MY (Sound)
PORTFOLIO
Sci-Fi
The point of my sound logos was to create music for a science fiction mystery movie. I choose this topic because I do not like the music and sounds from Sci-fi movies. This project challenged me to appreciate and enjoy the making of a Sci-fi sound. I made four logos. This first one is called “Mystery Star”. It’s about a sun that has been undiscovered for years and the space shuttle finally sees it. I used the Garage Band app on my phone. The instruments I used were violins, synthesizers, and a drum beat. I used a constant digital beat in the background.
The second logo is called “Space Mission”. This is when a space team goes on a mission to explore the planets that surround the mystery star. The sound is meant to be a constant loop. I used the Garage Band app on my phone. I used drum beats, a live drum set, and violins. It is a fast beat to create an adventure tone. The third sound logo is called “Alien Radio”. This is when the team picks up sound from an alien radio. I used the Garage Band app on my phone. The instruments I used were synthesizer, a cello, and a cosmic choir. I wanted it to sound other worldly and strange.
The final sound logo is called “Sci-fi”. This is my version of a Sci-fi mystery sound. I used the Garage Band app on my phone. The various instruments I used were an erhu, a koto, synthesizers, a live drum set, guitars, trumpets, flute, and a piano. I wanted the listeners to go through a space journey. I added the erhu and the koto as unique sounds for Sci-fi. I did not want to be completely traditional. The trumpets and flute creates a dissonance. The last part is meant to surround the listeners with all the logos combined and make the listeners fall into a dream like state of the Sci-fi sound.
Game
The point of my sound logos was to create music for a videogame. It is an action/adventure videogame. The four logos are for the start menu, the reuniting of a team, the boss battle, and the credits. My audience will be anyone who likes action and adventure games. The first logo is for the game’s start up menu. The screen will show the main character while the logo is playing. The intention of this piece was to create anticipation or an eagerness to start the game. The piano keys in the piece are meant to be the consonance. The guitar riffs create dissonance. I used the app GarageBand to compose the piece. The instruments in the piece are: the grand piano, P-Bass, orchestra of violins, classic studio kit drums, and an electric guitar.
The second sound logo is the reunion of characters in the game. The intention of this piece was to create an epic moment that the players would have been waiting to happen throughout the game. It is only 17 seconds because it is a quick but still important part of the game. Violins create consonance. The guitar and the drums, create dissonance. I used the app GarageBand to compose the piece. The instruments in the piece are: a live drum kit, a rock guitar, and an orchestra of violins. The third sound logo is the boss battle. The intention is to create an intense atmosphere that tells the audience that a difficult part of the game is here. I would say the entire piece is to create dissonance and nothing peaceful. I used the app GarageBand to compose the piece. The instruments in the piece are: a hard rock guitar, hip hop drum machine, light cycle synthesizer, and a live drum rock kit.
The last sound logo is when the players win the game going in to the credits. It is long to resemble an end credit scene and to replay the long adventure the players went through. On the screen it will show all the adventures the characters went on. The intention of this piece was to create happiness and excitement of completing the game. I combined the feeling of the start menu to bring it full circle. The keys are higher to create the happy feeling. The keys go lower to insinuate that the game could continue. The guitar is there to create consonance and the violins are there to create dissonance. I used the app GarageBand to compose the piece. The instruments in the piece are: violins, guitars, drum kits, and synthesizers. I really enjoyed this project. It would be fun to do this as a career.
Sonic Portrait
Learning about this project I had no clue what I wanted to do. I could have easily recorded everything around me and then mixed it, layered it, added effects, and turned it in. However, my environment is not just my environment. Instead it’s a musical. I hear sounds and I hear rhythms, beats, and harmonies. That is how much I love music. For this project I decided to create the music that I hear around me every day.
The sonic portrait starts off with a snapping noise I occasionally hear in my dorm room. I used this sound first, because it is a symbol of somebody waking up to the world around them. I put a reverb on it and a panning to make it sound like something is swarming around in the room. Second, I added some page turning from a book. I added this to make it seem like someone is trying to get back to where they left off. Then, I added in some banging noise that was recorded from a garbage can early one morning. I wanted something loud to break up the quiet. I added distortion and reverb to it to make it more interesting. Next, I added in some zipper sounds form backpacks and purses to have and opening sound. To continue with the opening sound, I added the sound of metal on metal and an earring box container. It sounded like someone was trying to get into a door then they were looking for the right key. Next, the portrait goes into an actual door opening.
The second section starts off with music I made from Garage Band. The song was made to loop, but I took that off so the ending of the project would make more sense. The instruments included were: string instruments like violins, cellos, and basses; a live and digital drum set; a guitar; and a piano. I wanted the music to inspirational, have a good beat, and thought provokingly sad when it ended. I then added a rush of water and wind to symbolize the door being open. The water is from a toilet flushing and a sink running. I added a bell to signify this is almost over, and to overlay the music with more music. Then I added the sound of my shirt when I was outside in the wind. It sounded like a chain. I thought it went well with that specific part of the music. At the end of the song I cut out the other sounds to signify the end of it. I amplified all the sounds form this section and lowered the volume on the music. Lastly, the third section includes listener leaving or the performer leaving and the closing of the door. I added the door opening sound and a zipper sound. I amplified theses sounds and added a reverb. I put a fade in and fade out on most of the sound bites. Finally, I added the slamming of a door at the very end.