Recreating The Iconic Sounds of Sonic The Hedgehog

What we’ll be designing

Hi there! If you wanna learn how to create sound effects, then you are in the right place. In this blog, we’ll be showing you how to recreate the classic sounds from the video game Sonic Superstars. We will use a lot of Phase Plant as our synth of choice. Let’s dive in!

Medal Sound Effects

Let’s start with our medal sounds.

To recreate this sound, we used a sine wave and pitched it up by three octaves. I adjusted some of the resonant frequencies to make it sound just right. The notes played are an E chord (E, B, E) played very fast. The key is to control the resonant frequencies to avoid a sound that’s too bright.

Score Display

Next, we have the sound for showing the score. This is a whoosh sound from my melee weapons pack. It’s relatively simple!

To design this sound, we used a wavetable with a mix of square and triangle waves. By adjusting the release and sustain, we created a nice plucky sound.

Transition Sound 1

When the screen switches from the score to the next, there are two parts to this sound. The first part is a plucky sound.

We started with a wave table and increased the release a bit. Then, we added a dual delay to create a bounce effect for each note.

Transition Sound 2

The second part of the transition sound has a bit more to it. We added a layer that plays a high-pitched note.

This layer was created using a sine wave, adding some distortion and a ring modulator to give it a unique sound.

Lower Third Display

For the level display, I designed a sound that wasn’t in the original game. It adds a nice touch to the display.

This sound features a tonal whoosh combined with a square wave and some distortion for effect.

Jumping Sound

Now, let’s look at the jumping sound effect.

We loaded a sine wave and increased the release and decay. By adding an LFO to modulate the pitch, we achieved that classic jump sound everyone loves.

Coin Collection Sound

Next, we have the sound for collecting rings. It’s a familiar sound to many players.

Using a sine wave again, we adjusted the pitch and added a phaser to create that shimmering effect when a ring is collected.

Acceleration Sound

The acceleration sound is exciting and builds up as you speed up in the game.

This sound includes two layers: one with high frequencies and another from a noise generator, both modulated to create a rising pitch.

Bounce Sound Effect Design

Let’s check out the bounce sound effect.

This sound starts from a wavetable, and we used pitch modulation to give it a bouncing feeling, adding effects like squash and a limiter to polish it off.

Tree Jump Sound Effect

When Sonic pulls on trees, we created a sound using a leather jacket twisting sound.

After recording it, I chopped it up and added effects like EQ and squash to get the right sound.

Bird Kill Sound Creation

For the bird kill sounds, I used a Phase Plant layer combined with a mouth pop sound. This created a unique sound that fits well in the game.

Flapping Wings Sound Design

Next, we have the flapping wings sound effect.

I used a paper sound and modulated the pan and volume to mimic birds flapping their wings.

Final Game Redesign

Finally, we have the spinning sound effect. This sound was recorded by spinning an object around in circles.

By adding effects like Uberloud and recenter, I was able to fill in the sound gaps in the game.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

That wraps up all the sound effects for this redesign. I hope you found this blog useful and valuable in learning how to create iconic sounds for Sonic Superstars!

FAQ

• What software do you use for sound design? I use Reaper as my main DAW along with various plugins. You can find everything I use on my Resources page.
• How long does it take you to do a redesign like this? It depends on the game and the sounds, but usually between 1-4 hours.