We live in a vibrant world full of various sights and sounds. From the roar of a lion in Africa to the quack of a duck in a Texas pond, the world is full of animals which have unique qualities and characteristics which makes every species different. I’ve always been fascinated by the various animal sounds ever since I was a kid. Regardless of how many you hear, however, you’ll never really hear them all. Because of this variety, I’ve chosen to use animal sounds for my Week 2 Portfolio project to create my audio assets for Uranus Attacks.
Kraktoh
When thinking about the planet sounds and how I could find an animal sound which resembles something atmospheric, I decided to go with killer whale sounds. They have an eerie sound to them which can be modified with a reverb effect which I hope will come sounding like a proper environmental sound. My aim is to stretch the sound and lower the pitch to give it the perception of wind passing through the mountains which are pictured in the image of Kraktoh.
D’Kuk
California Sea Lions make long and very low bellows. I plan to combine various samples of these sounds into one layer, slow it down, and add a bit of reverb. Due to the aggressive nature of the Fnoon, I feel that the growling characteristics of sea lions fit with D’Kuk and its inhabitants.
Ship Engine
For the ship engine, the audio duties fall to my cat, Pancakes, which, for one as small as he is, creates a very deep purring sound. I feel that I can record his purring, slow it down, lower the pitch to get a sort of mechanical modulation.
Vaporizer
For the vaporizer, I plan to use the sound of a Red Chickaree squirrel. They have a unique shrieking sound which almost has a car alarm quality to it. I feel that if I can extend it and lower the pitch a bit, it should come out to a good vaporizer sound. Additionally, I could give a bit of modulation so it has that Mars Attacks! sci-fi sound to it.
Teleport In/Out
The animal sound I will use for teleporting in and out will be from a Raccoon. They make a very staccato chittering sound which rises in pitch before falling again. I plan to modify it by stretching it, lowering the pitch and adding an effect or two in an effort to give it more of a space-like feel.
Barnaby
I will be using the sound of a Camel for the Barnaby. There won’t be much to do to the sound as it seems to fit with the idea I had in mind for them. I will also attempt to combine this sound with that of a Beluga Whale. They have a type of ‘scream’ which I hate to listen to because it sounds so painful. However, I feel that this will complement the squirrel sound and give the indication that the Barnaby is getting fried.
Fnoon
Due to their “brutish and savage” nature. I will be using the sounds of a Walrus for the Fnoons. The deep bellows and barks from a walrus can be manipulated to a higher pitch as well as possibly shortening the length of the bellows. This will better align with the “pig-like” characteristics of the Fnoons.