Today is our fourth lesson in the music studio. Now that we've had the introductions to all the hardware and software we move on to planning the sound that will be used in the final animation.
For my animation I have to consider three aspects of the sound that I will be adding. The first is the music, because the animation itself will be fairly uneventful, just panning cameras around the buildings, there will be a lot of silence throughout the animation. The choice of music for my animation is key, as it needs to suit the animation and not seem out of place. As the nature of the animation is rather placid, heavy and fast paced music will not go very well. My choice for music will probably be something quite calm and soothing, maybe involving an acoustic guitar. The music would also preferably be an instrumental, as singing could clash with any sounds or speech playing at the same time. An example of the sort of music I have in mind could be this:
Rush - Hope
The next aspect of sound I need to consider is narration. As well as the animation itself for showing the buildings, there is also other information about the building that cannot be shown visually in the animation, such as it's history. There is the option of overlaying text across the animation but that could cause disruption and ruin the animation, so the alternative would be to get voice actors to do a narration. This narration could be recorded by me, another student or even one of the people involved with the tours in Multi-Story-Water.
The last aspect of sound to consider is sounds actually happening within the world of the animation. This will most likely involve only ambient sounds such as birds tweeting and the muttering and footsteps of people below. Other parts of the sound that could be considered are the sounds produced from specific events happening within the animation, although there would be very little because of the small amount of things that happen. Here are some examples of the sounds that could be used in the animation:
Today we had our second lesson in the music studio. This time we were working with a program called Reason, a digital music workstation program for creating and editing music. The first thing we learned was how to create a drumbeat using Redrum, one of the devices you can load into Reason. We started off by selecting from a handful of different drum sets, such as "Rock Drum Set" and "Hip Hop Drum Set". After selecting a drum set, we then moved on to the different "Channels". Each one of these channels contained a sample of the drum set, such as the snare drum or a cymbal. Once a channel was selected we were able to click on little blocks at the bottom of the device. Each one of those blocks are called "steps" and represented a particular moment in time during the looped sequence. Once a step was highlighted, the sample would play at the point where the step was highlighted. After doing the same with other channels, the sequence can be played with all the channels at once. Using a knob labelled "Resolution", you could control the speed/tempo of the drum beat. There were also many other controllers that effected many different aspects of each channel, although I didn't use many of them. Overall, I wasn't very good at using this and the only decent sounding drum beat I could create was very simple, using only 3 or 4 channels. The next thing we moved onto was using the synthesisers to create a tune. First we opened two devices called Malström and Matrix. The Malström device was used to provide the sounds, having a vast library of noises to choose from. The Matrix device was a pattern sequencer used to control the Malström device. Using the two devices together we could input notes along the steps in the Matrix device and it would play the notes using the currently selected sounds in Malström. Same as the Redrum device, the matrix device had a "Resolution" controller, making it possible to control the speed of the synthesised tune too. On the Malström device, as well as the selection of the sound, there were also many controllers that could be used to effect the currently selected sound as well as the possibility of combining it with another sound. Once again, I wasn't very good at using this and most of my tunes came from randomly placing notes and hoping they sounded good. On a whole, the lesson has been an interesting one and I've learnt a bit about how to use this software. I may use this program when creating some of the sounds for my final animation, however considering my current ability in using this software and my dislike of using it, I will probably use it very little.
Today we had our first lesson in the Music Studio. We learned about using microphones to record voices and sounds, then learnt how to take those recordings and edit them using a program called Audacity.
First we got given a microphone each and a cord to go with it and got shown which end attached where. After being given the cord we were told how not to wind it up, because the way shown could tear the wires inside the cord. We then got shown how to plug the microphone into and operate a soundboard. We then opened a program called Audacity, that we could use to record sounds and edit them by cutting them up and applying effects.
Using the microphone, my voice and the things around me, I created a sequence of sound effects to tell a small story.
