The Art of Gooses Game "Music"

Beato, Rick. 2021. "The Modern Guitar Discussion w/ Tosin Abasi, Tim Henson & Misha Mansoor." https://youtu.be/6wb4AcfXSyo.

Davinci Resolve 19.1.4 (Video Editor ). BlackMagic Design.https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/davinciresolve

Busque, Maria. 2021. "Perfection and Wabi-Sabi in music." [Blog]. Accessed 11/04/2025. https://www.mariabusque.net/en/blog/wabi-sabi.

Carpenter, Nicole. 2019. "Gamers with godlike reflexes are racing to break world records in this rhythm game." PC Gamer, 2019. Accessed 23/05/2025. https://www.pcgamer.com/two-teens-are-on-a-crazy-world-record-race-in-extremely-challenging-rhythm-game-osu/.

Casiopea. 1985. Galactic Funk. In Casiopea Live. Japan: ALFA.

Clone Hero. 2023. "CH esports: CSC:CS3 and Birdman Drum Tournament." [Website]. Accessed 23/05/2025. https://clonehero.net/2023/01/07/csccs3-birdman.html.

Serum 1.351 (VST Plugin ). Duda, Steve.https://xferrecords.com/products/serum-2

Serum v2 (VST Plugin ). ---.https://xferrecords.com/products/serum-2

Frightbox Recording. 2022. "You Think Modern Metal Production Sounds Too Robotic? GET OVER IT." https://youtu.be/zA4bx1dISQQ.

Dexed 0.9.8 (VST Plugin). Gauthier, Pascal.https://github.com/asb2m10/dexed

FL Studio 24.1.1 (Digital Audio Workstation). Image-Line.https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio/

KoiFishu. 2021. "RANKING EVERY OSU! TABLET." YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUaZxp4Uj6Q.

McCormick, Scott. 2022. "The major mediant chord can add an unexpected surprise." 2022. Accessed 06/04/2025. https://blog.discmakers.com/2022/04/major-mediant-chord-adds-surprise/#:~:text=And%20it's%20not%20a%20powerful,17%25%20of%20popular%20songs.).

Mcglynn, Declan. 2025. "Xfer Records launches long-awaited Serum 2." DJ Mag, 2025. Accessed 11/04/2025. https://djmag.com/tech/xfer-records-launches-long-awaited-serum-2.

Murray, Ron. 2022. "I made Shimmer Reverb in FL Studio without spending a ton." YouTube. https://youtu.be/cdY05AM5vGE.

Musgrave, Jon, and Si Truss. 2023. "15 essential synth patches every producer should know." musicradar, 2023. Accessed 11/04/2025. https://www.musicradar.com/news/15-essential-synth-patches.

Flowframes 1.36.0 (AI Upscaler ). N00MKRAD.https://github.com/n00mkrad/flowframes

Naircol. 2022. "Glitchy WATER FX with Serum!" YouTube. https://youtu.be/cftgSTQfq1g.

Reich, Steve. 2002. Writings on Music In 1965-2000, ed Paul Hillier. England: Oxford University Press. http://www.bussigel.com/systemsforplay/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Reich_Gradual-Process.pdf (accessed 07/03/2025).

Sam The Camera Man. 2019. "Low Pass Filter in DaVinci Resolve 16 | Get Muffled Audio." YouTube. https://youtu.be/uIYVja0jv9s.

The Complete Sound Effects Platform 01.42 (Sound Library). Soundly.https://getsoundly.com/

Crystallizer 5.0.1 (VST Plugin). Soundtoys.https://www.soundtoys.com/product/crystallizer/

Synth Anatomy. 2022. Xynth Audio Rezonator, new resonator plugin for creating rich harmonies. Accessed 21/03/2025.

Walker 2 FX 1.0.1. UVI.https://www.uvi.net/en/soundfx/walker-2.html

Versai, Anna. 2025. "A Serum 2 FAQ: Xfer’s Latest Release Is Free For Existing Users." Technowize, 2025. Accessed 11/04/2025. https://www.technowize.com/a-serum-2-faq-xfers-latest-release-is-free-for-existing-users/.

