Sonic Design / Task 3 - Audio Storytelling

November 29, 2025

16.11.2025 - 29.11.2025 / Week 8-Week10

GeXianjing / 0377636

Sonic Design/Bachelor of Interactive Spatial Design (Honours)

Sound Effects Resources

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

Week 9 Learning Summary – Audio Post-Production

1. Noise Removal

Learned the traditional workflow of cleaning background noise.
Step 1: Capture a noise print from a section with only background sound.
Step 2: Apply Noise Reduction Process to the entire clip.
Adjusted parameters such as:
- Noise reduction amount
- Frequency range
- Threshold (to avoid robotic / unnatural voice)
Understood that over-reduction affects vocal quality.

2. Vocal Clean-Up

Practised manually reducing:
- Volume spikes
- Breathing sounds
- Pops and clicks
Explored Dynamics (Compressor) to balance uneven loudness:
- Threshold – where compression begins
- Ratio – how strongly it compresses
- Attack – how fast compression starts
- Release – how fast sound returns to normal
- Make-up Gain – restores overall loudness after compression
Learned that manual clean-up must be done before compression to avoid wrong reference peaks.

3. Final Touch-Ups

Used Hard Limiter to prevent clipping and stabilise loudness.
Adjusted Input Boost to keep natural waveform movement.
Aim is consistent volume, not forcing the waveform to become boxy.

4. Reflection

This week helped me understand how post-production techniques improve clarity, stability and listening comfort.
I realised that good audio depends on both clean recording and thoughtful editing, not just one tool or effect.

Compression

Noise reduction 1

Noise reduction 2

AutoGate

Task 3 — Audio Storytelling & Voice Acting

Assignment Overview & Requirements (Blog Version)

For Task 3, we are required to create a short audio storytelling project that combines narration, voice acting, sound design, and basic video editing. The aim of this assignment is to help us understand how to produce clear and expressive audio using Adobe Audition, and to apply suitable sound effects and background music to enhance the final narrative experience.

📌 1. Project Objective

The goal of this task is to produce a 3-minute audio story, complete with:

Narration
Character voice acting
Cleaned and edited dialogue
Appropriate background music
Sound effects to match the scenes
A final video that pairs the audio with storybook images or screenshots

This project trains us in the fundamentals of vocal recording, audio post-production, sound layering, and story-based media editing.

Story Selection: The Little Prince

TheLittlePrince.pdf

For Task 3, we were required to select either a popular fairytale or a self-written narrative and produce a short voice-acted storytelling video (not exceeding three minutes). After reviewing several options, I eventually chose The Little Prince, specifically the segment where the Little Prince meets the Fox.

My decision was based on three considerations:

The thematic depth — the ideas of “taming,” emotional bonds, and responsibility offer strong narrative value.
The clarity of the emotional arc — encounter, curiosity, bonding, realization, and parting form a complete short narrative suitable for the 3-minute time limit.
Visual richness — although the illustrated book contains relatively few images, the animated film provides expressive scenes that can be captured frame by frame.

Thus, I decided to extract key screenshots from the animated movie rather than rely solely on book illustrations.

Story Overview and Selected Narrative Segment

The chosen segment focuses on the first meeting between the Little Prince and the Fox. The narrative can be summarised as follows:

After a long and lonely journey through sand, rocks, and snow, the Little Prince encounters a fox.
The Prince invites the Fox to play, but the Fox refuses because he is “not tamed.”
The Fox explains the meaning of “taming”: establishing ties that make someone unique and irreplaceable.
The Prince begins to understand this concept and recalls his responsibility toward his rose.
Before their separation, the Fox shares his essential insight:
“Only with the heart can one see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

This segment contains a complete structure and an emotionally meaningful climax, making it ideal for short-form storytelling.

Visual Source and Editing Approach

Since this project allows the use of screenshots instead of continuous video footage, I selected approximately 17–20 screenshots from the animated adaptation.

My selection criteria included:

Shot variety (wide shots, close-ups, over-the-shoulder shots)
Clear emotional expression
Consistency with the dialogue progression
Symbolic imagery such as wheat fields, rose gardens, and sunset fields

The screenshots were organised chronologically to ensure continuity and to support the pacing of the narration.

