Virtual reality sound for video games is a hot ticket at GameSoundCon, the annual conference for video game music and sound design that has sold out its Sept. 26-27 dates at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

“Virtual Reality is not only taking the game industry by storm, but most other forms of media and entertainment as well. Along with Augmented Reality, VR presents a whole new set of challenges and opportunities for composers and sound designers,” says Brian Schmidt, founder and executive director of GameSoundCon. “Due to the inherently interactive nature of VR and AR, those who are familiar with interactive audio tools such as game composers and sound designers will definitely have a leg-up over those who have only worked in traditional media.”

Attendees will get a deep-dive into game sound as explained by professionals in the field, with five concurrent tracks: Game Audio Essentials (for gamesound newbies), Game Audio Pro (prepare to roll-up your sleeves!),and separate tracks focusing on the DAW-inspired middleware FMOD and Wwise engines that power the interactive branching integral to game sound.

“Generally speaking, those classes presume a working knowledge of the basics of game audio: what parameterized sounds and runtime parameter controls are, the role of middleware in game audio development, and so forth,” Schmidt said. “So if you’re brand new to games, your best bet is probably to attend some Game Audio Essentials sessions and hit the ‘Intro to Game Audio’ and ‘Game Audio Tech I’ sessions.  If you’ve done a couple games and want to start to better understand the tools, leave some time for some  FMOD or Wwise sessions.”

Tuesday includes a Virtual Realty Audio track, including music that takes advantage of 360-degree sound, a dive into the development process of the Oculus game “Edge of Nowhere” and a look at hand-object interaction and its impact on sound the “Job Simulator” VR launch title for HTC Vive. On Wednesday, a track on Game Audio Research swaps in for VR.

Breakout sessions include composer Gordy Haab talking about the two hours of music he composed then recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for the Kinect game “Star Wars Battlefront” on Tuesday evening, and Wednesday’s  “Audio Directors/Composers Roundtable” with Formosa Group’s Paul Lipson, Blizzard composer Russell Brower and “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” composer Sarah Schachner.

Technicolor will tag-team a VR panel session featuring insights from director of sound editorial Scott Gershin, who has worked on over 100 films and brings theatrical sound quality standards to consumer experiences from apps and software to blockbuster game titles like “Resident Evil,” “Plants vs. Zombies” and “Gears of War.” Joining him is Viktor Phoenix, who will cover advanced techniques and best practices for implementing 3D audio for VR.

Composer Tom Salta, one of the most versatile and prolific artist/producers working in film, television, advertising and games will with collaborator Klayton (“Celldweller”) speak about the highly interactive Wwise score for “Killer Instinct 3.”

Sound design pioneer Chanel Summers will talk about creating immersive auditory spaces for virtual and augmented reality. Summers — Microsoft’s first audio technical evangelist and the co-founder of Syndicate 17 — worked on  sound design and music for virtual/mixed reality project “Leviathan” from 5D Global.

The demo room will feature exhibits from VR audio tech firms including Visisonics, Impulsonic, Amd and Audiokinetic, in addition to traditional sound tech firms.

In a future where robots replace human workers, the “Job Simulator” allows people to learn what it was like ‘to job’.