Wacom. 2024. "Wacom pen tablets – preferred by osu! players worldwide." Accessed 23/05/2025. https://estore.wacom.com/en-us/osu.

With all of my SFX complete and synchronised to the video editing timeline, I wanted to make one significant alteration, which really improved the quality of the video. Looking back on my minor assignment, I noticed that even though the sounds were well synchronised, the short starting and stopping motions for footsteps and other SFX had the tail abruptly cut off. To combat this problem, I conceived the idea of assigning specific channels to audio buses and then applying reverb to those buses. Not only did this amend the issue of audio tails cutting off abruptly, but it also gave me control over the atmospheric qualities between different chapters. I used two separate instances of Liquidsonics convolution reverb, applied it to the footstep audio tracks and then automated the bus level between the chapter transitions. The desert chapter featured a lighter open-air impulse response, whilst the industrial stage used a cathedral with longer decay to better reflect the Ambience of an enclosed space.

The compositional process for this assignment was surprisingly fast (compared to my regular snail's pace), likely because of the prior SFX creation. Since I spent a considerable amount of time on the sound design aspect, I opted to make the composition minimal, allowing these elements to stand out. The first chapter's music consisted of textured ambient pads with a pulsing 1/8th-note bassline. The idea here was to create a two-in-one track with subtle variations on the pads. I assigned Serum 2's macros to various parameters and controlled those with some slow timeline automation to gradually evolve the sounds. The second chapter's industrial Soundtrack followed suit, except I utilised the macro knob on the lead arpeggios' speed, filter cutoff, and reverb. As automation rises, the arpeggio speed increases and further dissipates into the reverb.

Now for the final stage of implementing all the assets into FMOD. This was initially quite time-consuming because I got stuck trying to figure out parameters, command instruments and triggering loops within the music. I am still unsure of whether I did this correctly, but I tried my best to reflect the concept in the timeline and action sheets.

The footsteps were implemented differently than in the video; instead of recording a long sequence of MIDI (and trimming as needed on DaVinci's timeline), I bounced out and rendered short, individual one-shots of different footstep articulations and implemented these into various multi-instruments. For the stone footsteps, I added a second multi-instrument of scuff/slide accents and modulated the volume to random to further enhance the variation and avoid repetition.

Just like the tracks and buses in DaVinci, different reverbs were applied to the footsteps between chapters 1 and 2.

Lastly, the sounds and events were categorised and arranged into folders in order of appearance. Again, I'm not sure if this was the correct method of implementation. Still, the general rule of thumb I followed was that if one sound preceded another, a command instrument would instruct the event of the proceeding sound to trigger.

References -

(BlackMagic Design 2025) -Davinci Resolve 19.1.4 (Video Editor).

(Fairlight Technologies 2025) - Fmod Studio 2.03.06.

Currently, I'm feeling incredibly thankful for discovering the duration marker workflow technique, as it has encouraged me to edit the video as I craft each sound – something I should have done for the minor project. While it can be a bit exhausting going between Davinci and FL Studio, I think this workflow is significantly streamlined since any timing issues will be detected straight away.

As I neared the completion of sound design, I was running low on creative ideas – a similar issue to the one I encountered in the minor project. I approached this dilemma by experimenting with different effect plugins. This ultimately led to the final key discovery of the Sound Toys "Crystallizer""– a granular" synth delay effect that warps/distorts incoming signals. I revisited some old, unused sounds and applied the plugin to the mixer channel; this was the closest thing to what could be referred to as a sound design hack for generating an infinite number of ideas. I recorded the output signal into Edison and then applied my previously utilised technique of stretching and reversing the samples. This laid the foundation for most of the SFXs for the drone that spawns after the golden globe shatters.

References -

(BlackMagic Design 2025) -Davinci Resolve 19.1.4 (Video Editor).

(Image-Line 2025) - FL Studio 24.1.1 (Digital Audio Workstation).

