BUILD | AUDIO TOOLS KEY RELEASE Will Freeman peers under the bonnet of Miles Sound System 9
THERE are few game development solutions with a heritage to rival that of Rad Game Tools’ Miles Sound System. Originally released way back in 1991 for PC
titles, it has now seen use on over 5,000 games across 14 platforms, making it one of the most prolific pieces of middleware in the industry’s history. And now a brand new build of the famous
Rad Games’ lead developer Dan Thompson says the latest iteration of the Miles Sound System provides rapid iteration so sound designers can work on audio independent of programmer intervention
development tool is shipping that marks perhaps the most significant shift in the audio technology’s makeup. Miles Sound System 9 isn’t entirely unlike
its predecessors. Like previous versions it offers a comprehensive solution for managing audio in games, with streamlined content paths for rapid iteration. Where it differs, though, is in its high level audio toolset, which has undergone a significant redesign in the latest release.
ON CLOUD NINE “Version 9 introduces Miles Studio, representing our approach to hands off sound authoring and debugging,” explains the middleware’s lead developer Dan Thompson. “Once again, rapid iteration is the focus, allowing sound designers to fill out and tweak audio events completely independent of programmer intervention.” Using the latest release of Miles, those sound designers can now capture a game’s sound event stream and replay it as many times as they want. Additionally, all
The ability to record and replay is big, as
is the capability to debug and monitor the game’s sound on the fly. Dan Thompson, Rad Games
adjustment and sound set-up can be undertaken on the PC, with what is designed to be intuitive editing for audio presets, events, environments, filters, and mixing. “Sound designers can then ‘hot load’ -
testing, modifying, and mixing all aspects of the sound-scape in real time while playing their game,” adds Thompson. “In addition, complete captures of the audio from the game can be recorded on to the timeline and replayed, tweaking areas that are difficult to consistently reach in-game. “Being able to pause, make a change, and
continue is huge – your sound designers don’t have to reload the game just to try a new sound, or new effect chain, or whatever. It’s really fun to work on audio this way.” Like many of the changes implemented in
Miles Sound System 9, the introduction to hands-off sound authoring and debugging is a response to an industry increasingly
56 | DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012
dominated by complexity. For the same reason, improvements to workflow – including Perforce integration, the addition of infinite undo, and new multi-selection functionality – have been applied to ease the processes involved in game audio.
DOWN THE LINE Another new feature that Rad Game Tools has seen generate significant interest is the new timeline. “As stated above, the ability to record and
replay is big, as is the capability to debug and monitor the game’s sound on the fly,” says Thompson. “Memory usage, CPU usage,
sample count and sound memory are all tracked and aligned with the timeline, so you can tell when things went sour, and what caused it.” The audio middleware firm is confident that the new version of its famous Miles Sound System series is the most robust and powerful that it has produced yet. Bolstered by its long heritage and relatively potent brand status, and thanks to its combining of the familiar lean Miles with the new various new features, further success looks certain for this well established member of the middleware hall of fame.
www.radgametools.com/miles
WHAT IS IT?Miles Sound System 9 COMPANY: Rad Game Tools PRICE: $5,000
www.radgametools.com/miles
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76