Sonic Design: Exercises 3

Sonic Design | Exercises

May 9 ,2025

ZHANG XINYUE | 0369868

Sonic Design | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Interactive Spatial Design

Exercises 3/ Environment Soundscape

Week 4

EQ Envelopes work

In class, we used the multitrack feature in Adobe Audition to apply dynamic EQ processing to voice recordings. By adjusting volume fade-ins and fade-outs, reducing mid frequencies, and subtly enhancing the highs, we improved the clarity and depth of the voice, making the overall listening experience feel more natural and comfortable. 

Through this exercise, I gained a clearer understanding of how EQ envelopes work in audio mixing and realized just how important it is to pay attention to the finer details in sound design.

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Jetplane

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Environment Soundscape

For this exercise, we created an ambient sound mix based on two given environmental concept art images. We practiced editing environmental sounds to match specific scenarios depicted in the artwork. To do this, we searched for suitable royalty-free sound effects online and layered and edited them in Adobe Audition to reflect the mood and setting of each scene.

Source：https://freesound.org/

Environment 1

Story Line

The lab hums quietly as a woman types, recording data. Moments later, a man enters and powers up the experimental device. The machine whirs to life, its energy building. Suddenly, an alarm blares—it's overloading. The power cuts out, leaving an eerie silence. Panic sets in as they run, footsteps echoing. Just before they escape, a massive explosion erupts from the lab.

To recreate the atmosphere of a laboratory, I layered various sound effects, including a low hum, keyboard typing, footsteps, radar beeps, and a heartbeat. These sounds help build a sense of tension and immersion.

By using fade-ins, fade-outs, and volume adjustments, I made the transitions between sounds smoother, enhancing the tension and overall pacing of the story.

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Environment 2

Story Line

In a giant petri dish, the plants surprisingly gained autonomous consciousness. As the soldiers patrolled, the dish suddenly triggered a pressure alarm, and then the plants reacted violently, shattering the glass. As the glass broke, the plants swiftly broke free, taking down each soldier in their path. In the end, the lab was left in complete silence.

In this scene, I layered various sound effects, including a jet engine hum for ambience, office chair noises, footsteps, water bubbling and dripping, radar beeps, and heartbeats.  These sounds enhanced the tension as the plants began to react, leading to the shattering of glass and the chaos that followed.

In this scene, I layered multiple sound effects, including a jet engine hum for ambience, chair movements, footsteps, bubbling water, dripping, radar beeps, and heartbeats. These gradually built tension and drove the story forward. As the plants reacted and chaos erupted with shattering glass, sound design played a key role. I used editing, fades, and rhythm control to create a tense, layered audio experience.

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