A look at the sound design at Kojima Productions
Sound is an important part of the Metal Gear games. During the latest episode of the English Kojima Station (episode 7), Stefanie Joosten once again infiltrated Kojima Productions, this time to give us an inside look at the sound design. After reaching Konami’s studio floor, she first visited the Foley Studio, where the various sound effects of the game are made using everyday objects such as cardboard tubes, wet towels and leather bags.
This is salt, used to create the sound of snow when stepped on
This tube was used to create some of the Gekko sounds in MGS4
After that we got a look at the rerecording studio, where all the sound mixing takes place. This room is equipped with a large projection screen, a 7.1 surround setup, and of course special equipment consisting of a huge panel filled with buttons and meters.
Yutaka Shimoyama (manager of the studio) demonstrated how a simple looking scene can have as much as six different layers of sound types (among them sound effects, background music and voices), and how important sound can be to create the mood of the scene.
To watch the infiltration video, go here.
The staff also explained they use audio during motion capture as well, to help the actors get into their role. While the actors play out the scene, sound editor Masayoshi Shimano provides live sound effects (like gun shots and helicopter blades) on the set using a panel with up to 64 buttons.
Sound Editor Masayoshi Shimano
The next episode of Kojima Station will take place just before E3. At the moment, they didn’t want to say anything about the studio’s plans for the show. But it looks like we have something to look forward to, because Chris Johns noted that ‘E3 is going to be crazy’.
Also, next time writers Etsu Tamari and Shuyo Murata will be answering questions regarding the older Metal Gear games (MGS1 up to Peace Walker), so send them in if you have anything to ask.
