Creating A Boosted Bass Whoosh Effect For Throwing And Shooting SFX

MSS_MagicCast_Throw graph overview.

Overview

In this tutorial, we will explore the MSS_MagicCast_Throw graph of our plugin. This graph is an enhanced version of the MSS_MagicFade_Generic graph. It highlights the peak of the effect by increasing the gain of the main synthesizer precisely when the fade-in ends and the fade-out starts. Additionally, by incorporating reverb and distortion effects, it creates a powerful bass punch effect suitable for magic throwing or shooting sound effects.

Graph Explanation

Fig. 1: Graph overview.

1) The Main Synthesizer

Fig. 2: The main synthesizer.

In this graph, we use an Impact External Force Synth node to filter out the white noise signal before passing the output to the reverb and distortion nodes. The parameters of internal filters are determined by the data stored in the modal object called Throw Modal.

Fig. 3: Throw Modal setup.

The input Throw Modal is passed through an Impact Modal Freq Spread Modifier node so we can easily change its frequency distribution later if needed. A bass punch modal object is used in this graph. This modal object has a strong bass gain and low mid to high gain.

Next, it is passed through an Impact Modal Low Pass node. It's important to note that the Fall Off (dB), controlled by the Throw High Boost Fall Off input, is set to a positive value (3 dB). Consequently, this low pass node does not decrease the gain of mid to high frequency signals (above 500 Hz); instead, it enhances them. Of course, you can also adjust the fall off to a negative value to decrease the gain. This node allows for easy modification of the windy sound's loudness at the output.

Fig. 4: The input force setup.

An AD Envelope (Audio) node is employed to control the fade-in and fade-out times of the white noise node. Furthermore, an AD envelope (float) node is utilized to boost the Amplitude Scale of the synthesizer immediately after the fade-in ends and the fade-out starts. The AD float node's attack time is set to 0, while its decay time is set to 0.3 second with a decay curve of 0.3, resulting in a sharp exponential envelope.

A Map Range node is then used to adjust this envelope to our desired enhanced gain (Throw Gain Strike Boost). Thus, once the fade-in completes, the synthesizer's amplitude scale is increased to the value specified by Throw Gain Strike Boost. This amplitude scale will then revert to normal after 0.3 seconds. This setup emphasizes the peak of the input white noise, thereby enhancing our bass punch effect.

2) The Wind Distortion Layer

Fig. 5: The wind distortion layer.

The output from the main layer is passed into a Modal Explosify node. The main focus of this node is to add some distortion to create a windy effect. Its FMin is set to 500 Hz, and its FMax is set to 15000 Hz to focus on the mid to high-frequency bands. The Decay Min is set to 8, resulting in a subtle reverb effect. Additionally, the Decay Curve Scale is adjusted to 0 to ensure a uniform decay rate across all frequency bands.

3) The Bass Distortion Layer

Fig. 6: The bass distortion layer.

In comparison to the MSS_MagicFade_Generic graph, this layer has a lower FMax value of 200 Hz. Additionally, a low-pass filter is applied at the output to eliminate any unwanted distortions above 200 Hz. This produces a clean bass punch effect for magic throw or shooting sound effects. The decay min is set to 4, so the reverb duration of the bass layer is much longer than the second layer.

4) The Output

Fig. 7: The mixing at the output.

The distortion layers are added together and passed through a Diffuser node before merging with the main layer. Note that you can also merge the bass layer without passing it through the diffuser because we've already used a low-pass filter to remove unwanted distortions.

Further Discussion

This effect can be used on its own or combined with other effects to produce throwing SFX. You can also duplicate this graph to extend or modify its layers. For instance, we create the MSS_MagicCast_Throw_LightningSpear graph by duplicating this graph and adding an electric discharge layer to its main layer.

This graph can also be applied in shooting SFX for ranged weapons, such as guns and bows, by setting its fade-in time to zero. In fact, the MSS_Scifi_MagBow graph reuses this graph to generate its powerful bass shooting effect.