SONIC DESIGN ✦ TASK 1: EXERCISES ✦
23.9.2024 -14.10.2024 (Week1-Week4)
liuziyu/0367533/Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media
SONIC DESIGN
Task:Exercises
Week1
INSTRUCTIONS
Week1:
In this class, the teacher introduced the specific content of this semester and what the final assignment of our class would be. Finally, six audios were assigned for us to adjust. The following is the content of my assignment.
Fig 1.1 EQ1 parameters
Fig 1.2 EQ2 parameters
Fig 1.3 EQ3 parameters
Fig 1.3 EQ3 parameters
Fig 1.4 EQ4 parameters
Fig 1.5 EQ5 parameters
Week 2:
LECTUR：
This week, we attended a lecture focused on the fundamentals of sound. The teacher covered various topics, starting with how to capture sound effectively using different techniques and equipment. We explored the essence of sound, discussing its properties and characteristics, which enhanced our understanding of sound waves and how they interact with the environment.
The lecture also delved into sound processing, where we analyzed different methods for editing and manipulating audio. We learned about the various ways sound can be modified to achieve the desired effect, including equalization, compression, and effects like reverb.
Furthermore, we discussed how to convert sound into the digital world, exploring different audio formats and the importance of quality in digital audio. The teacher introduced us to professional tools and software commonly used in audio production, which provided valuable insights into industry standards.
Overall, the lecture was informative and engaging, equipping us with essential knowledge about sound and its applications in various fields, such as music production, film, and multimedia. It has sparked my interest in further exploring sound design and audio engineering.
HOME WORK
The teacher asked us to make four sound changes, namely:
Mobile phone
Gymnasium
Toilet
Closed space
Mobile phone
Fig 2.1 Mobile phone
Gymnasium
Fig 2.2 Gymnasium
Toilet
Fig 2.3 Toilet
Closed space
Fig 2.4 Closed space
Week 3:
LECTUR：
This lecture covers four key sound design techniques: Layering, Time-Stretching, Pitch-Shifting, and Audio Reversal.
- Layering： combines multiple sounds to create a richer, unique sound. It’s a vital method used in professional sound design to add depth and complexity.
- Time-Stretching： changes the length of a sound without altering its pitch, either slowing it down or speeding it up. This allows control over the rhythm and speed of audio.
- Pitch-Shifting： alters the pitch of a sound while maintaining its original length, raising or lowering it to create effects ranging from high-pitched, playful sounds to deep, ominous ones.
- Audio Reversal：plays sounds backward, producing strange, eerie effects, especially when layered with other sounds.
The lecture concludes by highlighting that recording your own voice and applying these techniques can produce custom, original sound effects. These methods allow for the creative transformation of simple sounds into complex, professional-level audio.
Afterwards, the teacher took us to visit the studio and introduced to us the functions of the things in the studio and how to operate and use them.
HOME WORK
This week the teacher asked us to make:
explosions, sampel, and punch
sampel：
- Regarding the production of the sample, I used Audition. First, I divided the entire audio into four parts, using multi-track to divide it into four tracks. I put the original sound on the first track, and on the second track, I cut the second half of the audio from the original sound and added some reverb to it. For the third audio, I cut the explosion tail sound after the original sound and processed it in the same way as the second one. For the last one, I removed the explosion sound from the original sound and only left the last tail sound.
- Finally, I connected these four in sequence, leaving the last tail sound to make it sound like the buzzing sound after the explosion.
sampel
Fig 3.1sampel
punch：
- The production of punch is simpler than that of sample. It also uses the multi-track in the audition. We put the punch audio that the teacher gave us into the studio and play three sections. We try to make the distance between them closer and the speed faster so that the sound it displays is like a boxer punching.
punch
Fig 3.2 punch
explosion：
explosion
Fig 3.3 explosion
Week 4:
LECTUR：
Narrative Voice and Non-Narrative Voice
This week, we explored two key concepts in storytelling: narrative voice and non-narrative voice.
