🔊 Behind the Scenes Audio Special
Added 2024-07-19 14:00:14 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Andrei here ready to show you a special post on the creation of our audio assets! In the last few weeks, the team has been focusing on finishing everything left to do in the Build mode before Early Access. So we’ve been adding tons of cozy sounds to the game as features get implemented and the UI gets polished. Well, today I’m going to show you a more in-depth look at how I make most of these sounds for the game. We’ve already made a similar post showcasing the Paramaker sounds which you can find here. However this time, we’re going to delve deeper into the process 💥
🎥In the above video, you saw the recording process of some of the Build mode sounds as well as the before/after of a sound made for the new terrain tools (which were shown in last week’s post here, go check it out!). It also features the original track "Building Blocks" in the background. This is just a part of the whole process since there’s a lot of planning, implementing and revising included. In this post, I’ll chop down the step-by-step process of making our sound assets and getting them into the game… 🥁
The Planning
Before recording anything, we have to play the game and see what features need sound! It requires a nice balance since too many sounds will be overwhelming and too few will be dull. I get to discuss all of this directly with Alex as we brainstorm ideas together (our meetings usually end up being us mimicking the goofiest noises 😅). Once we confirm all the sounds we want, we put them in a HUGE document where we track all of the audio in the game 📝
The Recording
In the followingdays, I usually have to find a bunch of junk I have at home to record sounds, and if I feel like I’m missing some to do what I want to do, I BUY MORE JUNK. As you saw in the video above, I usually go to the dollar store or second-handstores to get what I need. I then set up the mics, prep the floor, lock the room and start recording the whole day in all sorts of manners, there are no rules! Most times, the best things (sounds in this case) come from where you least expected them!
Here are all the things I got from the dollar store that day
Filtering and Editing
Then comes the “choosing the best one” part, where I listen to all the recordings and find the little jewels among the rocks 💎This is also where we get to mess around with the sounds even more by adding effects, chopping, reversing and combining them. I match them with a gameplay recording to see that they fit the mood of the game’s features. Every chosen sound has to be polished until voilà, they are ready to go! 🤌
Implementation and Revision
Finally, I export the sounds, compress them into an Ogg Vorbis format to save space and put them in the game. With the many implementation features that the modding tools have, I can do SOOO many things with our audio. But let’s save that for a later post 🤐I make sure everything works and add some tweaks here and there. Alex and I then get together to review the new sounds to see if they need tweaking and decide on which ones to do next! 😁
By repeating this whole process, we create hundreds and hundreds of new sounds for the game and see it coming to life with each passing day! As we get ready to finalize the Build mode for Early Access, the experience of building just keeps getting cozier and more rewarding ⭐ What was your favorite part of the video? If you have any ideas for things to record, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! I wish everybody a happy, sweet, heart-warming and fun Friday! 🦊
Until next time,
Andrei ♪♩♩ ♪♩♩♩
Edit - October 17th, 2024: This post is now public, feel free to share it!
Comments
Awesome
mollie
2024-11-14 19:48:15 +0000 UTCIt is an absolute delight to watch your creative process experimenting with sounds. I'm digging those sounds, very nice!
Vicarious Human
2024-08-15 15:38:10 +0000 UTCYay! More asmr sounds please 🙂
Freya
2024-08-03 17:41:18 +0000 UTCKurama is cute 🥰🥰 and you're doing a great job 👍❤️
Nathalie Carluccio
2024-08-01 07:44:40 +0000 UTCI ABSOLUTELY adore the behind the scenes and logistics for sounds, thank you for sharing! amazing process.
Alejandra Colunga Rogers
2024-07-31 18:32:23 +0000 UTCThis is so cool! Also the dogs name being Kurama is everything!! 🧡🧡
Artistforeternity
2024-07-31 15:19:42 +0000 UTCI would love it if you could get the sound of cats and dogs sneezing. It would be so cute. My dog has allergies and he sneezes more than normal in the summer time.
