{"id":5198,"date":"2022-04-14T01:26:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T01:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/?p=5198"},"modified":"2022-04-14T01:48:35","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T01:48:35","slug":"natural-environments-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/14\/natural-environments-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Environments 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\"Axel<\/div>\n
\"NicolasFournel\"<\/div>\n

In the first part<\/a> of this tutorial dedicated to the procedural sound design of natural environments, we learned how to generate ambient sounds, such as the seaside, forest grounds, or a waterfall with GameSynth<\/a>. We also created patches that simulate the sounds of various birds and insects. In this second part, we will focus on the movement of larger animals. As a reminder, here is the final video.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Tiger movements<\/h2>\n

The tiger movements are composed of 3 distinct patches: the footsteps, the rustling grass, and a low growl.<\/p>\n

Footsteps \u2013<\/strong> Two Footsteps<\/strong> modules with slightly different settings are used to get a more interesting sound.<\/p>\n

\n
\nThe first one uses the Grass Surface<\/em> with Dress shoes<\/em> \u2013 it is a fancy tiger \u2013 for a sharp sound, while the second one uses the Leaves Surface<\/em> to add some rustling during the release of the sound. Random ranges have been assigned to the Pitch<\/em> and Scuff<\/em> parameters to create variations while the Gait<\/strong> module triggers the footsteps at a slow pace.\n<\/div>\n
\nDuring a walk cycle, animal footsteps can have different intensities. The Value output of the Gait<\/strong> module will send the amplitude of the events triggered. This is convenient to generate more natural footsteps.<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Grass Rustle \u2013<\/strong> While on the move, the tiger passes through the vegetation. Like for the forest ambience<\/a>, a Leaves<\/strong> module is used as the primary sound source, but with more Fluctuation<\/em> this time. Using a Rain<\/strong> module may seem surprising, but selecting the Grass Material<\/em> for the drip impacts will produce convincing vegetation rustle. A Granular Noise<\/strong> with low Density<\/em> going through an EQ<\/strong> will complete the rustling in the high-range frequencies. Since this sound will be mixed with the Forest ambience, it is pitched down a bit to prevent too much overlapping. Finally, a Perlin Noise<\/strong> generator is used to create a random but natural movement for the rustling, by modulating the main amplitude of the patch.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Tiger Growl \u2013<\/strong> The Animal<\/strong> module conveniently includes a Tiger<\/em> mode with which we can create a slow and growly sound by setting low Modulation<\/em> and Pitch <\/em>values. The Noise Bands<\/strong> module is used for the breathy part while the Chaos<\/strong> module adds some low-end. The Formant Filter<\/strong> plays a key role: by modulating the Morphing<\/em> parameter, it is possible to switch between two set of formants, simulating the inspiration \/ expiration phases of the breathing cycle.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Crocodile entering water<\/h2>\n

Footsteps \u2013<\/strong> A Footsteps<\/strong> module with its Surface<\/em> set to Carpet<\/em> and followed by an EQ<\/strong> simulates dirt, while the triggering is again provided by a Gait<\/strong> module. A Rain<\/strong> module is used to add some muddiness. Its Amplitude<\/em> is controlled by an Envelope Follower<\/strong> fed by the Footsteps<\/strong> output. This ensures the two sound sources glue well together.<\/p>\n

Since the crocodile progressively enters the water, an extra layer built around Goo<\/strong> and Rain<\/strong> modules is added to the footsteps. <\/p>\n

\n
\nThe wetness is controlled by a Meta Parameter<\/strong> and the Duration<\/em> of the Stutter<\/strong> module is used to trigger smaller or bigger splashes (the higher the Meta Parameter<\/strong> value is, the longer the Stutter<\/strong> gate will stay open). The Triangle Shape<\/em> of the Stutter<\/strong>, along with a low Duty Cycle<\/em> value, allow for an impactful envelope.\n<\/div>\n
\nIn the rendering window of GameSynth, you can automatically generate sound variations by sweeping Meta Parameter<\/strong> values. Here, it is very convenient to quickly render footsteps with several level of wetness.<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Water Splash \u2013<\/strong> A specific patch was created for the main water splashes, relying on two Goo<\/strong> and a Rain<\/strong> module as main sound sources. The Goo<\/strong> modules cover different frequency ranges, while the purpose of the Rain <\/strong>module is to shape the movement of the sound. A filtered Noise<\/strong> module (whose Cutoff frequency<\/em> is modulated) simulates the small ripple created by the splash. Random ranges are assigned to several parameters (especially the Envelope<\/strong> Duration<\/em> and Variation)<\/em> to generate different splash sounds. GameSynth makes it easy to produce many variations and to pick the best ones later.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Water Movement \u2013<\/strong> Goo<\/strong> and Rain<\/strong> modules are once again used to create the lighter water movements. This time, a Bubble<\/strong> module is also put to contribution to produce a light trickle of water. The Automation Curve <\/strong>is used to control the Density\/Rate<\/em> parameters of the sound sources, imitating a gentle wave movement. The Drifter<\/strong> module following the Automation Curve<\/strong> add slight variations to the control signal, creating a more realistic sound.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Diving \u2013<\/strong> The goal of this patch is to put more emphasis on the crocodile\u2019s diving and to complete the water movement started above. A Hail<\/strong> module has its Material<\/em> set to Lake <\/em>and its output is sent through a Ring Modulator<\/strong> to mask the transients and make the sound more organic. Goo<\/strong> and Granular Noise<\/strong> modules contribute to the water flow.<\/p>\n

The Doppler<\/strong> module emphasizes the feeling of the crocodile sinking into the water. The Distance<\/em> parameter is controlled by an Envelope<\/strong> to mimic a gentle passby. To prevent a too drastic pitch modulation, the Envelope<\/strong> is set to be decreasing slowly. More effects such as Chorus<\/strong> and EQ<\/strong> are added before the output to smooth the sound.<\/p>\n

\"GameSynth
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

\nThis concludes our 2-part tutorial on the synthesis of natural environments with GameSynth. While these sounds are definitely more lowkey than the action-packed patches<\/a> of recent tutorials, they can be used in large variety of mediums, from game to animation and videos, and show the wide range of sounds procedural design can generate.<\/p>\n

\nYou can download all these patches below and experiment with them to create your own soundscapes.\n<\/p>\n

\"download-patches\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"GameSynth\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the first part of this tutorial dedicated to the procedural sound design of natural environments, we learned how to generate ambient sounds, such<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,15,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5198"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5274,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198\/revisions\/5274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/procedural-audio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}