Task 1 - Sound Fundamental-Exercises

 

Exercises/Audio Fundamentals

Instruction

sonic design.pdf，作者 tian dong

Exercise 1: Equalizing Audio

The teacher sent us an audio file and asked us to download it, using the audio as the material, providing the original mix and the modified mix file. We needed to compare the differences between the two and use the equalizer to adjust the frequency of the modified file to ultimately achieve consistency in timbre, clarity, etc. between the modified version and the original file. In essence, this was done through the equalizer to complete audio matching.

👇🏻 The image below shows the changes I made.

Flat

EQ 1

EQ 2

EQ 3

EQ 4

EQ 5

EQ 6

The final effect

Exercise 1 Demonstration Video

Exercise 2: Sound Shaping

Continuing with last week’s Sound Matching exercise, this week the teacher explained how to use effects like EQ and Reverb to change the spatial sense and source characteristics of a sound, making the same recording sound like it comes from different environments or devices.

We need to complete 6 sound simulations:

1. Telephone 
2. In the Closet
3. Walkie-Talkie
4. Bathroom
5. Indoor Stadium
6. Airport

1：Telephone 

The sound quality of the telephone is poor, with a narrow frequency range, lack of low frequency (bass), and slightly harsh high frequency.

The final sound

2: In the Closet

The sound in the closet is fuzzy, lacks clarity, and feels blocked.

The final sound

3: Walkie-Talkie

The frequency of the walkie-talkie is narrower, the distortion is stronger, and the volume fluctuates significantly.

The final sound

Regarding  the teacher's feedback on the sounds of In the Closet and Walkie-Talkie, the teacher listened to my two sounds and felt that my two sounds should be swapped. The sound of Walkie-Talkie is very similar to In the Closet, and the sound of In the Closet is very similar to Walkie-Talkie.

4: Bathroom

The bathroom is a small space with obvious reflections, which slightly amplifies the sound and causes a slight echo.

The first version of the bathroom sound

The teacher's feedback was that my voice sounded very similar to the sound of In the Closet. I made some improvements, and finally, with the teacher's help, I finally got the correct bathroom sound. I initially thought the bathroom sound was not indoors, but it was actually an indoor bathroom.

The final sound

Recording

5: Indoor Stadium

Indoor stadiums are extremely spacious, have pronounced reverberation, and have wide sound diffusion.

The final sound

6: Airport

The airport has a large space, a sense of delay, and a clear but weak echo.

The final sound

Exercise 3: Entering the sound space of the cave (In-class Exercise)

Conducted in class, the theme is to simulate the sound changes of "walking into a cave and coming out".

The teacher provided a voice material and asked us to use automation, EQ and reverb to express the process of the character moving in space.

The key to the exercise is to let the sound itself "tell the story": 

• When human voices enter the cave from the outside, the sounds should gradually become muffled and echoey; 

• As you exit the cave, the reverberation decreases, the high frequencies become brighter, and the sound becomes clear again.

🪜 Production steps:

I mastered the audio to make it sound more like a cave sound.

While recording the material provided by the teacher, I added natural environmental sounds to the track to reflect the sound space of walking into the cave, for example: 

• Outside the cave: the sound of wind and birds; 

• Inside the cave: low echo, sound of water dripping; 

• Use the volume to fade in and out so that "external sounds" fade away and "cave echoes" slowly appear.

Sound from freesound.org

Control volume changes (Volume Automation) 

• The volume increases slightly when the character is "closer"; 

• The volume gradually decreases as the sound “moves away”; 

• Use smooth curves to make volume changes natural, not abrupt.

Adobe Audition multi-track timeline screen recording

Export entire sounds to .wav and .mp3- document

Audio

Exercise 4: Ambient soundscape

We need to design corresponding environmental sound levels for the scene based on the two schematic diagrams provided by the teacher.

The main goal is to learn how to express spatial structure and visual focus through sound. The teacher gave some reference directions: 

• Observe the main and secondary sound sources in the picture (such as machines, water flow, wind, etc.); 

• Use different volumes and sound images (left and right channels) to express distance and position; 

• Use the BBC Sound Library or freesound.org to find suitable material; 

• Make the narrative logic of the sound clear, for example: the main unit operation sound is in the center, detailed sounds are on the edge, and the background is empty.

🪜Layer and edit in Adobe Audition:

• The first ambient soundscape

For Environment 1, I wanted to create a soundscape that highlighted the trees within the incubator and incorporated some natural sounds, while still maintaining a sci-fi, mechanical soundscape as the primary element. Because the scene was filled with mechanical structures, control consoles, and soldiers, to reduce the monotony, I wanted to create a narrative where the soldiers communicated about their patrols, operated equipment, and maintained or monitored the incubator's operational status.

Final environment sound

Final environment document

• The second ambient soundscape

For Environment 2, I had a clearer idea for the soundscape. I wanted to create a narrative, a sense of someone walking into a sci-fi factory and observing two lasers in action. Because there were two lasers in the concept art, there was a gap in the audio between them when they were activated. The overall feel was mechanical and a bit cold. Because the floor in the concept art was wet, there was the roar of large machinery, echoes, and sparse sounds of water dripping.

Final environment sound

Final environment document

 

Self-reflection

Looking back on this period of sound design training, from audio balancing and six scene simulations to cave space and ambient soundscape creation, each step refreshed my understanding of "sound narrative."

When initially simulating six sound effects, such as a telephone, wardrobe, and intercom, I focused on parameters but ignored the scene logic. I mixed up the intercom and wardrobe sounds, and made the bathroom sounds sound like the outdoors. It wasn't until my teacher's guidance that I understood that sound is the reflection of a scene's "auditory character"—the reflections of a small space, the reverberation of a large one, and the sonic details of each scene are hidden in the essence of the space.

The Equalizing Audio exercise helped me develop a "listen first, then adjust" mindset. Instead of focusing on spectrograms, I first perceive the differences in texture before taking action, truly transforming from a "tool operator" to a "sound master." The Sound Shaping exercise taught me to break down scene requirements, translating "the spacious reverberation of an indoor stadium" and "the delayed weak echo of an airport" into specific parameters, giving the sound a "narrative biography."

The cave simulation was a turning point. I learned to let sound tell its own story: upon entering the cave, the human voice gradually becomes muffled and echoes, while upon exiting, the reverberation weakens and the high frequencies brighten. I also added the sounds of wind and birds outside and water dripping inside, using fade-in and fade-out volume to create spatial dynamics. This taught me that the "entry and exit," the "strength and weakness," of sound are all narrative touches.

I was even more captivated by environmental soundscape design. When creating scenes like the sci-fi factory, I had to observe primary and secondary sound sources, using volume and image to convey distance and position. I sourced materials from a sound library and edited them in layers, centering the primary sound and framing the details, using sound to construct spatial structure and visual focus.

Although the process was frustrating with repeated revisions, each correction was a cognitive advancement. I now understand that sound design isn't about piling up technical skills, but rather a fusion of perception and narrative. In the future, I hope to apply these techniques to complete sci-fi soundscapes, allowing mechanical sounds, ambient sounds, and human voices to tell a complete story.

This learning process was like an adventure in the world of sound, with every trial and error leading to new discoveries. The universe of sound design is still vast, and I'm ready to keep exploring.