Codi
2024-07-26 17:05:46 +0000 UTCHi Andrei ! Not at all, in fact thank you so much for taking the time to go back to my comment ! "have variety depending on the complexity of the feature (advanced tools have their own sounds, etc)" Oh wow, so there's an added layer to all that work, in that some sounds had not only to be designed, but also variations of these sounds made ? That's super cool. I had to look up what "ducking" means but that's very interesting, I hadn't thought of the possibility of playing with "depth"/"layers" like that. I'm thankful for these additional explanations. Can't wait for your future posts !
ladyteruki
2024-07-26 12:54:29 +0000 UTCHey Kelsey great question! In the user's Audio options, volume sliders will be divided in 4 categories which are Music, Ambience, Voice over and UI. The terrain tools' sounds are UI so you won't get to hear other interface sounds if you mute the slider. However, you can always go in the Control Panel and mute the sound individually or even tweak it if you want! Hope that helps 😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-25 14:49:06 +0000 UTCI love that too! Thank you so much Amanda!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-25 14:42:53 +0000 UTCThank you so much :D I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-25 14:41:22 +0000 UTCLove all of these. What is the plan for personalization of sounds? For instance, any game I play that makes a "we're sculpting a mountain out of the ground" sound just TERRIFIES my dog who is scared of any rumbling sound. The only way to mitigate this is to turn off sound effects, but then I miss out on all the other cool sounds! I guess I can just plug in headphones, but...I play alone in a room lol
Kelsey Griffith
2024-07-24 12:14:05 +0000 UTCI love the sound of hard heels on gravel so these sounds were AMAZING!!
Amanda Hannu Näckros
2024-07-23 19:42:39 +0000 UTCHey ladyteruki! I'm replying super late but thank you so much for your insight and comments, it's really appreciated as always! Really glad you enjoyed the post! You're right, there are a lot of ideas that we've brainstormed and discarded for a variety of reasons, either it doesn't fit the mood, ended up being too overwhelming or too demanding production-wise. The criteria we set ourselves with UI sounds specifically was to make them as organically as possible (foley recording as you can see), if possible mimic the feature that they represent (ex: terrain tools, building walls), have variety depending on the complexity of the feature (advanced tools have their own sounds, etc), and reward the player simply by the coziness of the sound design. As for the sounds blending in with the background music, it's mostly the music leaving space for them and eventually we'll use techniques such as ducking to balance it even more. My studio room in the apartment is acoustically treated so I get pretty decent recordings here and get to have Kurama as my helper😁 I'd love to make a post in the near future about the audio modding tools! But I agree, it'd be so interesting to have a general post about EVERYTHING that you can do with the control panel, which I can't even start to describe. We'll definitely think about it! I hope that answers your questions!! Have a great day!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-23 17:37:58 +0000 UTCBeautiful! Those crunches are so satisfying.
Tom Lu
2024-07-23 09:02:25 +0000 UTCThanks so much 😄
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:46:44 +0000 UTCThank you Ash 🥹
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:46:13 +0000 UTCThank you!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:45:43 +0000 UTCThank you!! It is super satisfying to do. Really glad you liked it!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:45:39 +0000 UTCSo glad you liked it Katerina 🙏
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:36:03 +0000 UTCThank you so much😁 We're super hyped too!!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:34:42 +0000 UTCI'd be really down to do that!! I'm thinking Lofi with rain sounds vibes 🎧
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:33:16 +0000 UTCReally glad you liked it! And yeah he's a sweet boy🦊
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:30:20 +0000 UTCThank you!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:28:32 +0000 UTCThanks so much Bethy! So glad you liked it! :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:28:26 +0000 UTCThank you Chantal! Glad you enjoyed the post 😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-22 14:20:51 +0000 UTCSo cool! Very awesome work.
phoenix grey
2024-07-21 10:57:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much! You all are doing fantastic!
Ash Airheart
2024-07-21 02:44:55 +0000 UTCamazing ♥♥
Nechan
2024-07-20 21:52:15 +0000 UTCSo satisfying to watch. I've always been interested in Foley and behind the scenes in games and cinema. Keep up the amazing work! ♡
BATSinherHair
2024-07-20 15:50:02 +0000 UTCThank you Andrei, it's very cool seeing the process behind these things ♥♥♥
Kateřina Králová
2024-07-20 15:27:58 +0000 UTCI absolutely LOVE seeing behind the scenes stuff! This makes me even more excited for early access 🥰
SimplyDeeSims
2024-07-20 08:03:21 +0000 UTCIt would be neat to see how you create sounds for different weather phenomenons in the game once it is released!
Derek Warren
2024-07-20 02:51:42 +0000 UTCI love seeing stuff like this, thanks for sharing! And Kurama is so cute, STAHP 💕💕
ZLoves
2024-07-20 02:26:34 +0000 UTCSo cool
Sláine Sheils
2024-07-19 22:27:27 +0000 UTCThis is so cool to see, thank you for this insight! You are very talented at what you do. Also, DOGGO!!! Hello cutie!!
