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Care for some vocals?


Weasel

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I'd like to contribute some vocals to TDM, if the team will have them. As a test, I wrote most of the script for a noble and recorded the barks with my crappy VOIP headset. I'd like to know what people think of the samples I've attached. If they show promise, I have a friend who works at a recording studio, and she will hopefully be able to get me in there to record them for real.

 

I also started messing around with a wimpy servant (ala TDP), and wouldn't mind coming up with some other vocals sets as well, if my noble is well-received. Also, my girlfriend is potentially interested in contributing as well, but I haven't recorded anything from her yet.

Combat_assist_1.mp3

Fleeing_2.mp3

Idle_2.mp3

Lost_player_1.mp3

Search4_1.mp3

To_0_saw_2.mp3

To_alert1_2.mp3

To_alert1_sound_1.mp3

To_alert3_3.mp3

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i think it would make a pretty good set, and more voices is always better. good accent, personality, lines.

 

hopefully your friend can get you on good equip, if so i don't see any reason we would not want a good set or 2 (or 3 :) )

 

(personally in a pinch i could probably live with those anyway- ie if you want to do requests for people on a mission by mission type basis- those are generally more forgiving in sound quality).

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Personally I wish 100 voice sets of different types could be contributed, good and not so good. The best can be put in as official Dark Mod sets; the rest can go on the contribution website for anyone who specifically wants different choices. This is true for all assets.

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Neat personality and inflection. :) Very unique. I like it. The American (midwest?) accent isn't too out-of-place, and should fit right in nicely.

 

If you're unsure whether you've got every AI state you need, you can send your script to me for a quick review.

yay seuss crease touss dome in ouss nose tair

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I'd like to contribute some vocals to TDM, if the team will have them. [...]

 

I like these! Are you a professional voice actor?

 

I'm no specialist, but the alert-barks could maybe need a bit emotion. I mean: you're all alone and you hear a sound from an unknown source. Maybe a bit fear on the tone "what was that...? *shivers*"

But yeah, that depends on the character you're portraying.

 

Your voice might also work for a loud roughneck, that type is not represented yet in the mod vocals. I'm meaning that many of the characters we now have mumble with their voice trailing a bit. We could use a character who yells in anger so that spit flies.;)

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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Neat personality and inflection. :) Very unique. I like it. The American (midwest?) accent isn't too out-of-place, and should fit right in nicely.

 

If you're unsure whether you've got every AI state you need, you can send your script to me for a quick review.

 

Thanks! I am American, from the east coast. People have told me I have a southern accent, which is somewhat similar to midwest I guess, but I don't know where I got it.

As for the script, so far I'm recording first and then writing it down second. I don't have the whole thing done yet (59 lines so far). I may have questions for you later, but so far I'm just following the "Average Jack" guidelines from the wiki.

 

I like these! Are you a professional voice actor?

 

I'm no specialist, but the alert-barks could maybe need a bit emotion. I mean: you're all alone and you hear a sound from an unknown source. Maybe a bit fear on the tone "what was that...? *shivers*"

But yeah, that depends on the character you're portraying.

 

Your voice might also work for a loud roughneck, that type is not represented yet in the mod vocals. I'm meaning that many of the characters we now have mumble with their voice trailing a bit. We could use a character who yells in anger so that spit flies.;)

 

Wow, thanks! I'm not a professional. Far from it.

Some of this guy's barks have more emotion than others. For the lower alertness levels, he's arrogantly assuming it's not an intruder, but just a guard or servant disturbing him. I'm still trying to get the balance right for all the different alertness levels.

 

Part of what inspired me to try my hand at vocals was the lack of emotion in pursuing guards that sound great the rest of the time.

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Hi weasel, thanks for the offer. The lines generally sound good, though some of them seem to have a bit of an "aristocratic" accent and others don't. The last one, for example, sounds far more like a rough guard than the others.

 

I think the overall quality of delivery is good enough for the mod, if you're able to record on some better equipment.

 

If you're able to send me a final file in mono, .ogg format, at a 44100 rate, I can cut them up and name them properly for you.

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Hi weasel, thanks for the offer. The lines generally sound good, though some of them seem to have a bit of an "aristocratic" accent and others don't. The last one, for example, sounds far more like a rough guard than the others.

 

I think the overall quality of delivery is good enough for the mod, if you're able to record on some better equipment.

