The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds states that important compositional elements should be placed on the intersections that are created when the composition is divided into thirds both vertically and horizontally.

The Good and the Gross

For this post I decided to break away just a smidgen from the sound designer topic and focus on something related but still different. In my stunning Toyota Camry, I have a pair of 12" subwoofers that provide a soothing shaking effect that tends to deafen my backseat passengers and rattle my car apart. My subwoofers are four years old and have been decreasing in quality over the years. Therefore I have decided to show you two examples of subwoofers I have found: one good and one just plain gross.

Lets take the bad news first. The Audiobahn AW121T Flame Excursion is a reasonably priced subwoofer with one selling for around the $50 mark if you can find it. It seems to have been discontinued and probably for good reason. At lower volumes the AW121T can hold its own rather well. But crank that volume to more elevated levels and problems begin to erupt. The buzzing and rattling can cause headaches. Trust me here since my four year old subwoofers are having the same problem. Unfortunately these subwoofers blow out at a low wattage load as well so you many get a bang for your buck; just not the one you want. Brand new subwoofers should not be having the same problems as four year old subwoofers. This here is a problem.

But we have good news! The MTX Audio TR4512-04 is a slightly heavier and more expensive subwoofer that is worth the extra money. Now available for around $70, the TR4512 is a powerful subwoofer that can handle up to a 400 watt load. With a slightly smaller magnet than the AW121T, the TR4512 can still handle a wide variety of musical styles with ease. I think I will be choosing the TR4512 as my replacement subwoofer. Unfortunately the bank account of a college student seems to remain barren at all times. XP

Audiobahn aw121t flame excursion subwoofer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.buy.com/prod/audiobahn-aw121t-flame-excursion-subwoofer-550w-rms-1100w-pmpo/q/loc/111/203305413.html

Evans, D. (2010, March 25). Best and worst: car subwoofers. Retrieved from http://blogs.smarter.com/gadgets/2010/03/25/best-and-worst-car-subwoofers/

Mitek thunder round tr4512-04 subwoofer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.buy.com/prod/mitek-thunder-round-tr4512-04-subwoofer-250w-rms/q/loc/111/213517591.html

Love This Guy.

In my many years of video gaming, a multitude of games have crossed my path. None have been as influential as Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft saga. My personal exposure to the Warcraft games began with Warcraft III and has continued through World of Warcraft and its multiple expansions. Warcraft has always appealed to me through its epic storyline, breathtaking cinematics, and thought provoking gameplay. However I never noticed the complexity and accuracy of the sound design until I began to seriously consider sound design has a career. Through some research I happened upon the blog of Blizzard's own Kris Giampa who is now working on Diablo 3 and W.o.W Cataclysm. His blog seems to speak directly to me. His posts are extremely helpful with topics ranging from get one's own music into a video game to how to break into the industry of sound design for video games. Although the blog itself is still rather small with only a few posts, the information is amateur sound designer gold.

In his post "Native Instruments Komplete 7 - teh awezome deal," Giampa gives his positive backing to Native Instruments gargantuan sound library. This library is compatible with any DAW one could use and provides professional quality sounds at a reasonable price. Giampa also has background in the music industry with his releases under the name Red Eye. Kris Giampa's blog has made its way into my favorites and I am salivating waiting for the next post. I will be able to look at W.o.W Cataclysm in a much more analytical light knowing the background of its sound designer. Unfortunately December feels so far away..

Giampa, K. (n.d.). Kris giampa's blog. Retrieved from http://krisgiampa.wordpress.com/

Nope, Can't Hear You.

In any recording situation background noise can quickly become a problem. Completely removing background noise from a recording can become a chore that is best avoided. For example, in the previous sound design class I attended many of my fellow classmates had to redo their entire recording because the background noise from the air conditioner in the next room was too great to be removed manually. Luckily I was reminded to turn it off. Soundproofing is a vital part of any sound designer's set up that can remove headaches and future stress. I am going to touch on a few techniques and materials that can greatly reduce the amount of sound that enters or leaves a room.

The first step to effectively sound proofing a room is to take a through look at where air enters and leaves a room. This includes air vents, spaces under doors, as well as any cracks that allow for air to travels through. The trick is to make a room as air tight as possible while still allowing for needed oxygen to enter it. Next it is important to understand what materials a room is constructed from. Thin walls, floors, and ceilings can create easy access points for unwanted sounds. Oftentimes if the room is not constructed with soundproofing in mind a multitude of access points for sound to enter through are going to be present. If one is constructing a room to be sound proof extra thickness can be added to the walls as well as constructing an air chamber between two walls or two doors in order to more efficiently reduce sound.

If you are like me, the room you wish to sound proof was not built specifically for it. A plethora of sound proofing materials is available including mass loaded vinyl and "Green Glue". Mass loaded vinyl works by absorbing the sound and softening it in the process. This vinyl as well as other dense foams can be installed anywhere on a wall or even inside of one. Rubber underlayments can also be installed under the carpet or under the entire floor. Recently Green Glue has come onto the market which instead of just absorbing sound actually completely deadens it. When applied to drywall, the glue stops the drywall from resonating effectively killing the mobile sound.

Soundproofing can be quite the home improvement project but it is vital in recording excellent quality sounds. Not doing recording in a soundproof environment is just not smart in the long run. It also makes that long run a lot longer since removing background noise is a tedious and oftentimes ineffective process.

