I have recorded 2 sounds with a high quality audio recording device called a zoom recorder. The first sound I recorded was of a tap running, while the second sound I recorded was the sound of typing on a keyboard.
I edited the first sound in audacity, and decided to make a rowing boat sound effect. I did this by adding various effects such as; echo, amplify, pitch, speed, compress etc. to achieve the sound I wanted.
I also edited the second sound effect, and changed the pitch and speed to sound more like a type writer and less like a computer keyboard. I also amplified the sound so that the sound was louder and could be heard more clearly.
The link to the edited sound effect below: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftNG1lTVcycGxWcVE Here is the original sound I had recorded:
Link to sound file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftVVJuYl9WaG5iWjg
I created this music in Soundation Studio, using pre-made sounds and combining them to produce a musical track. This is a good program to use for experimenting, but I found that some of the sounds sounded broken and forced because in the free version there is no option to fade the music so that it would mix better. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Genre: Funk
File name: game-background_music.wav Mood/Atomosphere creation: Fun, Happiness, energy Mono or Stereo? Stereo Resolution/Hertz/ Bitdepth : N/A (software doesn't state) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Background Music (created in Audacity): 2)
Link to sound file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftR1lOdmZQanZwNGM
For this piece of music, I expermimented with a free-to-use program called Audacity. I had obtained all the sounds from a website called freesound.com where I edited and combined each sound into a seperate track. The main advantage I found when using this software is that it is possible to add effects to each sound such as; echo, fade in, fade out, wah wah etc. However, because this is the first piece of music I have created it is not up to the standard I would like as it sounds quite choppy, although I have attempted to fix this. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Genre: Techno
3) Link to Sound File: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftSDJ0ZGQyYkluLVk
I created my third piece of music in Soundation Studio once again using the drag n' drop sounds available. In my opinion, this is my strongest piece of music out of the three because I have more of and idea of what works and what doesn't so am wiser in choosing the instruments that will play during the music to achieve a smoother feel to the music.
1) Link to sound: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftX0lIUVhHS1ZkeFk
This sound effect I have created will play when the enemy spaceships in my Space Invader game move down. I obtained my sounds from freesound.com and basically created the sound using a ping sound and a jet whoosh sound. For the ping sound, I added the Wahwah affect so that it sounds digital and space-like. Genre: Digital-like
File name: spaceship_whoosh_sound.mp3 Mood/Atomosphere creation: Intense Mono or Stereo? Stereo
Bitdepth : 4800Hz 2) Link to sound: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftQmdHM256Y284WU0
This is a concept sound FX of a laser that I have created for a game I am going to create. I again obtained the sounds from freesound.org. One of the sounds is of a traditional whoosh, which I changed the pitch and speed on to make it sound quicker and more like a laser. The second sound I used is of a penny dropping which I edited the speed and pitch on also to make it sound higher pitched. This produces a laser-like sound effect when both sounds are combined. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genre: Sci-fi File name: laser_sound_effect.mp3 Mood/Atomosphere creation: Action Mono or Stereo? Stereo
Bitdepth : 4800Hz ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Link to sound: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwrRCcaM3eftME1Pc2p4UUl0SFE
This is an explosion sound that I have created using 2 different sounds from freesound.org. This is what will play when the player in my game destroys and enemy spaceship. I created this sound by using a firework bang and editing the pitch so that it is lower. I then added a hammer sound into the project to give the impression that matter had been ruptured which gives a more realistic effect. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genre: War File name:explosion_sound_game.mp3 Mood/Atomosphere creation: Tension, fierce Mono or Stereo? Stereo
3 Games that use sound for... Speech to convey information - Many games use speech to inform the player about something that has happened. This could be a deep male voice saying "Game Over" to tell them they have failed. However, it is also used to suggest something to a player if they are going off track during a game level. An example of this would be if the player said: "I wonder whats up there". This would suggest that there is something to be seen in the level and hints that that is how they move onto the next mission level. An example of a game that uses this is Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. This is because the game has a linear story so there is only one way forward. The character would give a hint to the player by mumbling to himself. Iconography - This is something that is well-known to people and is sometimes over used. However, this has to be an icon for something. An example of a game that uses an iconic sound effect is in Metal Gear Solid. This is because when an enemy spots you, a iconic sound effect alerts the player that they have been spotted. This could mean that when the sound effect is played, most people would know that the sound is from Metal Gear Solid when you are spotted by an enemy.
