Sound Effects Bible · How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects by Viers, Ric -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Acknowledgments Foreword — Charles Maynes Introduction About The Detroit Chop Shop and Blastwave FX The Creative Mantra How to Use This Book Chapter One — What Is a Sound Effect?

Hard Effects Foley Sound Effects Background Effects Electronic Sound Effects/Production Elements Sound Design Effects

Chapter Two — The Science of Sound Understanding How Sound Works

Sound Waves Phase The Speed of Sound Frequency Amplitude Decibels SPL Decibel Exposure Time Guidelines Acoustics Reverberation The Application of the Science The Recording Chain

Chapter Three — The Microphone The Sonic Lens

Microphone Types Phantom Power Proximity Effect Frequency Response Flat Frequency Response High Pass Filter (HPF) Microphone Patterns

Chapter Four — Microphone Models and Applications Selecting the Right Tool for the Job

Stereo Microphones Shotgun Microphones Stereo Shotgun Microphones General Purpose Microphones Vocal/Voiceover Microphones Lavaliere Microphones Instrument Microphones Hydrophones (Underwater Microphones) Binaural Microphones Surround Sound Microphones

Chapter Five — Microphone Accessories Always Use Protection!

Shock Mounts Windscreens Zeppelins or Windshields Windjammers or Windsocks Hi-Wind Cover Microphone Stands Boom Poles Pop Filters Pads Cables Cable Testers External Phantom Power Supplies Silica Gel Packets

Chapter Six — Recorders Tape Is Dead…. Welcome to the Digital Revolution

A Brief History of Recording Devices

The Phonograph The Gramophone The Telegraphone The Magnetophone The Nagra Compact Discs DAT Hard Disk Recording

Modern-Day Recorders Gain Staging Two Tracks, Not Just Left and Right Clipping Limiter Mic/Line Level Power Supply Sample Rates/Quantization Daily Setup Daily Wrap Up DVD Back-Ups Headphones Headphone Amplifiers Confidence Monitoring Connectors

Chapter Seven — Building a Field Recording Package Selecting the Right Gear for the Right Price

Basic Recording Package Standard Recording Package Professional Recording Package Other Goodies

Chapter Eight — The Ten Recording Commandments Go Forth and Record!

Ten Recording Commandments

Commandment 1 Commandment 2 Safety Takes Source Material Ambiences Surround Ambiences Record Different Takes with Variation Record More Commandment 3 Slate Mics Tail Slates New Objects, New Takes, New Slates Commandment 4 Knobs and Faders Meters Digital Zero Commandment 5 Microphones Hear Differently Than Ears Commandment 6 AC Buzz/Hum Air Conditioning/Heating Rumble Automobiles Clocks Fluorescent Lights/Ballast Hum Insects Planes Refrigerators Reverb Room Tone Television Sets Traffic Commandment 7 Keep Rolling Keep Your Levels Consistent Talk with Your Hands Commandment 8 Center the Microphone to the Sound Source The Stereo Image Preserve the Stereo Field Stereo Pass-Bys Don’t Move the Microphone Moving the Microphone to Follow Action Commandment 9 Commandment 10 Music Movie Soundtracks, Radio and Television Broadcasts . . Voiceover Artists Voice Artist Release Form Copyrighting Your Own Work Don’t Steal Someone’s Thunder

Chapter Nine — Sound Effects Gathering Location, Location, Location

Finding the Right Location The Time of Day to Record The Traffic Conditions Contact Information Authorization Call 911 Isolation or Environment? Everything Makes Sound

Chapter Ten — Building a Foley Stage for a Home Studio

Designing and Building a Place to Record Jack Foley Construction Designing a Foley Stage in a Garage

Isolation Walls and Ceiling Acoustics The Garage Door Flooring

Designing a Foley Stage in a Basement

Walls Ceiling Air Conditioning Acoustics Doors

Chapter Eleven — The Art of Foley

Tips, Tricks, and Tools of the Trade Recording Techniques The Pits of Working Foley

Making a Solid Wood Foley Pit Making a Boardwalk Foley Pit Making a Hollow Wood Foley Pit Making a Gravel, Dirt, or Earth Pit

Foley Materials and Props

Home Improvement Stores Dollar Stores Debris

Foley Tips

Find the Sound with Your Eyes Closed Handle with Care Safety Equipment The Foley Dress Code Don’t Go to Work Hungry Silence Is Golden Sound Dampeners Perform the Sound Foley Supplies

Chapter Twelve — Digital Audio Making Sense of Ones and Zeros

Sample Rate The Nyquist Theorem Quantization or Bit Depth Digital Audio Files

Sample Rate Size Bit Depth Size Audio File Overview

Professional Audio File Formats

.AIFF Files .WAV Files .BWF Files (or sometimes .BWAV)

MP3 Files Time Code MIDI SPDIF

Chapter Thirteen — Studio Equipment Choosing the Right Equipment

DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations)

Non-Destructive Editing Types of Workstations Editing Workstations Loop-Based Workstations Multitrack Workstations Software Choices

Plug-Ins

Analog Simulators Auto Trim/Crop Channel Converter Compressor Equalizer — Graphic Equalizer — Paragraphic Gate Insert Silence Limiter Noise Reduction Normalizer Pitch Shift Reverb Spectrum Analyzer Time Stretch or Time Compression

Plug-In Chains Sound Cards and Audio Interfaces Monitors

Active and Passive Monitors Placement Positioning Playback Reference Playback Volume Deaf to the Mix Turning Monitors On and Off

Storage Gear Envy Control Surfaces Monitor Management

Talkback Dimming Mono Mixdown Muting Headphone Cues Input Selection Monitor Selection

Power Conditioners

Chapter Fourteen — Designing Your Own Studio Creating the Environment to Work In

Basement Studio

Window Cable Ports Acoustic Treatment Electrical

Bedroom Studio

Acoustic Treatment Door Furniture

Noise Control inside the Studio Lighting

Chapter Fifteen — The Ten Sound Editing Commandments Go Forth and Edit!

