The process has been the same as for the bulk of the Jetboard Joust audio. I do everything using hardware, most of which is analog, and then some final processing (limiting, eq, compression) in Logic Pro. Very occasionally I’ll add some additional fx using plug-ins (pitch-shifting and saturation were used here), and sometimes I’ll end up layering two different sounds in Logic when I feel a sound is ‘almost there’ but just requires a little extra.
Once the sound is done I then import it into the game to get the level balance right and then either back to Logic for some final tweaks or, sometimes, right back to the drawing board if things really aren’t working in context. Though I was always watching a GIF of the weapon in question when designing, sometimes when you hear it in-game it just doesn’t work. Sounds that are overly reliant on bass frequencies are often particularly problematic as they can clash with the background music and are low in perceived volume (see Fletcher Munson).
Overall this process seems to work well for me. The hardware is fun to tweak, has tons of analog character, and seems to provide the right balance of flexibility and restrictions. If I tried doing the same thing in the digital realm with something like Native Instruments Komplete for example (which I own) I would just get bogged down with all the options.
The key piece of hardware I’m using for this project is the DSI Tempest – a six voice, multitimbral synth/drum machine. It has two analog and two digital oscillators. For this project I’m tending to restrict myself to the analog oscillators but will sometimes use the digital ones for noise samples.
For the hardware fx I’m limiting myself to the four aux sends on my mixing desk. I use a Roland RV-1000 digital reverb, a JHC DX-77 digital delay (both picked up really cheap on eBay), and an Echolution2 Ultra Pro delay pedal. I have a distortion unit on the last send which I switch between the awesome Malekko B:Assmaster and a Waldorf 2-Pole analog filter.
I don’t use any bitcrushers or anything like that. I’m going for a sound that’s pretty much a full-on aural assault in the way I remember Defender being but trying to create that vibe through distortion and the overall timbres used rather than restricting sample rates and bit depth. The result is a kind of hi-fi/lo-fi hybrid.
Dev Time: 3 days
Total Dev Time: approx 149 days
All of The Futuristic Weapons – Audio Done!
Some Of This Gear Was Abused, None Of It Was Harmed
The BitBull Blog 