The Procedural Magic Weapon Swing (Whoosh) Graph

Magic Weapon Swing Graph Preview

Overview

In this tutorial, we will explain the techniques employed to construct the MSS_MagicWeapon_Swing graph for our plugin. This graph is primarily utilized to illustrate the actions of melee weapons, such swinging, stabbing, or thrusting. The output contains a powerful metallic whoosh effect accompanied by mid to high-frequency distortion and lingering effects.

Graph Explanation

1) The Main Whoosh Effect

Fig. 1: The main layer.

As usual, we can easily create a whoosh effect by using a white noise node controlled by an AD Envelope node along with our Impact External Force Synth node.  For the synthesizer's input modal object (Weapon Modal), we use the object IMO_MetalSolid, which comes with the plugin. This object is ideal for metallic weapon effects, offering a short decay rate and strong mid to high frequency signals.

Fig. 2: A detailed view of the decay scale setup.

Now, I want you to focus on the decay scale setup as illustrated in Figure 2. When the graph is executed, the decay scale decreases from 15 (Weapon Decay Scale Start) to 1 (Weapon Decay Scale End) over a period equal to the sum of Fade In and Fade Out of the noise signal. At a decay scale of 15, the synthesizer's output is more airy, lacking defined pitches. Conversely, at a decay scale of 1, it resembles metal objects scraping against each other. By altering the decay scale in real-time, we generate a metallic whoosh effect. This method is highly effective for creating weapon effects.

2) The Enhance Bass Layer

Fig. 3: The bass distortion layer.

Rather than applying a low pass filter after the white noise node or the Impact External Force Synth node, we utilize a Modal Explosify node to generate the bass effect. This configuration is similar to the one described in Procedural Magic SFX From White Noise And Modal Explosify Nodes.

Different weapons have different weights. The default parameters of this graph are set for slow and heavy weapons. To create a lighter sound, suitable for weapons like daggers or short swords, you can decrease the Distort Bass Gain and increase the Distort Bass Decay Min.

3) The Distortion Layer

Fig. 4: The distortion layer.

This layer is used to create that high pitch metallic ringing and lingering effect. It is also explained in Procedural Magic SFX From White Noise And Modal Explosify Nodes. However, Distort FMin is set at 50 Hz instead of 500 Hz. Again, if you want a lighter sound, you can increase Distort FMin, though we recommend keeping it below 500 Hz.

The timbre is controlled by the Distort Freq Spread. Here, we set it to 1.4, which is quite high, to create mostly mid to high frequency signals. You can experiment with different values to see which one is suitable for your effect.

The timbre is influenced by the Distort Freq Spread. Here, we set it to 1.4, which is relatively high, to generate primarily mid to high frequency signals. Feel free to try different values to find the one that best suits your desired effect.

The ringing period is managed by the Distort Period. You can experiment with values ranging from 0.01 to 0.02 second. Values above 0.02 might sound weird on some modal objects.

4) The Output

Fig. 5: The mixing at the output.

The two distortion layers are combined before being processed by a Diffuser, which eliminates pop noises and enhances their metallic effect. Afterward, the output of the Diffuser is mixed with the main layer. Since the loudness of the main layer influences the distortion layers, the Weapon Gain input is placed at the output mixer. So you can control the loudness of each layer independently.

Further Discussion

When switching modal, it's recommended to use a loudness adjustment node as shown in the preview video. This ensures that the loudness difference between various objects isn't too significant.

Typically, you'll need to adjust the decay scale when altering modal objects. This can be done by modifying Weapon Decay Scale Start and Weapon Decay Scale End or by using a decay modifier node. If the output is primarily whoosh (airy), consider decreasing the decay scale, and vice versa.