Leading with Sound: Proactive Sound Practices in Video Game Development. New York: Focal Press.
Cheng, W. (2014) Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination. OUP USA, Oxford ; New York.
Collins, K. (2008) Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. MIT Press.
Collins, K. (2008) From Pac-Man to Pop Music: Interactive Audio in Games and New Media. 5th ed. Ashgate.
Collins, K. (2013) Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games. MIT Press.
Collins, K., Kapralos, B., Tessler, H. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Interactive Audio. OUP USA, Oxford.
Donnelly, K.J., Gibbons, W., Lerner, N. (2014). Music In Video Games: Studying Play. Routledge, New York, NY ; Abingdon, Oxon.
Filimowicz, M. ed. (2019) Foundations in Sound Design for Interactive Media. New York, NY: Routledge.
Fritsch, M., Summers, T. (Eds.), 2021. The Cambridge Companion to Video Game Music, Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Goodwin, S. N. (2019) Beep to Boom: The Development of Advanced Runtime Sound Systems for Games and Extended Reality. New York, NY: Routledge.
Geronazzo, M., Serafin, S. (Eds.) 2022. Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments. Springer.
Grimshaw, M. (2010) Game Sound Technology and Player Interaction: Concepts and Developments. Information Science Reference.
Jorgensen, K. (2009) A Comprehensive Study of Sound in Computer Games: How Audio Affects Player Action. Edwin Mellen Press Ltd.
Kamp, M., Summers, T., & Sweeney, M. (Eds.). (2016). Ludomusicology: Approaches to Video Game Music. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
Marks, A. (2008) Game Development Essentials: Game Audio Development. 1st ed. Delmar Publishing.
Marks, A. (2008) The Complete Guide to Game Audio: For Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers, Game Developers. 2nd ed. Focal Press.
Miller, K. (2012) Playing Along: Music, Video Games, and Networked Amateurs. Oxford University Press, Oxford ; New York.
Moormann, Peter, ed. (2012) Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance. Springer VS.
Phillips, W. (2014) A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press.
Richardson, J., Gorbman, C. & Vernallis, C. (2013) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics.
Sanger, G. (2003) The Fat Man on Game Audio: Tasty Morsels of Sonic Goodness. Illustrated edition. New Riders.
Sexton, J., Donnelly, K.J. (2007) Music, Sound and Multimedia: From the Live to the Virtual. Edinburgh University Press.
Sinclair, J.-L. (2020) Principles of Game Audio and Sound Design: Sound Design and Audio Implementation for Interactive and Immersive Media. New York, NY: Focal Press.
Somberg, G. (2016) Game Audio Programming: Principles and Practices. CRC Press.
Somberg, G. (2018) Game Audio Programming 2: Principles and Practices. CRC Press.
Stevens, R. & Raybould, D. (2011) The Game Audio Tutorial: A Practical Guide to Sound and Music for Interactive Games. 1st ed. Focal Press.
Summers, T. (2016) Understanding Video Game Music. Cambridge University Press.
Sweet, M., 2014. Writing Interactive Music for Video Games: A Composer’s Guide 1 edition. ed. Addison Wesley, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Williams, D. & Lee, N. (2018) Emotion in Video Game Soundtracking. Springer.
Algorithmic / Generative / Procedural Music
Acoustics / Engineering / Technical
Audio Concepts in Plain English
Modern Audio Technologies in Games
Nikunj Raghuvanshi Sound Propagation Research
Damian Murphy Acoustic Modelling
Sound Synthesis and Propagation
Miranda, E. (2002) Computer Sound Design: Synthesis Techniques and Programming. 2nd ed. Focal Press.
Roads, C. (1996) The Computer Music Tutorial. MIT Press.
Russ, M. (2008) Sound Synthesis and Sampling. 3rd ed. Focal Press.
Rossing, T.D., Moore, R.F. and Wheeler, P.A. (2001) The Science of Sound. 3rd ed. Addison Wesley.
