SONIC DESIGN - EXERCISES

14.04.2020 - 12.05.2020 (Week 1 - Week 5)

Helen Angelia (0336203)

Sonic Design

Exercises

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Module Information Booklet (MIB)

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Week 1

For this week's lesson, we were briefed about what we are going to do from exercises until final project according to Module Information Booklet (MIB). Mr. Razif gave us an exercise to review some materials from the 2nd semester and gave us feedback in return.

Vid 1.1Parametic Equalizer

To begin the exercise, Mr. Razif shared us YouTube tutorial and mp3 files in Google Drive. While repeating the same material, I tried to review what I had done before.

Fig 1.1

Shared Google Drive Mp3 Files

The purpose of re-doing this exercise was to show Mr. Razif how far we can do it. Since the task is to equalize sounds given in Google Drive with the original music, I listened to the differences very carefully and play around with the parametic equalizer. After we were done, we need to share the results with Mr. Razif.

Fig 1.2

Eq-1

Fig 1.3

Eq-2

Fig 1.4

Eq-3

In the beginning, I already kind of forgotten how to change the sounds and all. I couldn't really differentiate the sounds clearly, so I panicked. I took my time watching the YouTube tutorial until I find out how to do it. For example, Eq-1 doesn't need to have many changes and only number 1 that has to be moved.

After that, I tried to do the Eq-2 by myself. However, I have difficulties where I couldn't find which number to move. So I looked again at the tutorial and take important notes that I have to pay attention to equalizing. Luckily, I figured out that each number has different sounds with them and I just need to find which sound is which.

So for the Eq-3, I didn't really have a problem with it and I felt the final result is the most similar sound to the original track.

Mr. Razif said that my 3 screenshots of parametic equalizer exercise were already fine. However, I need to do the exercises independently next time.

Week 2

For the 2nd week, after beginning to understand Parametic Equalizer, now we were taught on how to edit sounds more and compiling the sounds in a multitrack session. 

Vid 1.2 Basic Sound Designing Tools

After watching the lectures given by the lecturer, we proceed in editing the sound of an explosion. Besides editing with Parametic Equalizer, we can now use Time and Pitch, Modulation, and Reverse to give more impact to the sounds we edit.

Fig 1.5

Parametic Equalizer

Fig 1.6

Automatic Pitch Correction

Fig 1.7

Parametic Equalizer 2

Fig 1.8

Modulation - Chorus

Fig 1.9

Mixer - Hard Limiter

Fig 2.0

Final Composition of Explosion Exercise

Mr. Razif said that my explosion exercise is nice and the class could move on to the next task. The lecturer then wanted us to look at the pictures below and gave some ambience sounds for it. We need to make sure the sound has duration long enough to analyse it.

Fig 2.1

Forest Laboratory

Fig 2.2

Laser Laboratory

At first, I had some difficulties working on this exercise. My classmates could do it simple but nice and mine was very complicated. Mr. Razif even said that my laser laboratory environment has a lot of stuff going on there. I should try to play around with mix, meaning some should be front, some sound should be at the back (softer). This way I will create more space for the sound, otherwise, things become too crowded. The lecturer said the sound elements are there, it's just the mix.

After that, I did another attempt for the forest laboratory. Mr. Razif said like the loud sound of the engine machine working in a laser laboratory, I should also make the engine roaming. The bubbles sound were too loud and he expected more activities in the environment. 

So for my final outcome, I then tried to make the audio of the forest laboratory goes in a circle or around. I worked and divided the sounds of the both laboratories into main sounds and minor sounds. For the main sound, you can listen to the loudest sound you can hear and kept going on through the end of the video. Meanwhile, for the minor sounds, you might not be able to sound it as clear as the main sound, however, the sound is still there.

Fig 2.3

Laboratory Process

Fig 2.4

Laser Laboratory Process

Here is my final outcome of Forest Laboratory:

Forest Laboratory
Here is my final outcome of Laser Laboratory:

Laser Laboratory

Week 3

For our next exercise, Mr. Razif wanted us to record our own voice through a script he gave us on Discord. I read the lines written on the web about a honeymoon event and send it to the lecturer. 

For some of my classmates, they have background noises so they needed to edit the sounds with capturing noise print, and noise reduction process. But for mine, Mr. Razif said that the recorded voice was very clear as in already edited, but it hasn't. So he told me that there was no problem with my recording. But he told me that I can use the lecture he gave this week to make the faint background noise more disappear.

Week 4

For this week, Mr. Razif taught us about "Bus" in Adobe Audition. Based on (Larry, 2014), Bus is a special kind of audio track that collects audio from one or more tracks and sends it to the location we specify. So, multiple tracks can be controlled in one single track.

I did not use the bus effects for the rest of my exercises and projects, because my tracks are all edited one by one. Probably I would use Bus only when it's needed in a specific project.

Week 5

The next exercise, Mr. Razif showed us how to do "Automaton" in Adobe Audition. So it's like manipulating the audio from a single track and we could control the ups and downs of volume. If there are some parts we want to conceal or fade in, fade out, we are able to do it. I used this feature of Automaton for my upcoming projects.

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REFLECTIONS

EXPERIENCES

For the first exercise, I already did it in previous semesters so I'm still quite familiar with it and it's quite easy. But when it comes to the laboratories ambience sound production, I'll have to say it was quite challenging. But when Mr. Razif patiently guided me through my difficulties, I was really happy and satisfied with the final result. I learned a lot and it was so much fun.

OBSERVATION

I tried to observe more into my classmates' works, which made them different from mine and what made them good. After I compared and contrasted it, I began my own work slowly and carefully. I was not really good at making ambience sounds, so I was a bit scared to take risks haha. There were a lot of mistakes I've made in the progress too, but I also learned through my mistakes.

FINDINGS

I found out that al the exercises we did are very useful in editing sounds. Although Mr. Razif only taught us basics, but I like that he did that. Because I felt like if the lecturer gave me a material that is too advanced, I would be overwhelmed. I prefer to learn something easy and simple first then slowly progressing to the next level when I am ready.