The story is from the perspective of a person walking into a building where, unbeknownst to him, lurks a deadly beast. It starts off with a door creaking open, then shut and slamming as it did. To create the creaking sound I used the chair I was sat on, by leaning back and making it creak. To create the sound of the door slamming I first tried thumping the table, however it didn't sound very good as it sounded a little more like a slap. To correct this instead of hitting the table directly, I covered my hand with my sleeve, removing the "slapping" sound that occurred the first time. The second part of the sequence was footsteps along a wooden floor. To do this I tried using my fingers, tapping against the table. The first time I tried, it sounded a little too sharp, so the second time I didn't use the tips of my fingers, instead I used the softer parts of my fingers. To create a better atmosphere I applied a "delay" effect to the sounds to make it echo. The next part of the story is a growling beast in the distance. To create this growl, I just growled myself. As the growl starts the footsteps of the intruder stop, and then once the growl is over they start again, but much more rapid and louder. For these footsteps I used the heel of my palm rather than my fingers, to make it sound more like running than walking. The door then creaks open again and slams even louder. For these sounds I just reused the first ones, except the creaking was sped up using the "Change Speed" effect and the slam was made louder using the "Amplify" effect. After the door slams, the intruder is left outside panting for breath with his heart pounding loudly. To create the breathing sounds I just imitated the sound of panting myself. It took a few tries to get this right, as breathing on the microphone directly sounds terrible, almost like a gust of wind. The sound of the heart beat was done the same way I created the sound of the running footsteps, except I covered up my palm with my sleeve and made the thumps in groups of two, like a heartbeat does.
I have found the use of the things around me to imitate sounds very interesting and the use of the effects in Audacity makes it easier to get the sounds you want without going out of your way to record them. Overall I have good hopes for using this hardware and software to create sound effects and music for our 3D animations. Another piece of hardware we got told about was a portable recorder. This should aid us in being able to record sounds away from the studio. For example we could go down to the weir on the river to record the sound of rushing water or we could record footsteps on different surfaces, such as gravel and concrete.
Sound is a very important aspect in games and is often a rather overlooked part of video games. It has many purposes from increasing the immersion and realism of the game, to inducing emotions in the player. When playing a game you are constantly hearing different sounds, things like footsteps, explosions, dialogue and many more. All these sounds are important to the environment of a game, it makes the game more realistic and makes the player feel more in the action. Sound is also used for events, to induce emotions in the player. One example of this could be in a horror game. There are often creepy sounds coming from unseen places, that without would make the game much less scary and tense.
As well as the sound coming from the game environment itself, there is also often music that accompanies them. Music in games is very important and can be used in many different ways. It can induce emotions in the player and also set the mood of the location or event in a game. An example of music being used to induce emotions could be at a sad moment within a game, there will more than likely be sad music playing at the same time. Music is also used as an extension of the visual aspects and locations of the game, so if there was a scene set in a foreign land, the music will often sound foreign too.
In order to put sounds into a game, first they have to be recorded, that is the job of a Foley artist. In order to create these sounds, the Foley artist will often record or recreate the event itself, however they will also have to come up with quite creative ways of gaining some sounds. One example of this is the sound of feet treading in the snow. Snow isn't always available, so the sound has to be simulated using something else. One common way of creating this sound is by crushing corn starch within a leather pouch. The event it is representing is rather different to how the sound was obtained, however when playing the sound over a video of the event happening, it would be very hard to hear the difference. Sometimes the original sounds recorded will sound nothing like the event it is intended for and will be manipulated using computer software.
What is sound?
Sound is vibrations. It travels through air but it can also travel through other mediums, both liquids and solids. The vibrations are transferred by being passed on from particle to particle. When these vibrations meet your ear they travel through the ear to the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with fluid and when the vibrations reach it, they transfer to little hairs that are connected to the auditory nerve. The vibrations are then converted into nerve impulses which are sent to the brain where you perceive them as sound.
Waveform Properties
Sound travels in waves. There are a few aspects to these waves that affect how the sound is heard.
One aspect of the wave is it's amplitude. This is the height of each wave and determines how loud the sound is. The higher the amplitude the louder the sound will be. Amplitude is measured by the amount of force it applies to an area. The most commonly used unit for this measurement is decibels, however it is also measured in newtons per square meter (N/m2).
Another aspect of the wave is it's length. The wavelength is the length of each wave and is the main aspect that effects the pitch of the sound. The shorter the wavelength, the higher pitched the sound will be. Wavelength is measured in normal units of distance measurement.
Another aspect of the wave is it's speed. The wave speed is the speed at which the sound travels and has an affect on the pitch of the sound. The speed of the waves is determined by the density of the medium the vibrations are travelling through. For example, sound travelling through air will travel slower than a sound travelling through water.
The fourth and last aspect of sound waves is the frequency. Frequency is the number of waves per second and is affected by both the wavelength and the wave speed. It is the main way of displaying the pitch of a sound, the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. The unit of measurement of frequency is Hertz (Hz).
