Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Building a Modern Trailer Sound [Sound Redesign Breakdown]
Before starting any sound design project, I create a sound design document to define the desired characteristics of the audio and gather reference material where possible. For this trailer, the goal was to build an intentionally over-processed and over-designed sound palette. I avoided using realistic or library-style designed sounds and instead relied heavily on synthesis – even for grounded elements, to make the overall sound feel bigger, more modern, and more stylized. At the same time, I aimed to pack in as much storytelling SFX as possible without clashing with the music.
In trailer work, my focus is less on accurately representing every on-screen detail and more on creating a satisfying, cohesive sonic experience. The priority is to communicate key information clearly while minimizing interference with the music, rather than matching every visual beat one-to-one.
I approached the entire trailer audio – music and sound design together, as a single unified track, with the sound effects embedded into the music rather than sitting on top of it. A key part of this process was ensuring that each sound occupied its own frequency range within the mix. For example, at 0:24 the explosion is weighted toward the low and low-mid frequencies, allowing the helicopter descent to sit in the high and high-mid range without masking.
I am not the music composer. The music is intentionally included to demonstrate my sound design approach in music-driven trailers. Specifically, how I choose which sounds to emphasize or omit while still delivering clear information and a satisfying listening experience alongside a dense, high-energy music track.
Notable sound design choices and techniques
- Transient-heavy helicopter synth whooshes (White noise in Serum with a sharp envelope routed to the cutoff then processed heavily using transient shaper, AllPassPhase fiter, distrotion, etc…) to give the trailer a modern, high-tech feel that reflects the game’s focus on advanced technology.
- De-reverb on explosion tails to add movement and achieve a more contemporary sound design aesthetic.
- Experimenting with FX chain order – a simple technique, but one I’ve found extremely effective for shaping character.
- Distorted jet elements layered into the flamethrower to give it more weight and personality.
- Custom whooshes built from fire recordings, as a subtle nod to the DLC title From the Ashes.