Walker is a comprehensive, flexible and easy-to-use sound design tool that provides everything you need to creating realistic sounds of steps and movements. Based on a library of more than 25,000 samples, Walker lets you choose any combination of 3 different microphone pairs (side by side and far), 6 shoe types, 14 earthy surfaces and 8 clothing types.
Perform steps in automatic or manual modes with independent control of wear, heel and abrasion timing to create perfect sync with your source, and adjust the volume of clothing, shoes, scuffs, floor and ground effects such as squeaking wood, dirt, leaves and branches. water, etc. to get the sound you want. Deep, flexible and well-organized Walker is an indispensable tool for postal services and sound engineers.
In Depth
Walker has been designed to provide the highest quality to meet the demands of professional use. A huge library of over 25,000 samples has been meticulously recorded at the prestigious Technicolor Sound Stage in Paris, France, and edited for accurate and reliable reproduction. Each sound was recorded with 3 matched close and far microphone pairs exposed and selectable in the user interface, including the Schoeps CMC6 (small diaphragm cardioid element), Neumann U87 (large diaphragm cardioid element) and DPA 4006 (omnidirectional).
Walker uses a single UI editor with a central HUD preview showing the currently loaded microphone, shoes, clothing, and the ground, while focused panels provide control over microphones, clothing, shoes, floor, surface effects, stepping, effects, and advanced settings. Each editor panel provides a number of options for adjusting the sound:
Master
Select a pair of microphones for monitoring, adjust volume, pitch and pitch variation (to create natural variation), resonance, and dynamic range.
Steps
Move between near and far mics using the Distance knob, add reverb, and turn on Link to dynamically increase the amount of reverb as distance increases. Set your stride speed and sensitivity independently or automatically, adjust the lift volume of your shoe, and use the Auto-Scuff slider to increase the frequency of abrasion during strides.
Step Mode
Switch between auto and manual modes for simple one-touch step loops or manual control of each step sound component including; toe, heel and scuffs for the left and right foot independently. The stair switch turns off the heel sound component to simulate the sound of stepping up or down stairs.
Shoes
The sound of footsteps made by shoes. Choose from 6 different types of shoes including; men’s shoes, high heel shoes, work boots, sneakers, and barefoot boots. Select shoe creak variations, adjust step volume, volume variation and pitch.
Floor
The sound of the ground made during footsteps. Choose from 14 different surfaces including; wood flooring, linoleum, tiles, concrete, carpet, wood, mud, gravel, grass, wood, metal, mud, sand and snow. Choose from a variety of ground effects such as squeaks of wood flooring, crushing vegetation and puddles of water, and adjust volume, volume and pitch.
Cloth
Sounds of foot contact and tissue movement during steps. Choose from 8 material options, including jeans, cotton, leather, leather with metal, polyester, raincoat, synthetics and tweed, and adjust the volume.
Effects
3 effects include adjustable 3-band EQ with high and low cut, compressor and IR based reverb with delay time, color and mix control.
Advanced
Independent control over left and right toe and heel sounds, with linked or discrete gain and pitch settings.
Presets
Walker includes a large selection of presets to help speed up your workflow. Choose from templates such as Alley – Sneakers, Church – High Heels, Creaky Floor – Bare Feet, Neighbors Upstairs – Shoes, and more. session.
A comprehensive and fully customizable software solution for creating realistic and cinematic steps Walker provides complete audio customization, intelligent automation and exceptional audio quality in a convenient and easy-to-use package.
