I began the process of adding sound by focusing on sound effects first. I sourced all my sound effects from Freesound.org, a website I frequently used during my animation degree. The site provides free sounds that don’t require crediting, though I chose to credit one below as I felt it was the right thing to do.
To find the right effects, I spent hours searching through different sounds that could match the movements of the text and animation. In the end, I selected a ping-pong ball sound for one effect, a typewriter sound for some of the text, and an ambient background effect for parts of the animation. Originally, I had planned to add background music, but after experimenting in the editing phase, I found that the ambient sound worked well on its own. Given the short length of the animation, adding music felt unnecessary—it would have been too brief to make an impact and might have made the piece feel even shorter. The ambient background sound, on the other hand, complemented the animation without overwhelming it, keeping the focus on the visuals.
I adjusted the audio levels for each sound effect, which was something I had experimented with during my degree but never explored in depth, so this part of the process remained quite experimental. However, overall, adding sound was much smoother and quicker than I had expected. At this stage, all that remains is to export the final piece and prepare it for upload. While I could have explored more with music, I felt the project was in a good place and that adding anything else might have overcomplicated the piece. So, I decided to step back and consider it complete.
Credit-