Sonic Design/Exercises

22.4.2024 - 13.5.2024/Week 1 - Week 4
Sim Jian Xiong (0356498)
Bachelor Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Exercises

---

LECTURES 

Week 2: Sound Fundamentals and EQ

Properties of Sound

1. Pitch 

- Vibration per second of a sound wave that is measured in Hertz

- Range of human hearing is between 20Hz - 20kHz

2.Loudness

3.Timbre

- Quality of sound or music

4. Perceived Duration

5. Envelope

- How sound waves changes overtime

6. Spatialization

---

INSTRUCTIONS

---

Exercise 1: Introduction to Equalisation

For our first class, we were to match the sound of several audio files to the original audio whilst using headphones. We were told to screenshot our Parametric Equaliser graphs.

Fig 1.1 EQ 1, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Fig 1.2 EQ 2, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Fig 1.3 EQ 3, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Fig 1.4 EQ 4, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Fig 1.5 EQ 5, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Fig 1.6 EQ 6, Week 2 (3.5.2024)

Exercise 2: Using Equalisation to shape sound

Introduced to Reverb in today's tutorial, we were taught how to shape a voice line that sounds like:

1. Telephone
2. Closet
3. Walkie Talkie
4. Announcement in Stadium/Supermarket
5. Bathroom

1. Telephone 2. Closet 3. Walkie Talkie 4. Announcement in Supermarket 5. Bathroom

Exercise 3: Image

---

FEEDBACK

Week 2

Specific Feedback: EQ 1 & 2 in the right section, EQ 3 is in the wrong section

Week 3

Specific Feedback: The sound of walkie talkie needs to less sharp

General Feedback: Sometimes in the sound shaping, the sounds are exaggerated than being realistic

---

REFLECTION

Exercise 1

I spend a lot time picking the nodes blindly until I think the audio matches. It's quite difficult for me to hear out the difference in some of the audio files. Some files I can hear the differences but I couldn't adjust the right nodes into the right sections. I hope I can get at least half of them right.

Exercise 2

This exercise is quite fun. I find it funny to distort the voice line as much as I can using Reverb. On a serious note, I think this exercise is also challenging because it uses our imagination a lot. 

Exercise 3

Between the two, I think the second image with the soldiers the hardest because I don't know how to stimulate the sound of trees without making sound like rain.