The sounds I recorded where fit for purpose as they were because I used my skateboard to get the exact sounds I needed but I still tweaked a couple of the grinding sounds to try and create and different type of sound that may fit a different grind.
I also used all the tools to effectively because I went out with 2 other people in the class so we could all rotate using each piece of equipment and create sounds that each of us could use. I then used Adobe Audition to edit the sounds to fit the purpose in which I used them.
The challenges I encountered were due to me being unfamiliar with the recording equipment and software but I got some help to complete the task I needed to do.
I made the decision to not edit the final sounds too much because the sounds I recorded where the exact sounds I needed for my game because I used my skateboard when recording. This helped the game sound like a real skatepark because the sound that looped was actually me riding and doing tricks on my skateboard. My strongest area was probably actually recording the sounds because I struggled with the editing due to never using it before.
I could improve on the editing side of the project by watching videos and teaching myself how to use the software because that took me a while to get used to and I’m still struggling understanding the software.
My environment is a skatepark where people go to ride skateboards, scooters, bikes and other modes of transport. My environment is a representation of modern skateparks today.
Examples of games where you would see these are:
Skate Franchise
Skate 3 is a lot more realistic than tony hawk pro skater with the gameplay and the sounds you hear in the game. The only sounds you hear whilst playing is the noise from the skateboard on the concrete or wood etc and the grinding of the trucks on rails and ledges and occasionally music playing in the background.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater Franchise
The sounds you hear in this game are similar to an arcade game with loud abrupt noises when you hit combo letters to score more points.
Analysis from my game sound research:
Both games have grinding sounds for when the skateboard is on a rail or ledge and has a loud, distinct sound for when you are just riding around on the concrete.
I need to have my skateboard with me to record my sounds so I can get the right sort of noises and I will also use a microphone with a ‘dead cat’ to avoid any muffle noise from the wind with an audio mixer interface with an sd card in it so we could transfer the audio files onto the computer. This should take about 30 minutes to an hour to record my sounds with Oliver so we can use some of each other’s sounds. The sounds I need are of me riding, doing tricks and grinding on metal poles to bring the game to life. I will also need walking sounds on concrete for when I am off my skateboard in the game. Also having some background noise such as birds and cars would be helpful to make the scene more realistic. My sound will drive my narrative because all the sounds I am recording will make the environment more realistic and help emerge the player into the virtual world. The sounds will appeal to the target audience because skaters and riders will recognise these sounds.
Synopsis for sound
I need to record some sound effects for my game to bring the game to life whilst you are playing. My environment is a skatepark so you will hear skateboards riding around and a couple of background noises to help bring the scene to life and try to convince the player that they are outside and in a skatepark.
Audience Profile
My audience is 10-18+ mainly aimed at boys considering the sport but does not fully exclude girls.
Audio timeline and script
Planned sound effects
Sound effects I need are:
Riding skateboard on concrete
Grinding from trucks o0n metal
The sound of tricks popping off of the ground
Background noise (birds, cars, talking etc.)
Equipment list
Skateboard
Microphone
‘Dead cat’
Audio Mixer
MAC
Adobe Audition
Risk assessment
Taking the equipment out (weather check)
No running with the equipment in case it drops and breaks
If you go near the construction site to avoid any stones/pebbles hitting the equipment
Legal and ethical requirements
Avoid having any racial language or sounds
Don’t use any copyrighted work (record own sounds)
Don’t record anyone without there permission
Production schedule.
1st February – plan what sounds and equipment I need for my game
2nd February – Go out and record sounds with Oliver
3rd February – Edit sounds and create what sound effects I need and what would suit my game environment.
3rd February – Add sound effects to my game through unity.
Pre-production portfolio
To edit my sounds that I recorded I used Adobe Audition. I didn’t need to do a lot of editing for my sounds as they are very close to what I needed but I did mess around with some of the grinding sounds I recorded to make it more dull to maybe give the illusion of different grinds when playing.
This is a link to my SoundCloud account where I put my recorded sounds and edited sounds for storage.
The first scene for the trailer is army soldiers landing in a helicopter and then they jump out the back as it gets close to the ground. This scene had a lot of different background sounds such as the clicking as they pick up the guns and the loud noise of the helicopter and the occasional radio static as they talk to each other right after the scene of the soldiers running inside the building subtle action song starts playing and building up to create suspense.
