How To Sound Design Ecosystems | BIOTA

[@Amfivolia]

Hi everyone - I want to firstly say thank you to everyone that took the time to watch this video and supported it! I wanted to quickly write a comment about some things I didn't discuss in this video, as well as what to expect from this channel. I want to clarify that this video is just a surface level introduction to all of the concepts I've discussed. There are so many factors that go into ecological behaviors and sounds, it'd be impossible to capture all in one video. With that being said, I hope this video acts as the entrance to a rabbit hole if you will -- There are so many fields to explore like soundscape ecology, bioacoustics, etc. There are also interesting ideas adjacent to the topic of this video, such as: The acoustic adaptation hypothesis, auditory filter hypothesis, etc. which may change the ways you think about soundscapes and creating them. As for what's next, I'm currently working on my next tutorial. I've made a community post explaining what it is, but to summarize it's a tutorial on writing realistic and convincing piano MIDI. Again, thank you all for the support on this video! 💙

[@coliny7027]

Yo if you ever make a patreon going into further detail of your racks/sound design I would happily sign up! Amazing attention to detail bro

[@jSpirituS7]

How did you learn? Who taught you? Are you a self learner?

[@Amfivolia]

@@jSpirituS7 I learn mostly through researching online, watching other people work, collaborating with others, and experimenting on my own.

[@jSpirituS7]

@@Amfivolia do you have any in person friendships with people who are also music creators? In the same type of field of study as yourself..

[@SirkitBr8ker]

Just binged your whole channel lol. Flabbergasted at all the dimensions to your musical talent. It's transcendent. Beyond conception almost. Especially for being so young. Are you still working on your electronic music album? Excited for that. Your gift is a blessing that I hope wish you will continue to share with the world as much as you can.

[@potatoforatomato]

this is a literal science class

[@marcuwu1990]

When u dont understand something.. like audio spectrum, harmonics, low end, high end, space, etc around sound design then u can read something like this as science.

[@potatoforatomato]

@@marcuwu1990 i feel like you said what i said, but with more words

[@rhinoskin7550]

Did you forget the time when you didnt understand these things?​@@marcuwu1990

[@Musiikki-jd3ez]

@@marcuwu1990 It wasn't just signal processing or music theory. It had an analytical framework for soundscape design and a very professional presentation.

[@buckycore]

Dude. You're a genius. I don't know anyone who knows this arcane level of sound design, let alone someone who could explain it in an easily digestible format which inspires me to want to make things with this knowledge, let alone someone who is 18 doing all this stuff. Most 18 year olds I know in the music community are all making the same sounding beats in FL Studio (which is still rad. Not meant as a put down) But seriously, you're totally next level protege stuff

[@Amfivolia]

Agh this is an amazing compliment, I really appreciate this ♥ I hope this video inspires you to innovate and come up with something cooler than I have :)

[@atomictraveller]

there are people but as you say, you don't kNWO them. music used to be real important to ideas and behaviour, before the HSS MK improved. anyone who wanted to help the public become more articulate was taken out so those fat b4574rds can sell you things and keep you simple minded. they're all there, they are all so obvious, all you gotta do is understand what you're seeing is a certain lodge, it's very obvious, they kill people, like me. xoxos.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

@@Amfivolia Yep. Professional sound designer here, and you’re killing it. Subbed. Keep on rocking dude

[@bskbskbskbskbsk]

Check out "Scapes" by Francis Preve. He did some 100% synthesized "field recordings" in 2017. I think he did all the sounds with Live Operator and some effects. Same concept as this, just with a different theme. I'm very impressed with Amfivolia, as it's such an original take on this concept.

[@twainnell41]

Try look at the work of Ankha Nel. Legendary Audio Engineer/Sound designer

[@lucnejame]

This is game changing. Like seriously please keep posting about this. We need more novel production and sound design perspectives!

[@Amfivolia]

More is on the way!! Glad you enjoyed this

[@atomictraveller]

i can deliver, but youtube and the music industry will hide me and hide me because i'll actually help you and they won't like that sincerely, xoxos, the real mfr so you understand what this means - the cepstrum (eg. formant shifting) is derived fft(log10(fft())) see if anyone at kvr will tell you that except my old forbidden account.

