SONIC DESIGN ( WEEKLY LEARN

 SONIC DESIGN

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Ding Jiaqi/0379388 

Sonic Design/ Bachelor of interactive spatial design

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Week 2

In this class, we had our first experience using Adobe Audition. Before the lesson, the teacher asked us to download several audio files in advance. Among them, “flat” was the original audio, while the others were versions for us to freely modify and practice with.

During class, we started by dragging the flat audio into the editor. The teacher guided us to open the Parametric Equalizer under “Filtering and Equalization” and explained how adjusting the curve points changes the sound. For example, increasing the frequency makes the sound sharper and brighter, while decreasing it makes it deeper and fuller.

The teacher also introduced some useful features: pressing M allows you to solo a specific track, and S prevents overlapping sounds. In multi-track mode, clicking “Exclusive” enables individual playback. The R key is used for recording.

After getting familiar with these basic operations, I dragged the eq1–6 files into the editor and adjusted their parameters according to my ideas. By changing different equalizer settings and playing the audio tracks together, we can clearly hear a musical effect that is completely different from the original flat audio.

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Exercise 1

In this exercise, we need to adjust six samples of the same music with different pitches to make them consistent. I need to identify which tracks don’t match the original soundtrack — they may be too low or too high — and adjust the equalizer settings to keep them consistent.

Eq 1:

Eq 2:

Eq 3:

Eq 4:

Eq 5:

Eq 6:

Filter 1:

Filter 2:

Week 3

In this course, we continued practicing audio editing. The teacher gave us some audio samples and asked us to use different sound effects to create various senses of space.

We needed to adjust the sound to achieve effects such as “telephone,” “closet,” “walkie-talkie,” “bathroom,” “Indoor stadium” and “airport.” Each effect required us to modify parameters like equalizer and reverb to simulate how sound behaves in different spaces.

 We also learned a new thing called reverberation. We can use reverberation to simulate a bathroom or any sound with echo.

Exercise 2

Goggle Drive Link：https://drive.google.com/file/d/18J5mS5HANqgilxPtem9GItVQKESjR1jA/view?usp=sharing

1. Telephone

2.  In the closet

3. Walkie-talkie

4. Bathroom

5.Airport

6.Indoor stadium

Week 4

Environmental sound practice

Environment 1:

Through this photo, I want to create the atmosphere of a plant laboratory.

I plan to use laboratory sound effects as the background, combined with sci-fi elements to enhance the futuristic feeling.
Since there are people and computers in the photo, I added footstep sounds and keyboard typing sounds.
At the visual center, there is a large water tank or culture dish where plants are growing,
so I also tried to include water sounds and subtle plant growth sound effects to bring the scene to life.

Final environment 1 sound(Click to view

Environment 2:

In Environment 2, I mainly focused on creating the visual center of the laser emitter.

The setting also looks like a laboratory, so I chose lab background sounds to match the atmosphere.

After the firing is completed, I also added a low humming sound to emphasize the sense of energy and the sci-fi mood.

Since there are people in the image, I added footstep sounds and keyboard typing to show that scientists are adjusting the machine, preparing it for activation and testing.

I first added a small laser sound as a transition, to build up tension before the main laser firing sound.

Final environment 2 sound(Click to view

Week 5

Public holiday

Week 6

In this lesson, the teacher first explained the standards for audio editing. All audio tracks must be clearly labeled, and edits should be made at the zero-crossing point to avoid unwanted noise. If the cut is not precise, fade-ins or fade-outs can be added. When using repeated sound effects, slight variations must be applied to avoid making the audio sound mechanical.

Next, the teacher introduced mixing techniques. Bus tracks should be used to group similar audio tracks, making it easier to adjust their overall volume and apply shared effects. Automation can be used to control volume changes and stereo placement over time. The teacher emphasized that no track, including the master track, should clip, and the master volume must always stay at zero. The recommended mix level is between –6 dB and –12 dB.

For students in the ISD program, the teacher also explained how to set up 5.1 surround sound. When creating a new session, the 5.1 channel configuration must be selected. Students should adjust the position and width of each sound effect channel to imitate real-world listening conditions, such as reducing the left channel when a sound naturally moves to the right. The teacher added that a tutorial video would be provided to help students with different audio systems configure their headphones for surround sound and address any operational issues.

Week 7

This week, the teacher gave us ample time to complete our assignments and provided guidance on them.