For the zombie survival shooter No More Room In Hell, I’ve been working on creating new sound assets for the doors, hoping to match the game’s creepy atmosphere. To begin, I went through and screen-recorded footage of the various types of doors, gates, and barricades that needed sprucing up, so I had a better idea of what to record, and the approximate timing.

I brought my field recording kit out on a door safari, starting with some of the more interesting doorknobs and hinges in and around my home. While scouting around the neighborhood, I found an abandoned newspaper vending machine that looked promising. It wasn’t as squeaky as I had hoped, but I was able to get some good thumps and rattles, which proved useful for roll-up metal door sounds.

After editing down my recordings, I went through my personal stash for sweetening elements, including a squeaky cabinet from my girlfriend’s house and the telescoping action on a high hat stand.

Once I had a good assortment of assets, I started editing down the gameplay clips I’d recorded into Vegas so that I could audition the sounds against the footage. Some things lined up well, others needed pitch or time adjustments to feel right.

Below is the clip reel with the new elements in place, synced to the footage.

My next step will be converting the sounds to the right format and scripting them in.