[Sound Challenge] Competition #4 - Kid friendly ----- Voting close.
Hello again!
I believe its time for another sound challenge!
The theme...
For this challenge we are going to add sound to a 1min video of a kid-friendly game (download links in the video section). This needs to appeal to a younger crowd so remember that everything needs to snap, crackle and pop with enthusiasm!
This time the clip is from a lets-play video of Little Big Planet.
For additional challenge we will also be adding optional modifiers which you may choose to follow.
Modifiers:
1. EVERYONE can join, you don't need to be a musician or have a sound engineering degree. Lets face it, we all need sound effects for our games and most of us are pretty terrible at it (I know I am). So lets practice using any software out there! (See below for some suggestions)
2. Once you have made your entry, post it here.
3. Stick to the theme. Or don't. We don't really care either way, just join in!
4. Finish the project by Monday the 24th of March
5. Did I mention EVERYONE can join in? We like silly gimmicks and I-made-this-with-my-gaming-mic-and-a-horseshoe type entries so there are plenty of excuses to take part!
6. Feel free to colaborate, we love it when people work together ;)
7. Have fun and try to give feedback to other entries!
The Video
You are not forced to use the video but feel free to use it in your entry by adding any audio you want. We are looking for all types of audio entries including: sound effects, music, voice overs or all of the above.
The old audio has already been stripped off the video for you and is available in downloadable form:
480x840 in .mp4 format, 18.6mb download
1280x720 in .mp4 format, 30mb download
Advice and popular software thread:
Check out this thread for advice on software/tutorials etc.
So who will be joining me? Feel free to ask any questions!
Update: Voting now open!
Hey everyone, its time to vote! Anyone on the forums may join in so please make sure you do! While voting is great feedback is constructive, so feel free to drop some constructive critisism for the contestants!
Here is a link to the voting page
Voting closes next monday, the 31st of March!
UPDATE 2:
Voting has closed! Thanks to everyone who voted and thanks to all who participated!
Best Music Category:
1st - @Gibbo
2nd - @karl182
3rd - @Tim_Harbour & @McCoySoundD tied!
Best Sound Effects Category:
1st - @karl182
2nd - @McCoySoundD
Best Overall Category:
1st - @karl182
2nd - @McCoySoundD
3rd - @Gibbo
Congratulations to everyone for completing something awesome!
I believe its time for another sound challenge!
The theme...
For this challenge we are going to add sound to a 1min video of a kid-friendly game (download links in the video section). This needs to appeal to a younger crowd so remember that everything needs to snap, crackle and pop with enthusiasm!
This time the clip is from a lets-play video of Little Big Planet.
For additional challenge we will also be adding optional modifiers which you may choose to follow.
Modifiers:
- 70s action movie style. (Check out the amazing spiderman 1970 for reference)
- Crescendo (gradually getting louder)
- Decrescendo (gradually getting softer)
- Accelerando (gradually getting faster)
- Sforzando (a sudden emphasis)
1. EVERYONE can join, you don't need to be a musician or have a sound engineering degree. Lets face it, we all need sound effects for our games and most of us are pretty terrible at it (I know I am). So lets practice using any software out there! (See below for some suggestions)
2. Once you have made your entry, post it here.
3. Stick to the theme. Or don't. We don't really care either way, just join in!
4. Finish the project by Monday the 24th of March
5. Did I mention EVERYONE can join in? We like silly gimmicks and I-made-this-with-my-gaming-mic-and-a-horseshoe type entries so there are plenty of excuses to take part!
6. Feel free to colaborate, we love it when people work together ;)
7. Have fun and try to give feedback to other entries!
The Video
You are not forced to use the video but feel free to use it in your entry by adding any audio you want. We are looking for all types of audio entries including: sound effects, music, voice overs or all of the above.
The old audio has already been stripped off the video for you and is available in downloadable form:
480x840 in .mp4 format, 18.6mb download
1280x720 in .mp4 format, 30mb download
Advice and popular software thread:
Check out this thread for advice on software/tutorials etc.
So who will be joining me? Feel free to ask any questions!
Update: Voting now open!
Hey everyone, its time to vote! Anyone on the forums may join in so please make sure you do! While voting is great feedback is constructive, so feel free to drop some constructive critisism for the contestants!
Here is a link to the voting page
Voting closes next monday, the 31st of March!
UPDATE 2:
Voting has closed! Thanks to everyone who voted and thanks to all who participated!
Best Music Category:
1st - @Gibbo 2nd - @karl182 3rd - @Tim_Harbour & @McCoySoundD tied!Best Sound Effects Category:
1st - @karl182 2nd - @McCoySoundDBest Overall Category:
1st - @karl182 2nd - @McCoySoundD 3rd - @GibboCongratulations to everyone for completing something awesome!
Comments
Also don't feel pressured to edit it, throw it out here in its full state!
https://soundcloud.com/crumpled_muppet/a-day-in-the-sun
0:27 - A cello(I think) starts playing which suddenly makes the music seem a lot more serious.
0:39 - Drums come in, but they are not happy/playful drums. They make me feel like they are demanding my attention instead of teasing me into playing with them.
0:52 - Violins(?) start playing...they play in what seems to me like a rigid march...flutes with playful octaves is what I keep wanting to hear here instead?
