Level 1: about me
dAN kNOWLES sOUND dESIGNER
Sound Designer and fan of everything nerdy. Focused on creating immersive and responsive sound that supports gameplay and increases players interactive experience.
My Story
A mix of creative and technical thinking, shaped by a long-standing interest in music, games, and how things work behind the scenes.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time around games and audio, which gradually turned into a focus on how sound can shape player experience. It didn’t take long before that interest became something more serious.
Since then, I’ve been building my skills through academic work, sound redesigns, and game jams. Learning not just how to create sound, but how to implement it properly using tools like Unity, FMOD, and Wwise with an interest in creating systems driven, responsive audio.
I enjoy creatng foley and the freedom to capture natural sound in compared to using library sound samples ( wherever possible). I have created two foley pits out of plastic containers. One is used as a water pitt with an old bedsheet inside and the other has multiple cloth inlays with detachable velcro to dampen the plastic reverberation. I use this second with different terrain to get footsteps without environmental bleed.
Outside of audio, I am a family man. My wife and daughter give me the motivation and momentum to be the man i want to be.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time around games and audio, which gradually turned into a focus on how sound can shape player experience. It didn’t take long before that interest became something more serious.
Since then, I’ve been building my skills through academic work, sound redesigns, and game jams. Learning not just how to create sound, but how to implement it properly using tools like Unity, FMOD, and Wwise with an interest in creating systems driven, responsive audio.
I enjoy creatng foley and the freedom to capture natural sound in compared to using library sound samples ( wherever possible). I have created two foley pits out of plastic containers. One is used as a water pitt with an old bedsheet inside and the other has multiple cloth inlays with detachable velcro to dampen the plastic reverberation. I use this second with different terrain to get footsteps without environmental bleed.
Outside of audio, I am a family man. My wife and daughter give me the motivation and momentum to be the man i want to be.
My Foley Pit
To create high-quality Foley recordings in a controlled environment, I designed and built a series of portable Foley pits tailored to different recording needs. As I work from a home studio in a residential area, these compact plastic tubs provide a practical solution that can be easily stored away when not in use while helping to keep recording sessions organised and controlled.
The left pit is lined with a padded wheelchair cover, providing a solid yet acoustically dampened base for recording footsteps and small object impacts. A range of interchangeable materials ( like foliage, gravel, leaves, and other surface textures) are placed inside depending on the desired sound. The lining is secured with Velcro to prevent movement during recording while also reducing unwanted resonance from the plastic tub ( plus easily washable).
The right pit is dedicated to wet Foley. It has been used to record footsteps through shallow water and mud, with the addition of a fabric layer to create convincing squelching textures and other wet surface effects.
These custom-built Foley pits allow me to capture a wide variety of clean, believable sound effects while making efficient use of the available recording space.
The left pit is lined with a padded wheelchair cover, providing a solid yet acoustically dampened base for recording footsteps and small object impacts. A range of interchangeable materials ( like foliage, gravel, leaves, and other surface textures) are placed inside depending on the desired sound. The lining is secured with Velcro to prevent movement during recording while also reducing unwanted resonance from the plastic tub ( plus easily washable).
The right pit is dedicated to wet Foley. It has been used to record footsteps through shallow water and mud, with the addition of a fabric layer to create convincing squelching textures and other wet surface effects.
These custom-built Foley pits allow me to capture a wide variety of clean, believable sound effects while making efficient use of the available recording space.