(eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Made a pack that makes Armagetron sound like a rock concert? Hook us up!
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17na
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(eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by 17na »

I cant do anything now because I am using my psp's internet browser (ya remember those things)but I would love to create my own engine sound effect since I find all of the ones here to be just annoying (no ofense)but does sound file for the cycle engine have to be a mess of sinewaves like most of the one ive found here?because I kinda want it to actualy sound like an engine runing if so can annyone reccomend A sound edditing program? once I get my computer working again I could get it done by christmas-ish
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sinewav
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by sinewav »

17na wrote:...but does sound file for the cycle engine have to be a mess of sinewaves like most of the one ive found here?
:x
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by 17na »

sinewav wrote:
17na wrote:...but does sound file for the cycle engine have to be a mess of sinewaves like most of the one ive found here?
:x
not the graphic artist the soundwave term thanks for help by the way.
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sinewav
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by sinewav »

Well actually, I'm a sound designer and engineer too. I'll give you a few tips, but first, have you listened to my alternative cycle engines?

Making an engine is actually a little hard, IMO. It's got to sound good over a range of different pitches, and it should't have elements that cause it to create disorientation when mixed with other cycle sounds of varying pitch. Having a percussive sounding engine may sound interesting alone, but could sound like a complete mess in a server with several cycles. Sounds that are pure tones, like a straight sine wave, could become annoying and unpleasant after just a short time. ;) The goal is texture.

What you use to create the sound in the first place is your business. But you need an audio editor to cut it down into a loop and adjust the volume (notice how sounds in Arma seem rather quiet?).

The only good free editor I know of is Audacity.
Personally, I've used Sound Forge for the past 15 years.
A friend of mine uses Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit).
I remember having an early version of Wavelab year ago.

This isn't a full list my any means, but it is the most popular software and probably easiest to get a copy. I bet there are even audio editors that come with some operating systems, and even some for smartphones. Once you get an editor, you either need to record/sample some sounds or create them using synthesizers. If you need help with that, let me know.

That's all I'm going to tell you for now except this one last bit: everything you hear can be reduced to a "mess of sinewaves." :D
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Tank Program
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by Tank Program »

Hurrah for Fourier transformations!

I too would recommend Audacity. My friend who did a music degree used it for most of the specific editing of individual sounds. She then used something I forget the name of to mix it together for composition, but I forget the name of that. Something or another 4 or 5...
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by Jonathan »

sinewav is right. A real engine has many frequencies (dare I say harmonics) that get attenuated or strengthened depending on speed and other things. The cycle sound only gets pitch-shifted making it sound tinny. You have to mask that effect one way or another.

I didn't experiment with sounds a lot myself, but I know I enjoyed the time I used an entire song as the engine sound! And yeah, he really is everywhere.
Tank Program wrote:he then used something I forget the name of to mix it together for composition, but I forget the name of that.
I think you forgot you said you forgot. :lol:
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Tank Program
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Re: (eventualy going to) work on new engine sound

Post by Tank Program »

Jonathan wrote: think you forgot you said you forgot. :lol:
These things happen, you know. *waves hand airily*
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