The Gallery: Music and Sound Effects
The designer of the Quest for Glory computer games, Lori Cole, once
described
sound as "an element of gameplay that is often overlooked by the player. If it
is good, it is often taken for granted. If it is bad, the player turns it off."
Yet without it, "the mood and emotion of a game is lost."
We wanted players of The Pole Game to take the sounds of the greasepit for granted.
Crowd Noise: TASCAM Audio Recordings
We recorded the first sound effects for the game during Frosh Week '96. While
moonlighting as a Psychotage Frec, I ran around with a TASCAM audio recorder.
The end result was several hours of stock audio for the game. Every bit of crowd
noise and every cheer was recorded on site at Thundermugs, the Highland Games, and the real
Greasepole '96. It's a miracle the portable recorder survived the
experience. And another miracle the folks at the rental place didn't ask about the
purple. I've included some additional Crowd Noise on
the CD.
Out-Takes: CFRC Recording Session
On Halloween, 1997, Tuan Vu Bui (Sci '99) arranged for us to use the
digital equipment at Queen's CFRC Radio studios to record additional voiceovers for the
game. The recording
session was a blast (the document attached to that link shows the original
handout we passed around at Ritual), and the stuff we got out of the session exceeded all
of our expectations. We put together a
Demo Track
that played on the web site for the rest of the year, and amassed a number of Out Takes we thought would be fun to
include here. Unfortunately, many of the good ones had been lost, but we're sure
you'll enjoy these.
A Bonus: The Music of Sci '99
We couldn't help but test the limits of the TASCAM by recording the Music of Sci '99. Craig Calvert, Edgar
Yajure, Kim Spencer, Blake LaChance and The Queen's Bands provided
us with song. There's also something in there from the Grant Hall welcome!
To everyone who contributed to the Legend of the Greasepole's soundtrack: Thank you for
the music. You guys rock.
Robert Burke
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