All music has emotions and connotations attached to it. When you listen to music it can make you sad, happy, angry and many other emotions. Different people also experience different emotions from the same song. One song that might make one person feel sadness, another person might feel calmed by it. Also with music, people often envision what would be accompanied with the music, a visual representation of the song. Some songs sound almost as if they're from adventure films, the music sounds as if it's going on a journey. Other songs could be considered almost like fighting music, music that is fast paced and heavy, that would suit a fighting game. As well as the music itself, the lyrics will often induce emotions in the listener. The lyrics could tell a sad story, or it could be something uplifting and jolly.
I have chosen to focus my attention on songs by the band Rush. The reason for this is the depth of the stories within their songs. Many of their greatest songs are not only musically brilliant, but each and everyone has some story to tell, whether it be set in the future after some form of apocalypse or set in a medieval world with dragons and necromancers.
Rush - 2112
The first part, Overture, has no particular meaning, however many people believe this part represents the rise of the Solar Federation.
The second part, The Temples of Syrinx, is the introduction of 'The Priests'. They talk about what they have done for mankind as if they have done good, but they haven't they disguise their oppression as if it is all for the benefit of mankind. Nearly all of this part of the song is heavy rock, so that coupled with what 'The Priests' are saying makes the listener angry.
The third part, Discovery, is about the protagonist finding a guitar and learning to play it. The part starts off as very simple and basic guitar playing and then it gradually increases in it's complexity. This part is one of the few parts that actually has happy moments. The discovery of the guitar and how happy it makes the protagonist effects the listener too.
The fourth part, Presentation, is when the protagonist presents the guitar and the music to the priests. The priests strongly reject the guitar and the music. The protagonist then attempts to explain that the music will bring beauty and happiness to the world. The priests are angered by the protagonist and Father Brown stomps on the guitar, destroying it. This part evokes both anger and sadness in the listener. The anger comes from what the priest has just done, he destroyed one of the only things that the protagonist found important. The sadness is for the protagonist, what is he going to do now? He just lost the guitar, the one thing that brought him happiness.
The fifth part, Oracle: The Dream, the protagonist goes home and has a vision, that he thinks is a dream, of the past and future. An oracle shows him what the world and it's society were like before the rise of the Federation, when people had freedom and creativity. He then realises that his life has no meaning without these things. This part increases the sadness of the song, the protagonist discovering that the world hasn't always been how he knows it and that it used to be so much better.
The sixth part, Soliloquy, is when the protagonist goes back to the cave where he found the guitar and broods for days. He imagines his life in the old world that he had seen and now looks at his life in the world under the Federation as cold and empty. He then comes to the conclusion that to "pass into the world of my dream" he must take his own life. This is probably the pinnacle of sadness in the song. Not only is the sadness of the protagonist being transferred to the listener, but then when the protagonist kills himself because of it, makes it even sadder.
The seventh and last part, Grand Finale, is another upbeat, heavy rock instrumental. Like Overture, this part also has no particular meaning. Many people see this part as the Humans, who originally evacuated Earth, returning to take it back. The reason this part is often thought as Earth being reclaimed is by the only few lyrics in this part, which are:
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation We have assumed control We have assumed control We have assumed control
This shows that someone does come and take over Earth and even though it has never been officially confirmed, a few of the band members have mention that the intention of the last part was the return of the humans who had evacuated. This is also very upsetting, the protagonist has just taken his own life and now, the world he wanted to live in might only be around the corner. But it could also be considered happy as well, the remaining humans could be getting back the world how it used to be and the priests are most likely to get what they deserve for their years of oppression and intolerance.
As well as the story itself inducing emotions, other aspects also make the song much more powerful. One aspect is from the voice of the lead singer, Geddy Lee. He changes his voice depending on which characters he's portraying. When representing the protagonist his voice is gentle and low pitched and when representing the priests his voice is harsh and high pitched. In his voice you can clearly hear the different emotions going through the character being represented. The one part I find the most emotional is in Soliloquy, when the protagonist thinks about his life and how he no longer values living in the world. The lyrics are:
Just think of what my life might be In a world like I have seen! I don't think I can carry on Carry on this cold and empty life
My spirits are low in the depths of despair My lifeblood... ... Spills over...
At this point the protagonist's voice has changed, where it used to be soft and gentle it has become rough and high pitched, as if he is shouting at the top of his voice in despair. Then at the end of " My lifeblood... Spills over..." His voice seems to come to a point of relief as he passes away.
Another aspect of the song is the music itself. With every voice change from Geddy Lee there is often a change in music also. When the protagonist is speaking the music is often soft and harmonious acoustic guitar playing and when the priests are speaking it is often accompanied with heavy, distorted electric guitar playing. Just like the singing the only time this pattern changes is at the end of Soliloquy, as the protagonist comes to the point of suicide the music becomes much heavier and distorted and one of the main riffs of the songs that is full of the emotion of the song comes in between "Carry on this cold and empty life" and "My spirits are low in the depths of despair". This sudden change in both music and vocals displays the mental unrest within the protagonist and how much he has changed because of this.
