Time Capsule is a short 2 minute film which I found on YouTube .Using Ableton with focus on sound design and Foley work The film explores memory and the passage of time using layered sounds both diegetic and non diegetic to keep the viewer immersed in the film. My samples come from SoundQ and Loopcloud.They are of a very high quality, which make it very realistic .For example subtle textures like the denim cloth movement or the metal box and the digging were shaped using EQ8

Non-Diegetic sound and diegetic play an important part of this short film, which I was requested to do as part of my project. So I chose a couple of synths in midi and just gave little stabs to have emotional impact which created the mood for the scene, some thought it was a bit ominous but it was the direction I went for in establishing the mood for the film. I used a guitar riff at the outro of the film. The sounds function as an emotional layer guiding the viewers interpretation for what the character is feeling.

To create a sense of space and continuity I used reverb .Different types of reverb were applied for various environments. From close in the room moments, to open air and more distant spaces, adjusting parameters for different audio effects I was able to put sounds in the fore front or background ,making the film believable.

Delay effects were used for impact when the scene changed and the outro at the end.

Automation is key in all projects, and this one I used it on delay to change scenes which I am quite chuffed with .It helps with the movement of the film. Overall the piece was put together through layered background textures ,a low frequency room noise and high frequency elements like the box and the motif carefully balanced to bring the realism .

So on my breakdown explanations I will describe the processes I went through.

Working with samples and Foley opened my eyes on just how much goes into making audio for film. I know we are only touching the surface in HNC but it is very interesting. I really enjoyed this part of the course and loved using my creative my mind putting audio to film. This film has taught me a lot about reverb and and layering the sounds. Both elements are crucial for making film believable with audio. Picking the right samples I think I am not too bad at.

I used the hand held mic to record Foley with where we recorded some foot steps and material of jeans and we uploaded the files and EQ them with Ableton audio effects

It is about a youngster kid who comes up with the idea of the time capsule, grabs a toolbox putting the items in it. One of  them is the ace of spades which has significance to him. Then years down the line, he returns to dig it up 

For the ambience, drone and room noise, noise at night with the crickets and background city noise in the distance, was placed with a touch of reverb and automation to give movement 

For the first scene the primary ambience sound was the room noise which is in the scene till he goes to the field. Keeping it at between 100-900 Hz and using EQ 8 and Auto filter  

The tv in the background was automated to give a feeling of space and to fill up the scene with depth. This is a secondary sound source in the scene so as not to take away from the the actual primary action. I automated the volume to give movement and realism. With a slight use of  reverb on the return channel to give it depth and space I also used this on the room noise . 

Using the samples, and what we have learned so far in HNC 

 The motif is a sample from Loop cloud I added for emotional impact on my effects I used EQ8 a Utility, Auto Filter. I automated the Auto filter so it would come in gradually using utility to adjust the gain and delay was automated for impact.EQ8 I used high pass filter to get the right frequencies. My synth is Operator which is an FM synth ,operator  is a general term used to describe the oscillator and envelope  and it`s own dedicated amplifier and all four can interact with each other 

First made popular by the Yamaha DX in the 80`s.

(Added autofilter and an echo) 

I know that Hz and dB are so important in audio, but I don't know all the fundamentals of this yet, so my mixing is just by ear at the moment. But on watching tutorials on YouTube and PML I am at the beginning of grasping and understanding of this.  Organizing the project used colour coded tracks, group buses for effects. return tracks for shared reverb and delay processing, and I used markers for timeline sections .  I used risers and effects to move between scenes.

I used audio warping, pitch shift EQ processing, and layering multiple sounds together to help create depth and realism within the soundtrack.

 A major part of this project was using Ableton stock plug-ins and effects to shape the overall sound design 

EQ techniques are very important such as High pass filtering to remove low-end mud and rumble. Cutting muddy frequencies around 200-500Hz 

Boosting high frequencies for clarity, presence and airy feel and separating instruments within the frequency spectrum. For this, I used EQ8 which is brilliant. 

