Sonic Design Project 1

 24/10/2025 - 10/11/2025 (Week 5 - Week 7)

HE KE HUA/ 0379395

Source：https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TzQiv-A9oAZo8QFjmsJKh-dswo_dhDmM?usp=drive_link

Au:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ucOOAAPXhWhizxaM9z2_DtwL8iXveUZ4/view?usp=drive_link

SoundMP3:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OOlAiQPW_xc6zKuwxgf8emYpdjwSxqJD/view?usp=drive_link

 

Instructions：

In this project, we were tasked to create an audio image using only non-verbal sounds — no dialogue or narration.

1.Wildlife + Background/

2.Household Activities + Background 

3.City + Traffic + External Ambience

4.Industrial / Electronic + Background 

5.Weather + Background 

6.Market / Rural Ambience + Background 

Sound Effects Resources

• Freesound Org
  https://freesound.org/
  
  
• BBC Sound Effects
  https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/

Concept:

For this assignment, I chose the “Weather + Background” theme.

My idea was to portray a short sound story called “The Coming Storm”, which describes a calm afternoon gradually turning into a violent thunderstorm, then returning to silence.

The goal was to make the listener feel as if they were standing near a window inside a small cabin — hearing the world change around them.

Progress 1

In the first draft, the storm sequence was too sudden. I decided to build the tension gradually, by letting the wind and thunder approach slowly before the rain begins.

Progress 2

I adjusted the panning and EQ:

1.Thunder panned from left to right to create spatial movement.

2.High frequencies were slightly cut for distant sounds to simulate depth.

3.Added reverb to interior sounds to make it feel like they were heard from inside a wooden cabin.

After mixing, I normalized the levels to maintain a natural dynamic range while preventing clipping.

Final Output:

Title: The Coming Storm

Duration: 1 minute 40 seconds

Format: WAV (44.1 kHz / 16 bit)

DAW: Adobe Audition

Source: Freesound.org, BBC Sound Effects

Sound Narrative:

1.Calm afternoon: Birds chirping, soft wind.

2.Tension rises: Leaves rustling intensify, thunder begins in the distance.

3.Storm breaks: Heavy rain, thunder cracks close by, wood creaks, wind howls.

4.Aftermath: Rain fades, water dripping from roof, final soft thunder far away.

Reflection:

Through this project, I learned how powerful sound can be in telling a visual story — even without any words.Balancing the mix and managing spatial depth was challenging, but also rewarding.

At first, my mix felt flat and static. After experimenting with panning and reverb, the whole piece became more immersive and dynamic.

Overall, this project pushed me to think like a “cinematographer for sound”, and I’m proud of the result.

Conclusion:

“The Coming Storm” demonstrates how environmental sound design can evoke strong imagery and emotion without visuals.
This project strengthened my appreciation for audio storytelling, and gave me more confidence to craft believable, cinematic soundscapes in future works.