Sonic Design-Project 1: Audio Fundamentals Exercises
SONIC DESIGN
Thursday,Sep. 26 .2024
26.09.2024 - 20.10.2024 | Week 1 - Week 4
Jia Wenbing /0365436/
Design principles/Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
INSTRUCTIONS
LECTURES
WEEK1
In the first week, the teacher introduced the module content and the entire assignment requirements. We were also advised to buy a pair of high-quality headphones for the project. We were also asked to download the software Adobe Audition.
WEEK2
The essence of sound is the vibration and propagation of air molecules.
Sound waves divided into wavelength, amplitude and frequency.
The human hearing range is from 20Hz to 20kHz.
Fig. 1.7 Basic principles of sound propagation
- Pitch (the frequency of a sound wave; the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch)
- Loudness
- Timbre
- Perceived duration (the perceived speed of a sound)
- Envelope (the structure of a particular sound, when it gets softer or louder, etc.)
- Spatialization (the positioning of a sound in an environment)
WEEK3
Layering: Layering is two or more sounds placed together. Layered sounds use blending to blend multiple sounds together to create a new, unique sound.
Most professionally designed sounds are layered.
Time stretching: The sound is set to a certain length, and the audio of the sound is stretched but the parameters remain the same. Time stretching and time compression will change the rhythm/speed of the sound.
Pitch shifting: Pitch shifting changes the pitch of the sound, but does not change the actual length of the sound. For example, the sound of a chipmunk
The higher the pitch, the thinner and smaller the sound, the lower the pitch, the thicker and deeper the sound. For example, the sound of a monster/zombie/evil
Reverse audio: This can give strange and unnatural sounds, the key is to layer.
Say it with your mouth: If you can't find the sound you want, you can record it yourself. After you finish recording, design the sound using the techniques you have learned.
WEEK4
The world of the film and everything in it, everything the characters can experience in their world is narrative. Only everything the audience perceives is non-narrative.
In a film, the director can be seen as the narrator, creating everything and the world around the characters. Non-narrative elements are visual, including title cards, cues and even non-diegetic inserts.
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound:
Diegetic sound: refers to the sounds that the characters can hear, including the sound of rain, vehicles, weapons, and music from inside the film. This includes voiceovers, and if the voiceover is the inner voice of the character, it will be marked as internal diegetic sound. The main role of diegetic sound is to help establish and create the sounds around the character.
It is easy for most people to take diegetic sound for granted, but when we go against expectations, we create unexpected effects
Non-diegetic sound: Anything that the characters can’t hear is non-diegetic, such as movie effects, soundtracks, and narration.
If the narrator has no role in the film, it is considered non-diegetic. This type of narration is like the traditional idea of oral storytelling.
Non-diegetic sound effects can enhance the action. They can be used in comedy to add punchlines to jokes. The most common non-diegetic sound is movie background music, which can quickly create a fictional world for us to lose ourselves in. Non-diegetic music plays an important role in the movie experience.
Trans-diegetic sound: It’s like our supposed non-diegetic sound suddenly becomes narrative, which is very interesting. Switching between diegetic and non-diegetic can be a subtle way to blur the line between fantasy and reality. There are countless ways to switch between diegetic and non-diegetic sound.
Creative exceptions: Switching between narrative and non-narrative creates interesting transitions.
Volume and pan automation
Sustain - how long a sound stays loud
Decay - how long a sound dies down
Volume adjustment often creates a sense of distance to a sound. The louder the volume, the closer it is. It also gives you a different sense of the original source of the sound.
Audio panning means controlling the stereo balance of the audio, making it sound louder on the left or right speaker.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1-Equalizing the sound
In this class, the teacher introduced the content of this module and asked us to use the parametric equalizer in Adobe Audition to adjust the sound and make exercises.
Fig. 1.1 Call up the parametric equalizer
I started to adjust the values of the parametric equalizer to change the sound and various audio.
Since our exercise is to adjust multiple audio clips, Mr.Razif taught us to create multi-track audio.
I started making exercises, with the parametric equalizer corresponding to the audio one by one.
Fig. 1.5 EQ2 parameters
Fig. 1.6 EQ3 parameters
Fig. 1.7 EQ4 parameters
Exercise 2- Sound Shaping
In class exercises, we need to use parametric equalizers to create different sound effects by changing the values.
Fig. 2.2 Enclosed space sound effects
Fig. 2.6 Stadium Sound Effects
Using the materials provided by the teacher, we first captured a piece of audio, and then created a new file to make changes. We first made a phone sound effect.
Telephone
Fig. 2.1 Phone sound effects
Later, the teacher asked us to independently make the sound of the closed space.
I debugged it for a long time and finally felt that the sound had the effect of a closed space.
Close
Fig. 2.3 Enclosed space sound effects
We then made the sound effects in the restroom, adding reverberation to show the humidity and sense of space of the sound. Finally, the teacher asked us to make the sound effects in the gymnasium.