Overall, I think this song is a very sad one, and even though there is one part that is more uplifting and happy when he finds the guitar, it just makes it even more upsetting when he loses it.
Rush - The Necromancer
The first part of the song, Into the Darkness, follows the journey of three travellers. It starts off describing their journey, the music is very calm and harmonious except for one aspect. The one aspect is a distorted electric guitar that starts off very quiet and gradually becomes louder and louder. The calm music represents the state of mind of the travellers, they feel as if it couldn't be better, there's nothing to be afraid of. The distorted electric guitar represents the Necromancer's power, becoming stronger as they get closer to him. The necromancer can see them coming and the travellers are unaware of what is to happen to them. This part is a very strange one for the listener, it first makes the listener quite calm and serene, the soft music displaying the happy adventure of the travellers. The singing at first, isn't singing at all, it is the drummer, Neil Peart, speaking the story. At first he just describes them emerging from the forest, but then the travellers make a turn southward, towards the lands of the Necromancer. Then, when the singing of Geddy Lee comes in it describes the dangers they are about to face. After the singing of Geddy Lee the electric guitar takes over with a powerful, heavy riff. This is a continuation of the journey as they make their way towards the Necromancer's lair as the danger and power of the Necromancer become stronger as they get closer. This whole part almost induces fear in the listener, what will become of the three helpless travellers?
The second part, Under the Shadow, tells the story of the three travellers unknowingly arriving inside the Necromancer's lair. The Necromancer knows that they are there and knows they are trapped. The Necromancer drains the three travellers of life, turning them into mindless spectres. The travellers now under the spell of the Necromancer, unable to resist his powers, they are locked in dungeons. The beginning of the part is once again the talking of Neil Peart, describing the travellers impending doom and the Necromancer's awareness of their presence. This part also has another high pitched electric guitar solo that represents the struggle that the travellers endure as the Necromancer turns them into spectres, displaying the torment and devastation of their minds. This part once again brings fear to the listener, but it is also accompanied with a feeling of wanting to fight. The listener feels anger towards the Necromancer, wanting to fight for the helpless travellers and prevent him from taking the travellers.
The third and final part, Return of the Prince, describes the appearance of Prince By-Tor, who has come to rescue all the spectres that have been imprisoned by the Necromancer. He kills the Necromancer who then turns into a wraith and flies away into the night in search of another land he can wreak his havoc upon. The slaying of the Necromancer releases all the people who were held captive by him, who then run free from the dungeons. All of this part is accompanied by upbeat, heavy rock, fitting well with the Prince's triumphant battle. As the singing ends the main solo of the song comes in, displaying the joy of the victorious battle over evil. This part of the song makes the listener almost want to fight, feeling as if they are in the role of the Prince, giving the Necromancer what he deserves. At the end of this part when everything has happened and the darkness is banished from the land it makes the listener almost feel a sense of pride, good has triumphed over evil.
Overall I like this song because of it's classic simplicity. The whole story of good triumphing over evil and the valiant hero is a very popular form of story, making the listener fearful for the lives of the innocent and then happy as the hero comes to the rescue.
Rush - Cygnus X-1 Duology
Book I: The Voyage
The first part, Prologue, introduces a black hole titled Cygnus X-1. All lyrics in this part are spoken by a sound engineer, Terry Brown. After the spoken part of the Prologue the rockets of a spaceship drowns out all of the music. This represents the protagonist setting off in his spaceship towards Cygnus X-1. Once the sound of the rockets die down, the bass guitar comes in with a very strange alternating tune that becomes louder and louder. Then the rest of the band joins in with drums and electric guitar, still playing strange notes and sound effects. All this strange music resembles the journey of the protagonist, through strange and alien space. This part of the song is very creepy, almost makes the listener uncomfortable, the strangeness of space being represented through the music.
The second part, Part 1, is all about the black hole, describing it and asking what would happen to someone if they were to fly in it. This part is sung very loudly and high pitched by Geddy Lee. The emotion in the lyrics show how serious this black hole is and almost bring fear to the listener.
