The Pathless, from developer Giant Squid, was released in 2020 (Giant Squid, 2021). Users become a hunter on a mystical island aiming to dispel dark curses (ibid).
For this clip I wanted my workflow to focus on reducing ear fatigue. “The longer your ears are exposed to sound the more agitated and tired the nerve endings become, making it harder to make out details” (LedgerNote, 2021). Mackie (2017) recommends taking a break once an hour and monitoring at 75 - 85 dB. Izotope (2019) highlights paying attention to behaviour changes when fatigue starts and not turning the volume up. I combined this with the Pomodoro Technique (twenty-five minutes working then five minutes break) which is a tool for improving productivity, focus and increasing decision awareness (Cirillo, 2006). Combining this research created an effective workflow that allowed a sustainable level of productivity, increasing motivation and reducing headaches. These techniques will definitely be carried forward on future projects.
Following my mentor's advice, I set up the Reaper sessions following a suggested template - aiming to reduce CPU usage and allow easier mixing (fig.1). Splitting audio into categories: ambience; movement; action; UI; bird; cinematic. Having mono/stereo render tracks meant I could reduce plugin CPU usage, track numbers and commit to a sound thus being more decisive. Figure 2 and 3 shows forty-one tracks before and twenty-one after rendering. This was effective for session organisation and reducing CPU usage. I plan to follow this structure for future projects.
Figure 1 - The session template I used for The Pathless as advised by my mentor.
Session before and after rendering.
Figure 2 - Before (41 Tracks).
Figure 3 - After (21 Tracks).
When creating the sound list I carried forward the approach previously used (fig. 4). This allowed me to focus on the core sounds needed and not lose time on details that might not make the final mix. I approached audio creation in any order I felt - following an intuitive workflow.
Figure 4 - Soundlist used for clip.
Compared to the previous futuristic clips, I've created sound redesign for, this clip has an organic mystic magic aesthetic. I completed research on how to best approach this new genre. “Although no one ever experiences magic sounds in real life, we all find them more convincing if they are rooted in reality” (Anderson, 2019). Therefore I created a balance between acoustic sources and transformed or synthesis elements.
For the UI textbox sound (01.27) I broke it down into; open; close; whisper effects. This sound supports the on-screen narrative of communicating to the user and first the theme whilst being slick and immersive. Steele (2019) recommends using organic sounds like pine cones, moss, crinkles, rocks, paper and “have a peak impact to build and release from”. I used a branch snap for the open/close (with pitch shift) layered with whooshes. For the voices, I edited the sample of a whisper into three layers pitch-shifting each layer for varied voices. Then creating a reverse reverb effect using Valhalla Shimmer - lastly, I used Melda’s Autopanner (fig. 5) for immersion. I’m really happy with how this sound turned out as it fits its purpose, narrative and aesthetic.
Figure 5 - Melda Autopanner used on UI textBox Sound.
Overall I think the end result is satisfactory. The aesthetics were met through creative sound design techniques and organic elements are placed with a good eye for sync. However, the ambience mixing could be more dynamic. At times the smaller details are lost in the mix and can't be heard - this could be solved by more energetic automation. The element I struggled with the most was the blue effect after hitting a target. It’s repeatedly heard throughout the clip so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t annoying to hear repeatedly - but I felt the end results are not as impactful or clear cut as I would have liked. This is important as it gives the player positive feedback on successfully hitting the target and is missing in the mix at times.
Anderson .A (2020) HOW TO GET YOUR GAME AUDIO PIPELINE RIGHT – WORKFLOWS, ORGANIZATION AND THE TOOLS YOU NEED. Available at: https://www.asoundeffect.com/game-audio-pipeline/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Cirillo. F (2006) The Pomodoro Technique. Available at: http://www.baomee.info/pdf/technique/1.pdf (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Giant Squid (2021) The Pathless. Available at: https://giantsquidstudios.com/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Izotope (2019) How to Prevent Ear Fatigue When Mixing Audio Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/how-to-prevent-ear-fatigue-when-mixing-audio.html (Accessed: 06/05/21)
LedgerNote (2021) Ear Fatigue Symptoms When Mixing With Headphones & Monitors. Available at: https://ledgernote.com/columns/mixing-mastering/ear-fatigue-symptoms/ (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Mackie (2017) How To Avoid Listening Fatigue. Available at: https://mackie.com/blog/save-your-ears-how-avoid-listening-fatigue#:~:text=Another%20great%20way%20to%20minimize,and%20will%20keep%20you%20productive. (Accessed: 06/05/21)
Steele. C (2019) How to create Fire and Ice Magic Sound Effects. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aedUJ_0o-go&ab_channel=ASoundEffect (Accessed: 06/05/21)
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