Yearly Archives: 2025

Maker Series: E1 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound: Ambience

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes October 8, 2025 Leave a reply

How do you make virtual worlds sound real? 🎧 In this episode of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound, Ricky Grove reveals the secrets of ambient sound—the subtle audio magic that transforms machinima and 3D game-engine films into unforgettable experiences. Perfect for filmmakers, animators, and sound lovers alike.

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Episode 1: Ambient Sound in Machinima

Discover how sound transforms storytelling in filmmaking, with a deep dive into ambient sound—the subtle audio that sets mood, builds atmosphere, and immerses your audience. This episode focuses on machinima—films created using 3D game engines and virtual worlds—making it a must-watch for filmmakers, sound designers, game creators, and animation enthusiasts.

Ricky Grove shares his expert insights on using ambient sound to bring machinima to life, offering practical tips and creative ideas you can apply to your own projects. Whether you’re crafting your first indie animation or refining your cinematic game scenes, you’ll be inspired and better equipped to design unforgettable soundscapes.


About Ricky Grove
Ricky Grove is an award-winning actor, director, voice artist, and sound designer with decades of experience in stage, film, and virtual production. After earning his BFA in Directing from Arizona State University and a Master’s in Acting from the Yale School of Drama, Ricky built a rich career in theatre and television, appearing in works such as Army of Darkness and ER.

In the late 1990s, he became a pioneer in the machinima community, collaborating with trailblazers like Hugh Hancock, Phil Rice, and Jason Choi. His contributions as a voice director, actor, and sound designer have shaped many award-winning early machinima films. He’s hosted festivals, championed the art form, and continues to share his passion as co-host of the Completely Machinima Podcast.

The first episodes of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound were originally created for the early-2000s machinima podcast The Overcast. This updated series expands his original teachings, offering timeless advice for creating powerful sound in machinima.

🎧 Tip: For the best experience, close your eyes and immerse yourself in Ricky’s words.


Credits

  • Speaker / Producer / Sound Editor: Ricky Grove
  • Visuals & Music: Phil Rice

#Machinima #SoundDesign #Filmmaking #3DAnimation #GameEngines #AmbientSound #VirtualWorlds #IndieFilm #VoiceActing

Links here –

Audio only



Youtube version

https://youtu.be/P3wZTyz4hqo

Notes

The Overcast was an original series that aired in 2007. There are now many places where you can get hold of free sound samples that you might use for ambient backgrounds – we recommend Freesound.org but feel free to search and browse, and share any good sites you find with the community

S5 Finale E200 Part A Our Year in Review (2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes September 24, 2025 Leave a reply

In this first part of our 200th episode of Completely Machinima Podcast, Ricky highlights ⁨@NeuralViz⁩  AI-driven films as a significant advancement, while Phil praised the fast-paced, subtle social commentary. We discuss legal developments affecting AI use, such as Warner Brothers suing Midjourney. The success of Blender’s “Flow” at the Oscars is noted, emphasizing the growing capabilities of open-source tools. The conversation also touches on the breadth of aesthetic approaches to machinima projects, the rise of big-budget projects like “Predator: Killer of Killers,” and the evolving role of generative AI in storytelling.



and part B –



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Check out the season episodes on the website and YouTube channel.

S5 E199 Unreal Reflekt (Sept 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes September 17, 2025 2 Comments

This is our final film pick for Season 5, and it stimulates quite a discussion. The film is a concept test of tools and techniques, but the story and aesthetic is less inspiring. Check out our thoughts and do add your own comments below.



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Reflekt by Derun, released 24 October 2024 –

Check out Derun’s interviews here and here, and their tour schedule here.

S5 E198 RDR2 John Wick (Sept 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes September 10, 2025 Leave a reply

This week’s film selectiion is a technical masterpiece, made in RDR2. It is both an homage to the game and the film. John Wick’s Red Dead Redemption is made by eli_handle_b.wav, and is worth every second of your time watching it! 



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

John Wick’s Red Dead Redemption, by eli_handle_b.wav released 9 August 2025 –

S5 E197 Minecraft: Kid Flash (Sept 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes September 3, 2025 Leave a reply

A DC inspired short made with love and artful skill, this week’s pick is also an homage to the creative talent of a young creator now sadly passed. Despite us not necessarily being the target audience – due to certain demographic features – we really enjoyed reviewing this. Check out our comments and do add your own.



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Kid Flash | “On Your Mark” [EP1] (Minecraft TV) by Valor Studios released 14 June 2025 –

Blockbuster mod for Minecraft, link here

BBS mod for Minecraft, link here