Week 12 - Week 15 : 20 Jun 2023 - 16 Jul 2023
Tan Yi Yun 0345559Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project
Final Project: Game Audio
Students will given a choice of gameplay videos. They will then need to
create the sound and bring the scene to life. Students will have to plan
and organize their studio recording session for Foley and voice
recording. They will also have access to the portable recorder if
required.
Our lecturer had taught us some techniques to manipulate the sounds we
recorded.
Technique: Effects/Time and Pitch/Pitch bender
To create a curve to manipulate the sound.
We can use this source to create the background music, but not for the
sound effects. But the lecturer then mentioned we do not need to create
background music, just create the ambience sound.
Creating background music:
Gameplay Video
The lecturer provided us 5 gameplay videos and the game that I chose is
Hollow Knight. I was keen to create sound effects that match the mystery and
horror vibes displayed in the game.
Hollow Knight Gameplay (silent), Week 12 (20/6/2023)
Reference study
I seldom play any game like this, and hence I paid more attention to see
the previous seniors' works shown by the lecturer in class. I also studied
the reference of the original Hollow Knight Gameplay. I observed that if the
background music is eliminated, the sound effects can be richer when the
character moves across the plant and when the rocks fall apart. I like the
"whoosh" sound (around 13:42) when the enemy is being killed and I will try
to incorporate this kind of sound effects in my project later.
Original Hollow Knight Gameplay, Week 12 (20/6/2023)
Audio List
I identified all the audio assets that should be appeared in the 1-minute
gameplay video. I categorized the sound effects for different characters and
the items in the environment.
Audio List, Week 12 (23/6/2023)
Audio Storyboard
From the audio list, I identified the presence of the particular sound
effects based on the timeline. I applied color coding so that I could easily
identify which sound effects should be appeared at which seconds. It also
helped me to check if I missed out any sound effects when doing the audio
syncing.
Audio Storyboard (Color coding), Week 12 (23/6/2023)
Sound Recording
I went to two places to record the audio assets that I needed. Firstly, I
went to the music room in Taylor's and played around with percussion
instruments and random items in that area. The instruments I have used
including tambourine, bass drum, timpani, maracas, and woodblock. The other
items I have used are cupboard, zip, papers, cushion floor, instrument case,
cloth and music stands.
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| Figure 1.1, Music room, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 1.2, Buttons on jacket, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 1.3, Music stands, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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| Figure 1.4, Drum mallets, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 1.5, Tambourine, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 1.6, Timpani, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 1.7, Bass drum, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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| Figure 1.8, Cupboard, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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| Figure 1.9, Papers, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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| Figure 2.0, Cloth, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
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Figure 2.1, Maracas, Week 13 (30/6/2023) |
After that, I went back home and took out some objects that can be used. I
used a ruler, knife, whetstone, rattan, hanger, coins, metal container,
bubble wrap, plastic zip, polystyrene, and chair.
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Figure 2.2, Whetstone, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 2.3, Plastic zip, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 2.4, Coins, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 2.5, Hanger and rattan, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 2.6, Closet door, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 2.7, Bubble wrap, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Sound Recording (Behind-the-scene), Week 13 (5/7/2023)
Noise Reduction
Before I modify and edit the clips, I first applied noise reduction because
all the sounds are recorded in the environment that contains white noise. I
mostly used denoise, capture noise print and noise reduction (process) and
adaptive noise reduction to ease this process.
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| Figure 3.0, After noise reduction, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 3.1, Applying Adaptive Noise Reduction, Week 13
(1/7/2023) |
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| Figure 3.2, Click/Pop Eliminator, Week 13 (1/7/2023) |
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Figure 3.2, Adaptive noise reduction on paper noise, Week 13
(1/7/2023) |
Original raw clip (paper noise), Week 14 (4/7/2023)
Edited clip (paper noise), Week 14 (4/7/2023)
Audio Editing and Manipulation
I jotted down the entire audio editing and manipulation journal in the
document below.
Audio Editing and Manipulation Journal, Week 15 (10/7/2023)
For the environment sound, I applied multiple layering. The detail process
is written in the document (Audio Editing and Manipulation Journal). Here I
displayed some of the thoughts behind the process. I first used the
parametric equalizer to tune the timpani sound clip that I
recorded.
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Figure 3.3, Parametric Equalizer, Week 14 (6/7/2023) |
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| Figure 3.4, Echo, Week 14 (6/7/2023) |
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| Figure 3.5, Flanger, Week 14 (6/7/2023) |
I found that Chorus/Robotic bee attack can create the buzz sound effect
that I wanted. I also tried with a lot of effects that I never use before to
create the electric and echoey sound.
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| Figure 3.6, Chorus/Robotic Bee Attack, Week 14 (6/7/2023) |
I found that my headphone automatically cut-off the low frequency
sound (ambience & insect ambience that I created) after 20s when I played the audio. I tried to tune up the pitch but it
still cut off. Then, when I exported it out and tested listen to it, the
sound can still be heard. I am not sure what is the cause of it but it
didn't affect much on my progress.
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Figure 3.7, Ambience, Week 14 (6/7/2023) |
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Figure 3.8, Pre-render the clip to reduce lagging, Week 14
(6/7/2023) |
After I manipulated each sound effect, I synced the sound based on the action displayed in the video. Next, I added panning when necessary to capture the direction of the enemy (Bug 1 and 2). Panning is also applied on the electric sparks in the background based on the distance of the sound source because of the movement of the character.
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Figure 3.9, Adobe Audition workspace, Week 15 (10/7/2023) |
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Figure 4.0, Panning on enemy (bug), Week 15 (10/7/2023) |
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| Figure 4.1, Panning on electric spark, Week 15 (10/7/2023) |
Draft 1, Week 14 (9/7/2023)
Final Audio
Final Audio, Week 15 (10/7/2023)
Visual and Audio Compilation
Finally, I exported the audio and compiled it with the visual in Adobe
Premiere Pro.
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Figure 4.2, Visual and audio compilation, Week 15 (10/7/2023) |
Final Submission
Final Submission - Game Audio Hollow Knight, Week 15 (11/7/2023)
REFLECTION
One of the most valuable techniques I learned is that ordinary objects
around me can generate a wide range of unique and interesting sounds.
After the manipulation, they are perfect for capturing the essence of
Hollow Knight. In terms of the objects I used, I had to be creative and
resourceful. I found that metal ruler, whetstone and knife can produced
excellent friction sounds that are similar to blade swinging.
Additionally, I utilized fabric, such as cloth or jacket, to simulate the
movement of the character in the game. I then applied noise reduction to
all the clips before moving to manipulation and editing. By manipulating
and layering these sounds in Adobe Audition, I was able to create a rich
and immersive soundscape that complemented the visuals and gameplay. To
achieve the desired echoey effect, I experimented with different effects.
I added full reverb to almost every clips to ensure all the sounds are in
the same environment. This project has trained my ear to pay attention to
detail in sound design. I learned to carefully observe the actions and to
consider how each sound would contribute to the overall experience.
Although the process was tiring and tedious because each raw clips had
their potential to manipulate into different sounds, I had to be patience
and experimental to ensure the results were what I was looking for. By
syncing the audio with the visual, I was happy to see the seamless results
that successfully translate the mystery atmosphere of Hollow Knight.