SOUND DESIGN
A n i m a M u n d i
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As part of our vertical slice development, it's important to focus on sound design. This will consist of a unique soundtrack and sound effects for Anima Mundi.
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Our team focuses on achieving game engagement and immersion through visuals and audio, as well as providing players with a comforting and tranquil experience.
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To prepare myself for development I have written a variety of different blogs to benefit the way I do this. I have researched into Sound Design and Game engagement which has influenced my development process and provided me with new knowledge.
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To begin the sound design for Anima Mundi I will be using my previous blog post research to assist me:
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This can be found here: Blogs > Sound
REQUIREMENTS
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SOUND REQUIREMENTS FOR OUR VERTICAL SLICE:
(Referring to our Project Scope)
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Soundtrack - to be placed behind the game, to create the games atmosphere and depict a certain mood.​
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Sound Effects - to represent environmental sounds and player interactions. This will include:
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Player jump
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Gust swoosh
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Boulder drop
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Birds chirping
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Chimes/panpipe sounds
WHERE DO I BEGIN? - SOUND EFFECTS
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I will begin by sourcing the sound effects online as I am aware of a website that has a wide selection that would be great for Anima Mundi.
SOUND REFERENCE
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After visiting a viewpoint in Southampton earlier this year, I came across interactive windchimes! I had to experiment with them and recorded this as research for the process:
WEBSITE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/search/
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Epidemic Sound
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Epidemic Sound have a wide range of sound effects and soundtracks with the feature to search tags and find music in relation to them.
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For the purpose of Anima Mundi I will be using Epidemic Sound to find the required sound effects for our vertical slice. I will then compose the soundtrack by using my inspiration from other games and by using the software Garageband and Logic Pro X.
I'd recommend small development teams using this website to source audio to use in their games! Their sounds are also available for use in film. Users have the opportunity to find their sound through a specific mood, genre or album.
PROCESS
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I began by using the 'Sound Effects' and 'Featured List' to identify the sound effects relevant to Anima Mundi. I then used the search bar to search tags that may be relevant to the sound effect I needed. This included 'wind', 'gust' and 'swoosh'.
TAGS USED
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Gust
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Wind
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Swoosh
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Boulder
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Boulder drop
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Rock
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Boulder Impact
PROCESS
In order to find the best fitting sound effect for Anima Mundi, I created a playlist called "Anima Mundi" and listened to a wide range of effects with similar tags. From this I was able to identify my favourites and place them into my playlist to later choose from.
ISSUES THAT AROSE
Most of the sound effects were not what I had in mind and I struggled to find ones that worked well for what we expected in our vertical slice. However, I persevered and collected a range of effects to fulfill the requirements. I was not able to source all of the sound effects needed therefore had to come up with another solution in order to do so.
SOUND SELECTION PROCESS
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Using this website I was able to source sounds for the boulder drop, 'Morning birds' chirping, 'swoosh' to represent the gust of wind ability and windchimes/panpipes. Creating a playlist was a very useful feature from Epidemic because I was able to listen to my chosen sounds a few times before downloading my preferred choices.
I have downloaded the sound effects accordingly and created a file for Sound which I will forward to Kiera when the soundtrack is also complete. However, I am still missing a few sound effects which I will source from another location.
SOURCED EFFECTS
To be played with gust animation.
To be played after boulder impact.
Spring birds to play throughout.
To be played after the gust is used during the panpipe puzzle.
SOURCING NEW SOUND EFFECTS
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The sound chimes I previously found did not fit the exact requirements for the panpipe puzzle interaction, therefore I used Youtube to source another audio file. After sourcing the sounds needed I downloaded the audio via youtube converter and used MP4 converter to convert these files into MP3 which are accepted by Unity.
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NEW SOURCED EFFECTS
Via Youtube I was able to source a more suitable panpipe audio effect as well as a range of gust sound effects which Kiera can experiment with in Unity and trim to the most appropriate one.
