Sound Design for an Excerpt from "The Cave of Time"

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Sound Design for an Excerpt from Edward Packard's

"Choose Your Own Adventure #1: The Cave of Time"

Description

This is a sound design I made imagining how the excerpt from the text "The Time Cave" that I describe below would sound like, and how it would be if this were an interactive scene.

The sounds of the footsteps and birds belong to an audio library, the rest of the sounds were created by me.

All audio editing, mixing, and implementation in Fmod, was also done by me.

The Text

"You've hiked through Snake Canyon once before while visiting your Uncle Howard at Red Creek Ranch, but you never noticed any cave entrance. It looks as though a recent rock slide has un- covered it.
Though the late afternoon sun is striking the opening of the cave, the interior remains in total darkness. You step inside a few feet, trying to get an idea of how big it is.

As your eyes become used to the dark, you see what looks like a tunnel ahead, dimly lit by some kind of phosphorescent material on its walls.

The tunnel walls are smooth, as if they were shaped by running water.

After twenty feet or so, the tunnel curves. You wonder where it leads. You venture in a bit further, but you feel nervous being alone in such a strange place.

You turn and hurry out.
A thunderstorm may be coming, judging by how dark it looks outside. Suddenly you realize the sun has long since set, and the landscape is lit only by the pale light of the full moon.

You must have fallen asleep and woken up hours later. But then you re- member something even more strange. Just last evening, the moon was only a slim crescent in the sky.
You wonder how long you've been in the cave. You are not hungry. You don't feel you have been sleeping. You wonder whether to try to walk back home by moonlight or whether to wait for dawn, rather than risk losing your footing on the steep and rocky trail.

If you decide to go home, turn to page 4. If you decide to wait, turn to page 5."

Audio Design Document

Design Sketch: Identifying Audio Assets

This sketch focuses on representing the audio needs for the different situations in the text.

Scene 1: Approaching the Cave

Sounds:

* Daytime ambiance:

- Birds chirping (high-pitched, cheerful)

- Gentle breeze (subtle whooshing sound)

- Distant animal calls (faint, sporadic chirps or calls)

* Footsteps:

- Slow, steady footsteps on hard ground (gravel or packed dirt)

Gradually fading in volume as the protagonist approaches the cave

* Angel caller:

- A faint, ethereal sound (high-pitched bells or chimes)

- Plays briefly before fading away

Transitions:

Daytime ambiance gradually fades away as the protagonist enters the cave.
Footsteps become more irregular and distant as they explore the cave entrance.

Scene 2: Entering the Cave

Sounds:

* Footsteps:

- Echoing footsteps on hard rock (slow, deliberate)
- Gradually fading in volume as the protagonist moves deeper into the cave

* Cave ambiance:

- Dripping water (irregular drips, varying in pitch and volume)
- Distant echoes (subtle reverberations of sounds within the cave)
- Occasional rustling sounds (soft movement of rocks or insects)

* Fluorescent lights:

- Crackling, electric sounds (subtle, high-pitched sparks)
- Occasional pops or clicks (to represent the intermittent nature of the glow)

Transitions:

Daytime ambiance completely fades away, replaced by the cave ambiance.
Footsteps slow down and eventually stop as the protagonist observes the cave interior.
Cave ambiance gradually intensifies to create a sense of tension and unease.

Scene 3: Exploring the Cave

Sounds:

* Footsteps:

- Occasional, hesitant footsteps as the protagonist moves cautiously
- Quieter than in the previous step, reflecting the protagonist's apprehension

* Cave ambiance:

- Continues to intensify, with subtle changes in pitch and tone (building suspense)
- Introduction of subtle, unsettling sounds (e.g., low growls or faint whispers) to heighten tension
* Heartbeat:

- A faint, irregular thumping sound (gradually increasing in intensity)
- Represents the protagonist's growing anxiety and fear

Transitions:

Footsteps become more rapid and erratic as the protagonist decides to leave.
Cave ambiance reaches its peak intensity before fading away as they exit the cave.

Step 4: Emerging into the Night

Sounds:

*Footsteps:

- Disappear as the protagonist stops outside the cave

* Night ambiance:

- Crickets chirping (rhythmic, high-pitched chirps)
- Owls hooting (deep, mournful calls)
- Gentle rustling of leaves (occasional whispers of wind through foliage)

* Heartbeats:

- Fade away, replaced by a sense of calm (gradual relaxation of the protagonist)

Transitions:

Cave ambiance completely disappears, replaced by the night ambiance.
A seamless transition between the two ambiances to maintain continuity.