Howard, D. and Angus, J. (2009) Acoustics and Psychoacoustics. 4th ed. Focal Press.
Everest, F.A. and Pohlmann, K.C. (2009) Master Handbook of Acoustics. 5th ed. Tab Electronics.
Katz, B. (2007) Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science. 2nd ed. Focal Press.
Film Music
Senior VP for music universal pictures pt1
Senior VP for music universal pictures pt2
John Williams – Saving Private Ryan
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt1
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt2
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt3
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt4
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt5
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt6
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt7
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt8
Making a living from music for picture (Sound on Sound articles) pt9
Music and the Moving Image Journal
Adorno. (2007) Composing for the films. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
David Bell. (1994) Getting the Best Score for Your Film. Silman-James Press.
Beauchamp, R. (2005) Designing Sound for Animation. Pap/DVD. Focal Press.
Burt, G. (1996) The Art of Film Music. Northeastern University Press.
Carlin, F. Wright, R. (1990) On the Track. Schirmer Books.
Cohen, A. (2010) Music as a Source of Emotion in Film in Music and Emotion. Oxford University Press.
Davis, R. (1999) Complete guide to film scoring. Berklee Press.
Dickinson, K. (2002) Movie Music: The Film Reader. Routledge.
Donnelly, K. (2001) Film Music: Critical Approaches. Edinburgh University Press
Gorbman, C. (1987) Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music. John Wiley & Sons.
Hagen, E. (1995) Advanced Techniques for film scoring. Alfred Publishing Co.
Harper, G et al (2009) Sound and Music in Film and Visual Media. Continuum.
Hayward, P. (2004) Off the Planet: Music,Sound and Science Fiction Cinema. illustrated edition.
Larsen, P. (2007) Film Music. illustrated edition. Reaktion Books.
Powrie, P. Stillwell, R. (2005) Changing Tunes: The Use of Pre-Existing Music in Film. Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Reay, P. (2004) Music in Film: Soundtracks and Synergy. Wallflower Press.
Rhona, J. (2000) The reel world. Miller Freeman Books.
Scruton (1999) The aesthetics of music. Clarendon Press.
Stror, A. (1997) Music and the mind. HarperCollins.
Film Music : Popular Music in Films
Dyer R. (2012) In The Space Of A Song : The Uses Of Song In Film. London : Routledge.
Inglis I. (2003) Popular Music And Film. London : Wallflower.
Mundy J. (1999) Popular Music On Screen : From The Hollywood Musical To Music Video. Manchester : Manchester University Press.
Powrie, P., Stillwell, R. (2005) Changing Tunes: The Use of Pre-Existing Music in Film. illustrated edition. Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Wojcik P, Knight A. (2002) Soundtrack Available : Essays On Film And Popular Music. London : Duke University Press.
Film Sound
FilmSound.org
Designing Sound
Soundworks Collection
Designing a movie for sound (Randy Thom)
Stretching Sound to Help the Mind See (Walter Murch)
Behind the Scenes with Film Editor Walter Murch
10 minute general concepts 'Austrailia' Sound doc
Skip Livesay Interview
The New Soundtrack Journal
The Soundtrack
Altman, R. (1992) Sound Theory/Sound Practice. 1st ed. Routledge.
Amyes, Tim. (1990) Audio Post-Production in Video and Film. Focal Press.
Beauchamp, R (2005) Designing sound for animation. Focal Press.
Beck, J. Grajeda, T (Eds) (2008) Lowering the boom : Critical studies in film sound. University of Illinois Press.
Chion, M. (1994) Audio-Vision : Sound on Screen. Columbia University Press.
Chion, M. (2009) Film; a Sound Art. Columbia University Press.
Emmett, H. (2010) Sounds to Die For: Speaking the Language of Horror Film Sound. Flaithulach.
Filimowicz, M. ed. (2019) Foundations in Sound Design for Linear Media. New York: Routledge.
Holman, Tomlinson. (2010) Sound for Film and Television. Focal Press.
