Sonic Design: Final Project

on

20.6.2022 - 16.7.2022 (Week 12 - Week 15)
Chung Yi Ki / 0345014 / BDCM
Sonic Design
Final Project: GameAudio 

Lecture

Week 12 / Pitch bender
Pitch bender lets you alter the pitch in different parts of an audio file using keyframes. To use pitch bender, select the audio and go to effects > time and pitch > pitch bender. Pitch bender can be used to create most interaction sound that needs curvy sound, or maybe even a vehicle slowing down or a vehicle starting to move up.

Week 13 / Tone generator
To generate different tones in Adobe Audition, go to effects > Generate > Tones. In the generate tones window, modulation rate means how wavy the sound wave is. You can also adjust how it sounds from the start to end by checking the sweep frequencies box and adjusting the parameters in start and end. 

Task

For this project, we are tasked to choose 1 out of 5 gameplay videos given and create our own sounds to sync to the video. Every interactive and background elements seen in the video needs to have a sound. The sounds can't be taken from somewhere else, they must be produced on our own. 

Audio list and storyboard 

Fig 1.1 Chosen video - Ori and the Blind Forest

Fig 1.2 Audio list

Fig 1.3 Audio storyboard
Link: 

The video that I've chosen is a 1 minute and 15 seconds gameplay of Ori and the Blind Forest because it looks the most interesting for me. I first started with watching the video a few times and noting down what kind of sounds are needed. I then timed out the sounds in an audio storyboard separated by grouping, so it's easier for me to refer to later on. 

Audio recording
Fig 2.1 Original files of all recordings done

Fig 2.2 Chosen audio recordings with noise reduced (except for foliage and ambience sound)

Fig 2.3 Main noise reduction setting

After planning out the audio lists and storyboard, I started to record the sounds needed as well as additional ones that might be useful. For the footsteps, I recorded some gravel and grass footsteps outdoor while wood footsteps indoor by tapping on a wooden table. The orchid bud footsteps was also recorded indoor by tapping on a orchid buds filled in a pail. The gravel footsteps were recorded by stepping on gravel roads while wearing sneakers, and the grass footsteps were recorded by stepping on grassy roads while wearing thick slippers. 

Except for the ambience, leaves rustling and rock sounds, all the other sounds were recorded indoors in a silent environment. The vibrating glass sounds were recorded by filling up a wine glass with different levels of water and running a finger over the glass rim. As for the crashing rock sound, it was recorded by dropping a big and multiple small rocks at the same time. 

All the sounds were recorded using a lavalier microphone plugged into my phone, using the built-in recording app in my phone to record. The indoor scenes were done alone but I had my cousin to help me with the outdoor scenes, where she does the sounds and I guide her while holding the mic. All the sounds had the noise removed in the recordings by capturing the noise print and using the noise reduction feature. 

Fig 2.4 Fire sound design tutorial
Source: https://youtu.be/vuDSKfiERC8

For the paper bag, tin foil and plastic bag recording for the fire sound, I followed a fire sound design tutorial to know what material to use and how to record for it. 

Audio processing 

Fig 3.1 Multitrack timeline - Part 1

Fig 3.2 Multitrack timeline - Part 2

Fig 3.3 Multitrack timeline - Part 3

After finishing with the recordings and noise reductions, I imported the recordings and video into Adobe Audition and start to sync the audios with the actions in the video. For the main character's main footsteps, I first tried out using the stone footsteps recording where it was recorded by tapping on a stone, but it wasn't fitting as it sounded too deep and a bit muddled, and gravel and grass footsteps recording won't work well as they sound too heavy, so I used the orchid bud footsteps instead as it sounded light and crunchy enough for the character and the place. For the background ambience, I used the leaves rusting with wind recording since the nature ambience sounded subtle enough for the video. 

