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!

Diving Into Virtual Reality Audio!

Hello all!

Virtual Reality (VR) looks like it can become something amazing in the upcoming years and there are many parts of it that are still being explored. New technologies for VR are being made constantly. Oculus, HTC and Sony, have all jumped on the VR bandwagon. With new visual technologies being built however, audio is sought for in the VR space to immerse the player into the environment they are expected to be a part of.

There will be many blog posts in the coming weeks about some technologies that I will find that will interest anyone who wants to delve deeper into the depths of Virtual Reality.

Today I have found a microphone that has been called the "Ultimate Virtual Reality package." (Ramsey, 2016). The PIANI-SPS200 recording package has the ability to record in surround sound whilst being able to record a minimal amount of handling and wind noise. The microphone automatically records into what is called B-format. B-format is a audio file tape that is most commonly used in Virtual reality applications. This format in simple terms allows you to be able to control the sound that has the format within a 3D space, which when implementing into a Virtual Reality experience, is pretty handy.

An article from Audio Media International included a quote from the manufacturer which stated the following:

"As virtual reality continues to grow in popularity, users will expect the highest quality to keep them believing in their virtual environment. We believe that the combination of the SoundField SPS200 and the Pianissimo windshield is an ideal solution to create the immersive sound needed for VR."

This is already a big step for Virtual Reality and it is only going to grow in both popularity and technical aspects. Keep updated with the Virtual Reality Audio game right here on my audioventure!

-Sean Lewis

(Also I am still working on some projects that are taking a bit longer than usual. Keep updated both here and on www.seanlewis.audio for more!)


References:

Broadcast Production Equipment - TSL Products. (2016). TSL Products. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from http://www.tslproducts.com/

Cinela - Cinema, Electronics, Acoustics. (2016). Cinela.fr. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from http://www.cinela.fr/

TSL and Cinela introduce new VR recording package . (2016).Audiomediainternational.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016, from http://www.audiomediainternational.com/new-gear/tsl-and-cinela-introduce-new-vr-recording-package/05937

New Website Colour Theme and work piece!

Hello to you all!

I have been updating my website according to feedback from myself and many others. I have decided to take away the darkness of the website and brighten it up with a nice orange, white and light grey colour theme as this looks much better than just having a very dull background.

I have also uploaded a brand new project that I have been working on and can finally release to you all! It is a short horror film called The White Lady and the on set and production audio was done by both me and my friend Chris Tamblin! Take a look at the website for more information on that!

There are more workpieces coming to the website to keep updated  on my audioventure on this blog, my website and via my twitter - @Seanmlp.

Thank you for your time :)

-Sean