Feature: Take This Job and Love It! - Sound Designer - Erik Kraber
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Name: Erik Kraber Title: Lead Sound Designer/Director of Audio - Electronic Arts LA Notable Past Projects: Medal of Honor series, Clive Barker's Undying Current Project: Medal of Honor: Frontline Schooling/Degree: Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, emphasis in Film Salary Range for your title (not necessarily what you specifically make): $60,000 and up. How many people are in your department/team? If you are a manager, many people do you oversee? I am the manager for all five people in our sound department. What was the most valuable bit of knowledge or experience you brought with you to the job? I think the best thing I could have done before working on audio for games is to have worked on sound for feature films. It gives you this great perspective on how high quality and detailed sound should be to bring the energy and emotion out of a story. It really made me approach games with the idea of "how do I get this big idea into this little box?" What was the first major lesson you learned once you started working in the industry? I learned just how different and difficult it is to develop sound for non-linear entertainment. You have to create sounds, compose music and record dialogue that will play appropriately in multiple different situations. In film, there would only be one linear path to the story or a character's actions, but in games, you have to find the best solutions to every possible player path or character action. What academic focuses would you recommend for someone who wants to do your job someday? Having computer skills and audio engineering skills is necessary. Studying music composition is also very helpful. Understanding how a sound effect can be just as musical as a song is key to creating a dynamic soundscape for games. Common misconceptions about your job? When I tell people that I work on sound for games, they say "Oh, so you write all the music?" Music is the most recognizable and tangible aspect of sound design on games, but really is only a portion of it. Sound design involves not only music, but also dialogue, sound effects and ambient sounds. Is college a necessity, a really good idea, or not required for your line of work? Obviously, if you have the skills and natural talent, a college degree isn't necessary, but I think have a college education is important for any line of work. What tools and software do you use on a regular basis? We use Digidesign's ProTools for most of our editing, and Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge for our mastering. What's your advice for breaking into your line of work? First, make connections. It is sometimes hard to break into this business if you don't know people that are willing to put in a good word for you. Second, really know the industry and the products. Listen to games and get a feel for how you would make them better. Third, when you apply for a position, be sure to send some kind of demo that shows how you would like to be doing sound for a game. Just sending a CD of music to a company that is looking for a sound designer may not be enough to get you in the door.
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