Behind the Scenes: Recording Over 2500 Footstep Sounds
Added 2024-11-22 15:05:00 +0000 UTCHey everyone! We’re back with more audio behind-the-scenes posts! Last time we showcased the creation of one of our newest Build mode tracks “Little Trinkets” in this post right here! Check it out! This time we will go through some very simple yet probably one of the most important characters’ sounds to be added into the game: footsteps! 👣We’ll be talking about the things to consider when adding these sounds as well as many other character and object sounds to be added later on.
🎥In the above video, you saw the recording process of many footsteps as well as a few extra things. So without further ado, let’s talk about the details 🦶
How Many Sounds Do We Need?
No object will ever sound exactly the same twice. Whether you strum a guitar or hear the rustling of tree leaves, the noise they create will always be different. Therefore, if we want to imitate the real world in the soundscape of a game, we have to add many variations to the same sounds. For example, each type of footstep in Paralives has over 40+ variations on average.
On top of that, we have to consider the many factors that are producing the sound. In this case, what surface are our paras moving on? What type of shoes are they wearing? Are they walking, jogging, running, or going up a staircase? And you could complexify even further by adding more variables. So far in the base game, there are 8 surfaces, 4 footwear types and 4 kinds of movement confirmed, which gives a total of 5120 different footstep sounds! Which is actually normal in modern games 🥸
How Do We Create Them?
It would’ve been very simple to go to an online library and get all the footstep sounds from there. However, we figured that by creating them ourselves, we could make sounds that fit the animations specifically and also fit the cozy vibe of the game (most sounds on online libraries are more action/warfare oriented). We are also not restricted by how many variations are uploaded to the library and can make as many as we want ourselves. It’s also super fun to record them! 😁
The hard part for me isn’t recording, but finding the right materials! I took a little trip to the dollar store and a construction store to buy some of the things that you saw in the video. I also bought some nice high heels at the second-hand store 👠✨With all these new materials, we can get some pretty good recordings. In any case, where it’d be more difficult to make something sound right, that’s where we would start searching through a library 🔊
Here is a picture of all the things I bought for the recording session.
This is only the beginning of the many things that will need foley sounds in Paralives. Like I said, everything makes noise. Whether it is kitchen appliances, furniture your Para is interacting with, electronics, plants rustling with the wind, even walls sometimes just creak out of nowhere! We’ll be making the sounds for most of these things in the following days and hopefully, I could show you some of the work done in the next post! What foley sounds would you like to be included in the game? Hope you enjoyed this week’s post! Have a great weekend 🎉
Until next time,
Andrei ♪♩♩ ♪♩♩♩
Edit - March 20th, 2025: This post is now public, feel free to share it!
Comments
My family uses a regular kettle.
Valencia Bernal
2024-12-30 13:43:25 +0000 UTCAnd this is the sound of all patreon supporters falling in love with the sound designer
Ghislain Pedro
2024-11-30 21:19:13 +0000 UTCSound designers are honestly the coolest people in game development, this is awesome!!
ponpon-Starglory
2024-11-29 23:48:26 +0000 UTCYou’re welcome! I’m glad it’s so fun; when you’re having fun, you’re really putting your heart into it, and that’s what we need!
BooDotBoo .
