A Glimpse At How Codemasters Records Car Sounds for DiRT 4

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

A Glimpse At How Codemasters Records Car Sounds for DiRT 4
Take a look into the effort one developer puts into producing accurate sounding cars for racing games.

This article was published by Ameer Zaita (@Ameer67) on April 5th, 2017 in the DiRT 4 category.

 

[Speedster911]

INCREDIBLE stuff.

Devs like T10, PD and SMS can benefit a great deal by putting each car through its paces using the very same methods.

Codies, you are the BEST for recreating accurate car audio. Bravo!

 

[Accro2008]

A few big game studios should take some notes...

Here is the raw sound recording used for making the sound of the metro in Dirt 2/3/Rally, It was done by the same team using similar methods :

 

[Speedster911]

A few big game studios should take some notes...

Here is the raw sound recording used for making the sound of the metro in Dirt 2/3/Rally, It was done by the same team using similar methods :

I am a huge advocate of the sound in the Dirt series. I wish it would become an industry standard and benchmark so that leading car game companies like Turn 10 and SMS have no choice but to use only these methods. Always a shame when great games are marred by just above average or inconsistent car audio.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

I am a huge advocate of the sound in the Dirt series. I wish it would become an industry standard and benchmark so that leading car game companies like Turn 10 and SMS have no choice but to use only these methods. Always a shame when great games are marred by just above average or inconsistent car audio.

It's also a matter of availability, though. No disrespect to Codies intended, since the audio in DiRT really is fantastic, but they do have the benefit of being based in the UK, where there's a huge industry built around rallying. The game has around 50 cars, many of which can be sourced within the country. That's part of the appeal of the series to me though: the authenticity of it all.

Turn 10 and PD had games with hundreds of cars, many of which are exceedingly rare and/or only available in specific parts of the world. This approach isn't really feasible in that case, and it becomes a trade-off: a much smaller car roster that pleases audiophiles, or the existing list, with sounds that are "good enough" for the vast majority of players?

 

[SPhilli911]

That was great. I have to say that the audio, among many other aspects of the game, is what makes Dirt Rally one of the best racers I've played, ever. I know that sounds like a leap, a game with not a whole lot of content can be so great, but it's the high quality that makes it so good. Granted, a game with a low car count can spare the resources to make all the cars sound as realistic as possible. Either way, I can't wait for Dirt 4.

 

[GroupB]

So far, only some of the cars in the DiRT series have benefited from this treatment though. Where they haven't yet gained access to the real car, they just use placeholder sounds. The Delta S4 for example isn't even close.

 

[citroengt1]

Oh yes!
I am ready to be lost in the sounds of pure car pornography that is the Codemasters DiRT series.

Also i would say that in DiRT Rally, both the 90's and 2000's Impreza share the same sound sampling.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Turn 10 and PD had games with hundreds of cars, many of which are exceedingly rare and/or only available in specific parts of the world. This approach isn't really feasible in that case, and it becomes a trade-off: a much smaller car roster that pleases audiophiles, or the existing list, with sounds that are "good enough" for the vast majority of players?

They could easily record some roadcars and edit the samples a bit. Even if not every car has the exact original noise, they would at least sound like real cars. Also, we know that both studios do record real samples, many actually, which is why I don't get why both sound like they do, with Forza not being much better than GT.

 

[breyzipp]

Very impressive stuff! Good work Codemasters.

 

[Sturdy]

It's also a matter of availability, though. No disrespect to Codies intended, since the audio in DiRT really is fantastic, but they do have the benefit of being based in the UK, where there's a huge industry built around rallying. The game has around 50 cars, many of which can be sourced within the country. That's part of the appeal of the series to me though: the authenticity of it all.

Turn 10 and PD had games with hundreds of cars, many of which are exceedingly rare and/or only available in specific parts of the world. This approach isn't really feasible in that case, and it becomes a trade-off: a much smaller car roster that pleases audiophiles, or the existing list, with sounds that are "good enough" for the vast majority of players?

Given PD's budget, reputation/industry clout, 20+ years of recording/modelling and apparent desire for perfection / eye for detail, does this excuse really stand though?

They could easily record some roadcars and edit the samples a bit. Even if not every car has the exact original noise, they would at least sound like real cars. Also, we know that both studios do record real samples, many actually, which is why I don't get why both sound like they do, with Forza not being much better than GT.

I would personally say Forza sounds appreciably better than GT. Yes, Forza still sounds like a videogame recreating car sounds, but they do at least sound like the real car sounds. Even just taking the Forza Horizon 3 demo, having been part of numerous Holden/HSV/V8 car meets here in the UK, the Maloo in FH3 is very recognisable by its exhaust sound. Many years ago I borrowed Forza 4 for a while, long enough to get my real life car and have a play. The first time I drove it I found myself shifting at about 6,000rpm simply out of habit, I don't tend to rev my actual car much beyond 6k unless at the track or actively 'pushing it' and the sound was similar enough that it just instinctively sounded like the time to shift.

Having driven effectively the same car in GT (the Holden Monaro in GT is only the 5.7) it took trying every exhaust option and setting the audio to the external cam before it even sounded vaguely like a V8, but it still sounded absolutely nothing like my actual car.

Just to make it vaguely on topic, Dirt Rally has my favourite sound of any racing game, and is genuinely exhilarating to play as a result. I'm really excited to say what they bring to the table with Dirt 4. It's a real shame they can't really expand the franchise in to road cars as well as their sound engineering is second to none.

 

[deththrasher]

I am a huge advocate of the sound in the Dirt series. I wish it would become an industry standard and benchmark so that leading car game companies like Turn 10 and SMS have no choice but to use only these methods. Always a shame when great games are marred by just above average or inconsistent car audio.

I still think Sector 3 has them beat.