Hardware for Sound design

Question

Hi, a lot of debate on plug ins / software for sound design. But what hardware does everyone love, for creating sounds - tearing recorded sounds apart - manipulating etc.

Thanks guys

Answer 1

-I'm a big fan of Eurorack synth modules. I've chosen to focus my Eurorack rig on modules that process external signals as opposed to creating a traditional synthesizer.

-Eventide H8000 is a serious rabbit hole.

-Kyma/Pacarana, even bigger rabbit hole.

-The world of stompboxes is on fire. Nowadays there are countless manufacturers out there making all sorts of interesting choices. Get yourself a Pigtronix Keymaster (or other impedance matching device) and some stompboxes and open up a whole new world of possibilities.

-Head down to your local band instrument rental shop. You can usually find lots of returned used instruments you can pickup for next to nothing, violins, trumpets, cellos etc. Play them, abuse them. They can be a great resource for creating interesting source.

-A Bow. Get one and bow everything. Don't forget some rosin.

-Older, cheaper multi FX rack units: Kurzweil Rumor/Mangler, Lexicon MPX1 etc

Answer 2

iPad. Lots of great and cheap apps to be creative with today, both samplers and synths for treatments or live manipulating.

I also like to put contact mirophones on everything and run it through guitar pedals and loopers.

Answer 3

A microphone and a recorder or a computer with recording software.

Now if you want to get fancy with "(hardware) processing", then http://www.symbolicsound.com/cgi-bin/bin/view/Company/WebHome

There are very few digital audio processes that can't be done in software running on a general-purpose computer, but e.g. Kyma is one of the rarer cases where not having a general-purpose operating system does give an advantage in what the software can do.

Answer 4

• microphones, obviously..
• contact transducers
• springs and wires - they make beautiful sounds and you can process other sounds with them.
• powered speakers and any sort of resonant containers, for re-amping sounds. i've heard sounds re-amped in a washing machine.
• the eventide h3000

...

Answer 5

hardware for creating sounds?

• Props!
• Vehicles!
• are animals hardware or software?

the older & more characterful the better, but as with foley its all in the performance!

I've been in a few big, well used foley rooms & they are like prop heaven!

Answer 6

Tons of mallets and mics. :D

Answer 7

Absynth, Pure Data, Adobe Audition. And my Rode NTG-3