2024-11-26 01:48:01 +0000 UTCThank you Derek!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 18:02:12 +0000 UTC😂😂😂 You gotta do what you gotta do
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:58:29 +0000 UTC100%!! I'll be making the grass, dirt and rock sounds in the next few days!! Thank you so much Emelia!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:58:00 +0000 UTCOuuuh I'll check those sounds out!! I'd personally like to add more variation to the wildlife sounds so these ones might actually work out! Thank you so much Tasha!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:57:22 +0000 UTCThank you so much! It's super fun to do both the recording and the videos hehe
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:56:09 +0000 UTCThank you Bethy! 😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:55:30 +0000 UTCHey Fran! I'd love to add the sound of kettles! I agree they are so satisfying to hear in the morning! Thank you for your insight!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:54:55 +0000 UTCLike Chance said we made a post on ambient sounds! here you go: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ambient-sounds-105297734
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:53:25 +0000 UTC100% will be in the game!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:50:47 +0000 UTCHey Clara! Prince does sound like a little mischievious dog hahaha Kurama my dog is sort of the same. Also I love Prince the singer!!!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:50:28 +0000 UTCHahaha yeah I did! Thank you Pedro!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:48:41 +0000 UTCHey Vegard that you so much for your insight! You're right, there just so many variables and contexts to consider still to be able to create a full sense of realism in the game. As mentioned in the post, the amount of variables added could be endless and it can easily multiply the workload by a lot easily reaching the 100,000+ sounds. The most productive approach would be in this case to go animation by animation and record the necessary things to make them sound realistic since trying to fit generic sounds to them would take more time. And as for other variables such as more footwear and surfaces, they will be added to the game eventually! Thank you!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:48:10 +0000 UTCIt went great it didnt hurt just a sore arm
Sláine Sheils
2024-11-25 17:47:42 +0000 UTCThank you for you answer, Andrei! Nice to hear that you added the airplane sound since that gives me summer vibes. I understand what you mean when you talk about the children.The game can also develop further and perhaps a suitable opportunity will arise. In general, it's great how much effort is being invested here, so I'm already excited and it's more than I would expect. I'm also very excited to see how we'll experience the weather in the game - but like I said, it sounds perfect to me already
Cora Berger
2024-11-25 17:46:46 +0000 UTCThank you so much tahirah! That means a lot! :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:39:35 +0000 UTCOuhh I love both of your ideas jrrt1459 and Dizzardy, we'll bear that in mind for the voice over recordings
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:39:08 +0000 UTCHey Cora!! I thought the same as you and passing airplane sounds are already added into the game 😌 Children playing it'll have to be more the actual voice over of children since it'd be a bit creepy to hear children playing somewhere but not finding them anywhere. There WILL be weather in the game eventually, I can't to work on those sounds!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:37:44 +0000 UTCThank you so much Slaine! Hope everything went well with your injection!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:34:35 +0000 UTCThank you so much Argon! I love that sound too!! Can't wait to start the book sounds
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:33:38 +0000 UTCThank you so much hahaha it was worth it! And yes! I'll get to the grass, dirt and rock sounds in the next few days!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:32:50 +0000 UTCThanks!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:31:56 +0000 UTCThanks Madeline! I've thought about adding breathing, we haven't tested yet. Although I fear it might be too much to add as you have to be very very quiet and close to someone to hear them breathe and a lot of people with misophonia or who are hyper-sensitive have a trigger with breathing sounds. Maybe it could work better with paras who are asleep?
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:31:43 +0000 UTCGracias paaaaaa! 😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:28:21 +0000 UTCThank you so much Carelle! That means a lot :)
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:26:57 +0000 UTCYES! I love the sound of wind chimes! Although it'll have to wait until the item is added into the game! The other ambient sounds are great too :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 17:26:35 +0000 UTCThank you so much Cece! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :)
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 16:25:30 +0000 UTCThank you!! It's super fun to record😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 16:25:03 +0000 UTCHey ladyteruki! Thank you so much for your comment😁 To start I had no idea of the existance of WikiFeet until now 😂 Like you said adding more variables multiplies the numbers by a lot and you could end up having 100,000+ very easily if you dont try to optimise. For the exterior terrain sounds I tried using Christmas decorations for grass and cat litter for dirt but as you can guess it was a complete failure hahaha. I have the whole thing recorded in video too! I'd love to add clock sounds too personally I think it adds a lot to the silent mood, however being fully transparent with you it was decided to set them as "Nice to have" so they'll have to probably wait after the release of Early Access. Apartment sounds too would be nice! Although that's more in the technical aspect where you'd filter sounds depending if they're in another room etc!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 16:24:40 +0000 UTCThank you Josephin! Will definitely add a lot of those eventually as the game progresses!😁
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 16:16:05 +0000 UTCHey Melina thank you so much!! We definitely are gonna add snow and puddle sounds once we get seasons and weather! I'd love to add sounds such as neighbours but it depends more on the technical systems!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 16:15:06 +0000 UTCThanks Fran! Yeah the heel-toe motion was pretty much a challenge thanks for your feedback! And yeah we all love moustache man here ❤️
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:53:20 +0000 UTCStewbyyy! I don't know if I did better than you I was falling all over the place with them 😂 I'd personally love to make more variations of these for old people shuffling!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:51:35 +0000 UTCThanks Lucie!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:50:02 +0000 UTC😂 I'm really grateful hahaha it was definitely worth doing
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:49:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much! :D
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:48:30 +0000 UTCThanks Zak! I enjoy making these behind the scenes posts so we might do some more!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:48:17 +0000 UTCThank you Morgan!
Andrei Castanon
2024-11-25 15:47:41 +0000 UTCI'm American born, but currently live in Canada, and I use my electric kettle almost everyday. To boil water for tea, to make oatmeal, etc.