[@WhizPill]

dude is clearly OP at what he does

[@Musiikki-jd3ez]

Incredible soundscape, incredible analytical approach, incredible presentation. This is better quality than 90% of master's level university coursework of me or any of my friends (completely unrelated field but anyway)

[@edwardlonin8891]

this makes the possiblity of living in a simulation more of a reality than I wanted it to be

[@Amfivolia]

we all live in a phase plant patch

[@NateGerber]

@@Amfivoliatoo real

[@5amJones69]

@@Amfivolia I automatically read this comment in the tune of ''we all live in a yellow submarine''

[@TheEagleFace]

no it doesn't, hope this helps

[@MattStevens9824]

@@Amfivolia DAMN! Winning quote, man! The Matrix is just a Phase Plant patch!

[@AzuriumOfficial]

It's such a treat when game devs have a consideration for proper sound design. Hope to hear more from you both. The lesson was intriguing.

[@cicilubibilo]

Professional sound designer here but man this is gold! I'm really impressed. Great explanation and the work itself is very inspirational. Thank you and please keep it coming, this type of extreme quality content is rare on sound design.

[@RainbexTheRain]

This is like a college class i would definitely take *Takin notes rn*

[@Dynamicz.140]

In highschool I did a beginners presentation on sound design and even played my first track for the class. I said because all sounds are sine waves with enough skill you could recreate any sound. Really cool finally finding a video about recreating the sounds of nature

[@arunkarthikma3121]

Yeah, we can synthesize entire instruments already. That's why I've always been annoyed by the mysticism and marketing behind tone/gear. "Just buy this guitar, guys! It's got a completely different EQ curve!"

[@linusalexis]

this video should be shown in a planetarium. amazing work!

[@SithLordC3P0]

This is well thought out. I always saw when I produced music as making an ecosystem of sound, or like a little pocket dimension, where my sound design dictates how everything interacts and functions or where it's specific place in the "story" I'm telling is supposed to be. I think of that almost like the laws of physics in a musical sense

[@Amfivolia]

That's a really unique and awesome outlook on writing music, and I completely agree it's a wonderful way to tell the story & setting of your music!!

[@AA_MusicGuy1111]

Honestly this is the most interesting video I've ever seen that's been made in the 21st century

[@dungeongooner23]

Wow... so good, and 18? Bro is gonna be a titan in the industry.

[@MikeOxmellsGrimm]

I have a feeling you're going to compose the music for a lot of my favourite indie games of the next 10 years...

[@HexxedOfficial]

I hope this video goes viral. This is really educational and nicely descriptive.

[@colton7373]

the choice of background music in this is legendary

[@Amfivolia]

piano >>>

[@colton7373]

@@Amfivolia particularly ravel and debussy 🔥

[@juanmartinbarrera3316]

Good lord, I’m blown away by your approach on how to recreate (and redesign) an ecological soundscape. Not only it’s the technicality info absolute gold, but the fvcking approach!!! The study, the analysis, the intuition you put into this. My man, I admire you completely. Thank you for putting this out there. It definitely serves me as creative and even human developing, to create. To f*cking go and do the thing. Seriously thank you, thank you for sharing this which reflects how much you love to do all this stuff. Thank you for sharing this from the bottom of your heart, if I may assume. Your work won’t, and hasn’t go unnoticed ❤️

[@Amfivolia]

❤ I hope your creative endeavors go well!

[@ChronoMune]

This along with your music you’ve put up, you’re one of the easiest subscriptions I’ve ever chosen. Can’t believe how much work you’ve put in at your age, and I can’t imagine what amazing things you’ll be doing in just another 10 years

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you for taking the time to write this -- comments like this motivate me greatly 🫶

[@ChronoMune]

@@Amfivolia and thank you for sharing with us! So interesting to see the kinds of things talented people are doing, and you also motivate us to wanna do great things, even if different from what you’re doing

[@frrrkstr]

Oh my god, i'm studying 8 disciplines this semester in music composition bachelor and this is the best class I had this semester. Thank you! You just Blow my mind!

