Sound Design

Overview

We will be creating the Sound Design in 3 phases:

  1. Sound Planning: using marker layers on the timeline

  2. Collecting Sounds: using the KCADDLC resource list

  3. Integrating Sounds: into the animations


(1) Watch These Animation Examples

  • Take note of how they use sound to create emotion and add physicality to actions

OwenHurley-WoodmanandSerpent-Final(Converted).mp4
JennaLohman-EagleAndArrow-Final(Converted)-a.mp4
Chicken-Character-Sound-Finished-b.mp4


(2) Make a Sound Design Plan (Audio List)

Here's an example for The Flying Chicken:

Foley

  • √ Fable Woosh

  • √ Deep thump for Fable text hitting the ground

  • √ Light thump for the pecking chickens hitting the ground after the Fable thump

  • √ Chicken flock environment

  • √ Friend Surprised Clucking

  • √ Chicken footstep - single

  • √ Friend footstep - single

  • √ Wings flapping while on the ground

  • √ Camera Thump

  • √ Climbing onto roof (maybe)

  • √ Wind during rooftop scene

  • √ Chicken dropping from sky thump

Effects

  • √ Text cloud coming in and out

  • √ Dropping out of the sky slowly

  • √ Spinning upside down at the end

  • √ Dropping out of the sky quickly

Music

  • √ Jazz bass for moving the story along

  • √ Happy

  • √ Sad

  • √ Flying action

  • √ Credits



(3) Collect Sounds

(a) Find the sounds using the resource list below

  1. Adobe Animate will import .WAV or .AIF , and mp3.

  2. Start with these free resources:

  3. Find more free sounds at The KCADDLC Free Music and Sounds Resource List (external link)

  4. Occasionally a file will not import into Animate. If you import the file into Garageband or another audio software, then export it as a .WAV, it will then import into Animate.

  5. Place sounds in a single folder on your computer drive


(Note) Some (but not most) Mp3 files will give an error message when you try to import them.

This includes all files downloaded from Zapsplat. The tutorial below shows how to convert these files to the .WAV format using Adobe Audition. The .WAV files will always import!


(4) Integrate Sounds

(a) Watch Bill's Sound Design Demo


(b) Download and analyze This Technical Example

(c) Integrate the Sounds into Your Animation

  1. Utilize the techniques demonstrated in Bill's demo

  2. Adjust volumes to create an audio hierarchy

    1. Voice should be the loudest

    2. Foley, effects, and emotional accent music; second loudest (unless it is playing during a non-voiced segment... then it can be loudest)

    3. Existing Music; quietest

  3. Upload Your File

    1. Place it in your Finals folder and name the file: FirstnameLastname-Sound.fla