Voice Recording and Structural Planning

To maintain narrative coherence, I first recorded the full narration and dialogue (Little Prince + Fox + narrator).
This approach allowed me to:

Determine the overall duration
Identify where pauses, emphasis, or transitions should occur
Ensure that the final video remains under the 3-minute requirement
Align the cuts of each screenshot with the rhythm and emotion of the voice

Voice-over

I played the narrator myself and invited a friend of mine to play the role of the little fox for a conversation with the Little Prince. I have roughly edited the images and the animation is not detailed enough .

I am using the software Jianying.

Record audio

Pure vocal dubbing

Once the voice track was completed, I divided the timeline according to the length of sound time, and also listed detailed scripts corresponding to different times and lines, as well as some key sound effects and BGM

Sound Design and Audio Concept Planning

Before entering the technical stage (noise reduction, EQ, dynamics), I first established a sound design plan based on scene mood and narrative intention.

My planning included:

(1) Narration & Dialogue

Narrator: neutral, calm, descriptive
Little Prince: soft, youthful, light
Fox: steady, warm, lower pitch

(2) Ambience (Environment Sounds)

Wheat field: wind, soft grass movement
Fox introduction: brief rustling, distant nature sounds
Rose garden: subtle insect ambience
Farewell scene: quieter atmosphere to emphasize emotion

(3) Background Music (BGM)

I divided the segment into emotional phases and assigned corresponding musical tones:

Journey → soft and desolate
Encounter → light pizzicato
Bonding → warm cello-based theme
Realisation → reflective tones
Secret → solemn and meaningful

The relationship between image rhythm, sound ambience, and music progression was the foundation for my editing decisions.

Production Table (Planning Documentation)

To systematically manage the visual and audio pacing, I created a scene-by-scene planning table, which includes:

Timecode
Screenshot type (shot composition)
Dialogue / narration text ( I wrote it in Chinese for the convenience of my own viewing.)
Emotion & narrative intention
Sound design notes
BGM & rhythm adjustments

View Google Sheets https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G88DGPIZgcraEQbruYfU1Gfs4-dECsMvB8h8_v_tT3E/edit?usp=sharing

This table allowed me to plan the entire project with clarity and helped ensure that the final storytelling video maintained a smooth flow in both visuals and sound.

First time background and action sound design

The first round of vocal debugging

Lecturer Feedback

The lecturer provided several key points of feedback on my current audio draft. I was advised that the use of a single background track throughout the entire piece resulted in limited emotional variation, and that different musical cues should be introduced to better reflect the narrative shifts. Additionally, the background music was identified as being too dominant, often overshadowing the dialogue; proper ducking and volume balancing will be necessary to ensure clarity and emotional presence in the characters’ voices. Finally, the lecturer noted that the soundscape lacked sufficient emotional nuance, recommending that ambience and SFX be shaped more intentionally to support the mood of each scene. Moving forward, I will refine the musical structure, rebalance the mix, and strengthen the emotional dynamics of the overall sound design.

Vocal Processing

In this project, I conducted a complete vocal-processing workflow to enhance clarity, emotional expression, and overall mix balance. Following the lecturer’s guidelines and several tutorial videos, I learned to apply multiple professional plugins and performed detailed adjustments on the dialogue track.

Below is the summary of the processing steps I implemented:

（1）Dynamic EQ Cleaning

I first used dynamic equalization to remove unnecessary low-end rumble and control unstable mid-range frequencies. This step helped clean the dialogue and made the vocal tone more consistent.

Dynamic EQ

（2） De-essing for High-frequency Harshness

Next, I reduced harsh sibilance in the 7–9kHz range using a De-Esser. This prevented distracting “S” and “Z” sounds and smoothed the high end of the vocal.

De-Esser

De-Esser

（3） Multiband Compression

I applied multiband compression to stabilize the vocal’s dynamic range. This allowed the vocal to sit more naturally in the mix and prevented sudden spikes in specific frequency bands.

Multiband Compression

（4） Parametric EQ for Clarity Enhancement

I boosted the presence area (2–4kHz) using parametric EQ to make the speech clearer and more intelligible, especially when mixed with ambient sounds and background music.

