Virtual Reality Device – Oculus Rift headset
The headset is offers 360 head tracking allowing the user to look around a virtual world just like in real life. The headset creates a 3D view with excellent depth, scale and parallax. Below is a video created by Oculus Rift providing more information on the headset.
Game Development Software = Unity
I didn’t have anything to do with the programming side of the game, however I thought it might be beneficial to mention which software was used to create the game. Unity is a game development software that allows the user to create 3D and 2D content. For more information on the software visit: https://unity3d.com/unity
Actor for Monster Noise:
Oliver Dyson – 3rd Year Journalism student at Lincoln University. Oliver is a good friend and has helped me out on voiceover projects before. Oliver new from past experience that he was contributing to my project for free and agreed to let me use the recordings for this project.
Budget:
Real World Budget:
Sound facilities hire (including Foley room): Around £250 per day ( Price from Howard Young at http://www.engine7.co.uk/)
Professional local Voice Actor: 2hr rate of minimum wage = £12.62
Plug-in (e.g Omnisphere) packs: £299
Overall Cost: £561
Actual Cost:
Sound Theatre = £0 (Use of University facilities)
Plug-in (e.g Omnisphere) pack: £299
Local Voice Actor = £0 (help from a friend)
Overall Cost: £299
Original Week by Week Plan
Week 1 – Meet up with that game designer to discuss project aims and objectives. Develop an understanding of the game.
Week 2 – Plan out potential sounds and discuss ideas from Rhys regarding sound development.
week 3 – Begin Foley recording for natural sounds such as foot steps.
week 4 – Complete Foley and basic room recordings
week 5 – By this week Rhys hopes to have complete a basic design of the operating room. This will allow me to start designing the sounds that will add the horror aspect to the game.
week 6 – ADR recording. I will hopefully record some voices designed to act ghostly to scare the user. I will use voice over actors that I have used for past projects.
week 7 – Mixing Foley recordings and adding any effects needed.
week 8 – Creative sound design. I will create atmospheric tracks using synths and natural recorded sounds to bring the game to life.
week 9 – Create any small sounds needed to add a horror aspect e.g sounds that you can not see like the alien that is supposed to be in the room with you.
week 10 – finalising and bouncing of all sound files
week 11 – Mixing the sound and adding them to the game
week 12 – Game testing and making sure all the sounds needed are in the game
week 13 – completion
Actual Week by Week Plan
Week 1 – Created a plan of my Audio Project two. Outlining my aims and objectives.
Week 2 – Discussed with Rhys ( the game developer) his plans for the game, outlined was his main aims and objectives were.
Week 3 – Started to develop the ideas that I had for the sound design. Also started researching Horror films/games and reading material on horror/sound design.
Week 4 – Managed to have a demo of the virtual reality device. Also started to record some Foley ideas. Game development progression slow at this point.
Week 5 – Used research such as Ric Viers ‘The Sound Effects Bible’ to create and edit my Foley. Created a monster sound from animal noises.
Week 6 – Overall game design still moving slow. Rhys decides to buy the room layout which gives me a better understanding of what objects will be in the room. I also purchased Omnisphere ( Synth Plug-in) and started to develop sounds with that.
Week 7 – Now I have seen the room layout I decided to create more Foley. Also edited and manipulated recordings using Pro Tools.
Week 8 – Researched the importance of Atmosphere building when creating Horror sound. Started to create my own atmospheres for the game. Game development starting to take more shape. I can now see the full room in a 360 view, however all objects are not included.
Week 9 + 10 – Game development progress starts to speed up. I start to finish off all the sounds that are needed for the game. I also decided to change the monster scream and re record it using research and a video by Paul Sumpter.
Week 11 – I finish of any Foley that is used in the game. Unfortunately game is still not ready for testing.
Week 12 ( and remaming weeks)- The game gets briefly tested but I feel that audio isn’t represented how I envisioned it due to mixing/placement of audio being programmed in ( trigger sounds are done by pressing keys). I decide to create a video play through of the game and add all the sound myself. Also creating my own mix.
Bibliography
Bridgett, R. (2002) The First stage of sound design is…well…er…design. Filmsound.org, [online] available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20021203014251/http://www.sound-design.org.uk/design.htm [Accessed 2nd January 2014]
Calvo, A.D. (2013) So you want to make a horror film? On jump scares and other basics of fright. Filmmaker Magazine, [online] available http://filmmakermagazine.com/76622-so-you-want-to-make-a-horror-film-on-jump-scares-and-other-basics-of-fright/#.Uy13Z63J50w [Accessed 22nd March 2014]
Designing Sound (2010) Sound Design Tutorial: Making a Scary Voice Effect (by Jim Stout) [online video] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_d9uwPj0t4 [Accessed January 20th 2014].
Garrison, M. (2011) 6 Stereo Miking Techniques you can use today. [blog entry] 19 April. Available from http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/6-stereo-miking-techniques-you-can-use-today–audio-204 [Accessed 15th March 2014]
Music Tech. (2013) Chanel Summers Interview – Game On!. http://www.musictech.net/2013/11/chanel-summers-interview/ [Accessed on 20th March 2014]
Robjohns, H. (1997) Stereo Microphone Techniques Explained, Part 1. Sound on Sound, [online] available from: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/feb97/stereomiking.html [Accessed 15th March 2014]
Robjohns, H. (1997) Stereo Microphone Techniques Explained, Part 2. Sound on Sound, [online] available https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/mar97/stereomictechs2.html [Accessed 15th March 2014]
Rollett, P. (2014) Horror Sound Design Help. [email] sent to Paul Sumpter, 10 February.
The Creators Project (2013) The Terrifying Sound Design of Dead Space 3 [online video] Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv8mkxl8fbs [Accessed 2 February 2014]
Viers, R. (2008) The Sound Effects Bible. California: Michael Wise Productions
Whittington, W. (2007) Sound Design and Science Fiction. 2nd edition. Texas: University of Texas Press.