 

If you're able to send me a final file in mono, .ogg format, at a 44100 rate, I can cut them up and name them properly for you.

 

In the last one, is it just the accent that's off? Maybe the wording is not aristocratic enough? I was trying to keep the same accent, but with a little more force behind it. Anyway, I did most of these in just one or two takes, but I'll hopefully be spending a little more time on them if I get into the studio (and I should mention that it likely won't be for a few more weeks, at least).

 

You want one file with all the clips in it, eh? I assume you'll want a script, too?

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I'd personally recommend leaving the original files as WAV and zip them up for the internet transfer. Recompressing them to OGG can be done by batch processing when the cutting is done, to keep the quality losses as low as possible along the workflow.

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Ok, I'm not sure exactly how to pose these questions, but I'm a little unsure as to exactly what needs to be included in the script... I'll just rattle off a bunch of things.

 

If I'm doing a noble, would I include the merchant and cook idle sayings?

Which greetings would I include? I'm looking at the Average Jack example, and I don't see any greeting types that would apply to nobles.

Are the "3 per character" things minimums, maximums, exact numbers, or suggestions? What about lines that say (x2) or (x3) at the end--in the idle phrases and in some other places?

Should phrases related to attacking be included for all characters, even those that usually would not (such as servants and wenches)?

 

I'm sure I'll think of more questions, but that's enough for now.

 

I don't know how I didn't think of it sooner, but I remembered that my company has booths for recording voice-overs, and I can probably sneak into one of those some time soon to do some recording, instead of trying to get into the recording studio my friend works in.

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If I'm doing a noble, would I include the merchant and cook idle sayings?

 

No. Those are just extra idle barks used to give a particular flavour to the character. The regular "average jack" vocals can be used for lots of characters. The specific "cook" lines, however, would be added to the list of vocals for a specific "cook" character.

 

You don't have to worry about anything like that for a nobleman.

 

These are the greetings used by the existing nobleman vocal set:

 

Greeting, Guard to Guard: You spot a social equal who is a guard, on patrol. You greet them casually.

 

greeting_guardxguard_1 "Greetings."

greeting_guardxguard_2 “Keep a sharp eye out."

greeting_guardxguard_3 "Well met."

 

Greeting, Guard to Civilian: You spot a civilian/servant while you're working. No time to chat; they need to know how important your job is.

 

greeting_guardxcivilian_1 "Go about your business."

greeting_guardxcivilian_2 "Move along now."

greeting_guardxcivilian_3 "I cannot be disturbed."

 

 

Greeting, Superior: You spot someone who high on the social ladder and greet them.

 

greeting_xnobleman_1 "Good morrow sir."

 

greeting_xnoblewoman_1 "Greetings, Lady."

 

greeting_xpriest_1 "Greetings, Father."

 

Greeting Generic: A casual greeting

 

greeting_civilianxcivilian_1 "Greetings."

greeting_civilianxcivilian_2 "Well met."

greeting_civilianxcivilian_3 "Good evening."

 

Greeting Inferior. You're a noble and see a civilian. You're better than them.

 

greeting_noblemanxcivilian_1 "Stand aside, you."

 

Greeting inferior guard. You’re a noble and see a guard. Evaluate their performance.

 

greeting_noblemanxguard_1 “Stay alert, man.”

greeting_noblemanxguard_2 "Keep your eyes open!"

 

Generic Responses: These should be said fairly monotone and noncomittal, as they could be replies to many different greetings.

 

response_1 “Yes.”

response_2 “Indeed.”

response_3 “Quite Right.”

 

Are the "3 per character" things minimums, maximums, exact numbers, or suggestions? What about lines that say (x2) or (x3) at the end--in the idle phrases and in some other places?

 

"3 per character" are out of date suggestions. The (x2) refers to two different versions of the line.

 

Should phrases related to attacking be included for all characters, even those that usually would not (such as servants and wenches)?

 

Yes. You don't know what type of character the vocal set will be used for, so all barks should be included.

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"3 per character" are out of date suggestions. The (x2) refers to two different versions of the line.

 

Thanks for all the info! I just need clarification on this part. If the "3 per character" guidelines are out of date, how many of each specific type should be included? Should I match the number of examples given for Average Jack (which is the same in many cases)?