Kivi, R. (n.d.). How does sound proofing work?. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4683237_sound-proofing-work.html

Soundproofing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.soundproofingamerica.com/

Sound Engineers: A Brief Description

After all the dialogue has been recorded and the additional sound effects have been created by our exceptional Foley artist, it is time to blend these pieces together to create a finished piece. Enter the sound engineer.

The sound engineer works with mixing boards and audio consoles in order to mesh the sound effects with dialogue and oftentimes a music score to create a finished product. These engineers work with clients to create the perfect project the client is looking for. Sound engineers also pull from libraries of sound effects and ambiances to create the most realistic scene possible. (if that is what the client is looking for!) Sound engineers often have strong backgrounds in music theory as well as in audio manipulation. Most are able to play at least one instrument and have the ability to read sheet music. Of course a sound engineers personal musical preference must be set aside in order to work effectively with different types of music scores. Modern day sound engineers have been able to move away from large and unstandardized standalone D.A.Ws to D.A.W software that can be easily installed on most computers. Therefore many sound engineers must be self taught since the changing technologies of the D.A.Ws require them to keep up with the times. Keeping a hundred tracks organized in a project can cause serious headaches if the sound engineer is working with software he/she has not been exposed to yet.
Sound engineers often keep long hours, may times having to travel great distances and spend very long hours in a studio environment in order to keep clients happy. However with the potential to make big bucks as well as the chance of recognition within the industry, sound engineers are able to survive long hours and nagging clients on a daily basis.
Oftentimes individuals who are looking to enter this industry will volunteer as a runner or errand boy at a audio studio. Since experience and contacts are more important than degrees in this industry, some engineers will teach themselves and enter the field with little academic training. Speaking of audio studio errand boys yours truly is looking for a position. :D

What is a recording engineer?. (09, September 2010). Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-recording-engineer.htm

Recording engineer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.schoolsintheusa.com/careerprofiles_details.cfm?CarID=1078

Foley's Got the Right Idea

Now that some of the necessary materials required for sound design have been discussed we can look at the individual fields that make up the world of sound design. Oftentimes these vary between video game creation and film making so both of these fields will be touch on.

One of the major issues in creating sound for film is that the main production microphones are unable to pick up the subtle detail sounds that make scenes believable. Because of this, film studios may employee a Foley editor to create the detail sounds in a separate studio environment. First termed in honor of Jack Foley, these sound editors employ creative methods in order to cheaply create unique sounds without having to go to the real source of the sound. Jack Foley first used this method of sound creation during the transition from silent movies to movies that had actual sound effects. Foley and his crew created the sound effects in real time as a projection of the film progressed in front of them. Now we no longer need to create sound effects in real time since DAWs are used to break the sound effects into individual tracks that can be used where they are needed.

Foley editors work closely with the rest of the audio team during the final stages of film production. These editors are paired with Foley artists who actually bang the boards together to create gunshots or hit pieces of meat to create punching sounds. This stage can oftentimes take several weeks to even months, yet it is crucial in order to make a film believable. One can speculate that in the future more advanced microphones can eliminate the need for these Foley editors and artists.

In my browsing I stumbled across some interesting Foley solutions:
-Bird Wings Flapping- Gloves flopping back and forth
-Earthquake- Slowed Wood Cracking
-Gore- Wet Washed Leather
-Breaking Trees- Eating potato chips

Filskov, D. (n.d.). The guide to sound effects. Retrieved from http://www.epicsound.com/sfx/index.php

Sound effects. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brucevanpatter.com/sound_effects.html

Skillset. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/post_production_sound/article_4768_1.asp

D.A.W... What a Cutie.

As a sound designer one needs a way to manipulate recorded sounds and voices. Enter the DAW or Digital Audio Workstation. DAWs are used to synthesize, edit, and manipulate sound in a digital format. Early DAWs were standalone workstations with diverse interfaces that differed from workstation to workstation. Eventually these early DAWs were standardized and revamped allowing for easier use among consumers. As personal computers have become more powerful and user friendly, DAWs have moved from standalone stations to the consumers personal computer’s hard drive. With the ease of using a personal computer and the standardization of the DAW interface, the market for DAWs has exploded. As a student I have a limited knowledge of more professional grade DAWs however my personal favorite, Audacity, gives much of the power without all the confusion and price.

I am a cheap guy so nothing makes me more excited than free stuff. Topping my list of things I received for free is Audacity, a free multiplatform DAW. Audacity is an easy to use editor with a variety of editing functions including cross fading, normalizing, and noise removal to name a few. Recording is a snap as well with single click activation and the ability to record from a line-in. This allows for the recording of not just microphones but also any device that can be connected through the line-in including tapes and records. A variety of file formats is supported including wav and aiff however wma and aac are both not supported due to their ownership by Microsoft and Apple respectively. Even Audacity cannot be perfect with its inability to publish audio works. Therefore a third party publishing software needs to be used in order to publish your works.





For the price Audacity is a godsend. Other more powerful DAWs can cost you from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. I find Audacity much simpler to use in many situations as well. The learning curve for Audacity is minuscule and I highly recommend for everyone to acquire this program. Besides, it’s free so why not?

Audacity 1.2.6. (2010). Retrieved from http://podcast-software-review.toptenreviews.com/audacity-review.html

Audacity. (2008, November 11). Retrieved from http://linuxmint.com/software/?sec=item&id=1067&release=4

Digital audio workstations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/daw/daw_defined.php