Sonic Design Final Project / Audio Gameplay

22 Nov 2023 -15 Dec 2023/ Week 12 - Week 16
Leem Sejin / 0362419
Sonic Design / Bachelor of Design (Honour) in Creative Media

Final Project - Game Audio

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LECTURE

Refer to Exercise

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INSTRUCTION

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TASK

We are given 4 video gameplay without sound, and we are tasked to create sound effects through recording. We experienced how to record in studio, and we adpot the knowledge to create suitable sound effects.

Out of four videos I choose "Battleblock theatre" because the game is cartoonish and it is interesting produce unrealistic sound.

Audio analysis

Before I start looking for the materials, I write down what kind of sounds needed, followed by audio storyboard.

Fig 1.1 Audio Storyboard

Sound Recording

I used common materials that can be found around me. I used key chain metals, bells, glass bottle with coffee beans, plastic bag and so on.

Fig 1.2 papers

Fig 1.3 Coffee beans

Fig 1.4 glass bottle with rice

Fig 1.5 Empty plastic bottle

Fig 1.6 curtain

Fig 1.7 plastic bag

Fig 1.8 key chain

Fig 1.9 metal lid

Some of the sounds are recorded at house using Tascam DR-07X, which borrowed from roommates.

Fig 1.10 Recording curtain sound

Before I proceed to recording, I tested with my phone to test out whether the selected materials are suitable for game play sound.

Fig 1.11 testing sound 

Sound Editing

Some of the recorded sound has white noises, so I capture the noise and reduce the noise.

Fig 1.11 Noise Reduction

Fig 1.12 Noise Reduction

Explosion sound

This is the sound that takes me many exploration. At first I cannot find the material to give a explosion sound, but when I do research, one person use plastic bag to create the explosion. I decided to use plastic bag crush sound and use stretch and pitch to extend the length of the sound.

To surprise, the sound seems similar to the explosion sound.
I apply reverb to apply the echos and duplicated the plastic sound to stretch more to create echoes after bomb.

Fig 1.13 Reverb

Fig 1.14 EQ

I find that the edited sound seems loud and sharp. I apply Equaliser to decrease the treble.

Coin

This is another sound that challenged me. I cannot find the suitable materials to give chime bell sound, then I picked up random recorded sound, which is metal cling for the exploration.

Fig 1.15

When I apply reverb, and increase the output level, the metal cling sound become chime bell, and I think it is suitable for getting diamond sound. However, I feel that the sound is bit less sparkling, so I use EQ to decrease bass to the lowest and increase treble

Fig 1.16

FINAL SUBMISSION

Fig 2.1 Final Gameplay Audio

Fig 2.2 Audio Journal

Fig 2.3 Audio Storyboard

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REFLECTION

It was fun to explore different materials and tested out. I didn't know that the materials that commonly found around me can produce interesting sound, and the sound can transform into different style by adjusting stretch and pitch. Although finding the right materials is really time taking and difficult, it is more meaningful to create my own sound effects. Also, during the lecture, it was good experience to try professional recording booth and study to record the sound.