Sound1

SE1- Distant Synth

SE2 - Prepare For Launch

SE3 - Haunted House

My sonic narrative is based on the poem “The Poet With His Face In His Hands” by Mary Oliver (the-monahan.livejournal.com/1440.html), because it’s one of my favorite poems. I wanted to make a sound with a lot of musicality, but not necessarily a "song" without using a lot of instruments. I specifically avoided the MIDI instruments, opting to make my own instrument on the retro synth. Apart from that most of the sounds were from things in the poem: the waterfall, the dripping, the thrush song. I wanted to manipulate those sounds from the poem to create an impression of the progression of the poem, using my synth instrument to help with the pacing and tone.

The song starts out slow and dark and sad, like the poem, as the poet reflects on their mistakes. As the poet goes on their journey across “the forty dark inclines/ of rocks and water” the music speeds up again. Then I brought in the waterfall sounds just as it comes into the poem. I brought in the thrush earlier than it appears in the poem, but distorted the sound to make it more abrasive and unnerving, because at this point in the poem the poet is at their darkest moment. Simultaneously I introduced quick series of water dripping noises with increasing reverb and increased the volume of the waterfall while the instrument speeds up to reflect this tension. After this the music slows down and some of the sounds drop out.

There are two main interpretations of the end of this poem. The first says that the bird song at the end of the poem is there to mock the pain of the poet character. I chose to interpret the second, which says that the bird song is a reminder that there is still beauty despite the poet’s suffering. At this point I have the bird song come back in, without the distortion this time. The synth instrument responds with a much happier melody this time. Finally, I wanted the poem to end with each piece fading out, leaving the birdsong as the last sound, as it is the last thing described in the poem.

P1: The Poet With His Face In His Hands

Sound Design Document

1.	Overview (Pitch)
For the sound on this game I want the sound to convey a sense of “epicness.”  The game is heavily action/adventure oriented as the main character, Wander, travels across vast open areas while fighting the huge colossi.  The original sound design was okay, but for my sound design I want to emphasize the epicness of the adventure and the fights with the colossi.  The music I’ve chosen is epic, ambient rock music from a song by Sigur Rόs.
2.	Goals
•	Set’s the location by:  The fight takes place out in an open rocky area.  To accommodate this I tried to make footsteps and similar sounds sound as if they were hitting a rocky surface.  I also added reverb to a lot of sounds to represent the open environment and added the sound of wind and the crowing of the birds that can sometimes be seen flying around in the background.
•	enhances the overall aesthetic:  The aesthetic I want is a feeling of epicness and adventurousness.  My sounds for the colossus made him more intimidating and formidable.  I also included the song Brennisteinn by Sigur Rós 
•	Represents characters:  I created sounds to fit the movements of the character.  The colossus is represented by loud, deep, booming sounds to try to characterize it as being intimidating and formidable.  The character, Wander, I used less intense sounds as he is smaller, but with a few sharp poignant sounds for his weapons to emphasize his ability and strength.
•	Synchronizes with player actions to enhance gameplay: When the player moves the character’s footsteps can be heard.  As the character runs the player can hear their breathing pick up, and the breathing gets louder as the character it’s closer to the “camera”.  When the character withdraws or uses a weapon there is an accompanying sound (such as a blade being drawn, an arrow being fired).  
•	The main way the sound notifies the player of gameplay events in this section of the game is music.  As the character gets closer to the colossus the music builds up, and when they get close enough that the colossus can start attacking them the music reaches a high point.

P2: Shadow Of The Colossus

An interview with Autumn Braley about developing her identity as a Native American.  Featuring The Road Feat. Black Bear by A Tribe Called Red

OfDust