[@JABARIFISH]

I can’t believe you did this at 18, I can’t imagine what your gonna be doing in a few years

[@FabianGonzalez666]

crazy mastery in such a digestible manner, thank you

[@JohnnysaidWhat]

“it’s important to be creative and follow your intuition” proceeds to give post doc thesis on advance acoustic physics and sound design with a dash of world building 😂

[@Amfivolia]

@@JohnnysaidWhat LMAO I could have clarified some more creative elements throughout the video perhaps

[@ShowPlusCo]

you're a fckn genius man...the level of analysis and attention to detail is mesmerizing. Cheers!

[@arunkarthikma3121]

Holy shit, this is genuinely magical. They way this guy just explains it so casually

[@ancestralvision]

This was one of the most exciting sound design videos I‘ve seen this year

[@PiercingSight]

This is the kind of creative sound design that the world needs more of!! Fantastic work, and beautifully edited video!!! Well friggin' done!~

[@Amfivolia]

Tysm!! I hope it inspires/helps you on your own sound design journey

[@fallenleaf24]

Couldn’t agree with you more!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

@@AmfivoliaThat 3d render of the environment with the highlighted elements was cool. Blender? C4D? Nice art direction generally. You have your color palette and look/feel together.

[@Amfivolia]

@@sub-jec-tiv made it in blender!

[@ChangeOfTone_Experiments]

I love youtube when I stumble across videos like that

[@singularit_y]

i dont know a single thing about using a daw and still im learning a lot from this.. youre crazy good

[@hybyrn]

this is one of the best videos on youtube sound design js so so cool i love physics being used in sound design to emulate the physical world digitally

[@optimalystic]

This video is a gem! The project itself is researched very well, more thoroughly dissecting environmental density, medium, and acoustics than most people do (that I know of) for their own augmented reality audio projects, and the sound design is simultaneously unique between sources and cohesive as an artificial reality. On top of that, this video is made really well; not only organizing and explaining everything in a digestible way, but painstakingly rendering, editing, and syncing all of those video clips of synths, effect chains, waveforms, frequency spectrums, spectrograms, background music, text, and probably more, all to aid in making this video easily digestible. You even did highlighting work to focus our attention on certain sections, added your own background music and/or ambience around the piano pieces, as well as made a whole 3D scene just to explain a visual metaphor! (when I saw the bird at 2:33 move I was flabbergasted). I hope that I can make compelling visuals like that for my ambient music one day. I also really liked the visual backgrounds you had, the color palette you chose, and the watery visual effect that permeated most of this video. It always kept me in the mood that your project had set, and made the whole learning experience very beautiful and inspiring. So yeah, I liked and subbed. Thank you for sharing your work with us, I really enjoyed watching and learning what you did, and I wish you the best as you continue your audio art pursuits!

[@Amfivolia]

Wow I really appreciate you putting the time in to write this comment and notice the details that went into this :) It was quite a lot of work but worth it if people learned from it -- there will be more on the way! goodluck with your ambient projects!

[@chanceh4089]

the whole atmosphere youve created with this entire video is incredible. the dark and glowing visuals, angelic pads, gentle transitions... youve painted a beautiful and mysterious alien world not only with the Biota project, but with the video itself. thanks for sharing this masterpiece with us all on the internet :)

[@RESEDE]

I swear this video needs more views

[@koopylupa6647]

And your Album on Spotify is HELLA inspiring.

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you for listening ❤❤

[@uforeaofficial]

I remember doing a similar project with sounds I programmed in python such as bird songs, cricket chirps, and rain. Glad to see someone taking this concept to another level!

[@sylorismusic]

thankyou for this video its absolutely incredible, best sound design video on youtube for sure

[@vytispuronas]

Wow, what an incredible result and presentation. As a sound designer with two decades in the industry I've explored procedural sound design in many shapes and forms. Since Andy Farnell's pure data experiments I haven't met many who dare to go this route. Your work is a breakthrough. Well done!

[@HristoGoleminov]

Videos like this are what KZbin is meant for. Great job and thank you!!

[@imorimori_112]

this is probably like one of the coolest videos on youtube ever

[@j.0x00n4]

This might be one of the most beautiful video's I've seen in a long while. Well done, stand proud.