I used reverb a hell of a lot to create depth atmosphere and cinematic feel within the soundtrack. Of course different reverb  settings were applied .Larger hall type reverb on ambience to create space and tight small room  reverb to maintain clarity .Convolution reverb is good for this .Some key settings in this would be decay time pre-delay ,dry/wet balance and high frequency damping. Reverb is in almost everything we hear unless we go in to rooms that are designed for no reverb an anechoic chamber which Jim was explaining to us earlier this year . Delay effects were used to enhance my transitions by adding movement to selected parts of scene. repeated echoes, filtered delay effects to avoid frequency build-up. That can be heavy if not done right .I used ping pong in a couple of spots for some depth in stereo. Right at the end and during scene changes I used automation to increase the tension and atmosphere. Compression was used to control dynamics and improve mix balance, some of the techniques I use are glue compression, for group buses, sidechain compression for a more rhythmic style of movement and on my master bus for overall consistency. Again, threshold, ratio, attack and release were adjusted .

Automation techniques are vital and play a major part in developing movement and emotion., Volume fades, Reverb intensity, delay ,feedback, filter sweeps, panning, helps create dynamic changes throughout my soundtrack bring the realism to it

Panning was used to create stereo  width  and to improve separation between the sounds My ambient textures were slightly panned left and right  adding movement and a kind of flow .They were automated as well to do this .I did go over this project when it was handed back to me ,given advice by Kier who was very informative about what to do giving me advice on how to fix and improve . So, automation used correctly improves the cinematic feel immensely.

Arrangement was  done through out, adding tracks as I went along the time line, but I kept it as neat as possible.  I did not use the session view for arrangement but I did for the mixing  process  which focused on balancing all the elements of the soundtrack to make it sound as professional as possible. Some key aspects to this were gain staging, frequency balancing, dynamic control, stereo positioning and a bit of referencing  with the actual video on YouTube, and then of course I mastered it for the final EQ adjustments . 

The goal was to produce a clean and polished final cut ready, to export into my portfolio presentation. I tried a good bit to not overdo things to the best of my current knowledge. I am no Randy Thomm but I worked hard on this little piece and have grown to appreciate just what goes in to being a sound designer and mixer and just how much work goes into a production. Some of the challenges I came up with during this production are balancing low frequencies while not muddying the mix. Achieving the smooth transitions between the scenes I did ok on and avoiding frequencies clashes which is part of what we all do in this game. I solve these problems with the things I described above with EQ separation automation adjustments and careful arrangements techniques. 

Overall, this wee project demonstrated my ability to work with in a DAW gaining experience and developing my skills in Sound Design Mixing and Mastering Automation Audio Editing arrangement the use of plugins and critical listening. The project allowed me to apply technical and creative skills while gaining experience in, and so in conclusion this was a valuable final project that allowed me to gain knowledge in cinematic sound production. By using samples and the EQ and mixing and mastering all are brilliant first steps in my ability to use the equipment with understanding what the reason is for doing so. I am a little closer to where I want to be with Sound production and with more projects and understanding, mixing and mastering knowledge, things are looking good.

Tools and Techniques

. As the fil contained no dialogue the storytelling relied entirely on effects ambient sounds and music to communicate actions atmosphere and emotion.One of the main effects i use is EQ8 .Eq is applied to various tracks to remove unwanted frequencies. 

EQ Eight is a parametric equalizer (control each frequency band} which allows control over  frequency, gain and bandwidth across eight bands. It can be used with different filter types such as High pass, Low pass and bell to shape the tonal balance of sounds, in my video I used it in almost all my samples to get clarity and presence.

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Reverb -Used to simulate the way sound reflects off surfaces or in a physical space ,such as a hall or small room .Giving it depth atmosphere and realism .In film production and sound design reverb creates creates a specific mood or creates the appearance of sounds occurring in a particular environment

Main controls in reverb -Decay Time ,how long the reverb lasts .

Pre-Delay-sets the delay before the reverb

Size-Simulates the size of the space

Dry/wet-Balances the original sound with the reverberated sound

Damping-Controls the high frequencies fade within the reverb

These controls allow the user to shape acoustic environment and create anything from a small room to a open field. The standard reverb in live is designed to emulate natural spaces.

I used convolution reverb which uses real recordings of spaces to recreate the acoustic characteristics. This is done by taking an Impulse Response which is sonic fingerprint of a room or hall for example

Careful attention was given to balancing all audio elements to ensure clarity and cohesion because there is no dialogue to guide the narrative .