Fig. 2.4 Increase humidity
Trying to make a more spacious sound effect myself, I first reflected the sound, and then used reverb to add more moisture to achieve the feeling of the sound of a stadium.
Fig. 2.5 Stadium Sound Effects
Toilet & Stadium Sound Effects
Link:
Exercise 3- Sound layering and effects
This week we are learning something more complicated, where we need to use various effects and parameters to achieve what we need.By providing the audio of the explosion, I changed its sound effect to have the sound of a bomb exploding. The sound is grand enough.
In class, I followed the teacher's operations and recorded the process of making this sound.
Explosion sound：
Fig. 3.2 Final explosion sound
Fireworks Sound
Through the sound of explosion, the sound of firecrackers exploding was made. In the process of making this, I tried to make a lot of sound effects, then intercepted a part of them, and mixed all the sounds to achieve what I wanted.
First adjust the parametric equalizer to make the sound reach the desired tone.
Fig. 3.3 Adjusting the parametric equalizer
Fig. 3.4 Second audio clip
I first used a parametric equalizer and found that the space was lacking, so I added reverb and adjusted it again. Listening to the audio in a multi-track audio, the tone was off, so I used the parametric equalizer again to adjust it.
Fig. 3.5 Parameters and Reverb
In this firecracker explosion sound, I used five audio clips to create it. When creating the high notes, I used harmony to adjust them.
Fig. 3.6 harmony
Finally, when I put it in the multi-track audio, the tone was still a little off, so I used the parametric equalizer to adjust it again.
Fig. 3.8 Capture the first half of the audio
I captured the audio I needed and then created a copy to edit. I eventually adjusted the rhythm of the firecracker explosion in the multi-track audio, listened to the audio repeatedly, and adjusted the final export several times.
Final Fireworks Sound
Fig. 3.8 Final Fireworks Sound
Multiple punch sound
This multi-punch sound is the same as the explosion sound. I first created duplicates of the original track and edited it in each duplicate.
Fig. 3.9 Create copies and parametric equalizers
I used harmony, dry reverb and pitch shifter on the track for audio conditioning effects. On another track, I used pitch shifter to lower the pitch of the track to give the punches some rhythm and distinction.
Fig. 3.10 Use harmony
Fig. 3.11 Using Reverb and Pitch Shifter
Finally, adjust the rhythm and fade-out intervals on the multi-track and finally export.
Fig. 3.12 Punch Multi-Track Audio
Final Multiple punch sounds
Fig. 3.13 Multiple punch sound
Exercise 4- Environmental Sounds
We needed to design the sound of the environment based on the pictures provided by Mr.Razif , which I understand is similar to the sound of a movie scene.
First environment soundscape
Fig. 4.1 First environment soundscape
For Environment #1, I wanted to design a soundscape, a narrative soundscape. Something like the techno feel of being in a liquid lab, and something alien. Mainly techno, with electronic sounds and sounds of activating liquid pipes flowing.
Fig. 4.2 Adjust audio
I adjusted the different audios to achieve the effect I wanted. Then I put them in a multi-track audio and adjusted them in layers to achieve the effect I wanted for the entire audio.
I downloaded the appropriate sound effects needed to create the soundscape from Freesound.org, then layered them and edited them where necessary. To accentuate the spatial feel of the audio, I added reverb as the lead. This gave me the more spacious, grand feel I wanted.
Final audio effect
Fig. 4.4 environment#1
Second environment soundscape
Fig. 4.5 Second environment soundscape
Fig. 4.6 Background sound processing
I used harmony, noise reduction and parametric equalizer to process the background sound, trying to achieve a dull, oppressive, and tense laboratory atmosphere.
Fig. 4.7 Speech processing
Since the conversation sounds I was looking for were too noisy, I first performed partial noise reduction, and then in order to highlight the large space, I processed the sound with reverberation and echo.
Fig. 4.8 Audio Multitrack
I processed all the processed audio in layers. In order to make the background sound more ambient, I blended the left and right channels alternately. The speaking sound was also a few ambient conversations, not too much. Then I added the sound of the laser starting up to highlight the sense of technology.
Final audio effect
Fig. 4.9 environment#2
Feedback
WEEK2: -None
WEEK3:
When I was making the sound, Mr. Razif suggested that I use reverb to make the space bigger. I added a little more reverb.
Reflection
Through this module practice, I deeply experienced the importance of sound as a sense and how it is closely connected with other senses and emotions. Through practice, I learned how to design and change sounds through Adobe Audition to achieve the effects I want. This module requires patience because I need to listen carefully to some subtle differences in sound changes. Once I don't pay attention, I will feel that there is no difference. So I need to listen and modify repeatedly. Now I am used to it through training, and I think this is very interesting.
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