[@Beatsbasteln]

everything about this was beautiful. a great long form video with deep sounddesign wisdom in a complex niche presented with excellent examples and a whole deeply atmospheric album to listen to that could potentially play forever and never repeat until the sun swallows the earth. I expected this to be yet another 30min video about why granular synthesis and vocoders are sick, and i was ready for it (watching while making food), but what you delivered was even better. you had some extremely specific, yet simple tricks, like the bird calls with the MSEGs on the sine wave pitches. it is an offendingly simple solution for how well it works. I wish Bandcamp had the feature to sell and playback generative music as what it is. one could listen to completely new music of a certain vibe every single day

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you ! And yeah I hope for more widespread generative playback too. I suppose this is where game engines are becoming more persuasive for composers and sound designers.

[@Beatsbasteln]

@@Amfivolia great point. if there was a way to somehow translate a DAW project into a unity build or something you could not only let people experience the music as it was meant to, but also enrich it with visual elements in the process. but at that point you could also just make a little indie game in the first place

[@Amfivolia]

@@Beatsbasteln Definitely. And actually, you can already use unreal engine as a synthesizer and create procedural music using Metasound!

[@Beatsbasteln]

@@Amfivolia i couldn't do that :) i need my creative environment with my plugins of choice. but you use a lot of ableton stock devices it seems. maybe you have a good production style for a game engine's modulator synthesis environment, too, with your methodical approach

[@dotuxil]

vocoder suffering2

[@kevinschwed]

Honestly one of the best videos on this platform 😊

[@KinophsiaFilms]

The level of effort behind this is insane, thank you so much for putting this out there I learned alot from it. You've given me alot of inspiration by teaching in such a delicate way, it reminded me of how peaceful this line of work can be despite the tremendous amount of efforts and literal back pain that go behind it hahaha.

[@Amfivolia]

I find it very relaxing once you're immersed in the research haha -- Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@mr.scruggs124]

This is one of the best and most interesting videos on sound design i've ever seen, thank you so much for this amount of useful and precious informations and tips, i love this content

[@Densle.]

Dude, this is incredible. Thanks for sharing all this!

[@koopylupa6647]

This is a masterpiece in every aspect.

[@dogmouth4138]

Only 10 minutes in but this is amazing information so far. Looking forward to watching the rest!

[@reliquisound]

good vide on video man. ULTRA CHILLIN

[@Ambrosia2830]

Very unique and innovative, thank you for sharing this!

[@maokus]

Wonderfully illustrated and edited :)

[@Amfivolia]

[@arnonym7614]

Thank you, this was really interresting! One thing I would find cool would be to add things like the cracking of wood, the rustling of leafs in the wind or maybe the steps of animals moving around :). But great video, I never thought of the topic before at all!

[@Amfivolia]

Oh this is clever! Amidst all of my studying, somehow I overlooked foley sounds like this, but certainly it would make it more immersive! If I revisit BIOTA (I have many things I'd want to change/create about it) and I use this idea, I'll credit you :) Cheers

[@arnonym7614]

Oh wow, thank you, but thats not necessary. Just keep up the work man :)

[@ringsystemmusic]

Hoooly mackerel! Dude! I had this exact idea (alien soundscape) but you executed *way* better. Looks like it’s lecture time

[@Amfivolia]

If you ever make one let me know! I'd be happy to put any soundscapes people made in the description if they were inspired by this video!

[@trancodingertranscodinger387]

I watched hundreds of tutorials. This is one of the best I came across in a decade. So inspirational and well though trough. I am having so much fun recreating artificial soundscapes and blending them with my actual environment while walking in the city or the park nearby. Thanks you so much for putting all the effort in creating these videos. I went to your Bandcamp an it’s really cool. I bought biota and ist so beautiful. All the best from Munich.

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you so much! I'm glad it has inspired you If you ever want to share your soundscape, feel free to send a link to a video here, or email me :) [e-mail]

[@nocontextgonzalo]

i had been toying with these ideas for a while but never realizing them and your video came as a godsend from the youtube algorithm not only to remind me I should be creating, but showing me the process of a master. thank you for making this

[@connorstrang9290]

This was captivating. I often experiment with taking natural (recorded) sounds and processing them into artificiality, and seeing the opposite side of the coin was very intriguing. Well done!

