Video summary

How To Make Combat Sound Effects From Scratch

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas / concepts

  • Combat sound effects in games are “built from scratch.” Sound designers recreate each element of a fight sound (swing, impact, bones, etc.) as layered components rather than relying on a single realistic recording.

  • Over-the-top audio improves immersion and perceived power. Games often exaggerate punch impact so it feels larger-than-life; using a realistic punch sample can sound weak or lose “weight.”

  • Sound design as a step-by-step process (layering). The workflow breaks a punch into small, manageable components (like a recipe), then rebuilds the final punch by layering those pieces together.

  • Frequency-range coverage is critical for punch “presence.” The punch should span a broad frequency spectrum; if something feels missing, adjust focus in specific frequency bands.

Detailed methodology / instructions

1) Start with a concept: break the target sound into components

When designing a new punch sound, break it into small chunks/components:

  • Arm swing
  • Material impact (what is struck / contact surface)
  • Bones breaking
  • “Oomph” (the low-end weight/intensity; referenced as a key character)

2) Collect sources and plan recording materials

Gather household items and some grocery items to record natural materials. Example items used:

  • Jacket — for fast arm/swing movement (shirt extension sound)
  • Metal pipe — adds weight to the swing
  • Celery — for smaller “clean break” bone-like cracks
  • Walnuts — for bone-like breaking together
  • Peppers — for the main punch/impact sound

Test layers mentioned:

  • Lettuce — for initial transient / low impact
  • A thigh slap with an open hand — for high-end slapping sounds

3) Before recording: ensure proper frequency coverage

The finished punch should cover roughly:

  • Below 20 Hz to 20 kHz

If something is missing, target these ranges:

  • Missing “chest pounding impact” → focus around 20–200 Hz
  • Missing “fullness/body” → focus around 200–4,000 Hz
  • Missing “sharp attack” → focus around 4,000–20 kHz

4) Build the punch sound from layers

A) Arm swing layer

Record:

  • Fast jacket movement to capture shirt extension
  • Metal pipe swing to add extra weight

Apply minor processing:

  • EQ to remove some lower frequencies

B) Material impact layer (first punch body)

Create an impact using lettuce:

  • Punch the lettuce
  • Cut most of the sample, keeping primarily the initial transient
  • Slightly boost low end to create low impact

C) High-end slap / attack layer

Record a high-frequency element by:

  • Slapping the thigh with an open hand
  • Running the result through distortion
  • Adding it to increase attack / slap presence

D) Main “star of the show” punch (oomph / impact character)

Punch a pepper in the hand for the main sound.

Enhance it by:

  • Duplicating the sample
  • Pitching the duplicate down by one octave to add weight

Note: this creates a good one-shot punch but may still lack intensity.

E) Bones breaking layer

Layer in bone-like cracks:

  • Celery
    • Crack the top parts (smaller → more clean break)
  • Walnuts
    • Break walnuts together for a complementary bone-like break

Combine these to add “bones” realism/texture (still stylized).

F) Final processing to add grit and weight (“oomph” completion)

Add texture and low-end body:

  • Texture:
    • Parallel distortion on the high end
    • Automate the mix knob so distortion increases only during the transient
    • Result: extra grit without muddying the whole sound
  • Low-end body:
    • Add a low resonant bump around ~80 Hz to increase “oomph”

5) Place the sound in the environment with reverb

  • Add reverb to position the punch in a “world” / space.
  • Reverb choice is subjective (“simple matter of taste”).

Example settings used:

  • An outdoor forest impulse
  • 2.5 second decay
  • Mixed in around 18 (as stated by the creator)

6) Review the full layered result

Listen to all layers together to confirm the punch includes:

  • Swing + impact + bone texture + oomph + space/reverb

7) Provide starting-point reference assets

The creator promises a list of go-to source recordings for:

  • Combat
  • Gore
  • Fighting sounds (to help others get started)

Speakers / sources featured

  • Tyler — creator and presenter (“hi this is tyler with after touch audio”); demonstrates the sound-design process.
  • After Touch Audio — referenced as the creator’s channel/brand.

Original video