For many years, rhythm games have been an afterthought for me, but they've experienced a resurgence in recent years, driven by the popularity of Clone Hero and OSU – some of these games even have their own esports scenes. These rhythm games are inherently arcade and tactile (despite being played in the household). For clone heroes, the tactile functions and feedback are delivered through a guitar arcade controller. As for OSU, many players swapped out their mice and mousepads, opting instead to use graphic design drawing tablets to better track movements. This became so popular that tablet manufacturers like Wacom actually embraced (and promoted) their tablets for OSU.

References -

(Carpenter 2019) - "Gamers with godlike reflexes are racing to break world records in this rhythm game." PC Gamer, 2019. Accessed 23/05/2025. https://www.pcgamer.com/two-teens-are-on-a-crazy-world-record-race-in-extremely-challenging-rhythm-game-osu/.

(Clone Hero 2023) - "CH esports: CSC:CS3 and Birdman Drum Tournament." [Website]. Accessed 23/05/2025. https://clonehero.net/2023/01/07/csccs3-birdman.html.

(KoiFishu 2021) - "RANKING EVERY OSU! TABLET." YouTube, 13/03/2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUaZxp4Uj6Q.

Probably the most productive week I have had throughout the semester. I discovered (and implemented) what is one of the most useful workflow techniques for this project. Before this technique, I used to try to time the duration of sounds by starting and stopping a stopwatch on my computer. This was inaccurate, time-consuming and annoying as I was trying to perfectly line up a sound attack/decay with what was happening in the game. Then I started using duration markers in Davinci, which changed everything; now, I was able to perfectly mark the in/out points on the timeline, convert them to duration markers, and get a precisely calculated time for a specific sound.

The atmospheric mood of the gameplay footage reminded me of a friend's old guitar modeller, which had a cool shimmer reverb effect. Despite my extensive library of plugins that I have hoarded over the years, I actually did not have any shimmer reverbs. However, I thought, "Surely there's a way to recreate this with stock plugins?" It turns out that it was as simple as one 30-second YouTube short; most of the shimmery effect is achieved through the FL Studio Pitch Shifter plugin placed after a wet reverb.

References -

(BlackMagic Design 2025) -Davinci Resolve 19.1.4 (Video Editor ).

(Image-Line 2025) - FL Studio 24.1.1 (Digital Audio Workstation).

 Although this week's lecture focused mainly on the essay, I was able to extrapolate some relevant concepts to consider for my game score. I particularly enjoyed the South of Midnight showcase. I hadn't heard of this game before the lecture, but the first few minutes of music in the cinematic intro featured some nicely saturated drums. The composers for this part also utilised an audio noise gate/stutter effect. Although Cocoon is more spatially atmospheric, using a gross beat or even applying an LFO to the wavetable volume is something that could be investigated. I recently acquired some tape saturation plugins as well, but at the current time…I don't plan on adding drums to any of the Overworld tracks, as I'm going for a more ambient feel.

References -

(Duda 2025) - Serum v2 (VST Plugin). Xfer Records.

I had a feeling that the Rezonator plugin would make its way into the project. With chapter one's SFX nearing completion, I thought of a great idea to pair the resonator with some spectral synthesis modulation to accompany the elevator shaft. Most of the stage sounds created have employed some form of pitch modulation, whether it be on the coarse pitch parameter or the spectral synthesis filter FX.

Impact sounds have also been an essential inclusion in many of these patches. While I have used a variety of samples to create these, ranging from instrumental gong hits to samples of rocks smashing, the most success I had was with these inharmonic granular samples in Serum. Pitching them down a few octaves and adding a short attack with a long decay (drowned in reverb) has yielded good results. For each impact tail, I use a similar wavetable but pitch it with some slight variation (just to keep things unique).

References -

(Duda 2025) - Serum v2 (VST Plugin). Xfer Records.

The desert stage is almost complete; my progress was slightly halted by the gate opening sequence, followed by the ball drag and monument rise, but I eventually managed to sculpt these to a level that I was satisfied with. Up until this point, I had been trying to complete all of my effects in one instance of Serum, but the nature of these sounds, which appear in sequence, requires the use of multiple states in the same pattern. This quickly became very chaotic, so I started a labelling system where each instance of a plugin is categorised and labelled according to a particular sound.