[@ilyandilymusic]

Just wow man. This is such a fantastic video and your presentation and visuals are incredible.

[@nonlinearsound-001]

I generally work very carefully and only sparsely with Doppler. Small insects around your listener position are noticeable as their relative speed reaches values where Doppler is audible. Animals moving around mid and far distance almost never produce Doppler regardless of how fast they move. (maybe really fast moving birds) It was a very interesting time researching this and finding out that almost no natural sources produce Doppler. Very nice work there, man! Lots of love!

[@Amfivolia]

This is a cool insight! Given there isn't too much noticeable movement in Biota, I hadn't actually researched some of the examples of Doppler in nature very much. I'm sure there is also much research to be done about geophysical sounds producing noticeable doppler effects as well. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@4i20]

Just amazing

[@Maxarcc]

What a gem of a video. I'm personally not into creating nature sounds, but I watched this from start to finish just because of how wonderfully you explain everything. I can see how dedicated you are to this part of production, and it paid off man.

[@Seolgyeol_187]

Truly amazing and inspiring, You and your sound deserve more attention! Not only this video, your other work too.

[@sicijk]

thanks! especially because you end it with Claire de Lune....lovely! Great skills of yours, happy to know you're on the same planet!

[@lye7391]

this is a really good video. I like watching sound design videos. I like to watch KZbin. I like to watch this Biota. Video. Thank you. For telling us your experiences. Remember, ! difficult roads often lead to.

[@Amfivolia]

indeed they do

[@lye7391]

@@Amfivolia don't give up on your dreams!!!! please keep sound design. we got to keep going. we got to commit to greatness. you either work or. ...tw

[@MrSuzerain]

Are these texts generated with some weird AI?

[@ashballofficial]

​@@MrSuzerainprobably google translate

[@ShanusDa-nus]

Dude, that was so sick ...awesome you inspired me to approach things in my music and sound design in totally new mindset ...thank you for sharing this with everyone . Much respect ..

[@Amfivolia]

Very happy to hear that!! Goodluck with your music/sound design :)

[@soundslikesony]

video production, all the research, all those level of sciencey audio stuff, man this felt like a documentary, i feel so smart rn

[@EscherNadeau]

This is insane.

[@typemyname2737]

it feels like I didn't really understand what sound design is before this video, thank you! this is so awesome feeling you gave me!

[@rubetz528]

I came here from MyNoise and got blown away by how convincing this sounds. The amount of talent and effort here is unbelievable.

[@girlfrommoonmusic]

This is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing

[@grain9640]

Thank you so much for this❤ It's so hard to find good videos that are "intermediate" on a subject.

[@rhinoskin7550]

You make other youtube ppl seem like marketing tools :😜 Thank you for the pure, direct information and knowledge.

[@Hattnanin]

Never gonna learn this completely like this, but gives a lot of inspiration for other things like synthesizing musical sounds for me

[@OffGrit]

This is awesome. I have a whole new respect for sound design

[@adriandonal]

This video belongs to KZbin premium. Top notch quality in every little detail. You have talent to explain complex topics in an understandable way

[@jonnyr5049]

This has such impeccable style and beauty, and seriously hard work and dedication. It's artworks like these that really make me want to delve deep into creating. Awesome!

[@ArvidOlson]

This is not only deeply interesting, but also a very beautifully produced video. The aestethics as well as your presentation skills makes it a joy to consume. Thanks to being recommended this video I also discovered your music, which is very suggestive and to my ears impressive in itself. If you haven't made it big already, being so young, I can only see greatness in your future. Keep it up! Amazing work! I would love some more in depth showcases of the individual creature sounds you've created. You went through the general sound generating chains in this video, but talking a bit more about what each step does, and why you decided a sound should be a certain way, would be very interesting. Also, a lot of what you've described here could probably be done in max or pure data and then exported as a VST. Making an interface to easily control some parameters of this system would probably sell like butter to sound designers if marketed correctly.

