{"id":5208,"date":"2024-09-17T06:28:59","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T06:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/?p=5208"},"modified":"2024-10-01T07:30:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T07:30:11","slug":"design-sounds-from-noise-source-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/17\/design-sounds-from-noise-source-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing sounds from Noise 1\/2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Although they allow you to create any sound you can imagine, the 130+ modules available in GameSynth\u2019s<\/a> patching environment can be a bit overwhelming at times! If you just discovered GameSynth or sound synthesis, focusing on a single module at a time can help. This is what we will be doing in this 2-part tutorial, by showing you how to design different patches using the Noise<\/strong> module as our unique sound generator!<\/p>\n

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Noise 101<\/h2>\n
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First, let\u2019s check what this Noise<\/strong> module is all about. It can generate three types of noises. White<\/em> noise contains all frequencies. It is a great sound source that can be sculpted by subtractive synthesis. Pink<\/em> noise offers a more natural sound, and is a good choice to design water sounds for instance. Finally, Brownian noise generates lower frequencies, ideal to create rumble sounds and room tones.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Although these 3 types of noises are arguably the most useful for sound synthesis, there are actually many colors of noise<\/a>!<\/p>\n

For convenience, the Noise<\/strong> module also includes lowpass and highpass filters to further constrain its spectral range if needed.\u00a0 The modulation inputs provide a way to adjust the amplitude of the signal generated, as well as the cutoff frequencies of the lowpass and highpass filters.<\/p>\n

Because of its versatility, the Noise<\/strong> module is a basic building block in many patches, and learning all about it will help you design more complex patches once you combine it with other modules.<\/p>\n

In the rest of this tutorial, we will use the Noise<\/strong> module as the only sound source, first starting with simple patches including a few modules, and then ramping up to more elaborate designs.<\/p>\n

Warming Up<\/h2>\n

Room Tone \u2013<\/strong> Room tones correspond to the natural noise produced by our environment. Although this is probably something that should not be too loud, it is often the base layer of many ambiences. Often, it is simply filtered noise. To achieve this, let\u2019s connect a Noise<\/strong> module to two EQ Filter<\/strong> modules with slightly different frequencies<\/em> (around 300 Hz) to create a small stereo effect. Simply by adjusting the frequency<\/em> of the filters and selecting different types<\/em> of noise, it is possible to generate a large palette of tones.<\/p>\n

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Designed Ambience \u2013<\/strong> By replacing the filters in the first patch by more advanced processors such as Resonator <\/strong>and Reverb<\/strong> modules, eerie ambiences can be designed. The Resonator<\/strong> will put the emphasis on specific frequencies and add resonances to the sound. This will help create an ethereal feeling, especially after increasing the Wet\/Dry mix<\/em> to around 90%.<\/p>\n

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Ventilation \u2013<\/strong> To create a sound similar to a fan, a periodic modulation can be applied by an LFO. <\/strong>First, the Noise<\/strong>\u2019s integrated lowpass filter is set around 110 Hz to simulate a low rumble, and then the output of the LFO<\/strong> is connected to the Noise<\/strong> amplitude<\/em>. Selecting the TwoSines <\/em>shape will produce a good rotating sound, and an extra Formant Filter<\/strong> will muffle the sound even more. Connecting the LFO<\/strong> to its morphing input <\/em>will also improve the rotation effect.<\/p>\n

\nThere are many shapes available for the LFO<\/strong>, and the Formant Filter<\/strong> module offers many vowel settings. Simply by adjusting these two parameters, it is possible to create a large variety of fan-like sounds!\n<\/p>\n

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Distant Helicopter \u2013<\/strong> By modulating a filter\u2019s frequency<\/em> instead of the amplitude <\/em>of the Noise<\/strong> module, the sound of a distant helicopter can be simulated. In this case, the Noise<\/strong>\u2019s type<\/em> is set to Brownian<\/em> and its output connected to an EQ Filter<\/strong> with a Bell<\/em> shape. By lowering the gain<\/em> of the filter, a notch is created in the spectrum, and when its center frequency<\/em> is modulated by the LFO<\/strong> (via a Mapper<\/strong> module to adjust the range), a typical rotor sound is generated. The EQ (3 bands)<\/strong> and the Spectral Delay<\/strong> modules are used to adjust the feeling of proximity and space.<\/p>\n

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Whoosh<\/h2>\n

Whooshes are one of the categories of effects typically relying on noisy sound sources.<\/p>\n

Swish \u2013 <\/strong>Creating realistic short whooshes can easily be done by quickly modulating filters. First, the Noise<\/strong> module is connected to two bandpass<\/em> EQ Filters <\/strong>in parallel, with different resonance (Q<\/em>) settings. Then, the Envelope<\/strong> that controls the Noise<\/strong> amplitude<\/em> is also used to drive the filters frequency<\/em> (via Mapper<\/strong> modules that set a different range for each filter). Once random ranges have been assigned to the Envelope\u2019s<\/strong> duration<\/em>, the Output Max<\/em> of the Mapper<\/strong>, and the lowpass<\/em> EQ Filter<\/strong>\u2019s frequency<\/em> (after the second bandpass<\/em>) many sound variations can easily be created.<\/p>\n

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Magic Whoosh \u2013 <\/strong>Stylized whooshes can be designed by adding effect processors to the signal path. In this patch, two Noise<\/strong> modules are used. They each focus on a different frequency range and send their output through various processors. A Flanger<\/strong> is usually great to emphasize movement (experiment with different LFO rate <\/em>values), while a Delay<\/strong> will help create a longer release. Note that this patch divides into parallel branches. One of them circumvents the effects and is mixed back into the main branch: this compensates for the loss of intensity due to the effects chain. For more examples of noise-based, stylized whooshes, check out our Anime Swish blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nTo find out the many ways you can use a Noise module, visit the patch repository, select the Modular model, and press the \u201cSearch Module\u201d button (or press Alt+M twice). Then select the Noise module, and all patches using it will be listed!\n<\/p>\n

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\nTo find out the many ways you can use a Noise module, visit the patch repository, select the Modular model, and press the \u201cSearch Module\u201d button (or press Alt+M twice). Then select the Noise module, and all patches using it will be listed!\n<\/p>\n

Cloth Foley \u2013<\/strong> While technically not a whoosh, cloth Foley can be simulated using a similar technique. A pink<\/em> Noise<\/strong> is sent to an EQ Filter<\/strong> configured as a bandpass<\/em>, whose central frequency<\/em> is modulated to mimic the movement. As the pink noise by itself does not sound like cloth, two EQ (5 bands)<\/strong> are used to shape the sound and get something closer to a friction sound. This time, instead of an Envelope<\/strong>, a Meta Parameter<\/strong> is used to drive both the filters and the overall amplitude, the Drifter <\/strong>module slightly randomizing the movement.<\/p>\n

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This concludes the first part this tutorial about the design of patches around the Noise module. Don\u2019t miss the second part, in which we will create patches for impacts and environmental sounds.<\/p>\n

\"download-patches\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Although they allow you to create any sound you can imagine, the 130+ modules available in GameSynth\u2019s patching environment can be a bit overwhelming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procedural-audio","category-tutorial","category-gamesynth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5208"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7176,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5208\/revisions\/7176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tsugi-studio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}