Once the action music soundtrack starts and drops to the beat the enemies and soldiers start shooting at each other. This creates loud shooting sounds almost overpowering the music but leaving it there in the background to keep the flow going. They use this fast heavy beat to get people excited and makes the video intense which is what you want for a gun battle between 2 groups of people.
This scene is the chase where the soldiers are running after the terrorists to stop the bomb. They have thrown a grenade in their direction to stop them which creates a massive bang and you can hear lots of men shouting in the back. This keeps the intense atmosphere going and keeps the audience watching to find out what happens.
This is the final scene of the trailer where its a 1 on 1, the last soldier is trying to diffuse the ticking bomb in time as the time goes down and the ticking speeds up in a higher pitch. This gets your heart racing and grabs your full attention, Then the last terrorist jumps down with a knife and attacks the soldier. As he pulls out the knife there is a *ching* sound indicating a metal being drawn. when the time runs out the music stops and the bomb explodes into the title screen showing the release date.
Apex legends Game Trailer.
This trailer has more dialouge from characters than the Counter strike trailer but has the same similar sounds but does them a little different. In this trailer the robot has a metal sound every time he moves and you can hear what sounds like gears changing. This helps go with the fact that he is a robot and kind of brings his character to life.
This scene the characters found a crate with some loot which is why there is a golden glow coming from the box. When they walk up to the create and open it this noise plays constantly until they walk away to indicate something good/treasure.
In this part of the trailer they are all arguing over who gets the loot and it shows each character in a little short cutscene showing their skills. The robots gun is like an energy type weapon and has a distinct sound when shooting to show the different ammo type and style of gun. In the background is some shouting from enemies and some intense action music as he swings from inside a waterfall to surprise the enemies.
Mortal Kombat 11 Trailer.
At the start of this trailer there is no sound except for the striking of the lightning that occasionally lights up the scene then all of a sudden 2 people start fighting with more lighting and fire sound effects that keep happening.
This scene the 2 characters are fighting to the death and you can hear crunching and blood splattering to make the viewer believe that they are actually fighting.
This is the final scene where the character with the electric fists pulses the other person and you can hear the crackling of the thunder and then he explodes leaving a ball of blood over his body and the sounds are strangely realistic with the pop as if someone just shot a watermelon.
Studio Sound Recording – studio sound recording would be applied to a game or interactive design to add sound effects, music, dialogue or just random noises to immerse the player or to the project.
Dead room – is a room used for sound recording which is full of insulation to prevent outside noise coming in and interrupting the recording if you are trying to get a specific sound.
Live room – A live room is the booth that the artists will be in to record music with microphones and mic stands and next to that is the control room where the DJ/record producer will be.
Location sound recording – Location sound recording is one of the members of the crew who has to pick up each sound for the editors to place it in the finished film.
Ambient sound – Ambient sounds are background noises such as crickets, cars, and birds tweeting.
Sound effects – A sound effect is a sound other than speech that has been added after the filming to bring the film to life.
Foley and the role of Foley artists – Foley is named after the sound effects artist Jack Foley. Foley is the reproduction of sounds made after the filming in different ways like squeaking doors and breaking the glass to make it more believable
Music – music is added between scenes in a film if say the characters are going to a different place a theme song or just emotionally fitting song would play during the transition to set the mood.
Dialogue – Dialogue is an important part of films and tv shows because obviously characters talking to one another set the scene and talk about the story and character development.
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound – Diegetic is a sound that has a source in the actual filming such as dialogue. Non-diegetic sounds are noises added in, in the editing part after filming.
Leitmotif – A repeating theme in either music or literary composition usually associated with a particular person or situation.
Microphones and their uses – Microphones are used to capture all types of sound either in production or after in the editing.
The first scene for the trailer is army soldiers landing in a helicopter and then they jump out the back as it gets close to the ground. This scene had a lot of different background sounds such as the clicking as they pick up the guns and the loud noise of the helicopter and the occasional radio static as they talk to each other right after the scene of the soldiers running inside the building subtle action song starts playing and building up to create suspense.
DP3GAM1F Tyler Harris's College Blog 