Step 5: Contemplating the Next Move

Sounds:

*Night ambiance:

- Continues to play in a loop, creating a sense of uncertainty (use subtle variations to hint at the passage of time)

Optional:

- Subtle changes in the ambiance (e.g., increasing or decreasing crickets' chirping)
- Introduction of distant animal sounds (faint howls or growls) to suggest potential dangers

Transitions:

No specific transitions required as the audio here remains in a loop.

Additional Considerations:

* Sound effects: Use subtle sound effects to enhance the atmosphere, such as dripping water, distant echoes, and occasional rustling sounds.
* Music: Consider incorporating low-key, atmospheric music to further heighten the tension and mystery.
* Volume adjustments: Adjust the volume levels of individual sounds to create a dynamic and engaging audio experience.

FMOD Implementation

Timeline Structure

I chose to work with a Timeline as it felt more familiar to me. I divided the project into four distinct sections or moments:

1. Snake Canyon

This section represents the daytime exterior and the arrival at the cave.

Ambient Sounds:

I loaded the ambient sound into a multi-instrument to create multiple sound tracks that play in shuffle mode, preventing the listener from noticing a repeating pattern.

Footsteps:

I followed the same approach for the multi-instrument of the exterior footsteps.

Bird Calls:

I added an instrument with the sound of a bird and configured an automation in the trigger conditions to control the probability of playing this sound based on a "Time of Day" parameter.

Looping and Parameter Triggers:

I set this entire section to loop, as the player will determine how long they walk through the canyon until they reach the cave.

To exit the loop and continue the story, I created a discrete parameter called "Arrive to cave".

Angel Caller:

I loaded the sound of the angel caller mentioned in the design into an instrument on a separate track. However, this sound only plays when the "Arrive to cave" parameter is activated, ensuring it plays only once.

Time-Based Sound Cues:

The exterior footsteps and daytime ambient sounds are set to play between 8 am and 7 pm.

2. Cave Entrance

This section represents the moment when the protagonist is standing in front of the cave.

Ambient Sounds:

I reused the multi-instrument with the ambient sound. However, since I wanted to have loose footsteps in this section, I created a Scatterer instrument with a Random modulation automation for the Spawn Rate, with a variability of 35.5%, and another LFO automation on the volume.

Bird Calls:

I included the sound of birds again, with a probability automation based on the "Time of Day" parameter.

Looping and Parameter Trigger:

This entire section is a loop, and the discrete parameter "Enter cave" should be activated to trigger the action of entering the cave.

Transition Section:

Upon exiting the loop, we enter a transition section that leads us into the cave. The transition timeline is set for a few seconds, during which a crossfade of environments and footstep types occurs.

3. Inside the Cave

Several things happen in this section, creating a mysterious atmosphere

Ambient Sounds:

The ambient sound is loaded into a single instrument, and another instrument is added for the growing sound that adds mystery to the cave (the audio is already designed with increasing volume, so no automation was needed).

Cave Footsteps:

The cave footstep assets are loaded into multiple instruments: 2 multi-instruments and 2 scatterer instruments.

First, a scatterer plays (tentative entrance into the cave).

Then, the multi-instrument plays (normal walking).

Then, the scatterer plays again (the additional steps taken before getting nervous).

After a pause, the last multi-instrument plays with Pitch automation to make it sound like the protagonist starts running.

This series of footsteps is on a separate track so that reverb can be applied to give it a sense of spaciousness.

SFX and Reverb:

In the Sfx track, I loaded the electricity effects and the heartbeat with reverb.

I added an automation on the Wet level (LFO mod) to make the effect grow as it plays.

4. Exterior - Night

This section is connected to the previous one, as the cave footsteps transform into outdoor footsteps.

Footsteps:

I created a multi-instrument with pitch automation on the timeline again, but in reverse. It starts with a high pitch and drops quickly (the protagonist stops running once they get outside).

After a pause, the random footsteps sound again and then stop.

Night Ambient Sounds:

The exterior ambient sound now represents the full moon night. I again chose to load multiple files into a multi-instrument in Shuffle mode.

Heartbeat Fade Out:

The heartbeat sound extends over this section and fades out smoothly.

Looping and Parameter-Based Choices:

To finalize the FMOD structure, I created a loop section with only the ambient sound. To exit the loop, I created two parameters representing the text's options:

The "Stay" parameter is set to 1.

The "Go Home" parameter is set to 2.

The number 0 in both parameters maintains the loop.