Gris from developer Nomada Studio was released in 2018. This platform-adventure game follows Gris on her journey through grief and faded reality.
Out of the sound redesigns I have done so far, this clip had the most efficient and productive workflow through combining the previous experience of my other portfolio pieces. I found continuing to use the Pomodoro technique not only reduced ear fatigue but also gave me frequent opportunities to critically reflect on progress made. I found these five-minute breaks sparked new ideas and helped overcome a lot of indecisiveness. Overall, completing this clip was the most fulfilling this far as I understood an approach that worked for me where I felt my most productive and creative.
I've experimented with different approaches to the order of completing sounds to see which results in an easier mixing stage. For some sound redesigns, I approached scene by scene, or by a group of sounds. Through this experimentation, I found the approach of starting with ambience and then moving through the spot effects (AudioPost, 2021) was the most effective for me. By having a solid ambience in place I was able to construct sound better fitting for the environment - it also made mixing as I went along smoother. As I added sounds into the mix I avoided soloing sounds as much as possible which I feel aided this further. This created sounds that sounded just as good in balance with their context and environment as they do solo. I listened to my mix on my DT770s, HD250s and Adam A5Xs to check there was a well-rounded mix on multiple playback devices.
I utilised the technique for placing footsteps previously mentioned in my last blog post as it was more efficient when placing steps where there was a consistent pace. I colour coded each step to make sure I wasn't repeating the footsteps samples. This created a natural cadence for the walking as a player would be able to pick up on a footstep sample being repeated too often. I like this approach as it creates more detailed footsteps that feel natural in their environment.
Gris has a mystical organic aesthetic - to best capture this in my sound design I researched how to layer these sounds to build an established but unique soundscape. WowSound (2018) highlights that “the three essential things we believe we need are whooshes, chimes, and synth sounds” when creating magical sound effects. I kept this in mind when creating the sounds for this clip trying to get a balance of all the elements for a more complex but cohesive sound. At 06.50 we successfully heard this in action. At 04.25 the bridge is lacking the whoosh element and consequently feels underwhelming in the mix.
Throughout the clip there are bells of different sizes/tones - I used various samples for these however, ideally, I would have created a bespoke effect for this. If I had had the resources and at the time it would have been nice to create my own chime/bells foley of various materials. This would have allowed for more control of timbre, recordings reflecting movements and more variations. This is something I will definitely aim to achieve in my next sound redesign for a more bespoke sound!
This clip is sparse and clean so having a detailed ambience was a priority. I decided to adjust the ambience by camera view, not player location, which can be heard at 00.10. I used the iD function on my iD14 for engaging live automation. To further this I made use of the Haas Effect for distance perception. The location of a sound source is based on which ear the sound wave reaches first any delay or reflections after adding depth and space are not perceived as individual sounds (Mcallister, 2018). I achieved this by having a delay in one ear of 40 ms. I utilised a low pass filter to create a sense of distance as low-frequency sounds travel further (fig. 1) (PhysicsLab, 2021). I feel I successfully created an airy and wide atmosphere suiting the visuals but also giving weight and priority to spot effects for player feedback in the mix.
Figure 1 - Automation of low pass filter to create a sense of distance.
Overall, I am happy with the final clip. I became more confident with rendering as I went, which is reflected in having forty-eight tracks with no CPU related difficulties. However, the wings at 01.20 are lacking. I should have used foley for audio bespoke to the movements and not samples as it was limiting. This would have allowed for smoother transitions and fluidity with the bird animations. I feel I captured the character and aesthetic well and supported onscreen imagery with my sound design. It was reassuring to have clear progress from the previous sound redesigns I've done.
Audio Post (2021) r/AudioPost. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioPost/comments/lh6c21/what_is_the_detailed_process_of_sound_design/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Mcallister .M, (2018) Haas Effect: What It Is and How It’s Used. Available at: https://producelikeapro.com/blog/haas-effect/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
PhysicsLab (2021) Sound Waves. Available at: http://dev.physicslab.org/Document.aspx?doctype=3&filename=WavesSound_IntroSound.xml (Accessed: 06/05/21)
WowSound (2018) Three Keys To Creating Awesome Magic Sounds. Available at: https://wowsound.com/genesis-of-rpg-magic-pack-3-keys-to-create-awesome-magic-sounds/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
コメント