Fig 3.4 Chorus effect for the cloth peg recording

Fig 3.5 Parametric equalizer setting for the cloth peg recording 

Fig 3.6 Phaser setting for the cloth peg recording

I used the cloth clip recording as a base for the enemy sound. For me, the enemy looks like a beetle, so I wanted to an insect chittering-like sound for it. I tried recording actual insect sounds but they were too monotonous, so I thought using a plastic clothes peg would allow me to get the short, fast clicky sound that I need. I applied chorus effect on the sound to multiply it, used the parametric equalizer to boost up the bass and treble and make the sound crispier, and used the phaser effect to get that high-pitch hissing sound which sounds like a chittering sound.

Fig 3.7 Flanger effect on edited clothes peg sound

A copy of the edited clothes peg sound is then made to add a flanger effect. This is to add some zappy characteristic to the sound by mainly playing around with the feedback and modulation rate. This variation is used as the starting sound which leads to the main chittering sound. 

Fig 3.8 Echo effect for vibrating glass recording

Fig 3.9 Parametric equalizer and pitch shifter effects for rubber bands recording 

For the glowing purple plants and the plants where the character gets the power ups, I imagine a low humming sound for them, so I used the vibrating glass recording, pitched it down and added an echo effect so that the audio would trail longer and sound more mysterious. As for the sound when the character walks pass a couple of mushrooms at the end of the video, I decided to use the rubber bands recording as a base since it has a nice crunchy and thudding-like sound, which suits the mushroom and the grass around them, I used parametric equalizer to boost the bass and lower the treble so that the thudding-like sound can be heard more clearly, and also pitched the audio down to make it sound deeper. 

Fig 3.10 Parametric equalizer and Pitch shifter setting for vibrating glass sound

Fig 3.11 Stretch and pitch setting for vibrating glass sound

For the hints pop up in the game, I wanted to create a low tone sound so I also used the vibrating glass recording as the base and increased the bass while decreasing the mid to high frequencies to get that low tone sound. Since the original recording was in a lower pitch and slower in speed, I increased the pitch and speed using pitch shifter and stretch and pitch. 

Fig 3.12 Delay and chorus effect on empty glass hit recording

Fig 3.13 Echo effect in multitrack for summoning sound

Fig 3.14 Pitch shifter setting on empty glass hit recording

For the sound when the character is "summoned" or "materialised" at the start of the video, and the part where the character seems to be summoning fire to save the game, I used the empty glass hit recording as the base for the sound. I reversed the sound to get that suspense inducing feeling and applied delay and chorus effect to it to multiply the sound and add depth to it. Then, only the first few moments of the edited audio was used since I don't want the sound to be too ringing. An echo effect is applied in the multitrack for the summoning audio tracks too to soften out the harsh cut and give it a more dramatic effect.

Fig 3.15 Using FL Studio to create kick drum beats

Fig 3.16 Pitch shifter and Full reverb settings for the drum sound

For the "Sunken Glades" pop up, I wanted a very low bassy sound so I used FL Studio to create 2 kick drum beats, exported it and applied pitch shifter and full reverb effects in Adobe Audition to lower its pitch to something very bassy and apply reverb to make it sound echoey, like in a chamber. 

Fig 3.17 Bus B full reverb settings

Fig 3.18 Master track full reverb settings

Fig 3.19 First progression of Project 3

The effects for the other audios were mostly applied in the multitrack layer since they didn't need a whole lot of processing. But for the health damage sound, it was created using a sine wave generated by Adobe Audition and the pitch bender tool. Each of the track are then paired up to either the Bus B bus track or the master track for different reverb effects. The Bus B track has a larger reverb effect while the Master track is lower. 

Further refinements of audio processing 

Fig 4.1 Generating low pitch sawtooth tone

Fig 4.2 Distortion effect on the sawtooth tone

Fig 4.3 Stretch and pitch effect on the sawtooth tone

After receiving feedback from Mr. Razif, I went to create another sound for the main character's health damage. I also used the generate tone function to generate a deep sounding tone with 90% sawtooth waveform, to get the zappy characteristic of the sound. Then, I applied a distortion effect using the Maximum Pain preset to get a more choppy sounding sound and used stretch and pitch to make the sound faster and pitched slightly lower. 

