Spatial Audio Design | Task 2 - Audio Imagery
|| Tee Zi Tong, 0366165
|| Spatial Audio Design | Task 2 - Audio Imagery
|| Week 5 - Week 9
Scenario: Cities + Transport + Exterior Atmosphere
For this project, I was required to create an audio-driven story based on a selected environment. I chose the Cities + Transport + Exterior Atmosphere scenario. My final concept focuses on a ferry terminal environment, capturing both the bustling city atmosphere and the transitional experience of travel across water.
STORYLINE
Initially, I developed a storyline based on a train station setting, as it naturally fits the transport theme. However, after reviewing my previous exercises, I felt the concept was too similar to earlier work and lacked originality.
To improve the uniqueness of my project, I decided to shift the setting to a ferry terminal, which allowed for more interesting environmental contrasts such as waterfront ambience, vessel movement, and open-air spatial sound.
PROCESS
After receiving feedback from Mr. Razif, I began collecting sound effects from BBC Sound Effects and Freesound.org. I then imported all audio assets into Adobe Audition (5.1 multitrack session) for spatial audio arrangement.
I organized the sounds according to different layers such as crowd ambience, water environment, transport movement, and announcement systems. Using the 5.1 setup allowed me to position sounds spatially, creating a more immersive environment that reflects the openness of a ferry terminal.
For the initial stage, I adjusted basic volume balancing and panning to establish spatial depth. I also compared multiple sound variations when certain effects were difficult to decide on, ensuring the most suitable audio was selected for the final composition.
To enhance realism, I applied effects such as EQ to simulate environmental space. For example, crowd sounds were slightly softened and diffused to mimic outdoor distance, while closer foreground sounds like footsteps and announcements were kept clearer.
Unlike typical preset-based workflows, I manually adjusted EQ and reverb to better match the transition between open-air terminal areas and enclosed ferry boarding zones.
As the narrative progressed, I implemented automation to reflect movement within the environment. This included gradual changes in volume, reverb depth, and panning direction to simulate walking through the terminal towards the boarding area.
Initially, I experimented with multiple layers for movement sounds such as footsteps and luggage wheels. However, I refined the audio by selecting only the most suitable clips and ensuring smoother transitions between them.
During refinement, I noticed that some transitions felt too abrupt, especially when shifting from walking ambience to boarding atmosphere. I resolved this by adding fade-ins, fade-outs, and smoother crossfades between clips.
I also used a limiter on certain tracks to prevent clipping and maintain consistent audio quality across the mix.
FIRST ATTEMPT
After feedback, I made several improvements, including:
- arrange the seagulls sound positions to shows more natural
- must take not on over high pitch and put hard limiter to every track
- can lower down overall sound volume
I further refined walking transitions by smoothing footsteps and reducing abrupt cuts. This helped create a more natural flow when transitioning between different areas such as waiting zones, boarding gates, and exterior dock areas.
FINAL OUTCOME
REFLECTION
Experience
This project helped me explore spatial audio storytelling using a more structured and cinematic approach. I initially began in Adobe Audition using a 5.1 multitrack setup, which allowed me to experiment with spatial positioning and environmental layering.
At first, I developed a train station concept, but I later decided to change it to a ferry terminal setting. This decision helped me avoid repeating similar ideas from previous exercises and allowed me to explore a more open and dynamic environment.
Although Adobe Audition was more familiar to me, I faced a learning curve when working with 5.1 spatial audio. However, through experimentation and feedback, I gradually became more comfortable with positioning and balancing sound layers in a surround format.
Observation
Throughout the process, I observed that even subtle sound elements play an important role in building realism. Small details such as crowd distance, water ambience, and movement transitions significantly affect how immersive the environment feels.
I also realized that abrupt transitions can easily break immersion. Smooth fades and spatial continuity are essential in maintaining a believable audio journey from one area to another.
Findings
I learned that structured layering and spatial grouping are essential in complex audio projects. Using multitrack and surround sound techniques allows better control over environmental depth and clarity.
In addition, careful adjustment of EQ, reverb, and volume automation is crucial to simulate realistic movement within space. The ferry terminal setting especially helped me understand how open environments behave differently from enclosed spaces.
Overall, this project strengthened my technical skills in Adobe Audition and improved my understanding of environmental storytelling through sound design.
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