Game Audio Hour

It's September, and the gang is back in force to chat about audio, and mostly game audio, even! Alex, Mike, and Vince talk about instrumental excursions, modern album releases, and even an audio middleware from 34 years ago!Other notable mentions include:Grotrian-Steinweg (Piano manufacturer)The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Video game score, Jeremy Soule)Flux (Music Album, Alison Goldfrapp)Sky: The Two Embers - Part One (Motion Picture Soundtrack, Kevin Penkin)Featuring: Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, and Vincent DiamanteRecorded August 15, 2025

Another hiatus... followed inevitably by another eagerly anticipated episode! Alex and Vince get immersed in VR and Visual Novels and live to tell the tale!Other notable mentions include:16bit Sensation (Manga and Anime series)Tales of Ephidrina (Music Album, Amorphous Androgynous)Featuring: Alex May and Vincent DiamanteRecorded April 10, 2025

It's been more than a month since the last episode, but contrary to popular belief, Mike, Alex, and Vince are very much alive and ready to chat about games, audio, and (of course) game audio!Other notable mentions include:AATranslator (DAW project file translation software, Suite Spot Studios)Translator 7 Pro (Sample Library format converter, Chicken Systems)1883 (TV series, music by Brian Tyler)MJ the Musical (Musical, book by Lynn Nottage)AIgolemeth (Video Game, Medium-Rare Games)Featuring: Michael Gordon Shapiro, Alex May, and Vincent DiamanteRecorded March 14, 2025

The trio returns in 2025! Mike, Alex, and Vince opine about various topics, some of which are even tangentially related to games, audio, or game audio! Other notable mentions include: Zebra 3 (U-He soft synthesizer)New Blue Sun (Andre 3000 album)ShaperBox (Cableguys plugin)Get Back (Documentary series) Featuring: Michael Gordon Shapiro, Alex May, and Vincent Diamante Recorded January 30, 2025

The GAH is back for its first episode of 2025! Alex and Vince get off to a rousing start with some chat about music merchants and then spin out towards other things in the worlds of games, audio, and... you guessed it... COMPRESSOR PLUGINS! Other notable mentions include: Omnipressor (compressor plugin, Eventide)Socho Shihatsu no Sappukei (Japanese TV Drama) Featuring: Alex May and Vincent Diamante Recorded January 16, 2025

Alex, Mike, and Vince enter into a month of shopping and sales and leave with various acquisitions, so of course they have to talk about the various audio related purchases they made! Other notable mentions include: Tai Chi (reverb plugin, Reverb Foundry/Liquid Sonics)Cinematic Studio Strings (string ensemble library/plugin)Dorico (music notation software, Steinberg)LilyPond (music engraving software, Free Software Foundation) Featuring: Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, and Vincent Diamante Recorded December 5, 2024

This GAH has the trio joined by special guest: Stephen O'Bent! The episode features mention of all the usual stuff from the challenges of game audio education to the importance of playing Super Mario Odyssey with your kids! Other notable mentions include: Fumiya Tanaka (Music Producer/DJ)The Diplomat (Political Thriller TV series)Storybundle (E-book website)RME UCX II (Audio interface)Company (Musical by Stephen Sondheim)Fez (game by Polytron Corporation) Featuring: Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, Vincent Diamante, and Stephen O'Bent Recorded November 14, 2024

The trio finally make mention of Halloween festivities... but not before talk of intimate game audio conferences, recording methodology, and gear new and old. Other notable mentions include: Goat: A Musing Whimsy (Novel, Allan Batchelder)Every Frame a Painting (Youtube channel, Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou)Creative Perspectives in Game Audio (Conference, Denmark, 2024 October 26-27) Featuring: Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, and Vincent Diamante Recorded October 31, 2024

Mike, Alex, and Vince gather for an October podcast without once mentioning any impending Halloween celebrations. They do mention, however, past cartoons, past music periodicals, and a rather recent video game soundtrack release. Notable mentions include: Carl Stalling (Music composer)Future Music and Computer Music (Music periodicals)Escaping Wonderland OST (Video game score by Michael Gordon Shapiro)Solaris (2002) (Film score by Cliff Martinez)Fish Story (Film, Dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura) Featuring: Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, and Vincent Diamante Recorded October 18, 2024

The GAH trio is joined by special guest: Kochun Hu! Sure, they eventually get to talking about Astroneer and music philosophy, but before that, they just have to talk about Alex's favorite subject: TRACKERS. Other notable mentions include: Peaky Blinders (TV drama and its anachronistic soundtrack)Blue Bell Knoll (album by Cocteau Twins)Skygunner (Playstation 2 action game)Impulse Tracker (software by Jeffrey Lim) Featuring: Vincent Diamante, Alex May, Michael Gordon Shapiro, and Kochun Hu Recorded September 20, 2024