# Enhance your sound design with music theory.



## AdamAlake (Sep 9, 2017)




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## Fab (Sep 9, 2017)

Nice, but the focus seemed to be more like a lesson on music intervals + words to describe them .

Maybe I get what you were trying to pass on, but then your title is not really what the video is about.

To give an example (based on what you were talking about) showing the effect on tension with tritones.

^ You could apply the theory and show how slowly pitch shifting a note (maybe #4 to the 5th? ) works to create tension within the context of a finished sound design element.


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## AdamAlake (Sep 9, 2017)

Fab said:


> Nice, but the focus seemed to be more like a lesson on music intervals + words to describe them .
> 
> Maybe I get what you were trying to pass on, but then your title is not really what the video is about.
> 
> ...



I wanted the video to be accessible to viewers with no music theory knowledge, so I introduced the intervals and triads, and I included an example of an action that could be described with a sound effect using each interval. And the title reflects that precisely, it is about using theory in sound design, so the video focuses on intervals and what they can say to your audience when used as a sound effect.

The effect of pitch shifting on tension is something best discovered through experimentation, as I encourage the viewer to do.


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## AdamAlake (Sep 9, 2017)

Fab said:


> Nice, but the focus seemed to be more like a lesson on music intervals + words to describe them .
> 
> Maybe I get what you were trying to pass on, but then your title is not really what the video is about.
> 
> ...



To further elaborate, the video should serve as an introduction of how you can speak to your audience through musical devices, instead of only relying on synthesis techniques.


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## HiEnergy (Sep 9, 2017)

Nice and comprehensive video. Thanks, Adam


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## Steinmetzify (Sep 9, 2017)

Haven't watched but dammit Adam, stop making all this sense.

Kidding. Getting into it now, thanks for posting up sir!

PS: get some frets in that bass please, the thing freaks me out.

EDIT: this was cool, saved to favorites to refer back to. Dunno if you've seen anything I've posted on RB, but I don't have any music theory whatsoever...discovered the diminished triad recently and been using it a lot, had no idea what it was called. Thanks for info!


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## AdamAlake (Sep 9, 2017)

HiEnergy said:


> Nice and comprehensive video. Thanks, Adam



Glad to help.

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Steinmetzify said:


> Haven't watched but dammit Adam, stop making all this sense.
> 
> Kidding. Getting into it now, thanks for posting up sir!
> 
> ...



Ah, you are the Beard Man, I saw your posts there. It is not really necessary to know any of the names as long as you know how to use it, just listen to music and transcribe and you will know more than any book can tell you in no time.

PS: But how can I pretend to be out of tune if I put frets on there?


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## Steinmetzify (Sep 9, 2017)

Dude you can always pretend and blame it on something else...

Man, I've seen you and Mike and Alex and Aaron talking about transcribing but for someone with zero music theory, this is a seriously daunting task. Any input on that besides just hitting keys and recognizing notes?!


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## AdamAlake (Sep 9, 2017)

Steinmetzify said:


> Dude you can always pretend and blame it on something else...
> 
> Man, I've seen you and Mike and Alex and Aaron talking about transcribing but for someone with zero music theory, this is a seriously daunting task. Any input on that besides just hitting keys and recognizing notes?!



That is pretty much the process when you are starting out, practice on simple melodies and as you develop your ear it will all become much easier and faster.


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## ctsai89 (Sep 9, 2017)

nice video man. 

I've always thought that harmony formed by pitches in chord or riffs or over time are part of the sound design. There was "sound design" even in Chopin's piano etudes (that's only 1 instrument/timbre) created with textures. Carefully written intervals forming chords designed specifically to have certain effects. Rolling left hands creating sound effects/etc. Music theory is definiltey part of sound design.


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## AdamAlake (Sep 10, 2017)

Steinmetzify said:


> Dude you can always pretend and blame it on something else...
> 
> Man, I've seen you and Mike and Alex and Aaron talking about transcribing but for someone with zero music theory, this is a seriously daunting task. Any input on that besides just hitting keys and recognizing notes?!



One more thing, start off by matching the first note of the melody on the piano and then just listen and play it back in your head - audiate - until you can hear it clearly and hum it back without actually listening to it in real life. This is a very important skill to develop and will help you with transcribing immensely.



ctsai89 said:


> nice video man.
> 
> I've always thought that harmony formed by pitches in chord or riffs or over time are part of the sound design. There was "sound design" even in Chopin's piano etudes (that's only 1 instrument/timbre) created with textures. Carefully written intervals forming chords designed specifically to have certain effects. Rolling left hands creating sound effects/etc. Music theory is definiltey part of sound design.



Exactly, yet I see a lot of people these days approach it by sequencing one note in the DAW and then doing all the work inside the VST, or through sample manipulation. Nothing wrong with effects created like that of course, but it is still important to be able to work with theory as well.

My favourite example is the first chord in the opening of Star Wars IV - that is one hell of a sound effect, and it made me realise that orchestration can also be an important sound design skill.


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