Need cars for video game recordings!

Hey everyone - Microsoft has contracted my team to record specific cars for an upcoming racing title. We've done vehicle recordings for several games including Need for Speed ProStreet and Carbon, Midnight Club II and True Crimes: New York - and even tanks for the recent Operation FlashPoint: Dragon Rising.

We are looking for very specific cars, including very specific years in the Southern California area (San Diego preferred but anywhere we can find these cars will work). We will need to put them on a dyno and mic them up, spending 2 to 3 hours for the process. I'm still working on possibilities of compensation but a free copy of the game at a minimum.

If you have, or know of anyone with these specific cars, please PM me here with contact information and we'll be in touch!

Mazda Furai
2009 Aston Martin 007 AMR Lola
2009 Audi R15 TDI
2010 Pagani Zonda R
2010 Lamborghini LP6704SV
2010 Audi RS3
2010 Audi TTRS

Many thanks and looking forward to the project!

Aaron Marks
www.onyourmarkmusic.com

 

Not to tell you your business but many of us here have had our cars recorded for video games and movies. I know that the person I deal with always pays us and pays us very well for our time and vehicles. It seems like giving someone a copy of a game for bringing one of the cars you need is pretty underwhelming. Just my .02.

 

I remember in the early days of Gran Turismo recording, we didn't pay people, but we did the recording at a track, and let them have track time free of charge (Laguna Seca, Sears Point, etc).

It would take about 5-10 minutes per car to record, still takes about that time, curious about the 2-3 hours.

 

I'm still trying to pin the developer down on the 'compensation' part of the arrangement. They understand that high end cars are usually owned by very busy people and it is helpful to make it worth their time but I can't speak for them. A copy of the game is a given and was more tongue in cheek than anything.

I'm just doing some initial legwork, see if we can locate a car or two, since this is always the time consuming part of the process. The recording in definitely the fun part!

 

Audio in games is getting pretty crazy these days. Realism is the big focus and for something like this, we'll be using 8 to 16 channels and positioning all of those mics is key (and time consuming). Not only will we be mic'ing the standard engine and exhaust, but the interior, tires, suspension and any other interesting noise each car might make. I've got a weapons shoot coming up that requires 16 channels with a variety of mic's and perspectives.... talk about crazy!! The cars will actually be easier compared to that! Indoors and no wind!

 

I would say 4-5 hours per car depending. Also depending on track or dyno or both. I have been paid too. My camaro was in the Speed Racer movie.

 

My friend does a combination of dyno recording and track recording. I will say that placing all the mics properly usually takes the longest time. I would say the entire process is about 2-3 hours. The actual recording is pretty quick on the dyno but longer on the track as they want different revs from every gear. I know that sometimes they record every sound the car makes, from the opening/closing of the door, key in the ignition, turning on the ignition. They try to make sure that every sound that's in the game is the real sound from the car.

 

The only person I would trust to touch any of my cars would be Bryan Watkins at Warner Brothers Sound. I have worked with him and his crew in the past and he/they are the best. He not only respects the owner of the car, but the car itself. He also understands costs of tires, clutch wear, our time, etc.

 

Bryan is awesome. Have worked with him many times and would not hesitate to do again.

 

i had a game company come take pictures and sound clips of my 69 dodge. they came to my house, spent about 20 minutes, and paid me 100 bucks. was a pretty sweet deal.

 

There is no such car yet...

 

As a Ferrari owner myself, I treat all of my subject cars like I'm the one who pays for the maintenance and never ask the owner to do anything they aren't comfortable with. Believe me, I'm even more paranoid than the owner is!!

In the several years I've been doing this, we haven't had a single scratch. I understand that it is a privilege to have your trust and work hard to earn it!

Thanks for any assistance!

Aaron

 

+1.

 

4-5 hours is unnecessary unless you're factoring in waiting time. All you are recording is the range of the engine sounds at RPM, the dyno is overkill.

The latest and upcoming GT game, still took about 10-15 minutes to record the car audio. Now, the 3-D image scanning of the entire car, that took 3 hours (new to the GT series).

 

HI Aaron,
I'm curious which cars you recorded for Prostreet and Carbon. Considering I was involved in the majority of all those recordings, I don't recall you being there, so I'm interested to find out which ones you did.
-cd

 

Hey CD - (Charles Deenan perhaps?)

Watson Wu, one of my partners who is fronting this particular venture, was involved in those projects. I recorded some initial stuff here in SoCal, mainly auditioning possible cars for the games.

A

 

Total time. Start to finish. Lots of factors.

 

Hey guys -

For those interested at a peak at some of the adventures we have as field recordists....

Recording the venerable M1A1 Abrams Main Battle tank and some other Marine Corps hardware at 29 Palms, CA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfIAYBR-NDE


Recording muscle cars for an upcoming game release in southern Florida:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGcXkfLKwCs


Thanks for watching!