Fig 4.4 Flanger and Hard limiter settings for variation 1 of the zap sound

Fig 4.5 Pitch shifter settings for variation 2 of the zap sound

From the edited zap sound, I created different variations to layer and arrange in the multitrack. The first variation is by applying the flanger effect using the Crazy Clock of Doom preset with some tweaks, to give the sound a vibrating characteristic. Hard limiter is applied to prevent the sound from clipping. Another variation is just by pitch shifting the sound down to make it a lot more lower for a bit of rumbling effect. These variations are then pitch shifted again according to the need of the video after layering them in the multitrack. 

Fig 4.6 Using Bandlab to compose different glockenspiel tunes

Fig 4.7 Glockenspiel Tune 1 recordings, multiple takes

Fig 4.8 Glockenspiel Tune 2 recordings, multiple takes

Fig 4.9 Pitch shifter for Tune #1 for variation

Fig 4.10 Multitrack rack effects for the glockenspiel audio tracks

For the obtaining power up sound, I trimmed the few beginning moments of the empty glass hit audios in the multitrack to avoid playing the high pitch ring, and layer them with a short glockenspiel tune done in Bandlab to give it some sparkly effect. The glockenspiel recordings were trimmed to pick the most suitable parts in the multitrack. A variation of Tune #1 is created by shifting its pitch up, which will be used for the final power up. In the multitrack, flanger, chorus, echo and pitch shifter effects are applied in the track rack effects containing the glockenspiel audio tracks, so as to multiply the sound, give the sound a bit of wavy characteristic, and make the sound trail on longer for dramatic effect.

Fig 4.11 Layering rocks rubble sounds with the enemy footsteps sound

I also used the rocks dropping recording with slower speed and lower pitch to layer it with the enemy footsteps sound, so that when the enemy is charging, there are more variations and it wouldn't sound so empty. 

Fig 4.12 Mastering and Hard limiter settings in Master track

Fig 4.13 Overview of the tracks and rack effects in the multitrack

After that, I used a Mastering effect in the Master track to give the whole mix a bit of boost in clarity, and also applied a hard limiter to avoid audio clipping. Some of the other tracks have hard limiter applied to as their audios are either clipped or is almost clipped. For tracks with multiple hard limiter, the one above is used to distort the audio by using either the Disorted preset or the That's One DEAD Horse preset.

Final Game Audio


Fig 5.1 Final Project 4 Game Audio

Fig 5.2 Final audio journal

Feedback

Week 14 
The bell sound is too realistic, make it more gamey, maybe reduce the high pitch ringing sound and layer it with some sparkly sound, like chiming sound etc. (think of those elemental fantasy games). For the sound when the character is falling into the water, instead of the wavy sound you currently have, change it to something like a zapping sound. When the enemy is charging and the rock is falling onto it, layer it with a low pitched sound to add more dimension to it, so it won't be like solely footsteps and then crash. 

Reflection

This project was kind of fun for me to do as I has interest before to try out doing some foley work. It really challenged me to think out of the box on what kind of materials I can use to create the sounds I need, and a lot of time the material or method to create the sounds are not what you would expect. Though with other modules to rush, there is worry on not being able to complete this project to my expectation, and in the end there are some parts that I wish I could've done better, namely the health damage and power up sound. But I am satisfied with most of the sound, with my favourite being the enemy's chittering sound. There are sounds that I wish I could've gotten more time to create as well, such as the particle trail sound that follows the main character when he moves and more sparkly, windchime-based ambience sound for all the other dangling and glowing plants throughout the video. 

Other than that, I also got to explore more on using different effects in Adobe Audition when creating the sound I want, especially having more practice with the chorus, flanger, phaser and pitch bender effects. Although pitch bender wasn't used a lot since most of the time, it wasn't suitable to get the sound I want. All in all, this was an interesting project and it exposed me to the workflow in the sound designing field. 

Comments

Post a Comment