Sound Design in Projection Mapping with Paintscaping

Have you ever wondered how sound design is created?

Here is a breakdown explaining a recent project I worked on.

The Show

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A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to create sound design for part of a 3D projection mapping show created by Paintscaping. The show is projected on an estate (the sixth largest estate open to the public at 64,500 square feet) originally owned by one of the co-founders of Goodyear Tires.

The goal was to create sound design for the building's transformation into a fantasy tire machine.

Work Print

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The "work print" is what you receive as a sound designer before any audio is created. The goal is to create a background ambience with moving parts and then apply elements that are featured in the foreground. If we were to create a sound effect for every single item it could begin to sound muddy. The key to laying out the process is to ensure that there are sounds emerging from each speaker separately, as well as in the foreground, middle-ground, and background.

Sound Design Final

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Below is the final sound design pass on the work print:

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Below is the final sound design pass at the venue:

Breakdown

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The best way to break it down is to analyze the stems. A stem is an individual sound or group of sounds representing a portion of the overall sound (think of it as layers). This sound design project has five distinct layer groups that bring the tire machine to life.

Elements of the process:

Big Metal Door Stem

We are swept through the metal doors with the sound of winding gears and a purring engine, panning as the doors wipe across the building.

Pipe Building Stem

Sounds of pipes, metal pieces, debris, and dirt all contribute to the believability of the tire factory's construction. Much of the detail goes unnoticed, but sometimes subtlety is the secret to elevating the experience.

Mechanical Arm and Doors Stem

The mechanical arm is the most in-your-face. It picks up the tires and remains fully centered in the panning. One of the many sounds that creates this effect is a Kitchenaid mixer pitched several notes down to give it a more robust presence. With that action we also hear doors opening and closing as the arm reaches in and out of the building.

Gears Stem

The gears are a mix of ambient and individual gears. I selected key gears on each side so that the panning gives a sense of direction.

Pumping and Steam Stem

The pumping and steam sounds were also assigned to specific pumps on each side. I end each pump sound with an exhale of steam to make it seem as if the machine is alive and breathing.

Compression and Reverberation

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At the end of the process, a certain amount of compression is applied to the merged sound design elements to help level and raise the overall energy. The reverb profile from the inside of a factory is minimally applied to give a sense of immersion in the actual space.

Interested in seeing more from Paintscaping? Check out http://paintscaping.com/about/

Steemians, what do you think of this? Do you have any more questions or want to see more details of what goes into this?