Bethy Grace
2024-07-19 22:00:26 +0000 UTCIt always is, thanks Andrei! 😄
dcknx
2024-07-19 20:58:46 +0000 UTCSound design is one of my favorite things, either experiencing it as a player/audience or watching the creation process like in this post. Thanks for the insight, Andrei! Keep up the good work ^^
chantal99
2024-07-19 20:46:49 +0000 UTCHehe yay!! Always do. Well done yet again 😊
Becky
2024-07-19 20:46:45 +0000 UTCThank you!😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:41:55 +0000 UTCThat's so cool! I'm glad you liked it Madragal!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:41:43 +0000 UTCThank you victoria! Would love to do another one!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:41:16 +0000 UTCMuchas graciaaaas :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:40:45 +0000 UTCIt's super satisfying! Thank you! :)
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:40:32 +0000 UTCThank you!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:40:13 +0000 UTCEarly Access will be happening in 2025!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:40:07 +0000 UTCThank you so much Katie! :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:39:26 +0000 UTCThank you so much Alex! Really appreciate it :)
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:38:54 +0000 UTCHehehehe it's the magic of smoke and mirrors 🪄 all the sounds are an illusion!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:38:31 +0000 UTCIt is very similar! Thank you Fran!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:28:56 +0000 UTCHahaha that's exactly my state of mind most of the time😂 I agree, that would be so cool!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:28:32 +0000 UTCHehe it is pretty crunchy! Thank you so much!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:27:47 +0000 UTCThank you Chiara!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:27:15 +0000 UTCThank you so much Cece! Foley recording is so cool to do!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:27:03 +0000 UTCThank you Sarah! Me too!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:23:43 +0000 UTCThank you for being a part of it Aquaria😊
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:23:06 +0000 UTCTinks!!! I'm so happy you lked it thank you😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:22:35 +0000 UTCSo happy you enjoyed it Noey!🦊
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:21:56 +0000 UTCHehe surprise!! 🎉🎉😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:21:21 +0000 UTCI'm so looking forward to that too! Have a good weekend Josephin!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:20:09 +0000 UTCThank you Danny! Big shoutout! 📣
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:19:17 +0000 UTCI'm glad your waiting was worth it dcknx!😁 Will tell Kurama!
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:18:01 +0000 UTCThanks so much Zah! I'm glad you liked it 😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-07-19 19:16:21 +0000 UTCThat is cool!! ✨️
tey711
2024-07-19 17:54:58 +0000 UTCI've always been so fascinated by foley! My favorite digital music assignment I did in school was adding sound effects to animated scenes.
Madragal
2024-07-19 17:33:21 +0000 UTCThat's so cool! I would love to see more of these if you have more!
Victoria Garcia
2024-07-19 17:29:43 +0000 UTCThis just keeps getting better! I love the process. In the end, all this planning, experimenting, and attention to detail show up. Keep up the hard and professional work. Congrats!
Ivan
2024-07-19 16:50:51 +0000 UTCI love foley art so much 😍 its so cool to see how sounds are created for games & movies
Maxx
2024-07-19 16:49:34 +0000 UTCI love this :)
Christina Ozeki
2024-07-19 16:35:21 +0000 UTCWhen is early access planning on happening? Just curious
Katie
2024-07-19 15:53:00 +0000 UTCI love this and am still so excited!!! I loved your little helper also! So cute!
Katie
2024-07-19 15:52:45 +0000 UTCThis is honestly so fascinating and cool to me to see how people come up with sound effects and music in movies and games! Thank you for sharing the sound production process with us, Andrei! You’re doing a great job! And shoutout to Kurama as well! 😉👍🏻
AlexArt
2024-07-19 15:12:39 +0000 UTCi am not very aware of stuff like this... i thought noises would just be made by the item. i hadn't even thought of how to make the terrain make noises.