Thaaeroprincess87
2024-11-24 23:27:26 +0000 UTCThat sigh before you strapped on those heels 😂 This is exactly why I left wearing heels in the first half of my twenties
Thaaeroprincess87
2024-11-24 23:22:54 +0000 UTCThat’s so cool. Not to be that person since I know you all have already recorded thousands of variations but will you also be doing the same thing for outside? Eg walking through crunchy snow, leaves, etc?
Emelia39
2024-11-24 12:54:19 +0000 UTCHehe, maybe some American people use kettles? That's just something I've been told by multiple American people - that American people generally just use microwaves and don't usually use kettles. ?? 😂
Fran Smith
2024-11-24 02:45:07 +0000 UTCThis is kind of niche to North and Central America, but it would be cool to hear the cooing of the Mourning Dove in the mornings or late afternoon/evenings in areas of the map that have a more North American/Central American geography. Another iconic bird/bird sound to North America is the Canada goose, especially during their Spring and Autumn migrations. Their aggressive hissing and honking is also iconic as it chases people and other animals out of it's territory/away from it's nest. LOL.
Tasha
2024-11-24 02:43:54 +0000 UTCLol. I'm not gonna lie, I either use my Keurig which heats the water itself, or I put my cup in the microwave XD. Some Americans do use an electric kettle, and even fewer will use a regular kettle. I don't drink enough coffee or tea to invest in a kettle; even the Keurig is collecting dust most of the time.
Tasha
2024-11-24 02:22:16 +0000 UTCPretty sure they’ll be adding other sounds. This post is literally just about THESE sounds.
BooDotBoo .
2024-11-23 21:10:54 +0000 UTCWhat? We use kettles? I have an electric one. 😂
BooDotBoo .
2024-11-23 21:08:43 +0000 UTCIt’s actually really cool to see you record the sounds, then see it in the game! Love that!
BooDotBoo .
2024-11-23 21:08:17 +0000 UTCin what way do you mean? my breathing is soundless unless i’m sighing or taking a deep breath so is that what would be recorded? i mean no offense, just trying to better understand
Chance
2024-11-23 11:32:41 +0000 UTCthey’ve made a post about this already! hope you can find it, it’s pretty neat
Chance
2024-11-23 11:28:50 +0000 UTCthats some dedication right there and we love to see it!!!
Bethy Grace
2024-11-23 06:48:42 +0000 UTCTo be honest, I didn't, because I thought it would just be talking, and probably only about the setup and editing. But my post still is not JUST about barefeet sounds, if you actually bother to read through it. That was just an added example. But you would understand that if you actually read the post.
Vegard Myklebust
2024-11-23 05:30:23 +0000 UTCFrom someone who always plays with headphones for full immersion, many, many thanks!! One sound I'd love to hear is the sound of the kettle!! I know American people don't use kettles to boil for tea and coffee in the morning (sacrilege!!) - I'm told American people just use the microwave for this purpose....yuck! I'm not sure about Canada, but just in case you don't, please rest assured that the rest of the world VERY MUCH does use kettles to boil water for our morning coffee (and evening and midday etc). And that sound is actually quite a precious sound for us: the sound of the kettle boiling for tea or coffee...aaaahhhhh!! It's an essential sound in the game for us. Almost as important as walking! Please put that in the game! Thanks!! :-)
Fran Smith
2024-11-23 02:01:54 +0000 UTCHehe, moustache man is infamous for doing all the dirty testing work. He's definitely a game icon by now. :-)
Fran Smith
2024-11-23 01:54:22 +0000 UTCdid you actually watch the video, it has e.g. barefoot walking in it?
Sehrys
2024-11-23 01:45:13 +0000 UTCI am not sure who is cuter, you or the doggie!
Derek Warren
2024-11-23 01:16:34 +0000 UTCThe sounds of sunrise ✨ Or also, depending on where you are on the map and what type of nature surrounds you, and what time of day, maybe the environmental sounds can vary.
Brandi Werthner
2024-11-23 00:13:34 +0000 UTCI'd love to hear wind rustling through trees!
Impish
2024-11-22 21:49:10 +0000 UTCVery nice, also cute doggie, reminds me of one my family had when I was little kid, his name was Prince, no not for the singer, no one in my family knew who he was then, it was before he was well known. Prince used to eat my toys though, I had a wishnick doll, one of those little trolls, he ripped its hair out and chewed its hands off, before anyone found him and took it aways from him. He was a bad doggie, lol!
