Technical
Reel.
Inside
Wwise
Engine
I used a few layers of bear sounds that I looped. The primary sound is a low guttural roar, which worked best for implying that the vehicle is big and “tanky”. Being that this is a slow vehicle, the pitch variation wouldn’t be enough to destroy the quality of the sound. I decided an RTPC driving the pitch within Wwise would work, and didn’t need to use Rev or a blend container. I used interpolation on the “Speed” RTPC to simulate the tank’s slow acceleration, but I understand that would be handled in the game engine if this were an actual project. I created a “Throttle” RTPC that controls the volume slightly when accelerating. I also used a distortion plugin to add some grit as it approaches top speed.
Suspension
The suspension sound was created using a bulldozer and steam tractor loop. “Speed” RTPC is driving the volume, pitch, and HPF. The volume turns all the way down as the vehicle comes to a stop.
Large Bump
I took some car hood impacts, a shopping cart hitting bumps, and dumpster impacts to create this sound. The speed controls a LPF on one of the sounds, which makes it rattle more at high speeds. Speed controls overall volume as well.
Turret Turning
I tried to avoid motor and servo sounds because I didn’t want it to sound like a traditional tank. I imagined on the inside there was a pulley with gears turning the turret. I started with a fast and slow metal cog loop. The “Turning” RTPC controls the volume. It lets one take precedence over the other depending on how far the turret is turned. I also have a wooden turning loop that has its pitch controlled by the “Turning” RTPC. This helps make it seem like it is physically turned and keeps it from sounding too consistent.
Turret Fire
Listed below are the sounds I used to design the turret firing. I used a bear’s roar to help sell the overall theme. I randomized the pitch and initial delay on each layer for variation.
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Mech: Artillery & Grenade Launcher
Body: Explosion, Bear Roar, & Cannon Impact
Thump: Firework Mortar
Tail: Explosion Outdoors (Distant)
Reload
This sound could vary depending on the type of projectile, but I took the approach of a real tank shell being reloaded. I broke it up into three categories; unload shell, load shell, and latch mechanism. I wanted the sound to be an auditory cue on when the player could shoot again. Most tanks in games don’t require you to press “reload,” so I decided to piggyback off of the “Play_Turret_Fire” event. To save resources, I trimmed the silences on the files and rebuilt the sequence using “initial delay’s”. It takes a little over 3 seconds to reload, but this would depend on the game.
