Build-A-Mech SFX Pack!

Hello to all!

I have been working on a sound effect pack for a few months to help anyone in need of servo mechanical sound effects. I have created a mechanical sound effects pack inspired by the video game series Titanfall!

This sound effects pack will be constantly updated with brand new sounds for you to use! An evolving sound pack if you may think of it! All I ask for if you want to use these sound effects for your project is to give me credit. Show my name and direction to my website www.seanlewis.audio.

Follow the google drive link below to get your free sound effect pack! And please stay in touch with this blog for updates on this sound pack!

FREE DOWNLOAD - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-GZN96FdZ4ndzNkYVRWUGY3TE0


NOTE: If the link above is not working please leave a comment. I will fix any directory problems as fast as I can!

Unreal Engine 4 Audio Engine Update!

Hello to all!

At GDC 2017 this year, Aaron McLeran has presented what the new audio engine that will be in the new unreal engine update 4.16! Have a seat and watch the presentation of the unveiling below:

Unreal Engine 4 - Audio Implementation Guidelines

Hello to all!

Implementing sound into Unreal Engine 4 is a challenge on its own if you are new to sound implementation. This is where looking at the online manual really helps you out! Mixing audio within the engine is something you need to learn off the bat to make sure you have balanced the audio correctly so you don't get any conflicting sounds within the engine which is very easily done. In the Unreal Engine 4 manual they have stated a baseline on how you can mix all different elements of audio within the engine itself! The audio in unreal is measured in volumes so the following numbers are what volume you should have your sounds within the game engine:

Dialogue - 1.4
Music - 0.75
Weapons - 1.1
Ambience - 0.5

To reiterate this is for mixing within the game engine. If the sound you are working with in these parameters you think are too loud or too quiet you can play with the settings in the engine to make them louder or quieter. But to stick with baseline measurements for the sake of sticking to the manual, edit your sounds in your main digital audio workspace such as reaper and pro tools.

No matter what the Audio System Overview (or what I call the Unreal Engine 4 manual) is there to help you beginners get off your feet. It is simple to follow as you are taught the basics of audio implementation there.

Unreal Engine 4 Audio System Overview - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Audio/Overview/

SFX - Unreal Engine 4 Footsteps Tutorial

Hello to all!

I have found a very helpful YouTube series that help you figure out how to implement footstep sounds into your unreal engine level! Help this creator out and subscribe to him and give him all the likes he deserves!

SFX - Recording Explosions in the UK

Hello to all!

Researching how to record explosions I came across a post from The Recordist, about creating explosion sounds from scratch. This included going to a gun store and asking for help. As you can tell from that sentence this was done in the USA and over here in the UK we cannot sell exploding pads to the general public. So I want to see how you can record explosions in the UK if you are a small freelance audio recordist.

The Recordist Article - https://therecordist.com/explosion-sounds-from-scratch/

Unless you are lucky enough to have your sound recording gear ready for a meteor hitting the earth you are not going to have a fun time trying to record explosion sound effects in the UK. You can record the sound of fireworks exploding in the sky, but you usually tend to get a crackle after the fireworks have exploded and can saturate the initial explosion sound. This is where you would have to use some sort of explosive to try and eliminate the crackle effect. However for any type of explosive here in the UK you need a license just to even store them! This is great for security here but for us audio recordists... not so good. If you plan to do this within the UK you will need to follow the guidelines of health and safety from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

These guidelines can be found here - http://www.hse.gov.uk/explosives/

To record the audio of an explosion you will have to carry out an explosion test which must be conducted in accordance with the test protocols set out in the current edition of UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. The tests must be recorded using video and full supporting evidence must be provided with the application of the explosion request.

To come to a quick conclusion, if you want to record explosion sound effects with ease, go to America. It'll also probably be cheaper.

Vehicle Recordings! - An Interview With the Best!

Hello to all!

I have found an interview from A Sound Effect which includes sound effect recording legends who go by the name Pole Position Production. Click the link below to read the interview along with some examples of their work!

https://www.asoundeffect.com/behind-the-vehicle-recordings/

My Review Of The Sound In Battlefield 1

Hello to all!
Recently, Battlefield 1 was released for Xbox, PS4 and PC and I personally cannot stop playing it. However when I am playing it, I always love how the game sounds and am shocked at how the audio department at DICE have captured the ambience of WW1 extremely well. With the release being a AAA game, you are expecting to find close to zero faults in everything. This is definitely the case when it comes to Battlefield 1 as the audio has been created so well there are virtually no errors in the world when it comes to immersion and the feel of grittiness of WW1.

With the amount of time I have put into the game I can write for an extreme amount of pages for the audio and how great it all is. However I dont want to bore you all with my ramblings. I had a gaming session with the game whilst wearing a pair of Tritton 5.1 headphones which are designed for gaming, and I took notes during this session. Below is an excerpt of what I have written about the audio for that particular session.

Session Notes

Main Menu UI sound is very minimalist and music driven which works well for the game having it be calm before the storm of WW1 arrives. When war stories is selected from the menu a nice whooshing sound is emitted that is mixed below the music and gives a nice rumble to feel like you are flying towards the stories.

War stories 1:

Low rumbles to add effect of story when each text box shows up.

Great ambience transitioning from outside to inside big bess (Tank). The sound of the inside of the tank has been well captured as to what it would sound like inside a tank in battle.

Extremely effective use of reverb when inside vehicles. When the camera view is outside the tank, you can still hear everything that is going on inside big bess. This is well translated with the use of reverb as they have made it so the cannon and gunshots sound like you are inside the tank shooting them but also have a hint of reverb from the impacts on the outside of the tank. This is possibly to give the sense of extreme realism which works very effectively to make it seem that you are there shooting the tank. When you zoom with the tank you are able to hear the differences between the outside view and the aiming view of the tank. When you are zoomed in with the tank you can hear the reverb of inside the tank clearly. The environment is also mixed to this reverb making it even more immersing being inside the tank.

When you are on foot, the use of attenuation is accurately represented with the distance you will be able to hear an enemy from. You are able to easily pinpoint enemies just by listening for footsteps or voice lines that are randomly triggered whenever you are close by. When sound designers are making sounds they have to make sure they replicate what the sound of a certain action should be without this sound being overused and becoming repetitive. This is always a hindrance when it comes to implementing sound. This is why when you are designing sounds you must make multiple of the same actions of sound, but make them sound different. This is so you have variation when you are implementing the sound into the game. The sound designers have done this with multiple surfaces and objects to make it so impact noises are correct and consistently random. These sounds are sometimes placed into more less important areas where no one would usually go and put the most suitable sound there. You are able to tell the difference if you are that specific with your audio. However in a game where everything is run and gun most of the time you don't tend to look into these tiny bits of detail that are done for time constrained circumstances.

That is just a small excerpt of notes from a session of gaming on Battlefield 1. The sound designers have done an excellent job at representing the feel of WW1 and I cannot think how I can do it any better than they already have done. There has been a podcast with lead sound designer Andreas Almstrom and audio director Bence Pajor from EA DICE in Stockholm talking about everything they did to get the sound of Battlefield 1 to be as great as it is. Check it out below and thank you for your time here on my audioventure!




Stick around for more posts soon!