Ten Sound Editing Commandments

Commandment 1 Commandment 2 Commandment 3 Always Work with a Copy Save Different Versions of Your Sessions Commandment 4 Commandment 5 Commandment 6 Commandment 7 Starting Points Ending Points Commandment 8 Clicks and Pops Cross Fading Digital Click Removal Digital Errors Commandment 9 Pacing for Time Dealing with Mistakes Doppler Effect Commandment 10 How Loud Is Too Loud? How Loud Should a Sound Effect Be? Loudness War

Using the Ten Sound Editing Commandments

The Editing Mantra Listen Critically Identify Clicks, Pops, and Errors Signal Process (EQ and Compression) Trim/Crop the File Examine Fade-Ins/Fade-Outs at the Zero Line Normalize/Name File

Chapter Sixteen — File Naming and Metadata The Importance of a Detailed Database

File Name Structure

Category-Based File Names Effect-Based File Names Numeric-Based File Names

Metadata

Chapter Seventeen — Sound Design Faders, Plug-Ins, and Fairy Dust

Start with the Freshest Ingredients Dynamics Scratch Tracks Temp Mixes/Bouncing Tracks Subgroups Exaggeration Versus Reproduction Layering Offset Layering Cross Fading Looping Cross-Fade Looping Key Framing Reversing Vocalizing Pitch Shifting Pitch Layering Worldizing Sweetening Mixing Mastering Record More Source Material!

Chapter Eighteen — The Sound Effects Encyclopedia How to Create the Sound of

Ambience Sounds

Airport Interior Terminal Airport Runway Airport Terminal Announcement City Highway Traffic Office Cubicle Restaurants Subdivisions — Urban Versus Suburban

Animal Sounds

General Animal Recording Bats Beetles in a Pyramid Crickets Snakes Voiced Animals

Cartoon Effects

Cartoon Musical Effects Brass Instruments Stringed Instruments Woodwind Instruments Cartoon Percussive Effects Conventional Percussion Instruments Unconventional Percussion Instruments Cartoon Voices Crash Sounds Car Crash Crash Material Glass Bottles Drinking Glasses Panes Plastic Wood Debris General Dust Debris Elevator Crash Lamp Crash Piano Fall RV Camper Roll Down Hill Television Implode Tree Fall on Automobile, Ground, House Window Smash Crowd Sounds Recording Crowds on Location Recording Crowds Incognito Recording Crowds on a Stage Recording Crowd Scenes Walla Track Emergency Effects Fire Stations Police Radio Police Siren Electronic Effects/Imaging Elements Explosion Effects Bomb Timer Ticking/Beeping Beeping Timer Ticking Timer Depth Charge Above Water Explosion Below Water Explosion Explosions The Concussion Debris Trail-Off Fireballs and Flames Fireworks Safe Blown Open Wick Burning

Fire Effects

Fire Recording Fireballs Molotov Cocktail Torch Movement

Foley Sound Effects

Body Falls Door Open/Close Flag Foliage Horse Hooves Punches Stone Door Whip/Whoosh

Footstep Sounds

Recording Footsteps on a Stage Recording Footsteps on Location Footwear and Surfaces

Horror Effects

Blood Drips Flesh Rips Guillotine Knife Hacking at Body Monsters Vegetable Abuse Werewolf Transformation

Household Sounds

Appliances Doorbell Shower Toilet 100 Household Sounds

Human Sounds Impact Effects

Bullet Impacts Earth Impacts Metal Impacts Mud Impacts

Industrial Sounds

Arc Welder Assembly Lines Pneumatic Tools Power Tools Warehouse Door

LFE (Low-Frequency Effects) Multimedia Effects

Beeps Buttons Mouse Overs

Musical Effects Office Sounds Science Fiction Sounds

Air Bursts Laser Gun Planet Atmospheres Robots Spaceship Door Spaceship Pass-By

Technology Sounds

Cell Phone Rings Microphone Feedback

Vehicle Sounds

Aircraft Automobile Drive-Bys Automobiles, Onboard Recording . Engine Perspective Tailpipe Perspective Interior Cabin Perspective Boats Wave Runners Trains Subway Train

Warfare Sounds

Gunshots Gun Recording — Exterior Gun Recording — Interior Automatic Machine Guns Gun Foley Missile Pass-Bys Ninja Star Throw Sword Impacts

Water Sounds

General Water Sounds Bubbles Drip Sewers and Caves Waves on a Beach Underwater Recording

Weather and Natural Disaster Sounds

Rain Earthquake

Chapter Nineteen — The Future of Sound Design Breaking the Sound Barrier… Again

Inspiration and Influence Listen to Films, Don’t Just Watch Them Great Sound Movies Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due The Future of Sound Effects

Appendix — Resources Keeping Up with Technology and Techniques

Books Trade Magazines Online Resources Organizations and Unions Sound Effects Companies Equipment Retailers Microphone Manufacturers Plug-In Developers Recording Equipment Software Developers Studio Equipment

Index Filmography About the Author

← Prev
Back
Next →

← Prev
Back
Next →