PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE RECORDING ACADEMY® PRODUCERS
& ENGINEERS WING PARTNERS WITH THE GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD TO UNDERSCORE
THE GROWING IMPACT OF SOUND ON THE VIDEO GAMING INDUSTRY
GRAMMY SoundTables® Event Held at Pyramind in San Francisco
Provided an In-Depth Look at Interactive Game Audio and Music Production
with Directors from Top Gaming Companies, Including Don Veca of Electronic
Arts, David Collins and Jesse Harlin of LucasArts, and Jonathan Mayer
of Sony Computer Entertainment America
P&E Wing Formalizes Ongoing Relationship with G.A.N.G.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 14, 2009)
— As part of its ongoing initiative to provide interactive forums
for all categories of professional audio genres and sectors, the Producers
& Engineers Wing (P&E Wing) of The Recording Academy®, along
with The Recording Academy's San Francisco Chapter and the Game Audio
Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) presented "GRAMMY SoundTables®: Game
Audio Network Guild Summer Summit," on July 9, 2009. The event
was held at Pyramind, a leading digital music and game audio training
company in San Francisco. This conference marks a continued effort by
the P&E Wing and The Recording Academy to further understand how
video gaming and professional audio are together expanding the boundaries
of both sides of the entertainment industry. The conference included
an announcement of a new partnership between the P&E Wing and G.A.N.G.
to collaborate on initiatives and events that facilitate a working relationship
between the professional audio and gaming communities to benefit all
involved.
This GRAMMY SoundTables event centered on a panel of veteran
game audio industry experts, moderated by G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson,
who analyzed the evolving relationship between professional audio and
game design/play. Panelists included Don Veca of Electronic Arts, David
Collins and Jesse Harlin of LucasArts and Jonathan Mayer of Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA). Using examples from current hit games
including EA's "Deadspace," LucasArts' "Star Wars: The
Force Unleashed" and SCEA's "Infamous," the panelists
explored the synthesis of music and sound effects in creating mood and
atmosphere, along with challenges unique to the rapidly evolving and
competitive game audio industry, such as memory budgets, non-standardized
processing tools and implementation and middleware platforms.
The strategic goal of the conference was also achieved:
to involve the game audio community more deeply with that of professional
audio, and to inform and enlighten the P&E Wing constituency about
the nuances of sound for video games. Recent changes in technology,
such as the emergence of high-definition formats like Blu-ray (which
offers vast new possibilities for high-definition, multichannel audio)
have made this kind of interaction more critical than ever. Following
the panel discussion, the audience adjourned to Pyramind's studios to
experience the games that had been discussed with audio playback featuring
5.1 surround monitoring systems provided by JBL.
"Music for games is one of today's most exciting
musical areas, in part because the sonic possibilities in games are
so vast," observed Maureen Droney, Sr. Executive Director of the
Producers & Engineers Wing. "Producers & Engineers Wing
and Game Audio Network Guild members share a passion for cutting-edge,
high-quality sound, so it's an obvious fit for these two communities
to join forces to work for our common interests and goals. We're very
proud to be partnering with the largest, most complete organization
of professionals, associates and students in the game audio industry."
Paul Lipson, President of the Game Audio Network Guild,
stated, "We are so excited about our partnership with The Recording
Academy Producers & Engineers Wing and think the connection between
our communities is a crucial one. The upcoming events and programming
we have planned reflect our commitment to the evolving audio landscape,
and we look forward to serving our members through our innovative partnership
framework."
Photo Files: PE_GANG09_Photo1.JPG,
PE_GANG09_Photo2.JPG, PE_GANG09_Photo3.JPG
Photo Caption: The Recording Academy®'s
San Francisco Chapter, Producers & Engineers Wing, and the Game
Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) presented "GRAMMY SoundTables®:
Game Audio Network Guild Summer Summit," on July 9, 2009 at Pyramind,
a leading digital music and game audio training company in San Francisco.
This event centered on a panel of veteran game audio industry experts,
moderated by G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson, who analyzed the evolving
relationship between professional audio and game design/play. Photos
courtesty of The Recording Academy / Photographs by Steve Jennings/WireImage.com
© 2009.

PE_GANG09_Photo1.JPG:
Pictured L-R: Jesse Harlin and David Collins (LucasArts), Paul Lipson
(President of Game Audio Network Guild), Jonathan Mayer (Sony Computer
Entertainment America), Maureen Droney (Sr. Executive Director Recording
Academy Producers & Engineers Wing) and Don Veca (Electronic Arts).
Photo Caption: The Recording Academy®'s
San Francisco Chapter, Producers & Engineers Wing, and the Game
Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) presented "GRAMMY SoundTables®:
Game Audio Network Guild Summer Summit," on July 9, 2009 at Pyramind,
a leading digital music and game audio training company in San Francisco.
This event centered on a panel of veteran game audio industry experts,
moderated by G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson, who analyzed the evolving
relationship between professional audio and game design/play. Photos
courtesty of The Recording Academy / Photographs by Steve Jennings/WireImage.com
© 2009.

PE_GANG09_Photo2.JPG:
Pictured L-R: Paul Lipson (President of Game Audio Network Guild) and
Maureen Droney (Sr. Executive Director Recording Academy Producers &
Engineers Wing).
Photo Caption: The Recording Academy®'s San Francisco
Chapter, Producers & Engineers Wing, and the Game Audio Network
Guild (G.A.N.G.) presented "GRAMMY SoundTables®: Game Audio
Network Guild Summer Summit," on July 9, 2009 at Pyramind, a leading
digital music and game audio training company in San Francisco. This
event centered on a panel of veteran game audio industry experts, moderated
by G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson, who analyzed the evolving relationship
between professional audio and game design/play. Photos courtesty of
The Recording Academy / Photographs by Steve Jennings/WireImage.com
© 2009.

PE_GANG09_Photo3.JPG:
Pictured L-R: Panelists Jonathan Mayer (Sony Computer Entertainment
America), Don Veca (Electronic Arts), Jesse Harlin and David Collins
(LucasArts), and panel moderator Paul Lipson (President of Game Audio
Network Guild).
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians,
producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to
improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its
makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent
peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand
in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking
professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and
human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission
of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of
music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture.
For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.
Currently, 6,000 professionals comprise the Producers
& Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers,
remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and
technical professionals in the recording community. This organized voice
for the recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of
recorded music, while ensuring its role in the development of new technologies,
recording and mastering recommendations, and archiving and preservation
initiatives. For more information, please visit www.producersandengineers.com.
G.A.N.G. is a global non-profit organization working to
advance the interactive audio industry by providing information, instruction
and policy to its members and enthusiasts around the world. G.A.N.G.
empowers game development communities by establishing resources and
recognition for education, business and development professionals. G.A.N.G.
also supports career development for students and aspiring game audio
professionals and utilizes sponsorships and partnerships to empower
like-minded organizations. For more information, please visit www.audiogang.org.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Robert Clyne/Clyne Media, Inc./615.662.1616/robert@clynemedia.com
Lisa Roy/310.463.1563/lisaroyaudio@mac.com
Jennifer Keppel/The Recording Academy/310.392.3777/jenniferk@grammy.com