Today, sound is used in more and more fields of media production. So, is there software that makes it easy for us to work in these different fields?
My first introduction to sound design, like most people I guess, was through film, after all, who doesn’t love a good sounding film? That introduction started my longstanding fascination with the power of sound and how it can be applied to different mediums.
Current digital technologies open up all kinds of possibilities in productions of all kinds. Sound design software can enable us to successfully apply audio design to one or a combination of production fields such as;
Movie
Multimedia
live theater
Installations
Therapeutic
Interactive games
So while I haven’t worked in all of these areas, I have been fortunate to work in some and form partnerships with professionals in others. I have put together a small essential list of design software and the fields in which they can be used.
Film/Video/Soundtrack/Multimedia
Logic Pro – Sound design, editing and composition platform. (Macs)
Protools – Industry standard recording and editing platform. (Mac and PC)
Applications
Choosing one of these software will allow you to;
- Mix and produce music tracks.
- Individually designed special effects
- Record foley and live performances
- Score for film or video
Live Theatre/Multimedia/Interactive
Qlab: Live Show Automation & Multimedia (Mac)
Cricket – Live Theater Sound Design (Mac)
SCS – Show Cue System: Multimedia and automation of live shows (PC)
SFX – Live Theater Sound Design (PC)
Applications
Choosing one of these software will allow you to;
- Cue music and effects to live action for the theater
- Cue music and effects for installations
- Audio cue to be triggered via midi
- Video cue for projection
Sound Design – Soundtrack/Music/Noise
Alchemy – A sample manipulation software platform for designing specialized sound effects from your recordings.
Applications
- Design stylized or custom sound effects
- Ideal for creating highly detailed sample manipulations.
Gaming/Interactive Sound Design/Therapeutic
Fmod Designer and API – Game Audio Design, Fmod is a library and toolkit for composing and playing interactive game audio.
Applications
- Soundtrack creation for interactive media
- Create layered effects
- Interactive soundscape design
- Produce non-linear musical compositional structures
- Listen and refine the final soundtrack of your game, mixing it live during the game testing phase.
There are many software solutions, some good, some not so good. This list of sound design software will help you realize your creative vision in whatever field you choose!