NEXT STEPS - SOUNDTRACK
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I have successfully sourced and downloaded the relevant sound effects for our vertical slice and documented them in a file ready to send to Kiera who is in charge of Unity development and incorporating audio into this.
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I will now begin to work on the Soundtrack for Anima Mundi. I will use my sound research which can be found in my 'Blog' section to influence and inspire my own composition. In this blog I found a range of soundtracks from existing games that were similar to Anima Mundi and annotated them:
WENJIA OST
LEGENDS OF ETHERNAL OST
PROCESS
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Listening to existing game soundtracks fuelled my inspiration and also influenced me to have a better idea of the kind of sound to create for Anima Mundi. I annotated and analysed the soundtracks above and took note of the way they made me feel as well as some of the instruments and techniques used. This encouraged me to think deeper about the mood of our vertical slice and the kind of atmosphere we will achieve from this.
CREATING A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST - 27th March
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I have created and shared a Spotify Playlist named 'Anima Mundi' full of songs similar to the vibe/aura of Anima Mundi. The playlist consists of both happy and sad songs and relaxation music involving nature sounds. I will listen to these songs to decide which mood fits best in our game, and from this will begin to compose my own.
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You are able to listen to my playlist here:
REASON FOR MY CHOICES
I have chosen the following songs as a result of my search into 'relaxing instrumentals' and linked this to nature, piano instrumentals and other similar music. Anima Mundi provides players with a method of escapism, virtual environment to explore and a sense of tranquility. The soundtrack I compose must reflect this, as do the songs in my Spotify playlist.
COLLABORATIVE PLAYLIST
I have made this playlist collaborative, allowing the Team to listen and add any songs they think will be useful.
NEXT STEPS
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Now I have a clearer idea for the kind of piece I will be composing for our Vertical Slice, I am going to note down my requirements in 'technical terms'. I am Grade 5 in Piano and therefore have a bit of knowledge when it comes to piano techniques and composition. I also have experience using both Garageband and Logic however this will be a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge.
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In order to broaden this knowledge I am going to refresh my memory and watch a short introduction to Logic video:
NOTES
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File > Bounce to complete track
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Preferences > Audio > Select output and input device.
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Software Instrument and External MIDI instruments.
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Use Edit window to edit Piano roll/adjust score.
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Pre-recorded song - adjust tempo.
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Use piano roll to move notes around, shorten or lengthen them and adjust octaves.
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Draw in new note by using Command.
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Inspector view - option to quantize (tempo)
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Cycle function to keep basic melody or chords on loop - allows for experimentation and ability to record during this time.
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Piano roll window - Quantize - Highlight all notes, Q to quantize and adjust tempo/quantization.
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Pull up or down notes to increase and decrease velocity.
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Mix - add audio effects e.g. EQ
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File > Bounce > Stereo file to share online.
COMPOSING THE SOUNDTRACK
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REQUIREMENTS IN TECHNICAL TERMS:
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Piano
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Potentially soft strings
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Chimes
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Use of Major Scale to create a happy and uplifting mood
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No minor notes!
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Diminuendo to fade out track and to create a light an airy feel
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Moderato - moderate speed, not too slow or too fast
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Tenuto - sustain notes, hold notes for a long period of time
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Rubato - to create tension. Refers to 'expressive and rhythmic freedom'.
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Grazioso - graceful and elegant style
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Leggiero - play light and delicately
TAKING THIS INTO GARAGEBAND​
Now I am aware of the requirements needed for the soundtrack and to fulfill the vertical slice I can begin my composition. I will use the requirements above to guide my creation of the piece and experiment to create a pretty and uplifting piece.
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I will begin with Garageband as it's the simpler software of the two, allowing me to play and record easily into the program, and then adjusting things in Logic later on.
MY SET UP -
I will be using a MIDI Input Keyboard to play and record notes.
PROCESS - CHORDS​
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I began the process by experimenting with chords and using the Major Scale. The major scale is known to create a happier tone, rather than using the minor scale. To put it into more detail here are the chords I used:
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CEG
DFA
EGB
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After connecting the MIDI Keyboard I set the sound to 'Steinway Grand Piano' in order to create the effect of the sound I wanted. The MIDI Keyboard naturally creates a more electronic sound which doesn't suit the mood of Anima Mundi.
