sound design
Crafting media audio
Sound design is the craft of creating, selecting, and arranging audio elements for film, theater, video games, or other media.
This includes ambient sounds, sound effects, and sonic textures that shape atmosphere and emotional response.
A sound designer might layer rainfall, distant traffic, and creaking floorboards to establish mood: The sound design made the empty house feel alive with menace.
Gaseous layer around planets
- ambiencePervading mood of place
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
- environmentalOf natural surroundings
- room toneBaseline ambient audio
field recording · nature sounds · foley · diegetic · non-diegetic · immersion · presence · world-building
Combining into one mass
- masteringAttaining full command
- equalizationMaking things uniform
- compressionForcing into smaller space
- reverbProlonged sound reflection
delay · filters · frequency · panning · dynamics · amplitude · envelope · transients
Cyclic signal generator
- waveformGraphed oscillation pattern
- modulationVarying signals to transmit
- LFOSub-audio frequency cycler
- subtractiveInvolving removal or reduction
FM · additive · granular · wavetable · analog · digital · patch · resonance
Numerical standing in competition
- underscoreLow horizontal text mark
- FoleyAdded film audio
- stingerVenom-injecting body part
- swellIncrease in size
hit · impact · tension · suspense · whoosh · riser · drone · trailer
State of being understandable
- definitionStatement of meaning
- crispnessSnappy, firm texture
- realismAccepting things as they are
- transparencyState of being see-through
depth · warmth · richness · detail · nuance · presence · separation · imaging
Inter-application bridging software
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
- proceduralFollowing set steps
- randomizationIntroducing chance systematically
- variationChange from a norm
triggers · events · parameters · states · switches · occlusion · attenuation · real-time
atmosphere
Gaseous layer around planets
- ambiencePervading mood of place
- backgroundOne's formative experiences
- environmentalOf natural surroundings
room tone · field recording · nature sounds · foley · diegetic · non-diegetic · immersion · presence · world-building · texture
mixing
Combining into one mass
- masteringAttaining full command
- equalizationMaking things uniform
- compressionForcing into smaller space
reverb · delay · filters · frequency · panning · dynamics · amplitude · envelope · transients · stereo
oscillator
Cyclic signal generator
- waveformGraphed oscillation pattern
- modulationVarying signals to transmit
- LFOSub-audio frequency cycler
subtractive · FM · additive · granular · wavetable · analog · digital · patch · resonance · timbre
score
Numerical standing in competition
- underscoreLow horizontal text mark
- FoleyAdded film audio
- stingerVenom-injecting body part
swell · hit · impact · tension · suspense · whoosh · riser · drone · trailer · transition
clarity
State of being understandable
- definitionStatement of meaning
- crispnessSnappy, firm texture
- realismAccepting things as they are
transparency · depth · warmth · richness · detail · nuance · presence · separation · imaging · headroom
middleware
Inter-application bridging software
- adaptiveAble to change accordingly
- proceduralFollowing set steps
- randomizationIntroducing chance systematically
variation · triggers · events · parameters · states · switches · occlusion · attenuation · real-time
- dramaTV drama, acting, television drama, drama school, playwright
- entertainment designvisual effects, animatronics, theatrical makeup, special effects, pyrotechnics
- media studiesmedia criticism, media literacy, media consumption, film studies, film theory
- film theoryauteur theory, cognitive theory, male gaze, spectatorship, mise-en-scene
- artsartist, creativity, expression, songs, painting
- audioheadphones, audio track, volume control, noise, static
sound designvisual design
Arranging elements aesthetically
production design · cinematography · visual effects · set design · lighting design
sound designmusical composition
Created arrangement of notes
film scoring · original score · musical score · orchestration · songwriting
sound, design, resound, resounding, ultrasound, soundproof, soundtrack, resounds, resounded