Sound Design: Introduction

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-OREOVERIFYOUCANLEARNSOMEMOREIN DEPTHSOUNDDESIGNTECHNIQUESTHEN YOUAREWELLONYOURWAYTOWARDESTABLISHINGYOUROWNsonic identityWHICHIS INVALUABLEIFYOUWANTTOSTARTBUILDINGABRANDOFYOUROWN4HEREAREMORE THAN A FEW REMIXERSWHOHAVE hSIGNATUREv SOUNDS AND UNLESS YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGHTOSTUMBLEACROSSAPRESETSOUNDTHAThasn’tALREADYBEENUSEDTODEATH AND SUITS THE GENRE YOURE WORKING IN YOUWILL PROBABLY BE WELL ADVISED TO INVESTALITTLETIMEINLEARNINGSOMEOFTHETECHNIQUESDETAILEDLATER4HISWILL BENElT YOUMORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE BUT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED AS PEOPLE WANTTOGETSTRAIGHTDOWNTOTHEPROCESSOFACTUALLYMAKINGTRACKS

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OFACARDOORCLOSING$OYOUHEARAhNOTEv0ROBABLYNOT"UTTHERE isSTILLA PITCHTOTHESOUNDANDASSUCHITFALLSINLINEWITHTHEOTHERSOUNDSHERE

4HEMAINDIFFERENCEBETWEENTHETYPESOFSOUNDSDESCRIBEDPREVIOUSLYCOMES FROMHOWOBVIOUSTHATNOTEIS!NDTHATISDETERMINEDBYTHEHARMONICCON TENT OF THE SOUND!NY SOUND YOUHEAR ISMADEUPOF A COLLECTIONOF DIFFER ENT FREQUENCIESOF VARYING LEVELS ANDDURATIONS4HINKOF ANORCHESTRA7HEN YOULISTENTOAPIECEOFORCHESTRALMUSICYOUHEAR THEOVERALLSOUND"UT THAT ISMADEUPOFMANYDIFFERENTCOMPONENTS3OMETIMESYOUCANEASILYPICKOUT A mUTE OR A CELLO ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE PLAYING DISTINCTMELODIC PHRASES "UT IMAGINEEVERY INSTRUMENT IN THEORCHESTRAPLAYING THESAMENOTEAT THESAME TIME$OYOUTHINKITWOULDBEEASYTOPICKOUTAPARTICULARINSTRUMENTNOW 0ROBABLYNOT7HENALL THE INSTRUMENTSAREPLAYING THESAMENOTE INUNISON ITBECOMESMUCHHARDERTOTELLWHATISMAKINGUPTHESOUND!LLOFTHEINDI VIDUALINSTRUMENTSTENDTOMERGEINTOTHESOUNDASAWHOLE!NDTHISISWHAT HAPPENSWITHINEVERYSOUNDYOUHEAR

!NY PITCHED SOUND WILL HAVE WHAT IS CALLED A fundamental frequency WHICH DETERMINES THEPERCEIVEDPITCHOF THE SOUND,OWER FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCIES MAKELOWERPITCHEDSOUNDSWHILEHIGHERFUNDAMENTALFREQUENCIESMAKEHIGHER PITCHEDSOUNDS"UT THEREAREWITH THEEXCEPTIONOFONESPECIALCASE ALWAYS OTHERFREQUENCIESBEINGHEARDATTHESAMETIMEANDITISTHEBALANCEBETWEEN THESEotherFREQUENCIESTHATGIVESTHESOUNDITSCHARACTER4HESEOTHERFREQUEN CIESFALLINTOONEOFTHREECATEGORIESMATHEMATICALLYRELATEDFREQUENCIESMATH EMATICALLYUNRELATEDFREQUENCIESANDNOISECOMPONENTS

&REQUENCIES THAT ARE MATHEMATICALLY RELATED ARE WHOLE NUMBER MULTIPLES OF THE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY CALLEDharmonics %ACHHARMONIC IS AMULTIPLEOF THEFUNDAMENTALFREQUENCY)FWEASSUMETHATASOUNDHASAFUNDAMENTALFRE QUENCY OF (Z THEN IT WILL HAVE HARMONIC FREQUENCIES OF (Z (Z (Z(ZANDSOONBEINGMULTIPLESOFANDOFTHEFUNDAMEN TALFREQUENCYINTHISCASE )NTHEORYTHESEHARMONICSCANBEANINlNITESERIES BUT FORALLPRACTICALPURPOSESWEARENOTCONCERNEDWITHHARMONICS THATARE OUTOFTHERANGEOFHUMANHEARING

&REQUENCIES THAT ARE MATHEMATICALLY UNRELATED AT LEAST IN TERMS OF WHOLE NUMBERMULTIPLES AREOFTENCALLED inharmonic spectra4HESE FREQUENCIESARE OFTEN PRESENT IN SOUNDS WE DESCRIBE AS hMETALLICv 4HESE KINDS OF SOUNDS OFTENSOUNDhGRATINGvANDCANBEUNPLEASANT"UT inharmonic spectraAREJUST AS IMPORTANTASNORMALHARMONICS INCREATINGSOMEOF THEMORE INTERESTING SOUNDSYOUHEAR

&INALLYWEHAVENOISE COMPONENTS )N THEORYPURE hWHITENOISEv IS A SOUND THAT CONTAINS SPECTRAL HARMONIC CONTENT THAT IS EQUALLY BALANCED ACROSS ALL FREQUENCIES !S SUCH IT DOESNT HAVE A DOMINANT FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY "ECAUSEOFTHISYOUMIGHTNOTSEETHEUSEFORITINSOUNDDESIGN"UTITISexactly THIS RANDOM NATURE OF THE SOUND THAT CANMAKE IT USEFUL IN CREATING REALIS TIC PERCUSSIVE SOUNDS AND FOR ADDING REALISM TO ANY SOUNDS THAT ATTEMPT TO

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