Sonic Design : Task 2 - Auditory Imaging

 Sonic Design

Task 2 - Auditory Imaging

Start from 23.9.2025

21.10.2025 - 4.11.2025 Week 5 - Week 7

LI XIN LI / 0379305

Sonic Design  / Bachelor of Interactive Spatial Design 

Task 2 - Auditory Imaging

Introduction:

Students are tasked with creating an audio image using any combination of the following. The audio should be from a first-person perspective so that the soundtrack alone can visually convey what is happening. The audio should be able to tell the story of the chosen scene. Students may not use any sounds or dialogue. The scenes to choose from are: 

• Wildlife + Background 
• Daily Home Life + Background 
• City + Traffic + Exterior 
• Ambiance Industrial and Electronic Sounds + Background 
• Weather + Background 
• Market + Rural Ambiance + Background

I chose "weather + background" as my sound design scenario, hoping to convey the changing rhythm and emotions through the experience of returning home in the rain. During the conceptualization process, I noticed the subtle sounds of everyday rainy days—the soft thud of footsteps on wet ground, the rhythm of raindrops falling on umbrellas and rooftops, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the splashing of water from distant vehicles. These sounds are natural and layered, capable of representing the changing intensity of the rain from gentle to dense.

First, I compiled the necessary audio files and uploaded them to the FreeSound website recommended by my teacher. Then I imported them into AU.

Audio track hierarchy:

I selected sound effects such as rain, thunder, footsteps, wind, and splashing water from the sound library and imported them into AU's multitrack session. Each sound effect was placed on a different track so that the volume and position could be adjusted individually.

Adding fade-in and fade-out effects makes the sound transitions more natural and less abrupt.

Adjusting Volume and Duration

I used volume envelopes to adjust the volume of each track, gradually increasing the intensity of the rain from drizzle to downpour, then slowly decreasing to create a natural rhythmic change. Simultaneously, I synchronized the footsteps with the rain sound by editing and stretching the footage, ensuring harmony between the foreground sound (footsteps) and the background sound (rain).

Applying sound effects:

Different sounds use different sound effects, but since there are different sounds on a single audio track, I used the Effects group - Clip Sound Effects to add different sound effects to each different sound.

To enhance the sense of space, I added reverb and delay to make raindrops and thunder sound more realistic and layered. Footsteps were kept clean and clear to emphasize the "first-person" immersive experience.

Mixing and Balancing

I continuously adjusted the volume ratio of each track in the multitrack to make the foreground and background sounds clearly layered. The sound of rain lays a smooth background, while the sounds of thunder and wind provide rhythmic embellishments, and the sounds of footsteps and splashing water highlight the sense of movement.

During the sound editing process, after initially completing the multi-track editing and material placement, I used Amplitude Statistics and the Mixer to optimize the overall effect.

Using Amplitude Statistics, I checked the loudness and peak of each sound effect to ensure that the volume of all materials was balanced, without any excessively high or low volumes. This step helped me identify and correct individual overly loud raindrop and thunder clips.

Subsequently, I used the Mixer to adjust the volume and panning of each track, creating a clear distinction between foreground sounds (footsteps, splashing water) and background sounds (rain, thunder, wind), resulting in a more natural and balanced overall sound. The Mixer also allowed me to compare the effects of each track in real time, quickly fine-tune, and ensure that the mood and rhythm matched my design intent.

The teacher provided feedback on Project Two, suggesting I optimize the audio in two ways:

1. Adjust the volume. Lower the excessively high volume at the beginning of the audio (“Step One”), and increase the overall low volume to around 15 to avoid interfering with my listening to ambient sounds and maintaining focus;

2. Enrich the ambient sound effects. Currently, the ambient sounds are not clear enough. Adding elements such as the sound of a bicycle riding quickly in the rain or the sound of vehicles passing by would better match the “strolling through a quiet city” scenario.

First recording:

The teacher provided feedback on Project Two, suggesting I optimize the audio in two ways:

1. Adjust the volume. Lower the excessively high volume at the beginning of the audio (“Step One”), and increase the overall low volume to around 15 to avoid interfering with my listening to ambient sounds and maintaining focus;

2. Enrich the ambient sound effects. Currently, the ambient sounds are not clear enough. Adding elements such as the sound of a bicycle riding quickly in the rain or the sound of vehicles passing by would better match the “strolling through a quiet city” scenario.

Audio Editing History:

Based on the teacher's feedback, I made several adjustments and optimizations to the original audio. The teacher suggested improvements in two directions: enriching the environmental sound effects and balancing the overall volume.

During the modification process, I first added more urban ambient sounds to the scene—street sounds, the splashing of water from passing cars, and the sound of bicycles riding in the rain—making the scene more vivid and layered. The addition of these detailed sounds makes it easier for listeners to imagine the space and atmosphere of "walking on a rainy night street."

Simultaneously, I reduced the volume of footsteps to prevent the foreground from overpowering the background ambient sounds, resulting in a more balanced overall sound. Finally, following the teacher's suggestion, I used a hard limiter to increase the overall loudness, adjusting the average audio level to around -15 dB to ensure clarity, fullness, and no distortion during playback.

After these modifications, the final audio effect is more natural, the environmental atmosphere is richer, and the overall layering is more harmonious, successfully presenting the quiet and realistic feeling of a "rainy night walk."

Final recording:

Source files:

Self-Reflection

Completing this "weather + background" sound design assignment gave me a deeper understanding of the role of sound in storytelling. At the beginning of the project, I repeatedly considered how to use sound to depict the process of walking home in the rain, allowing the listener to feel the transition from the street to their doorstep even without any visuals or dialogue. This process made me realize that seemingly ordinary, subtle sounds in daily life—the soft sound of footsteps on wet ground, the rhythm of raindrops on an umbrella, the rustling of leaves in the wind—can all become key elements of storytelling.

In practice, I first edited and trimmed multiple tracks in Audition, arranging various sound effects logically to gradually build rhythm and layering. Later, I used forced amplitude to check the volume peaks of each sound effect, ensuring overall loudness balance. Simultaneously, I used the mixer to adjust the volume and panning between tracks, making the foreground and background sounds distinct and more natural. This part made me deeply appreciate the importance of technical tools in sound design; the correct use of tools can make emotional expression more precise.

Through this assignment, I not only improved my skills in sound editing and mixing but also learned how to tell stories and create atmosphere through sound. I realized that sound itself is a language; it can convey emotions, create a sense of space, and make the listener feel as if they are there. Looking back on the whole process, I feel I have gained a lot and look forward to trying more different types of scenarios in the future, combining sound design with storytelling more naturally and impactfully.