Stewby
2024-07-19 15:01:41 +0000 UTCHi Andrei, thank you so much for explaining your process ! And thank you for all the recording you and Kurama have done, we don't grasp while seeing short gameplay videos how many sounds are needed just for the game to sound "normal" ! I'd actually be curious about seeing the difference between not enough/too much/just right amounts of sound. There are necessarily things that are left on the cutting room floor, by which I mean that the very process of brainstorming things, means that there are ideas that are brought up in the moment during a meeting but later abandoned for a variety of reasons. Are there particular "rules" or criteria that Alex and you have established, to have a clear idea of what direction to take ? How do you find the right balance when there's also going to be background music playing ? What about players who disable the music when they play, does that impact how you plan sounds ? It was kinda sad though that you had to do it on the floor of your apartment ; hopefully someday you get to have a nice studio to work in :) But it's true that it'd be less fun for Kurama to hang out with you then. Is he officially hired as a voice actor for canine creatures in the game ? XD He certainly already displays professional behavior, by not barking on your recordings ! He seemed to find it quite fun to see all the new objects with new sounds (and smells !) that you brought in ! "With the many implementation features that the modding tools have, I can do SOOO many things with our audio" Now, see, ok, I understand that you want to talk about it later. That makes sense, and it wasn't in the scope of the present post. But I *really* hope in the very near future, we get to see a recap on the Paratreon, listing all the ways we'll be able to mod the game, and what tools we will have at our disposal... so that it's unlocked for non Patreon-subscribers by the time 2025 rolls out. There are SO MANY questions about modding for Paralives out there, and people are really enthusiastic about contributing to a game they feel will have tons of potential. Except the information is really spread out right now. Some people didn't know we'd be able to write our own Together Cards. Some people didn't know/remember that we'd be able to edit the UI to localize/customize it, for instance, and you made a video for that ! But it was long ago so a lot of people who are now interested in Paralives have missed it. So a big recap would really help directing people towards the right information. People want to learn to mod, know what skill(s) they'll need, determine how they can prepare ahead of the game's release... A post by one or two Paradevs would go a long way to help explain how future players can channel all that positive energy they have right now while Paralives is still in development :)
ladyteruki
2024-07-19 14:56:41 +0000 UTCThis seems very similar to making movie sounds. Very interesting post.
Fran Smith
2024-07-19 14:55:46 +0000 UTCYou look like you're having fun at the same time that you seem kinda "what I'm doing?" I think it's funny! It would be nice to see videos of the rest of the team like this one
Ana Caroline Martins da Silva
2024-07-19 14:55:44 +0000 UTCI knew that terrain tool sounded crunchy! Lmao I love that we get to see all of this and you’re actually creating all of it in house. (:
Miss Lara Light
2024-07-19 14:48:37 +0000 UTCThese sounds posts are so good, keep them coming!
Chiara
2024-07-19 14:45:27 +0000 UTCThis was so awesome to see! Took me back to college when we had to make sound effects for animations! Good work Andrei and team! The game is looking so beautiful and polished
Cece
2024-07-19 14:43:14 +0000 UTCI'm so impressed with how far Paralives have come! I can't wait for early access!!
Sarah Rodrigues
2024-07-19 14:39:35 +0000 UTCThis was so cool to see! Thank you so much for taking us along with you all in this journey!
Aquaria
2024-07-19 14:38:02 +0000 UTCOmg Andrei that’s amazing!! 👏🏻 I love all of your ideas that are being implemented !! Keep it up, we love you all !! <3
Becky
2024-07-19 14:37:27 +0000 UTCWhoa, this was so cool! I have never felt so involved and included in a game before, this was so fun! Kurama is total cutie, too! lol!
Xo.Noe
2024-07-19 14:35:14 +0000 UTCThis is the kind of work that I never imagined that was included in making a game.
Panthro Samah
2024-07-19 14:34:50 +0000 UTCI can't wait to hear baby and other ambient sounds. And in general, I'm very excited to see how the environment changes with each season and whether there will be any special background noises (e.g. footsteps in the snow, flying kites, jumping into piles of leaves, etc.). I love winter and Christmas, so I'm especially looking forward to it.
Josephin01
2024-07-19 14:22:50 +0000 UTCSeeing the process of the sound design is soooo fascinating! I want so more of these posts :D And shoutout to Kurama!!
Danny Juforier
2024-07-19 14:10:25 +0000 UTCHooray, so excited about this one! I've been obsessively refreshing patreon for the last two hours waiting for the weekend to begin 😂 but this is a real treat, thanks guys! Amazing and so fascinating, as always, have a great weekend all 💚 P.S. hugs for Kurama as well 🥺
dcknx
2024-07-19 14:09:31 +0000 UTCI LOVE THIS!! It's crazy cool to see how the sounds are made and it's always mindblowing to me to see side-by-side of what made the sound and where it's used in the game. Such a great post!!! And I hope we get more of them ❤️
Zahlea
2024-07-19 14:07:22 +0000 UTC
