Ep47: BioWare Stories Part 4 - Sound design with Dave Chan
What do you mean there are lost outtakes with Minsc and Boo!! Today we have Dave Chan on the show talking about sound design and BioWare.
This is part 4 of my series on BioWare. In this episode, I’m lucky to have Dave Chan talking about sound design and more. Dave started working at BioWare before me on games such as MDK2, Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2. We overlapped on games such as Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.
Dave has had a long career in video games, for a full list please check out his profile on Moby Games .
Episode Highlights
From IT to Audio Director: Dave shares how a chance encounter with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk at a computer store led him from IT to doing placeholder sound effects for MDK2. Dave eventually became a full-time audio designer.
Scrappy Studio Days: Listen in for a hilarious late-night outtake from MDK2 involving a monkey, a blow-dryer, and K-Y Jelly. Dave also reflects about the sheer passion of BioWare fans .
Behind the Sounds:
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Dave reveals that none of the sound effects were actually taken directly from the films; they were all meticulously reproduced in-house or by contractors like Paul Gorman.
Lost Outtakes: Dave laments losing unreleased, hilarious outtakes of the iconic character Minsc (and his giant miniature space hamster, Boo) from Baldur’s Gate.
Lost in Translation: A funny anecdote about how the French localization of Baldur’s Gate combat sounds ended up sounding a bit too much like a porn film.
The Philosophy of Sound: Dave explains his approach to audio, such as crafting the desolate, isolated atmosphere for The Long Dark. He also breaks down why user interface (UI) sounds are actually the hardest to design: they must be noticeable, unique, and critically, not annoying after thousands of clicks.
Mentions & Links
Greg Zeschuk: BioWare co-CEO and founder.
Trent Oster: Beamdog CEO and next week’s guest!
Ben Burtt: Legendary film sound designer who crafted iconic Star Wars audio.
