This topic introduces basic sound design in Unity.
Sound design is an important part of creating a fun and engaging game.
Choosing the correct sound format can make or break an interactive application or video game. Sometimes music and sounds do not properly support the theme or the outcome of the game. If integrated poorly, they can distract the player or reduce the sense of engagement of being in the game.
As game developers storyboard and plan the game, sound and audio files must be selected or designed for use in the game. In order to be effective in sound and audio design, you must be knowledgeable of sound and audio source formats, resources, sound properties, and parameters.
Enhancing game experience with sound and audio can be achieved by applying the use of sound or lack of sound in the scene.
Here is a basic definition of sound vs audio by Sound Sight Headphones.
Sound is vibrations through materials, the Action. Audio is the End result, the technology to hear sounds coming from natural or human-made sources.
Sound design in games is influenced by the language of cinematography. The combined experience of visual and auditory sensation builds up the entire gaming experience, some would even argue that audio plays an even greater role compared to visual. Our sense of hearing pick-up layers of sound and build up a range of feedback for our brain to translate. This combination of sound elements enriches the overall experience of playing a game.1
Some examples of audio/sound elements are:
- Music (background music)
- Narration (voice over)
- Sound effects (sounds generated by surrounding objects)
- Foley (human generated sounds)
- Ambient noise (background noise)
Let’s test this theory by watching the following gameplay of an early arcade game; Pac Man, without and with sound.
Pac Man without sound
In the first play ensure that you have the sound on mute, you can either hit the speaker icon off or bring your volume icon down completely.
Here are the three things we would like you to notice:
- Can you guess how many sound elements are there?
- What kind of sound elements are there in the game?
- What kind of emotion does it evoke? do you feel anything?
It would be great if you can watch the entire clip of 4 minutes to get the full experience.
Ready? Hit play!
Pac Man with sound
Now that you have watched the gameplay with the sound off, we can compare it with the sound on.
Let’s play it again for the second time, but this time ensure that you have the sound on.
Would you agree that the gameplay is more exciting with the sound on?
Let’s breakdown the sound elements used in the following video.
Pac Man was first released in 1980 by Namco - video game publisher in Japan. Sound design for games have become a lot more sophisticated since then.
Over the years we get to experience game in various kind of immersive environment.
Major game studios have grown exponentially around the world. These game studios invest their resources in specialised department to work on new innovations and applying them in their latest projects. The following video released by US based game company, Riot Games, explains the importance of game audio and the various processes applied in their sound design process.
The following short video is inspired by the non-player character commonly featured in role playing games.
First date with NPC has reached 12 million views within the first eleven days since it was first shared in July 2022.
What do you think contributes to the success of this short?
Consider the following:
- the character’s animated-like movement,
- animation exporting frame rate,
- camera movement,
- choice of music,
- and narration or lack of narration.
Share, discuss, and compare your findings on the forum with your peers.
| Welcome to the next Unity Learn series. | |
|---|---|
| Total Tasks: | 4 |
| Description: | In this series, you will get familiar with Unity’s audio systems and principles, discovering creative ways to use audio and sound effects to enhance interactive experiences. |
| Total Time Budget: | 16 hours |
Time budget: 3 hours 40 minutes
Description: In this mission, you will learn how to implement audio effects in Unity by creating a soundscape for an outdoor scene. You’ll create ambient audio effects, trigger sounds with events, and modify sounds with special effects.
Access Task 1: Creative Core - Audio
Time budget: 20 minutes
Description: Unity’s audio system imports most standard audio file formats. It allows you to mix and master in real time, and it can replicate 3D spatial sound effects like echo, object movement (like the sound of a fast-moving car), and reverb. In this tutorial, you'll import audio files, and add Audio Source and Audio Listener components to your project.
Access Task 2: Working with audio components
Time budget: 5 hours
Description: The project includes a few key areas that will benefit from the addition of audio using assets from the Windridge City project. You will have the opportunity to configure both 2D and 3D audio, create Reverb Zones to enhance the environmental audio effects, trigger audio from a custom C# script, and master the scene’s audio using the Audio Mixer.
Access Task 3: Beginning Audio in Unity
Time budget: 7 hours
Description: In this Unit, you will program a fast-paced endless side-scrolling runner game where the player needs to time jumps over oncoming obstacles to avoid crashing. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to add music and sound effects, completely transforming the experience of your projects. You will also learn how to create dynamic endless repeating backgrounds, which are critical for any side-scrolling games. Finally, you will learn to incorporate particle effects like splatters and explosions, which make your games so much more satisfying to play.
Access Task 4: Sound and Effects in Unity
Welcome back!
Did you enjoy learning about audio in Unity?
Let’s reflect on your Unity Learn experience and record them in the forum.