Clara M Johnson
2024-11-22 21:42:48 +0000 UTCSome of these are so quiet! I bet you felt tempted to just leave them mute lol. Kudos for such dedication to deliver a fully imersive experience, down to the smallest details!
Pedro Lima
2024-11-22 21:25:01 +0000 UTCThis is sounds great, but it's actually not quite enough, if you want to consider everything. It's not just HOW they move, but it's also WHO is moving? Is a baby crawling? is a child jumping? is an adult strolling? is the person considered underweight, avarage or overweight? Sounds differ for any reason. A toddler's walk would sound way different than an overweight adult. Also you're just having walking, jogging, running and stairs right now. But what about: dragging/sliding your feet against the ground? What about tapping, skipping, jumping and stomping your feet? And also not just regular footwear, what if they're barefeeted? These are just things I can think of right now. Of course, you can probably use some of the same sounds to them. I just wanted to make you aware of other ways to make sounds with your feet than just what you wrote here. I do hope you have thought of these, you just didn't want to specify every single detail.
Vegard Myklebust
2024-11-22 20:47:32 +0000 UTCTo add to this I think it would be great if it was possible for paras to occasionally mumble in their sleep while dreaming.
Dizzardy
2024-11-22 20:26:11 +0000 UTCLove the variations!! Putting hundreds of hours into a game means certain sounds become too familiar and repetitive, which I find really distracting. These feel unique and varied enough that it shouldn't be a problem. Thank you for your attention to detail!
tahirah
2024-11-22 18:52:36 +0000 UTCI want to hear my Para snoring when they sleep. Everything from the faintest of wisps to the sawing of an entire forest.
jrrt1459
2024-11-22 18:32:23 +0000 UTCThe sound of an airplane crossing the summer sky. Children at play, creaking floorboards and if there ever should be weather at the game- I love the sound of cars driving through puddles ❤️
Cora Berger
2024-11-22 18:20:01 +0000 UTCVery cool, 100 out 100, i have to listen to the sounds 10 minus ago because i got my flu injection today
Sláine Sheils
2024-11-22 17:31:49 +0000 UTCI love the passion that go to this project ❤ Also small idea - I really would enjoy the sound of turning a page in a book 😌
Argon
2024-11-22 17:31:11 +0000 UTCYES
Pixies
2024-11-22 17:24:49 +0000 UTCHa! I appreciate the dedication and sacrifice for the heels. The dreaded ankle twist stumble is a sound and animation in itself. You may have mentioned it, but the sound of grass crunching under foot, small of twigs and brush when you walk through an overgrown area.
Madragal
2024-11-22 17:20:37 +0000 UTCReally cool!
Sofia Eichelmann
2024-11-22 17:13:17 +0000 UTCThese are great! As for a Foley recommendation... I think it would be nice to hear breathing when you are zoomed close to a Para. Would help them feel more alive! :)
Madeline
2024-11-22 16:58:58 +0000 UTCAwesome work! I love the dedication and creativity you put into making all these sounds. It really reminds me of the era when creativity was key to creating special effects in movies. Also, having fun should always be part of the process! We love it!
Ivan
2024-11-22 16:50:30 +0000 UTCThis is really cool. I love the small details you guys are putting in. It's going to really make the game immerssive.
Carelle
2024-11-22 16:50:02 +0000 UTCWind chimes? Owls at night, maybe crickets. Random barking dogs and kids yelling to make it feel more like a neighborhood. Idk I'm sure you guys have thought of everything by now 💚 this is awesome. Thanks for the hard work
Esme Rodriguez
2024-11-22 16:40:43 +0000 UTCThese videos are sooo satisfying, I’ve taken to watching with headphones and now I don’t think I can ever go back! Good job team, outstanding work as always Andrei!