 

Would it be ok if I sent you separate files for each bark, all zipped up? Or if I do send you one file with all the barks, will you be deciding how to use them, or will you follow my script? The reason I ask is, some of the lines I've written deviate a little bit from the guidelines, to add personality to the character. For example, level 1 alerts are supposed to be subtle enough that he doesn't know whether or not there's a person there, but he's arrogant and assertive and sometimes assumes the disturbance is caused by a servant or guard who's not good at following orders.

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response_1 "Yes."

response_2 "Indeed."

response_3 "Quite Right."

-------

added to that I think it would be good to have some 'contradictory' statements. not too specific but maybe something like

 

"Are you sure about that?" and maybe that isn't a good line itself. but something that gives the air that he is disagreeable or arrogant.

 

those mentioned seem like he's almost too friendly/agreeable. "mmm, you again..." (said with a frown) might be closer to what I'm thinking.

===========

 

I'd think 3 would be a good minimum. 4-5 might even be nice for some lines. Especially murmurs when the player is hanging low for awhile and the ai starts repeating.

 

Or voices like guards. Alot of times you can get multiple guards in one area with same voice... that's when variety is really nice.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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Thanks for all the info! I just need clarification on this part. If the "3 per character" guidelines are out of date, how many of each specific type should be included? Should I match the number of examples given for Average Jack (which is the same in many cases)?

 

Yes, just go by the AJ numbers (though the more the merrier).

 

Would it be ok if I sent you separate files for each bark, all zipped up?

 

It's easiest to send them to me in large chunks, and then I can cut and name them properly.

 

added to that I think it would be good to have some 'contradictory' statements. not too specific but maybe something like "Are you sure about that?"

 

You could add some of those for conversations, but they won't work with the generic response system.

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Here's the latest version of my script, if people want to check it out and give feedback. I do intend to do the ones that are currently left blank (some of them will just be grunts and similar utterances), and I'll also add more lines if I feel inspired!

 

Additionally, my girlfriend has been working on lines and a voice for a wench character. I might upload some samples tonight, to see if you guys like where she's going with it. I think it's very good, myself. Maybe we'll eventually record some extra lines that could be used to make the two converse with each other!

noble script updated.txt

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Looks pretty good so far. Just a few comments:

 

Some of the idle barks are a bit specific. A number of them talk about guards, for example, but what if the nobleman is sitting by himself in a tavern? Then the line, "these guards don't know what they're doing" might not fit as well. Of course, if it's muttered like he's talking to himself about something that happened earlier, then it is probably fine. Give some serious thought to using specific names as well; I know the other noble lines do, but I've started to regret it as every noble in every map talks about "Lord Wellend" and his steward. If you are keen on using names, I'd keep them very generic, and avoid things that might conflict with the story. For example, by referencing "Jeffries" as a character working for the noble, you're potentially treading on the FM's story...what if the story establishes the servant who handles the budget and his name isn't Jeffries?

 

This one:

To_0_1: Now I know why Jeffries always says this place is haunted.

also stands out to me as a bit specific, and not well suited to every story.

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Looks pretty good so far. Just a few comments:

 

Some of the idle barks are a bit specific. A number of them talk about guards, for example, but what if the nobleman is sitting by himself in a tavern? Then the line, "these guards don't know what they're doing" might not fit as well. Of course, if it's muttered like he's talking to himself about something that happened earlier, then it is probably fine. Give some serious thought to using specific names as well; I know the other noble lines do, but I've started to regret it as every noble in every map talks about "Lord Wellend" and his steward. If you are keen on using names, I'd keep them very generic, and avoid things that might conflict with the story. For example, by referencing "Jeffries" as a character working for the noble, you're potentially treading on the FM's story...what if the story establishes the servant who handles the budget and his name isn't Jeffries?

 

This one:

 

also stands out to me as a bit specific, and not well suited to every story.

 

I see what you mean about the Jeffries ones, as they could interfere with stories. I think a little bit of name-dropping is nice, as long as it's generic enough. Maybe having more vocals sets will help with the repetition issue, too.

 

Here are some samples of my gf's voice for your approval. She's still not sure if she wants to do a whole set, but I'm trying to convince her.

Oh_who_are_you.mp3

Saw_something.mp3

Someone_sneaking_around.mp3

That_you_Esmerelda.mp3

Theres_someone_here.mp3

Wonder_what.mp3

Youre_not_Esmerelda.mp3

I_hear_you_over_there.mp3

I_just_hear.mp3

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I like the accent and the emotion conveyed (esp. in the first sample). Some of the later ones are a bit too quit, tho.

