This project has been quite good for reminding me how to use FMOD and why I might prefer using Wwise in the future instead. Each soundscape I have worked on so far has been a fun way to get back into the game audio workflow, from sourcing the sounds, editing and mixing them, to presenting them (in video format).
Above are some videos of the soundscapes I have worked on so far with accompanying imagery. They do not represent how the soundscapes might sound when completely finished or presented interactively. The videos are just to give an idea of what each could sound like and the environments I am trying to convey.
As the project asset list shows, not all of the soundscapes I have worked on so far have been made into videos. I believe there is still more I can do to make them interactive and more layers could be added for further believability. For example, the battlefield soundscapes have been fun to to create but I know there are more layers and more parameters I could add such as the ferocity of a battle and different weather types. This soundscape has a lot of variables to play with that I need to work on.
The hell soundscape uses a few of the sounds I already created for the game Why You Fell. For that game I did create an FMOD project with the necessary parameters for the game but this ended up not being used for audio implementation. The project shown in the above video is just a recreation and not as detailed since it is just for the ambient soundscape. Either way it was fun to work on and try to explore my own understanding of what Hell might sound like.
The space ship soundscape is one of the more simple ones in terms of not having many parameters to play around with. Hopefully I can come up with some to add since at the moment it is just a simple ambient loop with some random snapshots and events that have varying playback rates. However I do not think this soundscape will benefit from having all of those having a parameter, at least for the moment.
The abandoned warehouse was the most recent one I created. It uses some very simple ambient loops but with more layers that I new could be interesting to play with as parameters. The Birds parameter is used to automate the volume of some bird tracks but it also works to trigger the playback of some multi-instrument tracks. This means the parameter gives the impression of a higher amount of birds or bird activity is occurring and not just them getting louder. The rain parameter is also similar. I knew I wanted there to always be dripping sounds in an abandoned warehouse, but an increase in rain helps the environment feel more alive.
As I have said, there is plenty more to work on and to refine. This project is very much a work-in-progress but it has been very helpful for refining my sound design skills. Hopefully, once more have been created I should be able to find a way to make the soundscapes an interactive experience for anyone to use. I will give more updates as that comes in order to detail my plans or approach. Let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions!
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