1. What is timbre?
Timbre is
the features of a sound that makes it different to another, e.g. if a piano and
a guitar played the same note at the same time with the same pitch and
loudness, timbre will be the only difference between them as they sound
different even with the same note.
2.
List at least 3 games (or films) which use sound as information (speech,
iconography, symbolism and or metaphors) to convey information. What has the
sound designer put across and how?
Diablo 3 – with all boss fights there is a unique sound
track that plays all the way through, this adds tension and almost provokes
fear. They are themed accordingly to the boss e.g. the Reaper of Souls sound
track is dark eerie and mysterious witch is symbolism for the ideology behind
death, but they are all very fast passed in parts to give a sense of action
this is iconography for fighting games. They are also sound queues for the
different attacks and animations of the bosses to give you time to react. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33wl876jW-0
Hearthstone – plays sound effects when cards are played,
minions are healed and damage is dealt or a louder sound with an “ohh” form a
crowd if over 6 damage is done by a single card. This response from the crowd
adds to the emersion that you are in a tavern with spectators and you almost
feel the blow yourself.
The Dark knight rises - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nrn8MOzD6Q
Low pitch and muffled, slow speech well pronounced. Makes
him sound menacing and a dominant force, quite monotone also makes him seem to
have little emotion and fear. His modified/muffled voice dehumanises bane
making it seem like he has little human emotion e.g. fear, empathy, remorse.
All of this is done with speech and is added to with the vocabulary used.