Parametric EQ

（5）Time & Pitch Adjustment

For a few lines with slight timing issues, I used the Time & Pitch tool to subtly correct rhythm and ensure the vocal performance matches the emotional pacing of the scene.

Time & Pitch Adjustment

（6） AI-based Voice Restoration (dxRevive Pro)

To improve the raw recording quality, I used dxRevive Pro to correct muddiness, reduce room resonance, and restore high-frequency details. This made the dialogue sound closer, brighter, and more polished.

dxRevive Pro

Vocal effect presentation(Upgrade Processing)

Improvements Based on Lecturer Feedback

Following the lecturer’s comments, I revised my audio project with a stronger focus on emotional variation, narrative clarity, and professional sound mixing principles. The modifications are summarized below:

1. Ambience (Environmental Sounds)

To make elements like wind, rustling grass, insects, and nighttime ambience feel organic and unobtrusive, I used:

Soft volume automation
Smooth fade-ins and fade-outs that follow the emotional rhythm of the visuals.

Soft volume automation

Dynamic processing
Light compression to soften sharp peaks and maintain a stable ambience level.
Parametric EQ
Adjusting frequencies to reduce harsh tones and enhance warmer layers so the ambience sits comfortably in the mix.
Subtle reverb
Adding a gentle sense of space so the environment feels wider and more atmospheric.

Subtle reverb

2. Background Music (BGM)

For both the gentle and lively BGM tracks, I applied:

Limiter
To manage loudness and prevent sudden spikes that might overpower dialogue or sound effects.

Background Music

Dynamic processing
Mild compression to keep the music smooth while preserving emotional transitions.
Volume automation
Allowing the music to rise and fall emotionally, and to make space when dialogue or important sounds appear.

3. Sound Actions (Movement & FX)

For sound effects such as footsteps, wind bursts, small movements, and transitions, I used:

Detailed automation curves

To precisely control timing and match the action on screen.

automation curves

EQ shaping
Enhancing clarity in important sound effects while removing unnecessary noise.

EQ shaping

Occasional reverb or dynamic adjustments
To help sound actions blend naturally into the surrounding environment.

dynamic adjustments
Overall Approach

Rather than simply increasing loudness, the goal was to let each sound layer blend, breathe, and support the storytelling. By combining EQ, compression, limiting, reverb, and careful automation, the overall mix becomes smoother, clearer, and more emotionally connected to the visuals.

Final background mixing

Final submission of auditory storytelling

Reflection – Task 3 Audio Storytelling

Task 3 offered an opportunity for me to engage deeply with the process of audio-based storytelling, allowing me to understand sound not only as a technical component but also as an emotional and narrative device. Through selecting a narrative segment, planning the vocal performance, constructing a soundscape, and completing the final audio-visual pairing, I gained a more comprehensive understanding of how sound design functions within media production.

One of the most significant lessons I learned was the importance of intentional listening—recognizing how each element (dialogue, ambience, music, sound actions) contributes to the audience’s perception of the story. At the beginning, I tended to approach sound layering intuitively, but the lecturer’s feedback made me realize the necessity of balancing clarity, dynamics, and emotional progression. This understanding pushed me to refine my work more critically and analytically.

The technical process also expanded my skillset. I learned how to apply plugins such as limiters, compressors, spectral EQ, and noise reduction tools to sculpt the voice, as well as how detailed automation curves shape transitions and emotional beats. Rebuilding the ambience further taught me the importance of spatial depth and frequency balance in creating believable environments. These iterative adjustments helped me understand that effective sound design is not about adding more sounds, but about making each sound purposeful and integrated.

Narratively, this task strengthened my appreciation for the expressive potential of sound. Working with The Little Prince and the Fox segment made me more aware of how tone, pacing, and sonic space influence storytelling—from warmth and intimacy to tension and revelation. I learned that sound can convey subtext, guide the audience’s attention, and enhance the emotional resonance of visuals.

Overall, Task 3 allowed me to integrate creative decision-making with technical execution. It encouraged me to think critically, revise based on feedback, and polish details with intention. This reflective and iterative approach not only improved the quality of my final piece but also deepened my understanding of sound as a performative and narrative medium. I now feel more confident in my ability to design soundscapes that support and elevate storytelling.

Sonic Design / Task 3 - Audio Storytelling (Audiobook)