Sonic Design : Digital Sound Workstation and audio in different backgroun (Week 2)

 

 Sonic Design : Digital Sound Workstation and audio in different background.

Date : April/29/2025

Name : Mabuchi Arata

Lecture : Sonic design

ID : 0351579

1, Introduction

On the day 28th of April 2025, We had an individual work to watch the given YouTube videos about teaching Basic Sound Design tools and the importance of Sound as Background music and Sound Effect. Additionally, I was given the set of sound materials to edit to try Basic Sound Design tools too to edit the audio files.

2, Importance of Sound in any visual media

In the research, People process about 11% of information through hearing, compared to other senses. (Jeff Hurt, "Your Senses Are Your Raw Information Learning Portals", May 23rd 2012, VELVETCHAINSAW). However　 we can't underrate how important of sound effect in the multimedia. We can say that the sound effect in the any media takes really important part to express much deeper impression in the any visual media that enables to convey deeper impression to the audiens, plus it can emphasize the feelings to tell to the audiences.

YouTube Video "14 Days in MALAYSIA Vlog: Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, Cameron Highlands | Itinerary and Guide", Suitcase Monkey, 8th Jun 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2NDPhOeSfI/)

The YouTube video shown above is the clear proof of the how important to use Background music. With help of Background music, we can feel the emotion of the video, the environment of the scenes or feeling of the character in the sequence. That's why music is really important in movies. The good background music can tell audiences the impression more for every scenes to tell.

This can be also said to the concept about "Sound Effect", every background, and action must be emphasized to the audiences to show what does the background look/sound like, plus I also have to express the action with sound effect to emphasize each character's actions too. For example, we normally can't hear the sound of jumping, however. in the gae of "Super Mario Brothers" we can hear the sound of jumping while pressing A button. This is because game developers tries to emphasizes the jump by adding jumping douns. Video games use wide range of sound effect to emphasize each actions of games including moving cursor and selecting items which must be silent in reali life too. Without sound effect, total impression in the video games must be boring.

The last things to tell, even through I said that the background musinc and sound effect is important, it doesn't mean it can gets better and better if the osund gets louder and louder. You need to adjust the sound around 70~80% of the sound that you feel enough.

3, Digital Sound Workstation (DSW)

This is talking about the application to edit audio for media. In this Sonic Design modules, We're all going to use Digital Sound Workstation (DSW) well in the end of this module. The application I use in the class is called "Adobe Audition" and it works similar to the what Photoshop does to the images. Adobe Audition edits audio itself to create a new audio files in their own file format.

To make things simple, There are 4 fundamental functions for Adobe Audition exists, plus it also have one additional function to create a new audio files at all too. The functions that Adobe Audition provides for us and we all have to know at first times are shown as below.

• Layering
• Time stretching
• Pitch shifting
• Reversing

Layering

This is very similer to the What layering do in the Adobe Photoshop. In Photoshop, images are layered down in particular order to mix and blend various graphics and images to produce designer's unique images. Same things happen in the Adobe Audition that editor combines multiple audio files as layers to make a unique sound including sound effects, voices, music, etc... Each layer can have their own unique edit to change themselves in their own way such as adding effect or limiting the range of frequency as last time I did or the effect shown below.

Time stretching

Sometimes, you need to control timing for audio to match with other audio's timing. To adjusting and controling time for audio, You should use "Time stretching" it can either make the original audio much faster or slower so the speed to audio (such as how fast the audio is playing or how fast the music is). The point is that even you try to stretch or compress audio files, the pitch of original audio doesn't change at all. The function of Time Stretching is the function to either extend or shorten audio length by changing how fast of each audio length wthout changing its pitch.

E.g, if the audio file says "Good morning" and make a change in Time strength, the voice of greetings will be "Good morning" which must sound really fast without feeling higher pitch. On the other hand, the sound goes "G O O D   M O R N I N G" when you make the audio slower.

Pitch shifting

The concept about pitch can easily understand if you're playing any instrument before. This is about the fundamental ideas of all of music where the sound goes either higher or lower while you plaing any instrument.

Keys on the piano. "What is Pitch in Music?", Hoffman ACADEMY, 20th February 2025 (https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/what-is-pitch-in-music-definition-types-examples)

The same things happen in the Adobe Audion. In this time, you can change your audio's pitch without changing its length of playing.

Actually, there's some interesting point exist for adjusting pitching. There are some theories exist for pitching that may change whole impressions of audio itself. When you make the pitch for audio higher, the sound becomes like tiny cute animals, on the other hand, when you make the pitch lower, the sound becomes like large scary monster.

Reversing

This is very unique function of Digital Sound Workstation (DSW) which laying audio file backwards. This means "playing audio from the end to the start". This makes the impression of sound very weird.

Mouth it!

When you can't find any good audio, this is the last thing you should do it. Make it by your own by say anything! In the DSW, there is a function to record your voice. Even Adobe Audion have it, so you should use it to record your voice sample to edit in your computer

4, My audio sample.

As far I've learnt so far, Here is my sample of the audio edition to use every function beside voice recording in digital sound workstation (Adobe Audition).

In the class, I studies about the equalizer and audio dalay to edit the sound as if it is played different location. Each of the sound in environment has different charactersitics and I have to analyse each of them.
※Due to some technical issues, I have no any audio video and I am just apply the link to Google drive for these works.

1, Week 2 work 1 (Telephone sound).mp3.

2, Week 2 work 2 (Inside of closet sound).mp3

3, Week 2 work 4 (Walkie talkie sound (2)).mp3

4, Week 2 work 5 (Bathroom sound).mp3

5, Week 2 work 6 (Outdoor stadium sound).mp3

6, Week 2 work 7 (Airport sound).mp3

7, Week 2 work 7 (Into the cave).mp3

8, Week 2 work 8(Plane passing).mp3