In games we have a chance to bring characters to life unlike film and television. They can occupy their own space and exist within a more fleshed out and breathing world. Sound enhances that experience both providing key game play information and enriching the overall experience. Here I'll go into how to begin the process of creating unique character sounds that … [Read more...]
EQ as a Sound Design Tool
Ah EQ. The first type of DSP you learned how to use in school to make your sounds clean, bright, warm, etc. EQ is so much more interesting and powerful than just changing tonal balance though and I want to really focus on some of the crazy sound design we can do with an EQ, some by exploiting the DSP going on under the hood that makes an EQ work. I'll be going through some of … [Read more...]
The Invisible Character
This guest post comes to us from Natalia Saavedra Brychcy, a freelance sound designer based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, working remotely for different studios in Los Angeles and New York City. Natalia has been a sound effects editor/sound designer for over 4 years, working on a wide array of projects from all over the world. We’re in a big room, the lights … [Read more...]
Interview: Tim Borquez on using sound design for character development
With the topic of the month being “character”, I knew just the person to interview, Tim Borquez. Tim is a Supervising Sound Editor and Re-Recording mixer who owns Hacienda Post in Burbank, CA. To date Tim has won 11 Emmy Awards and 10 MPSE Golden Reel Awards. Tim has worked on shows such as The Ren and Stimpy Show, Spongebob Squarepants, The Batman, The Little … [Read more...]
Building Character With Foley
“Sound is 50 percent of the movie-going experience...” - George Lucas The Star Wars series is the perfect example to Mr. Lucas’ statement. From the sound design of the fictional spacecrafts to the lightsaber, the soundtrack of these films enhances the experience and draws audiences to the cinema. One of the most famous sounds in these films is the often-mimicked voice of Darth … [Read more...]
Capturing the Sonic Character of Costa Rica
For anyone that has spent time in Manhattan, the city has its own sonic roar that makes it uniquely identifiable as New York. Pro Sound Effects has released a library, NYC Ambisonics, which embodies this idea and really inspired me as a designer to start using and recording my own ambiences. As a sound designer, traveling has the added benefit of providing the opportunity to … [Read more...]
The Met’s Characterful Binaural Exhibition
This is an interview with Nina Diamond about a special exhibition entitled Visitors to Versailles that took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Nina is a Managing Editor and Producer in the Digital Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Previously, she created award-winning digital media for The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Her … [Read more...]