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you for taking the time to write this, this motivates me considerably to create more content ! I think if I were to go very in-depth about my process and decision making for Biota, I would do something more casual like a livestream. These videos take an enormous effort to produce so I want to save them for unique topics each time, but still sound design and music composition of course. I may do a livestream some day to explore this project more thoroughly. Thanks again, hope the video was resourceful! :]

[@VikkiStephen-m1r]

Absolutely Brilliant!

[@didyougetanyofthat]

Absolutely IN LOVE! reminds me a little of modular synth sounds

[@RESEDE]

You inspire me to learn more about sound design and to practice more.

[@05degrees]

Oooooooooh!!!! 🌿 Judging by the samples, I soooo need to learn this. Thanks for making a whole video! I had some thoughts it would be nice to sound design simple bird calls but I haven’t come to even starting with analysis; all I ever did was synthesizing crickets, and just one particular species I heard and had a relatively clean recording of. But now _this_ is a food for thought!

[@DarkRider606]

I love how your system is so intricate and detailed. Before watching this video I never thought about midi chance, velocity deviations, and randomizing parameters. Really cool what you got going on here

[@phiny_one]

very useful information !

[@blurredaudio]

That was dope! Doesn't happen a lot that sound design blows me away anymore, but this was very very interesting! Thanks for sharing :)

[@bskbskbskbskbsk]

This is some Francis Preve level sound design! Well done!

[@lebasson]

Not only is your achievement mesmerizing and incredible, but the explanation is so great. Amazing achievement. What's a natural evolution of BIOTA for you?

[@Amfivolia]

Thanks! I think less focus on the sound design side and more focus on soundscape ecology concepts would be the next step forward. There are so many things I've learned since I finished BIOTA, I may make a follow up video in the future. Some of those concepts would include more considerations about how the climate system affects biophony, the feedback between systems in terrestrial and aquatic soundscapes, and more. Cheers

[@pwhi2251]

lovely video

[@simongregory3114]

this is so fascinating. Also, the little music fragments between sections are lovely

[@Maradnus]

This was just amazing what great video! Thanks! I would love to watch a long play of you just making sounds without talking even. I like to watch people do what they do!

[@Amfivolia]

@@Maradnus hmm maybe I'll do a live stream some day if I get more familiar with YT stuff :) and yea I'm the same way, I learn a lot from just watching people create

[@Maradnus]

@@Amfivolia Awesome stuff this is VERY inspiring stuff & I never thought to take this journey in sound! seeing it & having some idea now of how this is assembled is amazing so huge thanks! & good luck I think this kind of stuff will but a huge hit! Thanks!

[@benjafarber1793]

I have made similar soundscapes, but didn’t think to make it generative! Great idea!

[@DashGlitch]

Great work!

[@nissimtrifonov5314]

Simply amazing. I just wanted to mention that I felt that I didn't hear enough of the awesome sounds because you didn't let them play on their own, instead you kept talking over them; I'd gladly watch a 1 hour or ever 1 and a half with more of the sounds being played alongside of the explanations (which were top notch)

[@Amfivolia]

Thank you! And yes I agree, in hindsight I didn't let the individual sounds play enough on their own -- this is my first tutorial so I have plenty to improve on.

[@Pierreduchzy]

That was amazing, thank you! 👽🐦

[@julienkianmaneshrad1371]

I don’t usually comment on YT but wow! This is great. Gives me hope for the future of content and sound design. Great work, keep it going :)

[@vraalten]

Wowww, your look behind the scenes is simply brilliant and inspiring!!! Keep up the great work!

[@radiofloyd2359]

Incredible video.

[@Adam-ef6ij]

amazing video keep up the good work

[@ind-u4i]

THANK YOU! I always wanted to dive into this more as that is the main reason why I started learning modular synth myself, but found myself kinda of stuck in front of this big rabbit hole unsure where to start trying cause most of them are toward music, which I personally consider it's a bit brain different when looking into more soundscape design. Thanks!!

[@michaelovertonbrown]

well done - love this framework for conceptualizing soundscapes

[@Intikus]

This feels like it nonchalantly manifested from another dimension just... onto youtube. awesome stuff

[@Ronald_Raygun_Pewpew]

You’re incredible 🙌🙌

[@f33fifofum]

This is an insanely good video