How did you learn sound design? Where should I start?

[u/SunsetBLVD23]

Title: How do you create a sound that's hard to describe?

Hey everyone!

I recently started learning game sound design, and so far, I've mostly been browsing Soundly and sample libraries to find sounds that fit my needs.

For straightforward stuff like footsteps or monster sounds, I can usually tweak existing samples with pitch shifting and other plugins to get something that works.

But I'm struggling when it comes to creating a specific sound that I can hear in my head but don't know how to make.

For example, I recently tried creating a hovering sound for a wizard character floating around in the air. I was imagining something with an electric vehicle vibe, but couldn't find the right samples. Starting from scratch with a synth felt overwhelming since I'm not very experienced with synth sound design, and I wasn't sure where to start with Foley either.

So, how do you guys approach this kind of problem? Would a synth sound design course help, or is it mostly about experimenting with samples, layering, and trial and error?

I'd love to hear how you learned sound design and any tips or resources you'd recommend. Thanks!

[u/BuzzardDogma]

Learning about synthesis is a gigantic help in designing sound effects, especially for games. If sound design is something you're interested in professionally I would strongly recommend it.

However, there are designers who get by on purely samples and sample manipulation (and utilizing the right effects) but those people usually have massive libraries of all kinds of eclectic material as well as good recording habits. This is pretty rare though.

Most great sound designer uses a mix of samples, bespoke recording, and synthesis. All three of those skills are very synergistic too.

[u/SunsetBLVD23 → u/BuzzardDogma]

Thanks. Like you said, having at least a basic understanding of synthesis seems really helpful. Are there any courses or books you'd recommend? I've come across a few synth sound design tutorials, but most seem to focus on music production rather than sound design for games or film.

[u/marcusnilssomm]

If I was starting from scratch with learning synthesis and didn't have any paid hardware/ software id get stuck in vcv rack for free and go through omri cohens youtube. His work in teaching is of the best places to visit on the internet

[u/SunsetBLVD23 → u/marcusnilssomm]

Thanks! Gonna check this out right now!

[u/footsnax]

I would call synthesis an early medium skill to learn. Maybe late medium if you get really into it and try to go granular. Either way, if you're just starting, I would start with some more basic skills.

For the hover sound you mentioned, you could go as simple as creating a sine wave and wobbling the pitch with another layer that gives it more unique character. Then use game parameters to adjust that pitch and volume based on the wizard's movement.

Game audio is so much more than just making the sound. You need to think about how it's implemented, if it just plays when you tell it to play and doesn't interact with the world or characters it will throw the player out of the experience. Design the sound with respect for implementation, think about the game's performance, and what it will do when it's implemented.

Personal note, I know exactly what you mean. I've made so many sounds I've hated simply because they weren't exactly what I imagined. I've also gotten feedback from leads that have told me to make it sound more sloppy or a little bit more blue.

Don't beat yourself up. Nothing is ever perfect, that's why audio designers have the final_final_final_01a_actually_final.wav meme.

[u/JJonesSoundArtist]

I will say, there is something I really like in what you're doing, which is focusing on very specific effects and how to re-create them or create your own from scratch.

I think that's a really valuable skill to practice at the beginning of the craft because its easy to get super overwhelmed with big long cinematic redesign pieces before you even know how to burn kindling if that makes sense.

Practice some field recording if you're able to, you can literally start with a cellphone mic if that's what you have access to.

There is some solid advice out there around starting small with a more simple clip that you can actually finish or a focused sound effect or two before moving onto the more ambitious ones, but at some stage those will absolutely be worth practicing to as well as you improve.

[u/Ashleytoddaudio]

Learn wwise too!

[u/EpsoniteK]

start tinkering with different knobs my guy. thats the fun part