1:20 - Symbals! Hehe, I like them, but it has to be accompanied by a suiting catastrophic visual event. As is they feel a little more than is required.
1:32 - The rest is wind down, but at this point the song doesn't feel like a kids song anymore. It's taken on a lot more meaning. It does make me feel nice and relaxed at this point.
All in all I really love the track, but it feels more like a track that would suit a kids Christmas movie rather than a game. You can hook in the kids with the fun start and then make the parents cry with the sad end(depending on whether the puppy lives or dies :P).
One cheap trick you could try is to set it in the Lydian mode alla Simpsons theme.
(Basically, raise the sub-dominant by a semitone - so in A major D becomes D#. The harmonies may become a bit funky, and you may need to tweak them a bit. If you do not have a lot of Ds in a section to begin with, you may need to add a few as passing notes to establish the mode, otherwise the first one you hear thereafter will surprise the listener and sound off. It also works great if you add a harp arpeggios / scales, especially in your more dramatic section. Harp texture (or similar) can also make the piece feel faster, which can be cool in the wind down section. Just random thoughts!)
@Rigormortis thanks for the pointers. If I had used other sounds except orchestral sounds some of these points would probably be different. When using orchestral sounds I have very little option to use anything but cello in the bass etc. so I get your pointer of it making it serious but it's either that or tubas which also didn't sound too great... this particular piece I was experimenting with orchestral sounds so sounds like the drums (timpani) are the standard orchestral drum sound. If I were to edit it so I used some electronic sounds mixed in I could probably achieve some of the notes you make but I think your primary concern is my use on instrumentation.
I do use flutes later but for the weird flourish at the end when the cymbals join in and flutes are not my favourite instrument for accenting a beat which is my main use of the violins in the 2nd section.
I do get your points to make it less serious but then I would write a new piece from scratch to avoid that as I feel what makes it serious is the use of traditional orchestra sounds.
Thanks for the feedback though all, it is good to think about. :D
Completely new to Make Games SA.
I'd like to give this one a go. Sound and music if I can.
I'd started out with a more 'African' approach (marimbas, kalimba etc.) due to the African level footage from LPB but it wasn't very jolly and kid-friendly, so ultimate decided to switch it up and do a cross between Cape Malay carnival music and New Orleans vibes
Nice entry, love the tambourine entry, it just makes it.
I have gone for the marimbas, etc. Going for a kind of African Dawn approach. Will post soon. Like the ambient SFX too, though there was a random loud cricket in there...
Here's my entry as well! i decided to do sound effect as well, and decided I want to do all the effects from scratch. So I recorded a bunch of silly and interesting sounds(mostly with my mouth... :) ), and started playing around with them. It was really fun doing this and will surely be taking part in future challenges as well! :)
@karl182 I'm loving those sound effects, so many pops and tinkles! The only sound effect I wanted to be more pronounced was the x2 at around 00:54, I think it blended into the music a little too well? The jungle theme music was definitely spot on!
@karl182 - great work there, the music definitely fits the theme and the mouth-based SFX's are awesome (particularly the straining sounds of the zebra character) :)
@creative630 - it was tempting to bring those instruments in earlier but wanted a bit more of a build-up (and a bit of space to try doing some of the bonus challenge dynamics), though agreed it's quite tricky doing a complete piece in a short vid :)
http://youtu.be/ms7W4y9G6AI
As said earlier, I went for the typical "African child" marimbas, xylophone, glock, with violin and trombone to keep things going a bit. After the other entries, mine feels very chilled and slow, but I was going for background looping.
I recorded SFX in my flat with an SM57 (because that's what I have). All except two tracks of ambience from Freesound.org:
Calm Morning Outdoor Ambience by blouhond
20080728.peacock.wav by dobroide
I used Wwise middleware to create randomization in the "New Material" etc. sound, having recorded a toy xylophone playing notes of G pentatonic, every time the event is triggered the balloon sound with three random notes is played in quick succession. Helps to stop it being boring. Also used Wwise's random functions to randomize pitch and volume of the blue bubble sounds so they're not so repetetive.
Any questions, crits welcome.
Congrats to everyone who managed to submit an entry! Its not too late to enter but note that I will be putting up the voting page tomorrow morning. If anyone is running late then submit when you can for feedback and I will add you to the page asap :)
Here is a link to the voting page!
Voting closes next monday, the 31st of March!
Just a reminder that voting will close on Monday the 31st of March, so please check out the entries and vote! I'm sure the contestants would love some feedback :)
Thanks to everyone who has voted!
Best Music Category:
Best Sound Effects Category:
Best Overall Category:
Congratulations to everyone for completing something awesome!
@creative630 - still keen to hear what you came up with if you're still working on it :)
When's the next challenge going to be? :)
These are great fun!
Have and awesome day all!
If anyone has suggestions for the next theme then please mention it here!
I have a suggestion for the next theme. As the last theme was "Kid friendly", why not explore the opposite end of the scale?
Creepy, Horror, Insanity! Oooh yeah, pack away those Tinker Bell samples and aspire towards John Carpenter's brilliance...
have and awesome day all!
yet again...so sorry for the late hand in but I really wanted to do this one too!
Great work everybody!