 

About "esmeralda", I agree with SH that the names can be start to get too repetitive. I'd add the same line with a few other names mixed in (Susan, Esther, Maria), so not every noblewoman has her chambermaid called "esmeralda", not every wench has a friend "esmeralda" etc. :D

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

 

"Remember: If the game lets you do it, it's not cheating." -- Xarax

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I like the accent and the emotion conveyed (esp. in the first sample). Some of the later ones are a bit too quit, tho.

 

About "esmeralda", I agree with SH that the names can be start to get too repetitive. I'd add the same line with a few other names mixed in (Susan, Esther, Maria), so not every noblewoman has her chambermaid called "esmeralda", not every wench has a friend "esmeralda" etc. :D

 

Basically I agree with everything said here, except I think it would get quickly annoying if the AI vocal set contains specific names. I would really recommend against it. Also adding different names to same bark would probably sound a bit stupid. I'll provide an example to help convey my point:

AI hears commotion and starts search.

AI: "Is that you Esmerelda?"

*looks around*

AI: "There is someone sneaking around here..."

*looks more around*

AI: "Is that you Susan?"

*looks more around*

AI: "Is that you Günther?"

*looks more around*

AI: "Is that you Esmerelda?"

*looks more around*

AI: "Is that you Susan?"

*looks more around*

AI: "There is someone sneaking around here..."

 

It would be better to use barks like "who's there?" "show yourself!" "is someone there?"

And instead of "You're not Esmerelda" it would be better to have a bark like "Who are you! What are you doing here! GUARDS!" or simply the excellent startled gasp of shock which is heard before the "you're not esmerelda"-line.

 

Please at least consider this. I'll get repetitive to have AI's mentioning the same names over and over again. Mappers might feel enticed to edit the soundshader file they add to their mission pack to remove specific names if they do not feel they fit to their FM.

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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About "esmeralda", I agree with SH that the names can be start to get too repetitive. I'd add the same line with a few other names mixed in (Susan, Esther, Maria), so not every noblewoman has her chambermaid called "esmeralda", not every wench has a friend "esmeralda" etc. :D

 

It seems that another solution would be: any line that uses a name (and it would still be used in a generic way) has lots of other versions without a name. In other words, if "Esmerelda, is that you?" is a sound for to_alert2, there would be 9 others for to_alert2 without names, to make it come up less often. Would that work?

 

That leads me to my next question: is there an upper limit on the number of sounds that can share the same slot? I'm up to 17 idle sayings for my noble, and I can probably keep going.

 

I'm hoping to record my noble for real tomorrow. If we can get her script finished, my gf might record her wench as well!

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It seems that another solution would be: any line that uses a name (and it would still be used in a generic way) has lots of other versions without a name. In other words, if "Esmerelda, is that you?" is a sound for to_alert2, there would be 9 others for to_alert2 without names, to make it come up less often. Would that work?

 

If the name-specific bark would be rather rare, then it would probably work very well.

The more there are barks, the better variation, of course.

 

Basically the only awkwardness with our current vocals is that there isn't very much variations in the barks. At least that's my subjective belief obtained from playing the mod. I've not checked how many barks there are.

 

I do not know if there are limits or not, unfortunately. Let's wait for our specialists comments.

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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It seems that another solution would be: any line that uses a name (and it would still be used in a generic way) has lots of other versions without a name. In other words, if "Esmerelda, is that you?" is a sound for to_alert2, there would be 9 others for to_alert2 without names, to make it come up less often. Would that work?

 

It would certainly help. I would never include a specific name in a shader with less than 9 sounds to choose from.

 

That leads me to my next question: is there an upper limit on the number of sounds that can share the same slot? I'm up to 17 idle sayings for my noble, and I can probably keep going.

 

I'm not aware of any limit. Some of the vocal sets have 20+ idle barks, including coughs and sighs. Generally the more the merrier.

 

When I'm putting the vocals together I often re-use parts to create added variety. So if there's a bark that says, "I think I just heard something, over there." I often save alternate versions by chopping the vocal up (assuming it still sounds good):

"I just heard something, over there."

"I think I just heard something."

"I just heard something."

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