References -

(Duda 2025) - Serum v2 (VST Plugin). Xfer Records.

I was pleased to see Orchestration fundamentals covered in the lecture, as I like to treat many of the dynamic characteristics of my pad sounds (in electronic/EDM-based compositions) in a manner akin to how an orchestra would. However, as Nicole mentioned, the basics of orchestration are especially complex (which is why it is often outsourced, even by composers themselves). When combining electronic synthesisers with highly unique timbres can complicate the mix even further. Some synth sounds don't even have their own category (e.g. brass/pad/lead/strings, etc) and are what I like to refer to as "synth-isolates" – a completely unique sound that doesn't fit into conventional labelling.

References -

As I navigate the design process, I'm trying not to get too fixated on every SFX because there is so much ground to cover. However, certain ones that are repeated throughout the video justify the quest for perfection. One of these is the artefact click, which triggers motion for a range of elements in the gameplay, allowing the player to progress. For this sound, I layered a switch click sample with some atmospheric textured pads. Even though I sourced the switch click sample from Soundly, the stock wavetables bundled with Serum 2 are absolute class for these soft, pad-like textures.

References -

(Duda 2025) - Serum v2 (VST Plugin). Xfer Records.

I don't know how, but the conceptual discussions in the lectures just keep finding a way to relate back to my previous logbook entries. The first quote in the opening slide from Andy Farnell

"Sound as a process rather than sound as data...a living sound effect that can run as computer code and be changed in real time according to unpredictable events"

Somehow manages to heavily correspond with my entry about Steve Reich. Anyways, I was pleased to see the legendary Yamaha DX7 mentioned in the lecture today. This synthesiser has made its way into so many of my favourite recordings from the Japanese jazz fusion band "Casiopea"

Minoru Mukaiya using the DX7 for Casiopea's live concert - 1985

When I took an EDM production class in Semester 2 last year, I was introduced to Dexed by a fellow student - a free 1:1 VST recreation of the Yamaha DX7. I haven't used Dexed in a while because the FM synthesis workflow is a bit foreign to me and outside the "Serum comfort zone" but maybe I'll pick it up again and try to create some patches from scratch.

References -

(Casiopea 1985) - Galactic Funk in Casiopea Live. Japan: ALFA.

I haven't had an exceptionally high level of productivity this week, but I have begun reviewing the cocoon gameplay video and started experimenting with some sounds. A sample-based approach will be vital for completing the SFX for this project. I forgot to mention this in earlier entries, but Xfer Record's Serum has received its sequel update since its initial release in 2014. With this update, they have added granular, spectral, and sample-based synthesis; however, I have only utilised this for one sound in the minor assignment. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that granular and spectral synthesis will encompass a lot of this project.

Here's one of the sound effects I've created for the first chapter of the game when the rock or stairs crumble into the earth. I obtained a few rock-smashing SFX from Soundly and imported them into Serum 2. I adjusted the octaves and semitones to add some variation between the samples, ensuring the frequencies would sit well with each other. I added a ton of regular + convolution reverb with large impulse responses to really capture the atmosphere of a desert. Various environmental sequences occur throughout the gameplay video, and I believe this has established the general workflow approach that I'll take when I'm making many of these sounds.

References -

(Duda 2025) - Serum v2 (VST Plugin). Xfer Records

(McGlynn 2025) - Xfer Records launches long-awaited Serum 2." 2025. DJ Mag, 2025, Accessed 11/04/2025. https://djmag.com/tech/xfer-records-launches-long-awaited-serum-2.

(Soundly 2025) - The Complete Sound Effects Platform 01.42 (Sound Library).

