Portfolio II Project
Sound Design
Savell_Olivia_Demo_Reel
Demo Reel
The Reel above is the final outcome of my work on this college project about sound design. I enjoyed working on all my projects and learning new ways to work with audio. Having this fun opportunity to create sound effects has given me an interest in Video Game Audio Design. I worked on my projects in Logic Pro and Pro Tools. In Logic Pro, I used the Retro Synthesizer, Alchemy, the Sampler and the ES1. When I describe processing in this page, I am referring to using the Sampler in Logic Pro to play with the Filters, Pitch, Volume Amplification and Modulators such as Envelopes and LFOs. I used Pro tools to layer my audio by busing multiple of my sources to one track. On some of my audio I used Varispeed and the Time Compression Expansion Tool to stretch the duration of the audio to my liking.
Game Object Sound Design
The first project used sounds that were from a variety of recordings from a SFX Library created by my professor for this class. I was only able to use that library in this game object sound design project. I used eight of these sources total. The game power-up is separated into three different categories: Function, Sparkle and Woosh. The Function contains the sound of a camera clicking and the foley of a male saying "ahhh". Synthesizers were used to create the Sparkle consisting of bells, chimes and a bright pluck. The Whoosh effect was layered using household objects such as a dowel rod, umbrella and a violin bow.
Interactibles Sound Design
My second project consists of audio recorded by me using a Zoom H5 handheld recorder. The button sound effect has three different properties: the high frequency, sounding like a click; the mid frequency being a pop sound and the effect of a thud for the low frequency. I created the high frequency by recording the sound of a circular light that you turn on by pushing in the lens, which results in a click sound like a pen. I also recorded the sound of me closing an earbud case for the high frequency. I processed the sounds of me flicking the top of a can of tomatoes and opening a stick of deodorant in the sampler from Logic Pro to layer the sound effect for the button's mid frequency. To create a thud sound for the low frequency of the button, I processed the audio of me closing the lid of an ashtray and the recording of me dropping a box of cards on a piece of wood on top of a towel. The sound effect of the lever has two components: Friction, made from a hard squeak and a noisy slide for Motion. The hard squeak was created from the recordings of me rubbing my hand on the side of my bathtub and rubbing the rubber soles of my shoes together when they were wet. A recording of the rack of my oven being slid out and the recording of air release, from a can of air used to clean off dust on electronics, was used to create the Motion component of the lever.
Environmental Sound Design
I used seamless loops to create ambience for the lava. I recorded and processed two sources for each of my three loops. The first loop's source recordings consisted of me crumbling a plastic bag and a recording of a boiling pot of water. I recorded my mother's air purifier and butter sizzling in a skillet on the stove as my sources for the second loop. Loop three is created from recording me rubbing a brass headphone jack on the corner of my laptop and a recording of me rubbing the sequence blanket that I have. I played with the Pitch and Filters a lot on this project in the Sampler in Logic Pro. This is one of my favorite projects because I think I matched the sound of boiling lava nicely.
Complex
Sound Design
This Complex sound design of a black hole was entirely created utilizing the Synthesizers: Alchemy and the Retro Synth. The blackhole is separated into three categories: the Black Hole, the Light Shaft and the Spinning Dust. Alchemy was used for the Black Hole and the Light Shaft sources. The Black Hole is a low pitch suction and the Light Shaft is a noisy other-worldly radiation. I utilized the noise oscillator, Flanger, Vibrato and Envelopes in the Retro Synth for my two sources in the Spinning Dust. I believe I spent the most time on this project trying to find the perfect sound for the Light Shaft and learned a lot about Synthesizers along the way.
Projectile Weapon Sound Design
This part of my reel is also one of my favorite projects because a projectile is so commonly used in video games and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to make my own sound for one. I also spent a lot of time on this project finding the perfect sound for each element of the projectile weapon. My sources for the explosion of the weapon are separated into the explosion's Body, Transient and Tail. For the Body of the explosion I processed the recording of tongs being closed inside the cardboard from a roll of paper towels and I used the Retro synthesizer to create a whooshing sound and an echoed thud. The Transient consisted of the processed recording of a my bathroom door being slammed shut, slamming the rubber soles of my shoes together and me crushing a plastic water bottle. For the Tail audio I used the processed sounds of me using a roll of tape to hit the back of an aluminum pan that was face down on the table and the sound of me slamming my glasses case shut. I slowed down the audio for the Tail of the explosion to give it some reverb or echo. The sound effect of the weapon shooting the ball of energy is also separated into a Body, Transient and Tail. The Body was made to sound like the ball of energy, the Transient relates to the projection of the ball of energy and the Tail is the energy flying through the air. I used my Zoom H5 handheld to record me ripping up cardboard and paper and processed it for the Body, along with a bouncing sound created in the Retro Synthesizer. The projectile's Transient is from utilizing the ES1 synth in Logic Pro to make a pew sound and I processed the sound of me releasing a tape measure back into its container. The sound effect of the ball of energy flying through the air is made from utilizing the Retro Synth to make a whoosh and soaring sound.