The third part, Part 2, describes the journey of the protagonist. This part is also very high pitched, accompanied by a lot of high pitched, distorted guitar. This part also shows the seriousness, but it also has a very adventurous tone to it, making the listener feel as if they can take on the world, climb any mountain. As the protagonist is caught by the pull of the black hole and loses all control of his ship, the music changes suddenly to single, low pitched chords that match up with each syllable of the lyrics. As the lyrics fade out, Alex Lifeson, the guitarist, comes in with a wah-wah guitar solo. This represents the chaos that ensues as the black hole draws in the protagonist's ship. This part makes the listener become slightly fearful once again, the protagonist can no longer escape and will now have to face whatever the black hole has to offer.
The fourth and last part of the first book, Part 3, is a description of what happens to the protagonist as he gets drawn into the black hole. It starts off in the same fashion as the first part, with strange music but escalates into full, heavy rock. This represents the danger of the black hole and becomes louder and heavier as time goes on, displaying the protagonist getting closer to his impending doom. There are very few lyrics in this part, but it describes what happens in horrific detail:
Spinning, whirling, Still descending Like a spiral sea, Unending
Sound and fury Drowns my heart Every nerve Is torn apart....
The singing of this part brings out the emotion even more, the last line being delivered as an almost ear piercing scream. This part is probably the peak of fear for the listener, as the protagonist is pulled into the black hole and "torn apart" paints a gruesome picture. Another aspect to the ending of the song is something that most people might actually miss. During the strumming of the guitar at the end, faint heart beats can be heard in the background. This also adds to the mystery and creepiness of the song.
Book II: Hemispheres
The first part, Prelude, is mostly an instrumental. It incorporates many of the themes heard later on in the song. The style of the music is almost like some form of battle music. It starts off with the drumming and guitar at a pace similar to marching music. It then turns and is more of the kind of battle music that displays some kind of struggle between the combatants. Then the music starts to calm down and become calm and almost harmonic, but then slowly changes again to more heavy rock. Then the singing comes in describing the struggle between two gods when the world was still young. This part is actually quite calming to the listener, until near the end where it becomes a lot more fast paced and heavy.
The second part, Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom, which describes the one side of the battle. This side is the left hemisphere, the ones that think logically. Apollo had shown people to build cities and gain understanding of science and knowledge. It then describes how many of them went missing, so Apollo consulted with the wise men and went in search for the ones they had lost. At the end of this part is a guitar solo that represents the people travelling to the forests of Dionysus and discovering why all the people had disappeared.
The third part, Dionysus: Bringer of Love, describes the other side in the battle. This side is the right hemisphere, the people who are creative and sensitive. Dionysus lured many people away from Apollo into the forests and provided them with love. This section describes how many of the people who were once part of Apollo's society were drawn away from them to join Dionysus. Many of the people were much happier but without Apollo they no longer had the safety and advances, so when winter came it brought starvation. These last two parts display the two societies of opposite extremes. Neither of them can survive without the other, but both gods are too stubborn to accept that. The two parts make the listener angry, with the music always heavy, aggressive rock and the lyrics talking about the two gods.
The forth part, Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind, describes the battle that ensues and the entrance of the protagonist from Book I. The first two verses describe the battle and the hopelessness of it all. The way that all these people are fighting for no reason at all. The music at this point has become very battle-like again, as Geddy Lee sings about what has happened. This makes the listener again angry, why are they fighting over something so trivial? Both of the god's judgement has been clouded by hatred for the other. The last verse is the entrance of the protagonist, the music has slowed down and is much calmer. He describes where he has come from and how he got there. This leaves the listener in a little state of suspense, what will the protagonist do? It also leaves the listener quite happy, the explorer has survived in one form or another.
The fifth part, Cygnus: The Bringer of Balance, tells the story of the explorer and his opinion of what he is seeing. He is deeply disturbed by what he sees, the god's taking people to battle over something completely avoidable. The explorer is now just a spirit, he has awareness and his memories but no longer has a physical presence. Being unable to do anything he gives out a silent cry. The warriors feel this cry and all stop, mystified as to what it is. He explains his story to the two gods, who look down on Olympus and are saddened by the state it has gotten into. At the end the two gods unite together and recognise the explorer as another god, naming him Cygnus, The God of Balance. This makes the listener very happy, the battle has been resolved and the explorer has become a god.
The sixth and final part, The Sphere, describes the union between the two hemispheres as it becomes a sphere. This is a wonderful conclusion to the song in which Geddy Lee describes the two sides becoming one, "sense and liberty". This is probably the peak of happiness for the listener, the world becoming one and everyone living in harmony.
Overall these two songs, Book I and II, have many different and contrasting emotions throughout. Some moments are almost moments of fear, whereas other moments are of happiness.
