Inside Blizzard's sound design studio: Bangs and squishes

- Blizzard senior sound designer Pedro Seminario

In a lengthy new profile at Polygon, Blizzard senior sound designers Pedro Seminario and Chris Kowalski offer a look into the process of making effects for the company's very popular franchises.

Sometimes, that includes explosives, according to Seminario:

"Sometimes you have to put yourself in harm's way to get certain sounds. We've recorded tools and stuff like that that are pretty dangerous ... Sometimes the dumbest stuff happens, and you get hurt, and you've just got to deal with it. You've just got to learn to be careful. Keeping an ear open to what somebody else might be trying to tell you."

It's a fun read if you're interested in sound design -- and, in particular, learning just what substances can produce which kinds of sounds, as well as a more general philosophy, or guideline, for Blizzard's own take on the discipline. You can check it out over at Polygon.