Questions tagged [sound-effects]

For questions about the design, creation, development and implementation of sound effects in the various media.

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Jurassic Park - Classic Roar

Curious. Do any of you know exactly what went into that sound? I've heard a variety of things, namely elephants, lions and washing machines; I imagine it might be a combination of all three. ~Cheers ...
Miles B.'s user avatar
  • 729
11 votes
12 answers
2k views

What are the small bits in your field recording bag?

Yes, yes, we've all got preamps and recorders and mics and cables and hoary marmots in our field recording sound bags. But what else is in your bag? What are the little bits and bobs you really ...
NoiseJockey's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
1k views

sfx library codewords

Once your library reaches a certain size then you start needing codewords to jump to the specific sounds you're looking for quickly. This is especially true with common sounds like impacts, whooshes ...
Rene's user avatar
  • 10.7k
7 votes
4 answers
709 views

Making a "Gears turning" Effect, and then grinding to a halt

What would be a way to acquire this sound without actually building or finding metal gears that turn?
The Glis Jackel's user avatar
5 votes
8 answers
895 views

What makes a sound funny?

Title says all...
Si Leary's user avatar
5 votes
6 answers
1k views

8bit old school nintendo sound FX

Does anyone know where to buy these things in library form legally?
Ville Sorsa's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

What's Your Preferred Method of Pitch-Shifting?

A question in multiple parts: First off, we're all recording at the highest bit and sample rates possible (right?) in order to extend the use of the sounds we capture. The opportunity to make bigger, ...
Steve Urban's user avatar
  • 6,029
3 votes
8 answers
20k views

Sound coming from behind using stereo field

Hey all, I'm working on a sci-fi actiony flick right now, very low budget so mixing in surround is not an option. I have a scene where a robot with a jetpack is landing behind someone, off screen in ...
Kyoti's user avatar
  • 145
9 votes
3 answers
707 views

What is expected from a sound effects editor?

What are the exact tasks that a sound effects editor is expected to fulfill? Apart from choosing the effect and editing it, are we expected to also mix, place the SFX in a space, EQ to context, etc.? ...
Andrew Spitz's user avatar
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9 votes
23 answers
2k views

What sound bursts your bubble?

When enjoying media for entertainment purposes, what specific sounds shatter your suspension of disbelief? For me, it is the call of a loon. I grew up in Muskoka, which is a cottage district in ...
MtL's user avatar
  • 1,093
8 votes
10 answers
19k views

How do you create the deadliest sounding gunshots?

I have been experimenting with different layers to create a perfect gunshot but they all fail and sound like toy guns. What do I have to layer in order to create a deadly sounding gunshot?
Wesley Mace's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

How do I prepare my sound files professionally to share with others?

Hello. I have a question about embedding the correct sort of metadata and general professional preparation for my sound files so I can pass to others and it'll be appropriate for their professional ...
littlejim84's user avatar
6 votes
9 answers
3k views

Suggestions for a tensioned rope effect?

Hello! First time poster but (relatively) long time reader here. I am working on a kung fu short film and am currently stumped concerning a particular sound effect. Any suggestions would be so, so ...
Matt Tibbs's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
475 views

Recording Glass Shatters

I'm planning on a short indoor recording session of shattering long fluorescent tubes. Who has done this and has sage advice to share? Mic choices? Best way to contain debris while not coloring the ...
Jay Jennings's user avatar
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5 votes
7 answers
704 views

Nice SFX recording mics that are cheap enough that you wouldn't be too upset if they were blown apart in a freak recording accident?

My first question to this group. Maybe a gear question is kind of a lame start, but here goes. I've been field recording for quite some time and have acquired over the years some Neumanns, DPAs, ...
Justin P's user avatar
  • 5,354
5 votes
7 answers
545 views

SFX recorded or library

Do you use SFX libraries (like Sound Ideas, Hollywood Edge ...) or do you record your own SFX?
Cvrgoje's user avatar
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4 votes
7 answers
815 views

Recording Sound Effects in Urban Environments

So, I'm a sound effects recordist that lives in downtown Orlando. Now, for a huge city, Orlando isn't terribly noisy (compared to NYC or LA at least), but I do often find it difficult to capture ...
Colin Hart's user avatar
  • 7,628
4 votes
6 answers
4k views

Best use of sound design in a comedy?

OK, we've covered "favorite sounds" and "best sound in a thiller", but what about comedies, where the sound effects usually cower in fear of dialog and music? And what is it about those moments that ...
Jay Jennings's user avatar
  • 15.5k
3 votes
0 answers
266 views

Examples of Synthesized Sound Effects

This question was asked a few years back and I actually supplied one of the answers (Examples of subtractive analog synthesis in sound design). I'm looking to expand on this and want to know of any ...
Bit Depth's user avatar
  • 1,471
1 vote
2 answers
173 views

Rant against editors and tyre screeches

Do you find it normal to hear squealing when a car is driving fast down a dirt road? It's horrible to hear, and it should be horrible to make anyway. So, when it's so obvious that the effect doesn't ...
Justin Huss's user avatar
  • 2,656
1 vote
3 answers
4k views

Metering levels for sound effects

Hi guys, what would the typical levels of SFX be in a say, an action movie that involves hand-to-hand combat? I'm currently doing the sound effects in cubase and i'm a little confused on the subject ...
idriszee's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
126 views

I have two audio files of same song one is from vinyl and other is from CD source, I want to compare those and technically see the difference between

Music comparison for getting vinyl effect in CD recording conversation from CD rip to vinyl rip
Santosh Khamitkar's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

Tree Grown Sound Effect (Tree Ents in LoTR)

Hey there, First time here :D I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on achieving the tree 'grown' sound used on the Tree Ents from Lord Of The Rings and World Of Warcraft. The sound is like a ...
Caiuse's user avatar
  • 103
-1 votes
2 answers
849 views

Sound spatialisation tool. Would this be useful?

Hi, I have recently prototyped a sound spatialisation tool using max/msp as part of a university project. It allows you to load a sound and animate it in a virtual 3d space to add doppler shift, ...
user6000's user avatar