Kenny, Tom. (2000) Sound for Picture Artistpro.com.
Lobrutto, Vincent. (1998) Sound on Film. Greenwood Press.
Mott, Robert. (2008) Radio Sound Effects: Who Did It, and How, in the Era of Live Broadcasting. McFarland & Co Inc.
Ondantje, Michael. (2004) The Conversations. Alfred A. Knopf.
Pinch, T. & Bijsterveld, K. eds. (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Sound Studies. OUP USA.
Purcell, J. (2008) Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures. Focal Press.
Rose, Jay. (2008) Audio Post Production for digital video. Focal Press.
Sider, L. (2003) Soundscape: School of Sound Lectures 1998-2001. Wallflower Press.
Sonnenschien, D. (2001) Sound Design. Michael Wiese Productions.
Viers, R. (2008) The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects. Ill. Michael Wiese Productions.
Weiss, E. and Belton, J(Ed) (1985) Film sound Columbia University Press.
Whittington, W. (2007) Sound Design and Science Fiction. University of Texas Press.
Yewdall, D.L. (2007) The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound. 3rd ed. Focal Press.
Foley / Footsteps
The Story of Jack Foley
Mix Online Article on Foley
FilmSound.org / Foley
Soundworks / Gary Hecker
Ament, V.T. (2009) The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation. Pap/DVD. Focal Press.
Game Design
DIGRA
GameStudies
Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology
Entertainment Computing
Computers in Entertainment
International Journal of Computer Games Technology
Games and Culture Journal
Juul, J. (2005) Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. MIT Press.
Koster, R., (2005) Theory of Fun for Game Design. Paraglyph Press, Phoenix, Arizona.
Poole, S. (2004) Trigger Happy, The inner life of video games
Rigby, S., Ryan, R., (2010) Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us in and Hold Us Spellbound. Praeger Publishers Inc, Santa Barbara, California.
Salen, K., Zimmerman, E., (2003) Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. illustrated ed. The MITPress.
Schell, J., (2008) The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses. Morgan Kaufmann.
Salen, K. (2003) Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. illustrated edition. MIT Press.
Game Research Methods
Lankoski, P., Björk, S., (Eds) (2015) Game Research Methods: An Overview. Lulu.com.
Game Sound Design
Interactive / Adaptive Music
Ludomusicology’s Bibliography
Contextually Driven Dynamic Music System for Games (Iain Macanulty & Gordon Durity)
Winifred Phillips on layers (Parallel forms)
Cheng, W. (2014) Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination. OUP USA, Oxford ; New York.
Collins, K. (2008) Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. MIT Press.
Collins, K. (2008) From Pac-Man to Pop Music: Interactive Audio in Games and New Media. 5th ed. Ashgate.
Collins, K. (2013) Playing with Sound: A Theory of Interacting with Sound and Music in Video Games. MIT Press.
Collins, K., Kapralos, B., Tessler, H. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Interactive Audio. OUP USA, Oxford.
Donnelly, K.J., Gibbons, W., Lerner, N. (2014). Music In Video Games: Studying Play. Routledge, New York, NY ; Abingdon, Oxon.
Gibbons, W. ed. (2019) Music in the Role-Playing Game: Heroes & Harmonies. New York ; London: Routledge.
Miller, K. (2012) Playing Along: Music, Video Games, and Networked Amateurs. Oxford University Press, Oxford ; New York
Moormann, Peter, ed. (2012) Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance. Springer
Phillips, W. (2014) A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press.
Sweet, M., 2014. Writing Interactive Music for Video Games: A Composer’s Guide. 1 edition. ed. Addison Wesley, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Music Psychology
Dr Victoria Williamson's Site
Psychology of Music Journal
Juslin, P. and Sloboda, J. (2001) Music and Emotion: Theory and Research. OUP Oxford.
Levitin, D.J. (2008) This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession. Atlantic Books.
Williamson, V., 2014. You Are the Music: How Music Reveals What it Means to be Human. Icon Books Ltd.