Tim Corpus
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Designing an Immersive Experience in Unreal Engine

Here is an update on my work in Ira: Act I, Pilgrimage and how I’m designing the sound world in Unreal Engine.

Working in Unreal Engine is awesome because there is such a terrific built-in audio system. The blueprints and sound cue system are such an upgrade from how I was working in Unity. In fact, I’m considering a project in Unity to work on, and I’m curious when I go back in if I’ll be more or less confused than before.

The sound design elements in this game are divided into five categories.

  • Background Sounds (bg): In-world sounds that play on their own without any interactive elements
  • Sound Effects (sfx): In-world sounds that are played as a reaction, or trigger.
  • Foley (fol): Sounds made by the character not objects (footsteps, clothing movement, coughing, etc.)
  • Music (mx): 2D Music playing the background of the game. Some music is caused by triggers like scenes or important moments in the game.
  • Dialogue (dx): The sounds of characters speaking to each other.

Most recently I’ve been working on sounds for the more interactive elements, but here I want to show something simple, floor creaks.

It’s an old house and old houses creak. There are a number of ways to accomplish this sound effect. In Unity with FMOD I would attach the sound to the terrain or the character with a chance for the sound to be called. For example, if the character walks on a certain wood tile, there’s a 1 in 5 chance that the floor creak is going to be called. With this type of process I would provide multiple floor creak sounds with variability in the range of pitch and volume of the sound. This way of accomplishing the sound effect is great for large maps. In the Viking Village and the Sun Temple I used this process because there was way too much space to cover with box triggers. In this section of Ira, however, the space to play in is relatively small, so simple triggers are easy to place.

The boxes you see in the graphic above are an example of how these types of sound triggers are placed. As the character passes through the trigger, the sound cue is called.

The sound cue for the floor creaks are really simple. As you can see, I have nine different sounds and ten spots that can be called randomly when the character triggers the sound. This isn’t the same cue for all of the house, but in the attic there is a 90% chance that passing through the trigger will call a sound (because one slot is empty). In other parts of the house I use other sounds or additional empty slots because different floors behave differently in reality. Additionally, I use a Modulator to add some random variety in pitch and volume to the floor creaks.

This is a really simple way of accomplishing variety in sound design with the use of box triggers. The blueprint for the trigger is very simple as well. It’s just an Event ActorBeginOverlap > Do Once > Play Sound At Location.

In sound design there are a hundred different ways to accomplish the same goal. This is just one of many ideas to implement simple sound triggers into your Unreal game.

Tim Corpus is a composer with a genuine lyric impulse. He writes music that is at the same time challenging and appealing - which should be the ideal of any composer. He has a wonderful ear for sound and for shape. This is a composer with a real and important voice.

Henry Fogel Retired Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and CEO/President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

...`{`Three Pieces for Five Timpani`}` is an outstanding addition to the literature for timpani and great for advanced recital programs.

George Frock Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas

Tim Corpus is a wonderfully skilled composer who has important things to say with his music. His debut album, Breath, is extremely impressive. Beautiful and exciting music to be sure!

Larry Alan Smith Composer

Tim Corpus' music is complex, original and steeped in tradition. His Three Pieces for Five Timpani is clearly an extension of the composers, such as Elliott Carter, that came before him. The pieces are challenging but fulfilling to learn and perform. Possibly the most important thing about Tim's timpani writing is that audiences will enjoy listening to his compositions. He is taking solo timpani writing to the next level.

Ed Harrison Timpanist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago

The melodic gestures in Tim Corpus' masterful piece for strings, ``Breath``, are paced so that a listener’s respiration pattern aligns itself instinctively with the slow and even pulse of the piece. Breath creates a powerful performer/listener symbiosis, a remarkable accomplishment on the part of the composer.

Steven Gryc Composer

Tim Corpus’s music is beautifully lyrical, nicely voiced and technically well-realized. In person, he is a pleasure to work with. We very much enjoyed recording his first two string quartets and hope to see more from him in the future.

Jen Leckie Violinist, Grant Street String Quartet

I recently had the pleasure of conducting the premiere of First Flight. It is artfully written, fresh, unique, and best of all – a beautiful piece of music! Tim is a major talent with big things in store for his future. It clearly deserves a permanent place in the repertoire of any serious wind ensemble. I can't wait to program it again!

Stephen Squires Conductor, Chicago College of Performing Arts Wind Ensemble

I have worked with Tim Corpus as a performer, composer and teacher. He brings passion and energy to his craft. He is a young lion who is making his mark on the Chicago music scene.

Kevin Miller Retired Band Director, Schaumburg High School

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tim for years now, and I learned very quickly that his passion and talent as a performer and composer are unquestioned. Everything he does is handled with a rare combination of intensity and care, and his works display such attributes. His lyricism in particular, along with his rich, beautiful harmonies and intricate polyphony set him apart from many of his colleagues. In a world littered with simple, non-intellectual music, Tim is breaking through and creating a new, exciting, accessible, and, most importantly, intelligent style of music that is imperative to the future of our art form.

Matt Bronstein Axiom Brass Quintet

Breath is very professionally produced, and the overall impression is of a lyrical and rhapsodic voice. I think Breath is a great starter, very ample and serene, even ecstatic. The second quartet is lively and engaging throughout.

Dr. Robert Carl Composer
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