Cece
2024-11-22 16:31:10 +0000 UTCThis actually seems like the coolest job ever. I love watching these kinds of videos
Ramllama
2024-11-22 16:06:09 +0000 UTCThanks for another very interesting post, Andrei ! And for recording your sessions, always a fun time :) Also that solves the mystery of why you were talking about heels in a earlier dev chat ! ( https://new.reddit.com/r/Paralives/comments/1gmsoe2/weekly_dev_chat_october_18th/ for those who haven't read it) It all makes sense now... "And you could complexify even further by adding more variables." I mean, I guess you could factor in things like weight or age, but good God, the numbers are already impressive as it is ! But the result is great, especially taking the time to account for various floorings and such. It made me wonder how you recorded the sounds for walking in the grass, or how you'll manage for when snow is implemented ! Another trip to the dollar store, I guess. Maybe they could sponsor Paralives ? XD Regarding the end of the post, I'm looking forward to clock sounds. Not necessarily a grandiose grandfather clock, but just something simple. Walls (and floors, possibly) creaking is a great idea, too. When you live in an older building, those are definitely important sounds. In apartment buildings, hearing sounds of other people's lives is also essential, like hearing a frontdoor being locked in the hallway, someone flushing or even peeing if the walls are thin (which means that they hear YOU too !) the ding of the elevator (the elevator in my building talks >_< all day, she's like "5th floor ; descending" it's fully become the soundtrack of my life at home !), sounds of pans from someone making dinner, kids running... But I seem to remember that apartment buildings are not for right away, so no need to rush to the dollar store to buy children just yet. PS : is that your submission to WikiFeet ? XD
ladyteruki
2024-11-22 16:04:46 +0000 UTCI would also like the sounds of bare feet, slippers, children jumping around (because they really want to talk about their day or something), running and jumping in the snow, autumn leaves and flowers ( for a flower meadow for example) and children crawling (if that's in the Footsteps category belongs). Keep up the amazing work, guys 🫶❣️
Josephin01
2024-11-22 15:39:48 +0000 UTCThank you!
Fran Denman
2024-11-22 15:39:01 +0000 UTCWe call him moustache man. I do not believe he has a real name as he is not an official para. https://www.patreon.com/posts/summer-fever-107461671 second picture beside the concrete rail thing. If you every feel up to it, come join the discord channel, there is a special patreon section there and the devs sometimes come to chat as well as talking all things paralives (including moustache man spotting).
Stewby
2024-11-22 15:36:51 +0000 UTCOh my gosh I love that! I'm relatively new to the patreon so I haven't gone back over most of the past posts yet, but I will keep an eagle eye out for moustache man! Does he have a name, do we know?
Fran Denman
2024-11-22 15:33:35 +0000 UTCthis is moustache man. he is famous (well to me) in paralives lore. if you look back at the beach patreon post, you will find him buried in the sand. I love him as a wee easter egg type thing.
Stewby
2024-11-22 15:30:00 +0000 UTCwow i never really took the time to do the math on just how many different sounds something as "simple" as walking would need.. (also i felt your pain when you were walking on stones in heels, cobblestone streets are every heel-wearer's worst enemy) i'm not sure if this was planned anyway but specifically for apartment buildings it would be cool to hear the neighbours sometimes! not too much but them dropping something for example, or maybe they can be heard more often in cheap apartments compared to expensive ones one of the sounds that was previously revealed that i really liked was the sound of the fridge, that's just such a nice realistic detail once different seasons are added i also hope there will be sounds for walking in snow and through leaves or stepping into a puddle!
Melina W
2024-11-22 15:27:12 +0000 UTCIt's so cool seeing behind the scenes sound design! One thing I would say though, is I think high heels generally have a more heel-toe sound than you're getting walking on the spot. I don't know how you'd effectively record that though, and I'm really impressed with what you have done! I also have to love that your high heels model is bald man in just his underwear, not sure why you chose that, but I love it 😂
Fran Denman
2024-11-22 15:25:45 +0000 UTCYou already know what I am going to say. Thank you for the post Andrei. This game blows me away every time. Amazing attention to detail. Absolutely adore it. The dedication... attempting to walk in heels!! (shame you did it better than me but i won't sulk). p.s: i would like shuffling feet for trainers and bare feet please. I like my old people shuffly.
Stewby
2024-11-22 15:24:00 +0000 UTCI like the fact that not all shoes make the same sound, depending on the type of shoe and texture of the floor.
Lucie Baha
2024-11-22 15:23:35 +0000 UTCoh, I know I'm gonna chuckle to myself every time I hear my Para in some heels walking down the street knowing this video exists. You are the definition of dedication my friend 😅 💕
ZLoves
2024-11-22 15:18:59 +0000 UTCI love those videos so much, they're one of my favorite parts of witnessing paralives development, aaah!!!!!
aurum7731
2024-11-22 15:18:08 +0000 UTCI sure hope you continue to make these videos of behind the scenes! It makes my tiny attention span very happy. (Also the socks and heels must be on a Para somewhere in the game😂)
Zak the Sloth
2024-11-22 15:12:40 +0000 UTCThis is so cool!! Thank you for sharing 🩷
Morgan
2024-11-22 15:10:29 +0000 UTC
