How I Redesigned A Gooey Cave Ambience From Monster Hunter Wilds

Hi there! If you wanna learn how to create sound effects, then you are in the right place. Today, I’ll show you how I designed a Gooey Cave Ambience from scratch. I’ll share all the sound sources I used, how I designed them, added effects, and processed everything to achieve the final result.

Intro

Let’s get started! First, I opened up Reaper, which is my go-to software for creating sounds. When I begin making an ambient sound, I think about what will be the foundation of my sound. Usually, it could be a wind sound or some sort of tonal element. For this project, I was inspired by a cave scene from Monster Hunter Wilds.

I imagined a large opening in the cave with thick gooey tar that the player walks through. There’s some sunlight, so there is probably some wind coming through. These thoughts guided me as I designed the ambience.

Layer 1: Foundation

First, I wanted to create that tonal element. Here’s the layer I designed for that:

This layer sounds a bit windy with some creaking elements. Surprisingly, this is not a wind sample at all! I used a lazy susan spinning around as my sound source. Let’s listen to it:

When I pitch it down, it adds more character, which is great for the base of my sound. A little trick I use is a dual delay set low, mixed with reverb. This adds a longer tail to the sound and gives it depth, making it feel like it’s echoing in the cave.

Next, I added a format filter to give it some tone. This is modulated with two random LFOs for a slow filter sweep. It’s essential to control the top and low end with filters to avoid sounding too artificial.

Layer 2: Wet

Once I had that tonal base, I moved on to adding detailed elements. The next sound I wanted was a liquid sound, as the player is walking through that wet, tarry river. I recorded a river up close and pitched it down to make it fit the ambience.

To keep it interesting, I modulated the volume over time. Flat static sounds can get tiring, so I made sure to change the sound a bit as it plays.

Layer 3: Goo

Next, I wanted to add gooey sounds. I created some sounds with my mouth to get those gory textures. I pitched these down, added some distortion, and reverb:

Then, I had a submerged water recording from a large plastic can that I submerged underwater. This added to the gooey feel. I used a low cut filter to focus on the low end. Together, these sounds formed the base of my ambience.

Of course, I could add more elements like bat sounds or different layers of wind, but I also added some creaking sounds to make it more interesting.

And that’s how you build a Gooey Cave Ambience from scratch!

FAQ

What is ambient sound design?

Ambient sound design involves creating sounds that help set the mood and atmosphere in a game or a scene. It can include anything from wind sounds to water flowing.

How can I create my own ambient sounds?

You can start by recording real-life sounds or using sound libraries. Experiment with different effects and layering to create depth.

Where can I find sound packs?

You can find sound packs on my website, including a Free SFX Sample Pack to get started in sound design.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, leave them below in the comment section. I’ll see you in the next post!