Audio Reflection

                Reflection

For my audio I created some factory background noise, using Foley techniques. By hitting two pieces of metal together and recording the sound with a portable recorder. I used Cubase to add a reverb effect, to make the sound seem more ambient and atmospheric. Whilst the result does sound quite good it did not fit my original intentions, because the team decided to just use a sounds track throughout the trailer. So using my audio just didn't fit. I also wanted to add other background noises such as machinery, muffled voices and other complicated things l would have never done in time. Overall I created two sounds effects footsteps on metal and some factory machinery, both seemed to fit my environment quite well. 

Overall I wish I had taken the audio a bit more seriously and spent more time working on it even though we didn't use audio in our final trailer. The end result would have been far more appealing with realistic sound effects rather than just a soundtrack. Parts I struggled with on this audio unit were mostly software based. I found it hard to work with Cubase because of my lack of experience with the program. Other parts that I found hard were getting the portable recorder to record clear, and usable sounds. There may have been some method of removing background noise I was not aware of, but this did frustrate me quite a bit. 

Aside from the difficulties of the audio there were parts that were well suited to me, and found much easier. I found using Foley techniques far easier and more effective than creating the sounds digitally in Cubase. After trying and failing to replicate the sound of metal in Cubase, I turned to Foley. By simply hitting two bits of metal together and recording it created a realistic effect that sounds like machinery in a factory. With a bit of editing I could use the machine sounds as a footsteps sound as well. By turning up the tempo and echo effects I created footsteps. Foley was by far my favorite part of the unit.   

Overall I am quite proud of how my audio turned out and think it is comparable to professional work. Even though I didn't create much sound after we decided to take the easy route and just use a sounds track and narration. I tried to make the sounds as atmospheric as possible and fit in with the environment. Create the feeling of being in a long, metal corridor. Quiet sounds in the backgrounds emphasize how lonely and eerie a cold, industrial environment is supposed to be. Despite this I think using the soundtrack instead was the right decision. The music seemed to fit very well surprisingly transitions in the trailer matched up with the music seamlessly whether this was intentional or just lucky I am not sure.   

After asking a few students the overall impression was it was quite realistic and gave of the impression of an echo.                 

I could improve on my audio by actually creating more of it. Industrial Environments will have more than one kind of machine operating. The slow and steady bashing metal together sounds a bit awkward for being too slow. Other improvements I could make include learning how to navigate Cubase better since since I was struggling to work the program. I could have done so much more with the audio if I knew how to work Cubase properly.