I played these chords on repeat with small intervals between them and recorded this to lock in my first set of chords. I then looped this in order to keep it playing for the duration of the track - this allowed me to experiment in the meantime.
PROCESS - MELODY​
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Keeping the main chords on loop I was able to experiment with the Melody. I had fun during this stage, playing around with the Major Scale and attempting to keep on tempo! The process of this was purely experimentation based, and until I created a melody which worked best. I recorded this video to demonstrate the process of 'trial and error'.
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ISSUES THAT AROSE
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I spent a lot of the time creating melodies that didn't fit or were just completely out of time and too far gone to be saved! Although I had to overcome this and continue playing a few notes to eventually form a melody which worked well.
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USING REQUIREMENTS AS REFERENCE -
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I ensured to always consider the requirements of the game, most importantly creating a soundtrack that sounded uplifting and happy. To do this I made sure to apply (in technical piano terms) Leggiero and Grazioso to my piece to reflect the light and airy region - I focused on creating a sense of peace and tranquility through these soft and delicate notes.
EDITING IN DETAIL - PIANO SCROLL​
ADJUSTING THE VELOCITY​
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To maintain this delicate feel throughout, I had to adjust the velocity of the notes by using the 'Piano Scroll' feature and reducing the velocity according to what sounded best. As you can see in the video above, the way I use the keyboard appears quite harsh, however this is the only way the software will pick up the notes! Furthermore, I used the features via the Piano Scroll to have these notes sound more light and gentle.
EXPERIMENTATION / FAILURE​
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I played the beginning of the composition to my Mum to gather some feedback as she has seen the game overview video so is aware of the kind of atmosphere and mood we are trying to achieve. Her first words were "needs chimes!". She then explained how it would sound good with chime or string sounds to reflect the Japanese theme. I thought this was a good idea so I began experimenting with different sounds in the software.
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The sound of these at first were great, and on their own created a very graceful effect, however layered with my chords and melody, didn't seem to work so well! They sounded a little out of place and almost out of tune. Because of this I decided to dismiss this idea and play on the idea of including environmental sounds e.g. nature instead - this will be my last step.
'Jitter Strings'
'Japanese String Movement'
PROCESS - EXTRAS​
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Currently the track only consists of two layers, the main melody and the chords. I plan to add in another melody and a bridge, as well as an intro and outro. I have experimented with incorporating different melodies into the piece and have kept my 'experimentation' notes to the side for potential use later on.
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I want to avoid layering too many sounds and note combinations, to ensure the track reflects the mood we would like for Anima Mundi. Less going on and a sense of space is favoured over cluttered notes and overwhelming sound.
BRIDGE
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I have created the 'bridge' by incorporating the full C Major scale with an increase in notes. The bridge is essentially the part that combines two other parts together! I split the chords and melody in two, to avoid it getting too repetitive and to keep players engaged. This short video demonstrates how I did this, by looping the main chords and managing to keep in time.
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Timing is really important to ensure all parts fit together nicely and appeal to the listener! When it comes to quantizing audio and adjusting the tempo, Logic Pro is better for this therefore I will use this software for these minor adjustments.
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I have begun with Garageband because it's a simpler way to input audio and I find the whole set-up much easier than Logic.
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PROCESS - LAYERING
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I have continued with experimentation around the chords, melody and bridge, and have pieced together and intro and outro as well as another set of chords and a melody to add depth into the track.
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This allowed me to harmonise notes, increase and decrease octaves and just overall add a new sound to the piece. This prevents the composition from becoming repetitive or predictable. It's my aim to keep players/listeners interested and engaged for the full duration of the vertical slice!
WHAT DO WE HAVE SO FAR?
