Ableton, I hardly knew Ye!
For this blog, I’m going to skip past the compositional elements of the project I did for Jen. Whilst I’m proud of the piece I created, the FMOD session I’ve curated allows me to move seamlessly through it, which is more important to the project.
My aim going into this project was to create an FMOD session that could interact with objects within a level to increase the intensity of the music, both compositionally and sonically, through the use of the parameter knobs. With this in mind, I deconstructed the linear composition into 8 bar segments which I then cut and consolidated so that I would have perfectly quantised .WAV files to work with. From here I grouped everything into subfolders and brought all of these files into the FMOD asset list. Once I had the files within FMOD I put them all into a single 8 bar loop in an event I created for the music. Normally I would create several looping sections to switch between, but for this project I wanted to focus on the parameter knobs so I only used one looping section. All of these parameter knobs have a range of 0 – 1 so they act like a percentage knob when being turned up.
Link: A great adaptive music tutorial series by FMOD TV, this segment focuses on parameters, effects and automation – Source: (Kellaway, 2015)
Creating Intrigue through Parameters, Effects and Automation
Once I had everything within the event, I started to create new parameters to control the different things within the section. The two main techniques I used were the to automate the volume and filter cut-offs of different tracks from the same knob. Rather than just use linear curves for the automation, I decided to draw in curves that would shift both up and down subtly over time to highlight the area I wanted to focus on. For instance, there are 4 different Violin tracks in the composition, which can be modulated by 3 different parameter knobs. Firstly, I created two buses for the violins, one for the low intensity, low repetition violins and the other for the high-intensity frequent violins. Then I created three parameters; Violin (Slow), Violin (Main) and Violin (filter) (Henceforth, VS/VM/VF). The main reason I opted for two knobs for the Violins was to have softer smoother automation between the first 2 tracks on the slow knob, which are then bused out together through the first bus. The second knob then not only controls the automation between tracks 3 and 4, but also volume automation between the two violin buses. These buses then both have a lowpass filter applied to them, which are both linked to the VF parameter with identical curves.
Meeting Targets, Setting Goals
In the brief I was given for the project, Jen said that there may be an escape room element to her level. Now that I have full control over the intensity of the mix, I would be able to link the parameters I created to objects within the Unreal project and send information over to them. My vision was that in a completed level, there would be several different lines of code controlling the parameters. The first would be a simple distance parameter, as the player got closer to an object they were meant to pick up the filter would sweep open to allow more of the sound to pass through which would act as an audible clue for the listener. The second style of coding would be to set a new fixed minimum value for the parameter once you had picked up the object. For instance, once the player picks up an object within the level, it would permanently set the position of VM to 50, permanently increasing the intensity of the level. When these two styles of coding are combined it can be used to great effect. Say as you get closer to the object, both the VS and VF increase, then once you pick the object up, VM jumps up as well.
Link: How to integrate FMOD with Unity, slightly different to the software we are using but a lot of the principles are the same. – Source: (GQ Audio, 2014)
Sonic vs Analytic
Whilst I hooked up nearly every track in the composition to its own knob and filter, I also created a composition parameter (CP). The main aim of CP was to match the players progress through the level by increasing the intensity of the composition. It does this by altering both the general levels as well as the sonic quality within the mix. The main two instruments in the mix are the Piano and Violin. As both of these instruments have two buses for their various tracks, I automated the volumes of the high-intensity buses to come up as the compositional knob does. In order to keep the levels in check, I then sidechain compressed the lower intensity buses to their higher counterparts in order to duck them as they come up. I then added reverbs to the pianos and violins and linked the dry and wet levels to CP. Starting with a mainly wet signal, as CP is turned up the dry signal increases quickly, while the wet fades away softly to help increase the intensity bringing things from far away in the mix to the forefront of the player’s attention.
Paragraphs on Parameters
There are lots of other elements linked to parameters in the FMOD project that I didn’t cover here. However, I did cover all the techniques I used, so it was simply replicating these techniques on other channels in order to create a mixed I liked. I was very happy with this project as I started and finished it in one night over the course of a couple of hours. I could have gone into more detail and depth with some of my effects, but I decided to leave the mix dryer than I usually would for a dance track. Overall, I don’t think all my efforts will end up being used, as I don’t think Jen has completed the interactivity that she was hoping too. This isn’t the end of the world, as I learnt lots through the process that will help me work with games students in the future. Next time my goal is to combine both parameter-based automation with different looping segments in order to create a flowing composition using repeating and non-repeating elements, including percussion.
Link: Sherry Turkle’s “Connected, but Alone?” discusses how technology influences conversation. – Source: (Turkle, 2012)
Process Reflection
With my process, I feel that I definitely could have done more to improve my communication with Jen. This has been a common theme among my projects this trimester, so moving into next trimester my plan of action will be to organise reoccurring weekly meetings with any interdisciplinary collaborators I work with. By committing to meet up every week, regardless of project developments, it will be easier to maintain focus and group cohesion on the project. In regard to my own creative process, I felt that this project definitely will shape the way I work on other projects in the future. In the past, I have only tried to create loops for non-linear projects, which works, but often lacks depth in the composition. By backward engineering a linear piece into a single loop, I had a much easier time creating a narrative for the audio, as well as the mixdown. FMOD is an amazing piece of middleware, but Ableton still takes the cake when it comes to mixing and processing. So rather than try finish a mix in FMOD, I much prefer doing my mixdown in Ableton and simply automating volumes and doing the “master” in FMOD. The only thing I really need to go out of my way to learn after this project is basic coding. Whilst I can compose and engineer a soundtrack, in order to make myself a triple threat (like NPH) I also need to learn how to integrate my projects the way I have envisaged, this has been a goal of mine for a while, but it is definitely a longer-term goal. I look forward to doing more projects like this in the future and hope to put my newfound FMOD skills to use in the context of a complete game in the future.
Works Cited
GQ Audio. (2014, August 15). FMOD+Unity Integration Intro (series 1 part 0). Retrieved August 2018, from GQ Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzBNPt2UD0U&list=PLt2rwTeDJwvgP_60hvFf_AYCHjDnnBwfT
Kellaway, S.-A. (2015, October 18). Adaptive Music in FMOD Studio: 2 – Game Parameters, Effects and Automation. Retrieved from FMOD TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PpSYcigCUQ
Turkle, S. (2012, Februrary). Connected, but alone? Retrieved August 2018, from TED: https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together#t-283801
Liam Lyttle 