BGM Sync

Background Music Synchronization System

A MIDI-driven boss fight (ongoing project)

Demo

The unpredictable interactivity brings uncertainty to a game experience, leading to difficulties in designing a background music (BGM) system that synchronizes with the game system. Typical traditional AAA games do not reflect micro-emotions in their BGM synchronization systems because the smaller granularity of background music synchronization poses musicality issues. To address these issues, we are establishing a two-way pipeline that harmonizes audio design and combat systems seamlessly to ensure both synchronization and musicality.

Role in the team: Sound Designer, 3D Artist

Responsibility: Dynamic soundtrack design and composition, pipeline iteration, Wwise implementation.

Five people standing with two humanoid robots, one with a reflective metallic surface and the other with a complex robotic suit, in a room with a green wall and a framed picture.

Our Team

Basic Workflow - Adaptive Soundtrack

Virtual Beat:

Sending MIDI signals to each important moment

Critical Beat: 

Non-changeable beat with a noticeable drum

Mutable Beat: 

Changeable drum loops

Main Melody: 

Different melodies in the same scale with instruments that belong to the same instrument classification (in our case, strings)

Ambient Melody:

Same melody or chords with different instruments

Stingers:

A music cue in the same scale

Adaptive Soundtrack & State Change Showcase

Soundtrack

Basic Workflow - Wwise Implementation

Diagram illustrating a game sound system using nodes and connections. It shows a 'Soundtrack' node linked to a 'Player State' node, which branches into attack, idle, and weak states, with attack further divided into attack 1, 2, and 3. An 'Attack Status' node is connected to attack states and has options for normal attack and parry. At the bottom, there are steps for defining player states, compiling playlists, subdividing states, and assigning music tracks.
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Logic Pro

Software Used

A logo consisting of multiple blue interconnected circles forming a symmetrical pattern above the words "Data Science" in black text.

Wwise

Black and white logo with a circular emblem containing a stylized letter 'U' and the words 'UNREAL ENGINE' below it.

Unreal Engine