Microsoft audio head to speak at Develop Conference

Mark Yeend, head of audio and central media at Microsoft Studios, will deliver the Audio keynote at this year’s Develop Conference 2013.

Yeend has been creating sound and directing creative teams for games for over a decade, with credits on over 50 titles on nearly every platform.

He has worked on titles such as Alan Wake, Kinectimals, Halo 3, Fable II, The Sims and Call of Duty (PSP), as well as licensed IP’s including Harry Potter, Finding Nemo, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Samurai Jack and Kinect Star Wars.

As part of his remit at Microsoft Studios to support the game teams and drive quality, Mark directs a ninja audio team to serve Microsoft game productions around the globe.

The one-day Audio Day tracks at Develop in Brighton takes place on the final day, Thursday 11 July. The programme is curated by John Broomhall, composer, audio director and consultant.

“We have a stonking speaker line-up this year with lots of fresh faces from around the globe, including developers we’ve wanted to get involved for years but their game project timings have always clashed previously,” said Broomhall.

“Plus we have a superb keynote speaker in Mark Yeend who has a unique perspective on the industry. Add to that the great networking – the audio community has a superb ethic when it comes to sharing experiences and lessons learned – and hanging out with industry friends, and I know we’re set for another excellent Develop in Brighton.”

Develop in Brighton takes place on July 9th to 11th at the Hilton Metropole, Brighton.

Registration is open now at www.developconference.com and early bird rates are available until midnight on Wednesday, June 5th. The price of an Audio Day pass is £255 before June 5th – a saving of £45.

The full audio programme is:

Audio Keynote 2013
Mark Yeend, head of audio, central media, Microsoft Game Studios

Great Failure – Great Learnings
Thomas Bärtschi, audio director, IO Interactive

Hearing the Unseen: An Exploration of Off-Screen and Acoustic Sound
Rebecca Parnell, Magicbrew

Sound and Music: Best Friends Forever – Communication and Influence for Better Results
Jo Orland, senior sound designer, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Jim Fowler, music production supervisor, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Let’s Stop Re-inventing the Game Audio Wheel
Tom Colvin, audio lead, Ninja Theory

Artistic Expression in Game Audio Design
Chanel Summers, co-founder – Syndicate 17 & Adjunct Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media Division

Extreme Distributed Development: A Walk through Fire
Kristen Quebe, Microsoft audio team