Martin O'Donnell, a well known audio director, sound designer, and composer for the video game industry, recently released a video on his YouTube channel, detailing the creative process and behind the scenes effort that went into the iconic audio design of Halo 3. The video is part of a longer documentary detailing the making of Halo 3 which, while this isn't its first release on YouTube, being posted by the original composer and audio director of the Halo series serves as a good reason to revisit the documentary's wealth of information.
One of the more unusual aspects of the documentary is when Foley artists are showcased axing and rolling around Xboxes, all in order to record the metallic chorus of their destruction. It seems that as players listen to the world of Halo 3, they're actually hearing the smashed, final sounds of a translucent green Xbox, likely a rare Debug Kit sent to developers, though potentially a limited edition Halo Xbox, which is the same color.
Other methods used by the game's foley artists are equally fascinating. The sounds made by a Brute Spiker, for example, are simply the clanking of an axe against a clamp, making the weapon sound more alien than the UNSC's weapons. Furthermore, the Warthog's hubcap is actually a smashed wok, some alien doors are a car's lifting trunk, and the mongoose's motor is that of the developers' own vehicles.
The Foley artists are only part of the video, however. The creation of Halo 3's music, dialogue, and translations, all of which make up Halo 3's memorable world, are covered as well. In a particularly memorable moment towards the end, the video shows how each portion of the audio comes together to create the entire sound design.
Some of the most enjoyable portions of the video, though, are arguably the simple moments where the developers are shown interacting. It manages to shine a light on the people behind one of gaming's most iconic shooters. A highlight among this is when all the audio engineers are videoed coming together to play and test their work in its natural, virtual environment.
The video does a phenomenal job of going behind the scenes and showing the work that goes into what many gamers overlook and take for granted while playing. As well, the full documentary can be found on YouTube for anyone interested in more than just the audio portion.
Halo 3 is currently available on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.