Week 6 covered an extensive range of compositional topics, from Wagnerian Leitmotifs to Japanese aesthetic principles. Although I am not well-versed in either of these concepts, two of the mentioned aesthetic principles piqued my interest. 1. Wabi-sabi – finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence. 2. Iki – sophisticated simplicity with a hint of sensuality. From a compositional perspective, this is something that I have been trying to adopt into my practice, particularly for drums and percussion. When I listen to other tracks, I notice a lot of subtle variation in the timing and velocity (something that my compositions lack). The concept of Wabi-Sabi's "imperfection" can be translated to a slight misalignment of MIDI information on the grid, enhancing the organic quality of a track. This reminded me of some of the discussions I've observed in the modern progressive metal scene, where people have noted that the instrumentation's technical complexity and musicians' virtuosity have reached a point where everything sounds too perfect. Now, imperfection has become a somewhat nostalgic quality that people reminisce about when discussing older recordings in these genres.

References -

(Beato 2021) - "The Modern Guitar Discussion w/ Tosin Abasi, Tim Henson & Misha Mansoor." https://youtu.be/6wb4AcfXSyo.

(Busque 2021) - "Perfection and Wabi-Sabi in music." [Blog]. Accessed 11/04/2025. https://www.mariabusque.net/en/blog/wabi-sabi.

With my sound design assets and music finally out of the way, I started the tedious process of synchronising everything in my video editor. As a kid, I grew up editing gameplay videos and memes on Vegas Pro, but last year, I made the hard decision to switch to a more professional editor – DaVinci Resolve. I hadn't touched Davinci in a while, but before I started the editing process, I added a custom hotkey to replicate one of my favourite workflows from Vegas Pro – "S" for clip split. This familiarised my workflow in DaVinci and made the process 10 times easier, as the fundamental component of video editing is timeline arrangement.

One idea based on the gameplay video was to add a low-pass filter to the music every time the player enabled the menu. This did require me to consult a YouTube tutorial, but it was not an overly complex task; I just had to venture into the "Fairlight" tab of DaVinci (which handles all the audio processing). The next step was to create an additional audio track and apply an EQ.

From there, I simply had to split the audio every time the gameplay engaged the menu UI and drag that segment down to the EQ track. Such a simple technique, but the result was fantastic and really added the finishing touch to this project. Oh, and one more thing…the original video quality was shocking, so before editing, I upscaled the framerate to 60fps with flow frames (a free AI upscaler); not only did this make the video look a lot better, but the motion clarity and smoothness assisted the process of audio/video synchronisation since I had double the visual reference of frames.

References -

(BlackMagic Design 2025) - Davinci Resolve 19.1.4 (Video Editor).

The Fifth lecture has yet again discussed some familiar composition techniques introduced to me in my Music Language studies, but this time in a non-familiar format…Cinematic Music! One of the things that stuck out to me was the mention of "mediant relationships", which brought me back to chromatic mediants – a personal favourite in my compositional process. Whenever I start a new track, I will almost always begin with sketching out a chord progression that includes a mediant (typically for tonic expansion from I-iii). In terms of popular music, I believe that the mediant is one of the most underutilised chords within a scale degree. Apparently, only 17 per cent of popular music compositions use them.

References -

My original goal with this project was to try and synthesise everything from scratch, but when it came to footsteps, Serum was not yielding the results that I wanted, so I started searching the web for VST plugins that specialise in Foley SFX. UVI Walker 2 appeared at the top of the results, and I was fortunate to see it included as part of their "Sonic Pass Membership" (otherwise, I would have had to pay $200 out of pocket). This plugin provided me with some fantastic footstep sounds; it lets you choose from a range of surface materials and embodies robust controls that tweak the velocity and accents.

Usually, I like to allocate a lot of time to my compositions, but unfortunately, that's something I'm currently short on, being a week out from the deadline. Due to the time constraint, I followed a fairly standard composition process – consisting of – Chords > Bass > Drums > Leads > Minor Polish. I figured that the minimal elements of a lo-fi hip-hop track would accommodate the time burden and complement the theme of the gameplay. However, one element that I became a little too invested in was these plucky leads I created in Serum.

References -

(Duda 2014) - Serum 1.351 (VST Plugin ). Xfer Records.