DSP Fantasy : the test

Tsugi is a company founded by Nicolas Fournel in Tokyo in 2011. It specializes in the development of procedural audio tools. Tsugi develops custom tools for companies such as Capcom and Gamefreak, creating procedural middleware for sound designers as well as quite original sound banks. Instead of delivering a set of audio files (single files or sausage files), Tsugi's banks stand out for their procedural approach. Rather than receiving a simple ready-to-use .wav of a river, you can define the parameters to adapt it exactly to your needs. It is possible to choose the duration, and if you have activated a random amplitude, the number of iterations. This is a very intriguing approach, and as a curious sound designer, I couldn't resist the urge to get my hands on it and share my experience with you.

The DSP's

These sound banks come from the DSP collection of Tsugi, which is divided into 6 categories:

• DSP Action ​
• DSP Motion
• DSP Anime
• DSP Fantasy
• DSP Sci-Fi
• DSP Retro

Sold for $49, each of these banks profits from the brand's procedural tools and focuses on a theme. I chose to start with Fantasy, which tells us to gather everything we need for a game, anime, or movie described as "fantasy" or with a strong medieval connotation.

This has not been a hindrance for me, as everything related to sound design is on my PC, which makes it easier to use game engines and ensures compatibility with teams that are all on Windows. But you have been warned.

The interface

• Here is what the DSP Fantasy interface looks like:

The interface, very diegetic, offers on the left various "main categories" of sound:

• Creatures: From realistic animals to fantastical beings
• Dungeon: Objects (keys, doors, chests) as well as footsteps or heartbeats.
• Environment: Quite varied atmospheres (wind, fire, rain, beach, etc.)
• Inventory: Primarily focused on the UI, the sounds oscillate between realistic and synthetic
• Magic: Realistic sounds like cauldrons or scrolls and synthesized sounds like incantations or any other spells.
• Weapons: A fairly extensive collection of ranged and melee weapons commonly found in RPGs.

At the bottom right, you will find the different playback options, and at the bottom, the various export options.

But if, like me, you are sound designers, you will prefer to get the files in .wav format for more control. You can directly do multiple renders from the software.

Manipulate a sound

Let's get to the heart of the specificity of Tsugi products, the procedural aspect, and the malleability of audio files. To do this, once a category and a subcategory of sound have been selected, we have access to a set of adjustments to refine the sound as we wish.

In this example, for the demon we can act on:

• Type of grunt
• Snarl Duration
• Growl tone
• Modulation value
• Modulation rate
• Reverb

It's very interesting to be able to sculpt sound, and the possibilities are numerous. Anyone who has worked in video games knows that a unique sound is not enough. We need variety. And that's where the Fantasy DSP engine comes into play. I haven't really talked about it yet, but you can define random ranges for each parameter, so with each playback (or export), a variation of that same sound will be exported. Super handy and fast!

In this example, I define a fairly low random range but on each of the parameters I had configured beforehand. Thus, with each read, I will have a different version, but consistent with my initial design. All that remains is to choose the desired number of iterations and click on Render to have all the files on my hard drive (or on export to have it directly in my Unity project).

Sound overview

With this brief overview, you have a glimpse of the possibilities and the scope of the program. Some sounds are of very good quality, while others are more uneven and seem somewhat unnatural. However, it's important to take a step back and remember that this is a sound bank priced under $50. Few banks can boast such diversity in this price range, and none offer this level of flexibility. 

The practical exercise

The listening in the void is all well and good, but nothing beats a practical exercise to realize it. While browsing Artstation, I came across the work of Kseniia Dobretska, who creates fascinating worlds, including this diorama of a medieval city in 3D.

Process

I created a Reaper session with the video. I decided to keep the music. Everything else will be content from DSP Fantasy. I analyzed the image and created three sound groups:

1. Ambiances
2. Characters
3. Ships

Ambiances

For the atmosphere, I combined visible and invisible sound sources. The sound of the river serves as the foundation for the image, while off-screen elements (horses, birds, the distant sound of a blacksmith's hammer) bring life to the scene. Working with what is outside the frame is essential in sound design to give depth to the universe.

Here are some of the presets that I used:

And the result in Reaper with no sound processing other than volume and panning:

Characters

By analyzing the scene, we can distinguish four characters with different degrees of animation:

• The burdened man (slow / dust): Heavy and muffled footsteps, accompanied by equipment noises to weigh down the walk.
• The man in fabric (lively / dust): To break the artificial side of his looping animation, I dressed his comings and goings with the sound of a door.
• The woman in fabric (static): Ignored, because she doesn't move enough.
• The hurried man (lively / dust and cobblestones): A fast walking pace with a marked transition between the two materials on the ground.

Here are some of the presets that I used:

Here is the result in Reaper with no sound processing other than volume and panning:

The ships

This is undoubtedly the most creative stage of the three. Visually, the boats do not generate any obvious noise; therefore, I chose to illustrate them with a "magical" approach by layering multiple soundscapes:

• A breath: to create a mysterious atmosphere.

• A fireball coupled with a scroll: to give substance and create the illusion of a magical appearance/disappearance.

• A water glyph: used as a whoosh of impact, it highlights the entry and exit of boats in the diorama.

Finally, to simulate the wake of the boats themselves, I had to be clever. By manipulating and twisting a cauldron sound, I achieved a very interesting texture of movement on the water, if not strictly realistic.

And the result in Reaper with no sound processing other than volume and panning:

The final result

Rough

Mixed

Final result (with the original music)

Conclusion

Despite some imperfections like its somewhat cluttered interface and a few sounds that lack naturalness, DSP Fantasy is far from being an anecdotal tool. Specifically designed for video game creators, the richness of this product is substantial, especially in comparison to the competition in this price range. The raw sounds are interesting and will work very well for developers who want to do without a sound designer but desire flexibility for prototyping, jams, or placeholders. But it is also a tool that can serve as a foundation for experienced sound designers who can modify this raw material and integrate it into their workflow. Let’s not forget that this is a gateway product: the core expertise of Tsugi lies in software like GameSynth, which I will undoubtedly test in the coming months.

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