10
Library producer here (echo collective, echo collective:fields)
regarding cleaning background sounds -
All background fx cleaning is destructive and alters the source in some way. The reason this step is not done is because that type of work really requires context to be done well.
In other words, if you place a sound with some background wind or ...
10
I want to tell the story from the designer perspective and I totally agree with Rene's answer. I do sound design for video games. I always prefer non-edited files even if they require some extra work.
Sometimes I find a very nice sound to fit my project but disappointed to see it was ruined because somebody assumed that it is better to add some fancy FX so ...
8
my .02
Adding sync sounds gives a sense a reality and often a sense of weight and grit to any given scene. If reality, weight, and grit are what's required artistically then the tendancy would be to make a sound for the object on screen. The vast majority of the time, this is probably the case.
Abstaining from placing sync sounds creates a sense of ...
7
Audacity is a great tool for this kind of work. You might be able to make a slightly better sound using a sampler that can crossfade across different sounds for different pitches, but I'm not sure if the result would be worth the extra effort.
It sounds to me like the problem with your "current best" is that you either aren't looking for zero crossings when ...
6
You need two components - metal clangs for gear hitting gear and grinding sound for the shaft rotating. Record lots of metal clangs - you need many variations and often finding the sound that matches perfectly takes some time. Experiment with samplerate of existing sounds. Grinding sound should match to material shaft is connected to, but if it's unknown ...
5
I agree with what's been said, although don't forget that part of what gives a sound its off-axis/down-the-hall timbre is how it resonates through the building materials. So yes, highs will drop off but you'll likely need to bump sonewhere between 180 - 400 Hz where there's a nice resonant quality, just be careful of the 300 Hz muddiness. This is where a ...
5
The DAW is not that important (FL is ok to start). Since you are getting started and you will find difficult to design the sounds, you need a good set of VSTi plugins that emulate the video game consoles' soundchips. The good news is that there are loads of these plugins to make chiptunes (most of them free)... just take a look...
Chipmusic Plugins
9 of the ...
5
Normalizing your audio probably won't have the desired effect that you're trying to achieve.
Probably what you want to do is load all your audio into a software application, where you can mix the relative levels of the audio files so that they sound good in relation to each other.
If you normalize all your audio, the crisp packet rustling along the floor ...
5
I may be wrong but this sounds to me like a simple ring modulator.
4
Yea I think the main thing missing from breaking waves is how the water sounds against a body. I would see if you can even mix in a few splashes that you may have, or water sloshing up onto something.
4
That sound has probably never been recorded before since people who are out on the open sea are usually in some sort of craft, whether it be a large liner or a small skiff or lifeboat. In either case the ocean is going to be interacting with said craft, breaking over the bow or slapping against the side. So, unless you're planning on recording from a hot air ...
4
I've had great luck using a home made impulse response created by slamming a 2x4 plank on the floor upstairs with a hammer hard, while recording it downstairs. Try taking the top of your sound off with a filter and send it through an IR like that.
4
Well one method is to invert the phase of one channel of the stereo signal. It's a trick long used in moviemaking. When the sound has phase correlation and definite stereo image ("phantom"), we can localize it by panorama on stereo speaker setup. If you rotate the phase of left or right channel, a listener can't localize it in front hemisphere of him, thus ...
4
(As an aside, this topic has been addressed very thoughtfully here.)
An excellent question, and one that is not asked enough by the inexperienced or newly inaugurated craftspeople in our community. The old adage of "less is more" has never been more true in this case. What's wrong with most of the Hollywood blockbusters these days? NOT ENOUGH SPACE. And not ...
4
Each individual grain in that loop is a complex piece with varying pitch through its course, repeated fast, but with space between each grain. There are numerous ways to do this, but myself I often use first and foremost my Commodore 64, and make good use of the "revolving waveform"-function it's so well known for, in combination with quick and heavy pitch-...
4
Well, it depends on how much you can actually get away from the show and the bus. Getting to acoustically unspoiled locations means getting far away (usually) from the highway. OTOH, during a month long tour, I took the opportunity to record every hotel room I stayed in, and got a whole lot of ambience recordings and specifics out of it. May not be what you'...
4
If it's public domain then yes it would be ok, but I wouldn't trust copyright information people add as Youtube descriptions.
There are some public domain video archives that might have the kind of material you are describing. At least Prelinger archive material is public domain and legal to use any way you wish.
https://archive.org/details/prelinger
4
Right off the top of my head [& I'm not a foley artist, so you'd have to work out the details]
elements...
sharp points to feet - high transients
lots of legs - 'skittering'
rhythmic walk - pattern that could become 'signature'...
& don't forget ...big, so lots of things dropped an octave, added subs
'skin' movement noises, not synced to ...
4
I don't know if any of the following will work or not, but maybe worth an experiment.
Try a delay of about 1/2 of a millisecond, if you have the capability, between the two channels, of the mono signal. The goal is for the delay to match the amount of time it takes a sound to travel from one ear to the other. I can't remember the exact number--something ...
4
Pumping is a technical term which (for the most part) describes the compression technique used.
Having said that, many people mess up this term with various ways, others with sidechain bass compression, or others with simply loud kicking tracks.
Pumping is an effect created when a compressor dives a bit more than what's needed to compress but still remain ...
4
Things
Tubes, straws, pipes and hoses
Cups
Put things in mouth (e.q. water or sweets... don't choke!)
Pillows
Balloons (scream all you can while pressing a balloon to the mouth)
Combs and paper, foil etc.
Moving Fans
Vibrator on throat
Tubes into water
Springs (toy spring mics, Thunder Drums etc)
Head
Shake / Rotate (poor mans leslie/tremolo)
Hands
...
3
First off, I think it's cool they didn't just ask you to make it sound like Transformers! But I think it's a difficult task because the sound in the clip is very stylised and not actually in very tight sync to the action.
It feels like you hear more swooping/flying around and atmos than actual synchronised movement sounds, so perhaps part of the challenge ...
3
why not try cutting open a pomegranate and squeezing one half slowly. It's a really nice thick woody sound. Put it through some effects and there you go. Plus you get to enjoy a little snack as you go! Be sure to do it face down over a bowl as it can get messy as some of the seeds pop.
Good luck
3
look into brands like microphone madness etc. sometimes they repackage quality omni capsules (e.g. sennheiser mke2) for a lot cheaper due to them being slightly mismatched, or otherwise failing QC.
contact mics are another way to get some sounds - the character will be very specific and the cheaper the mics = the more EQ you'd need to apply, but the ...
3
Coming from the game audio side of things I've done this all the time. You'll often get approached with an asset list of what the designer thinks needs sounds in the game. Lots of times they have asked for every possible thing to make a sound. Even on "paid by the sound" contracts I've done lots of editing of those lists down to what's actual needed.
3
A fantastic question and very thought provoking discussion happening here!
Personally, I'm a huge believer in less is more. Whether it be through only adding limited sfx when editing or subtly controlling what is and isn't heard during the mix, I find that the less the audience has to focus on the more controlled their focus is and more immersed in the ...
3
In professional music production there is a rule: Never more than 3 sounds at a time, more a human cant process properly! And I apply it to sound design for movie as well! I always try to have something happening -> atmo, room tone, foley or music which is like the beat that holds a song together (but in avery unconscious way). Then I pick one "hook" ...
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