Symbolism - Watchdogs 2 - This game uses symbolism when the player is about to die. This is because a rapid heartbeat sound is played when the player is on really low health and is about to die. This heartbeat is a symbol of death because the heart is a fundamental part of life and if it is beating rapidly it normally suggests something is going to go wrong and that death is coming. Below is a video from YouTube showing this. I have trimmed the video down to just show the players death. Full video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPGut3Qvxg
Until Dawn ‘The Shadow of the Mountain’ Soundtrack
-Tense
-Sorrow
- Miserable
-Spooky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVybbRoY744
This music is played at the start of the game probably to
give the player some tension between the game, and also to give
them an overall feel of what is to be expected. If this was
the intention, I think that the developer has done well because it
makes
everybody. Since the game is a horror, the spooky feel
that is given was probably intended by the developer/composer
because horror games are supposed to be tense and scary.
The Last of Us Soundtrack
-Desolate
-Loneliness
-Companionship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y97u-U0nvJM
This music is played during most missions and cut scenes
of the game to most likely give make the player feel tense and
immersed when playing the game. Some people in the comments section
described the music as being emotional. This is what the composer
and game developer may have wanted because the game is
about surviving in a zombie apocalypse which would definitely make
people feel lonely and make the world seem desolate.
Uncharted 4 Soundtrack – ‘Cut to the Chase’
-Intense
-Loud
-Extant
-Intense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30Zt1FepW8
This music is used in the game where the player enters
combat. The main intention of this music is probably to make the player feel excited, but also to give an intense feeling. Having
played the game, I
this is exactly how I feel and makes me become more
immersed in the gameplay.
Tomb Raider 2013 Main Theme Soundtrack
-Adventurous
-Uplifting
-Heroic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIqvSNDIlTs
Since I have not played this game, I do not know where
this Soundtrack is played. However, having listened to it I
can guess that it would probably used on the title screen of the game
to give the player a feel of the game. The reason it sounds heroic
is because of the instruments used in to orchestra.
Why is music and sound FX so important within games
development?
Music and sound is really
important in the game industry, just as much as film and TV, this is because
music and sounds give the player information that wouldn’t be possible without
any sound FX or music. Music is used to set a mode and atmosphere of a game.
For eg: if a game featured slow music, the mood and atmosphere would probably be sad,
which would let the player know the mood so that they are automatically more
immersed in the game.
Sound FX are really important
in games because it adds more immersion to the game. This is because they can
inform the player what is happening. This could be the sound of footsteps,
gunfire, a power-up etc.
In my opinion, if the game is
played with the sound turned down it eliminates any immersion because I do not
know what is happening nor do have any feedback within the game. As well as
this, without subtitles I cannot hear any dialogue so will lose track of the
story.
Key terms
Waveform -This is a curve showing the curve of a wave at a given time. This means that if you opened up some music in a audio program like Audacity you would see loads of curves of the sound waves due to so many sounds in the music. DEFINITION: a curve showing the shape of a wave at a given time Below is a image from the internent showing the curves in a wave
Image from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/wave
.
Amplitude- This is the maximum height limit of a wave. In sound, waves with higher amplitudes make more changes to the atmospheric pressure for eg: vibrations and loud sounds. DEFINITION:the maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium.
Frequency- the rate per second of a vibration constituting a wave, either in a material (as in sound waves), or in an electromagnetic field (as in radio waves and light).
Pitch - the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.
Hertz - the SI unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second. It is one of the units used to measure sound. For eg: 60 Hz
Decibel Level (dB) - The decibel ( dB) is used to measure sound level, but it is also widely used in electronics, signals and communication. The dB is a logarithmic way of describing a ratio. The ratio may be power, sound pressure, voltage or intensity or several other things.
Since all sounds produce various amounts of Decibels I have found a image from the internet demonstrating different types of sounds and how many decibels they make.
Sound Generator - A sound generator is a device that produces a sound. This could be a mobile phone, laptop, TV, doorbell etc. However, a speaker is essential in each of these for sound to be produced. All speakers have a maximum and minimum volume. This means the maximum volume on a stereo speaker would be much louder than a speaker fitted into a mobile phone due to different hardware fitted in each device.
What is foley?
The dictionary definition of Foley is:relating to or concerned with the addition of recorded sound effects after the shooting of a film.
This basically means that sound effects are recorded either in a professional studio or normal environment. In games, the sound of gunfire would probably have been recorded in a shooting range and then enhanced to be used in a game. However, this gunfire sound could be mimicked to just recording a firework bang if real fire arms are inaccessible.
Below is a video of how Foley works:
In the video above, you can see how Foley works. For eg: when the characters went through the door, you could see the people in the studio slamming a door within a structure. This would then be added into the movie where the event had taken place.
Timbre Timbre is what makes an instrument sound different to another. This means that even if the same type of instrument is being played at the same notes, both will sound different. For eg: a bass guitar playing the same notes a an acoustic guitar will have a distinctive sound even if played together. This is because each guitar will emit different frequencies.
Information gathered from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLoM9bBr8lc