Narrative voice： refers to the perspective from which a story is told. It can take different forms, such as first-person, second-person, or third-person. In the first-person narrative voice, the story is told from the perspective of a character within the story, using "I" or "we." In second-person narrative, the reader is addressed directly as "you," making them feel part of the story. The third-person narrative voice, the most common, describes the events from an outside perspective, using "he," "she," or "they." The narrative voice not only conveys the events but also reflects the narrator's tone, attitude, and personality, shaping how we perceive the story.
Non-narrative voice： appears in writing that doesn't focus on storytelling, such as essays, reports, or expository texts. It’s informative, neutral, and objective, focusing on facts, data, or instructions rather than telling a story. This voice often lacks the subjective or emotional tone found in narrative writing, aiming instead to present information clearly and directly.
Understanding these voices helps us appreciate how language is used differently in fiction versus non-fiction.
HOME WORK
Assignment Requirements：
The teacher asked us to use the two pictures he gave us to look at the contents of the pictures and find the sounds that match each other. We should make a background sound or ambient sound about this picture. We can find similar audio in the link provided by the teacher or we can find it by ourselves.
1.
From this picture, I think it looks like a high-tech laboratory scene. There is a transparent cylindrical container in the center, which seems to be cultivating a large plant. The surrounding equipment and pipes are also very complicated, giving people a sci-fi laboratory atmosphere. According to this scene, I can imagine some related sound elements:
Environmental background sound:
Slight sound of electronic equipment running, such as the humming of thermostats, screens, or airflow in ventilation ducts.
The ticking sound of instruments in the distance or the slight sound of machines starting and shutting down.
Liquid flow sound:
Because there are vegetation in the central container, there may be slight liquid flow sounds, such as the sound of water circulating or slowly pouring into the container.
High-tech equipment operation sound:
It can simulate the "buzzing" or "hissing" sound of some scanners or laser equipment, giving people a feeling that the equipment is constantly detecting or recording data.
Such as the sound of computer operation, keyboard tapping, screen clicking, etc.
This kind of sound can be mixed in layers to create a dynamic, futuristic sound effect, suitable for the sci-fi laboratory atmosphere that matches this visual scene.
My final product：
2.
From this picture, I can see that it shows a large, high-tech laboratory scene. There is a complex mechanical device in the center, emitting blue beams, which seems to be conducting some kind of energy or scientific experiment. People are wearing lab coats, and the equipment is surrounded by pipes and screens, making the environment look very sci-fi and futuristic. The following are the sound elements that may match this scene:
The sound of high-tech equipment:
The humming and low vibration of mechanical equipment when it is running.
The "buzzing" sound when the beam is emitted or the sound of the laser penetrating the air, similar to the sound effect of energy flow.
Electronic equipment and screen sound effects:
The "beeping" sound and electronic sound effects when data flows on the screen.
Feedback sound when the instrument detects or inputs data, such as the sound of flashing icons or key operations on the screen.
Human voice communication and walking sound:
Slight whispered conversations and discussions, and background dialogues in conjunction with the experiment.
Environmental background sound:
The overall environment of the laboratory may have white noise emitted by continuous air circulation devices, such as the slight hum of the constant temperature system or ventilation ducts.
Mix some distant machine equipment operation sounds to create a sci-fi experimental atmosphere with a full sense of space.
The sound design for this scene should be futuristic and convey a rigorous, orderly, yet technological experimental atmosphere.
My final product：
REFLECTION：
This week’s learning gave me a deeper understanding of audio editing. Through the teacher’s introduction, I realized that adjusting audio is not just about simple cutting and splicing, but rather involves using techniques like time-stretching, pitch-shifting, and audio reversal to give sound a new texture and effect. The six audio adjustment tasks assigned by the teacher give me the opportunity to gradually practice these techniques, helping me better understand their practical application.
This week’s content showed me the endless possibilities in sound creation and got me thinking about how to use technical methods to give audio unique expressiveness. Layering, in particular, caught my attention, as it can create entirely new sound experiences by blending multiple sounds, reflecting the complexity and artistry of sound design. In the future, I hope to try these techniques more in practice and continuously improve my audio design skills through adjustments and experiments.
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