CHOICES FOR DESIGN
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I achieved both the intro and outro by using the same technique. For the Intro I followed the pattern of the Major Scale and reversed this for the Outro. The effect of this sounds almost like a wind-chime which is why it works really well. The sound of this is also similar to a countdown which is what players will hear just as they begin the game. The melody then begins after 3 counts of the chords to ease players into gameplay - this plays once players have become comfortable and are aware of their abilities and surroundings.
THE OUTCOME - but not final
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Before the last few adjustments in Logic, here is the soundtrack:
EVALUATION
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The overall soundtrack lasts around 1 minute long, however this will be looped during our vertical slice to continue playing until the player has completed all the necessary puzzles and lit up the environment. At this stage, the soundtrack needs adjusting in terms of tempo and velocity. There are parts of the track that are a little out of time, however this was expected for the first few takes. When I put this into Logic, I will be able to quantize the notes in order to line up with each other and to play at the same tempo, meaning everything will sound in time. I will also reduce the velocity on certain layers to create softer notes and sound more light/gentle. Additionally, I feel a great incorporation to this piece would be natural sounds, similar to the ones I sourced from Epidemic. I believe bird chirping would be the perfect addition to the composition and therefore I will implement this as my final step.
"MORNING BIRDS" sourced from Epidemic
LOGIC PRO X
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Using Logic I have adjusted the velocity and quantized each note to sound in time which sounds much better than my first version. On top of this, I have used the "Morning Birds" effect to make it seem as though there are environmental sounds coming from the players surroundings. This was a great decision as it has added another layer of sound to the piece, different to the other layers and working beautifully with the gentle sound of the Grand Piano.
Here you can access the Logic File:
EVALUATION OF THE FINAL SOUNDTRACK
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I am exceptionally happy with the outcome of my composition and I am excited to hear it played during the vertical slice! I considered the requirements at all times as well as using traditional piano techniques to achieve a sound most appropriate for Anima Mundi. The track sounds delicate and gentle yet still depicts a happy and energetic mood. The purpose for this is to encourage players during gameplay as well as keeping optimistic and positive throughout. The sound and the visuals coincide and have the same effect on the player - I learned to do this through colour theory and annotating previous game soundtracks.
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WHAT DID I DO WELL?
I used inspiration from existing soundtracks to the best of my ability. Listening and taking annotations while listening definitely helped the process of the composition as I was able to identify the kinds of techniques I wanted to include in my own piece and to focus on the mood conveyed by Anima Mundi. My process for the composition was fairly simple and I was comfortable with the way I had structured it - this is something I'll definitely use as reference for future sound design or pass down to other beginners. Due to my prior knowledge and understanding of Piano terms I was able to apply this to my own piece which also helped a significant amount in achieving the ideal mood/atmosphere for our vertical slice.
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WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
During the process I have refreshed my memory on this type of software and have also taught myself a lot about the importance of sound design! I am very pleased with the outcome and will definitely apply the same techniques learnt to other future projects. I understand the time and effort that goes into music production and next time I will definitely take this into consideration beforehand.
WHAT COULD I IMPROVE ON?
As mentioned above, time is key for music production/sound design, and next time I must leave myself more time to do this. Sound and visuals were equally as important in Anima Mundi, therefore I should have provided myself with more time to compose the main soundtrack and focus on making one which would last the whole game.
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I have completed the soundtrack in Week 12, which is also the date of hand-in/release! Next time I will definitely focus on scheduling more time to do this and allow myself to experiment with more audio effects and maybe even a wider range of instruments.
THE FINAL SOUNDTRACK
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Make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!
NEXT STEPS
I will forward the sound effects and official Anima Mundi soundtrack to Kiera ready to implement into Unity to play during our vertical slice! I will also send the final track to the team via Slack for them to hear and during playtesting, will ask for feedback from testers.
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TASKS - WEEK 12
We are coming towards the end of the project and my last few tasks will involve finalising game structure and playtesting with external testers, as well as continuing with the marketing for both Anima Mundi and Windie Games online arcade event, taking place on the 28th May.
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The documentation for this work can be found during my weekly documentation and here:
Marketing > Anima Mundi
Marketing > Windie Games