Sound Design
By the beginning of this century, sounds
had become objects that could be captured, modified or constructed
with micro-surgical precision. Using the current generation of audio
engineering tools, modern recording engineers, sound designers and
composers create sounds in ways that even the most visionary composers
of the past could scarcely dream of. Whether simulating acoustic
instruments, creating audio loops or designing abstract soundscapes,
professional sound and music engineers decisively shape each and
every sonic detail of the recordings they produce. Listen closely
to the next feature film you attend and remember that instant to
instant, every single auditory moment has been deliberately shaped,
sized and placed - from the sound of a spoken voice with background
noise to the orchestral accompaniment and sound effects.
After a preliminary examination of the nature of
timbre, human auditory perception and the most relevant psychoacoustic
phenomena, this course proceeds directly to the essential techniques
used to invent sound. Subtractive, Additive, FM (Frequency Modulation)
synthesis techniques are explored first, with later classes looking
at other methods such as Granular, Sampling and generalized Controlled
Distortion techniques. Using some of the latest generation of
Softsynths (Software Synthesizers) the Sound Design course systematically
introduces the knowledge, skills and techniques that ultimately
allow our students to confidently govern the production and presentation
of sound objects in electroacoustic space.
The course is lab supported and is also informed
by knowledge from the Recording Technology, Desktop Production,
Acoustics and Audio for Pictures courses in particular.
Course Outline
| Topic |
Format |
| Listening/Sound Objects |
Lectures/Labs |
| Auditory Perception/Psychoacoustics |
Lectures |
| Critical Listening |
Lecture/Labs |
| Timbre: Harmonic and Inharmonic Partials
|
Lectures/Labs |
| Physiology of the Ear/Localization |
Lecture |
| Fletcher-Munson Curves |
Lecture |
| The Audio Bandwidth/Hearing Acuity/Deafness |
Lectures |
| Sound and Narrative |
Lecture |
| Software and Hardware Synthesis |
Lecture |
| Additive and Subtractive Synthesis |
Lectures/Labs |
| Sampling Synthesis |
Lectures |
| Other Synthesis Techniques |
Lectures/Labs |
| Reason™ |
Lectures/Labs |
| Temperament and Equalization |
Lecture |
| Musical Use of Audio Signal Processing |
Lectures |
| History of Game Audio |
Lecture |
| Interactive Audio |
Lectures |
| ISACT Production Studio |
Lectures/Labs |
| Total Class Hours |
28 |
| Total Lab Hours |
21 |
| Course Length |
2 Semesters |
|
