Sonic Design / Final Project

December 05, 2024 - Jan 02, 2025

05.12.2024 – 02.01.2024 / Week11 – Week14

Ryoma Kato / 0365874

Sonic Design / Bachelor of design (Honours) in Creative Media

MIB

WORK

Game Audio Project.

This assignment involves selecting one of five silent gameplay videos, brainstorming suitable sound effects, recreating them using everyday objects, recording the sounds, and applying the sound effects to the video.

I chose the Hollow Knight gameplay video and recorded and added sound effects that matched the scenes.

( Picture 1 )

This is the mike that I used to record sounds. This mike's model is AT2020 USB Type. And I used RX9 as the software to remove noise from the sound source

( Picture 2 )

( Picture 3 )

( Picture 4 )

( Picture 5 )

( Picture 6 )

Pictures 2 to 6 above show the items I actually used to record the sound effects. From top to bottom, they are an electric heater, a watch (metal) and a stone, plastic wrap, coins, and fingers on a table.

For this Assignment, first I make Audio list and Audio Storyboard.

( Audio List )

( Audio Storyboard )

The Link of Spread Sheet : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10pWBULRH0B8-kbThYoOvhJsqwaO-PxECdVF4KALqUBU/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=110038703550863615432

In the Audio List, I experimented with various items by striking or rubbing them together to see what combination would produce the ideal sound. I then selected the closest match to my desired sound and recorded how I created each sound for every action. It was quite challenging as achieving the perfect sound was not easy.

In the Audio Storyboard, I reviewed the video multiple times before adding the sound effects, carefully checking what sound should be added at each second.

After recording, I opened the Adobe Audition for editing sounds.

( Editing Screen )

This is the editing screen of the Adobe Audition. For noise removal, I used a separate software, RX9, so I didn’t apply EQ for noise reduction. Instead, I primarily used EQ to alter the tone and reverb to create a sense of ambience while editing the sound effects. 

Audio Journal (Best 5 sound effects creation process)

1. The sound of getting coin.

To create this sound effect, I started by rolling coins on various surfaces, including the floor, the kitchen sink, the entranceway, and the table, searching for the sound that best matched my ideal. I also experimented with four different types of coins: a RM20 coin, a RM50 coin, and Japan's 100-yen and 500-yen coins. Ultimately, I decided that the sound of Japan's 500-yen coin rolling on a table was the closest match to the sound I envisioned for the effect of obtaining a coin, so I chose this option.

( Getting coin RX9 Screen )

This is the RX9 editing screen. In this software, I handle white noise removal and clipping repair. The computer that the RX9 is on is a different computer, so the photos were taken with my phone.

( Getting coin Adobe Audition Screen )

In Adobe Audition, I only applied reverb to this sound effect. The reason I didn’t use EQ was that, although there were excessive high-frequency elements in the sound, they were effectively toned down by the reverb.

The most challenging part of creating the sound effect for when the character collects a coin was finding the ideal surface to roll the coin on to achieve the desired sound.

2. The sound of bug bomb.

For creating the sound effect of the bug explosion, I first brainstormed items that could produce an explosion-like sound. The initial candidates were the sound of a balloon popping, clapping hands, and hitting something with a plastic bottle. Among these, I initially thought clapping hands would work best and recorded it, but it didn’t feel quite right. I then searched for other items that might produce the ideal sound. In the end, I found that the sound of slapping a toilet paper roll with my palm fit the explosion effect in the video perfectly, and I decided to use that.

( Bug Bomb RX9 Screen )

After completing the recording, I first processed the sound with RX9 for noise reduction and clip fixing, just like I did with the other sound effects.

( Bug Bomb Adobe Audition Screen )

In Adobe Audition, I applied two effects to this sound: EQ and reverb. Since explosion sounds are more impactful with emphasized low frequencies, I boosted the low end using EQ and reduced the high frequencies. I added reverb because I felt the explosion sound would be more effective with some resonance.

The sound of hitting the toilet roll with my palm varied each time, and the way it was hit significantly affected the sound. Re-recording multiple times to achieve the ideal sound was the most challenging part of creating this sound effect.

3. The sound of Spark.

For the spark sound effect, unlike the other sounds, the initial idea was already decided to use either cling film or plastic, so I didn't spend much time brainstorming other ideas. Initially, I recorded the sound of crumpling a plastic bag, but the high frequencies were too harsh and didn't match the ideal sound. In the end, I decided to use the sound of crumpling cling film, which turned out to be the best fit for the effect.

( Spark RX9 Screen )

After recording, I used RX9 to perform noise reduction and other processes, just like with the other sound effects.

( Spark Adobe Audition Screen )

For the spark sound, I only applied noise reduction and did not use any other effects like EQ or reverb. The reason for this is that I decided it was better not to apply anything beyond the noise reduction, and I also determined that reverb or any lingering echo was unnecessary for the spark sound effect.

4. The sound of Character's Jumping.

The idea for this sound came to me during the stage when I was testing the sound of picking up a coin. I thought that the sound of rubbing my fingers on the table would be suitable for the sound effect of the character jumping, so I decided to use it.

( Jumping RX9 Screen )

After recording, I performed noise processing with RX9 as usual.

( Jumping Adobe Audition Screen )

For the jump sound, I used EQ and focused on boosting the low frequencies, as they were more important for this sound compared to the coin sound. I left the high frequencies untouched and raised the lows using the EQ.

Fortunately, since I had experimented with various methods to create the sound of picking up a coin, there wasn't much difficulty in creating this sound effect.

5. The sound of Digging.

For the digging sound effect, I used the sound of metal striking stone. The idea came from the scene in the video where the character is digging by striking a sword (metal) against a stone.

( Digging RX9 Screen )

After recording, I performed noise processing with RX9 as usual.

( Digging Adobe Audition Screen )

For the digging sound effect, I used two effects: EQ and reverb. The sound of metal striking stone has a strong high-pitched tone, so I boosted the highs in the EQ and slightly lowered the lows. For the reverb, I set it to a stronger level compared to the other sounds to enhance the sense of echo.

For recording this sound effect, I used a wristwatch and a stone, but the sound varied depending on which part of the wristwatch was struck. The challenge was having to record multiple times until I achieved the right sound.

I created additional sound effects, and the total of 9 different sound effects were recorded and edited. The following is the final audio compilation.

And here is the video with the audio applied below.

REFLECTION

One of the most valuable techniques I learned in my Sonic Design class is that even when using items that aren't directly related to the actions in the video, I can still express various sounds with everyday objects. Depending on the type of sound effects I needed to create, there were moments of intense brainstorming, times when ideas came easily, and times when I had to go through a lot of trial and error. Ultimately, I was able to create sound effects that fit perfectly with the gameplay video of *Hollow Knight*. Additionally, through this class, I was reminded of the importance of noise processing and clip corrections. I realized that unwanted noise, like white noise, could interfere with the intended sound when using EQ or reverb, which could alter the sound in unexpected ways and hinder the creation of the ideal effect. Throughout this project, there were many times when I faced a heavy workload, experiments that didn’t go as planned, and exhaustion. However, through many rounds of trial and error, I believe I was able to create sound effects that match the atmosphere of *Hollow Knight*.