Playing samples straight through will get us there, but it sounds so much nicer if we have options to shape the sounds. A good first step is volume envelopes. In this lesson, we’ll make an attack-sustain-release (ASR) envelope and modify our sampler to use it to modulate the volume. … [Read more...]
Sunday Sound Thought 36 – Learn a Language, Be a Better Editor
As the year continues, many of these posts will be philosophical in nature. Some will be in contradiction to previous postings. These are not intended as truths or assertions, they’re merely thoughts…ideas. Think of this as stream of consciousness over a wide span… It's entirely likely that a few of you out there have heard me say this before, but... If you want to be a … [Read more...]
Monthly Theme: Failure
Failure can be scary. As artists and designers, we encounter failure regularly. At the worst of times it can even deter us from trying. How can we push past failure and come out smarter and stronger? … [Read more...]
Making a Music System – Part 1
Games and other interactive media put us in faraway worlds with unique characters, let us touch them, and delight us by showing us they know we’re there. In addition to visuals, sound effects, and gameplay, we have the unique opportunity to let people interact with the music. In this five-part, weekly tutorial series, we'll go step by step through the process of making an … [Read more...]
Taking Sound Design Concepts to Project Planning and Philosophy
From Design to realisation. Sound Design concepts should exist throughout. Photo: Pexels Sound design in VR presents any practising professional with a remarkable array of challenges as they begin, work through, and reflect on any VR projects that they work on. As designingsound.org is focussing on Pure Sound Design in the month of August, I thought I would share the … [Read more...]
Accessible Gameplay for Blind and Sighted Players – An Interview with Per Anders Östblad
With this month's theme of Pure Sound Design, there is no better time than now to talk to the creators of blind-accessible games that communicate their gameplay and stories through audio. However, must these experiences contain only audio? Per Anders Östblad—a Lecturer in Media Arts, Aesthetics and Narration at his alma-mater, The University of Skövde—doesn't think so and shows … [Read more...]
Sunday Sound Thought 35 – Room for the Imagination
As the year continues, many of these posts will be philosophical in nature. Some will be in contradiction to previous postings. These are not intended as truths or assertions, they’re merely thoughts…ideas. Think of this as stream of consciousness over a wide span… We've probably all heard some variation on the adage that "very few things can be as effective as a person's … [Read more...]