Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects

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This definitive book covers microphone selection, field recorders, the ABCs of digital audio, understanding digital audio workstations, building your own Foley stage, designing your own editing studio, sound design, and much more. Michael Wiese Productions Publish Date: You must be logged in to post a review. The SFX Bible is the go-to resource for anyone serious about sound creation!

Viers generously shares his real-world experience in an absorbing and hard to put down guide to this fascinating corner of the entertainment industry. Tasos Frantzolas, Founder of Soundsnap. Ric Viers eats, drinks, and breathes sound effects. For field recording, set your highest level at the trims and not the master. This allows for stereo recording using either a stereo microphone or two mono microphones.

When using only one mono microphone, such as a shotgun, you would only record to one channel. Note that on some recorders you have the option of recording a mono microphone to both channels via digital menus. But this does not make your recording stereo.

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The same information is being sent to both tracks and just wastes hard disk space. They are two discrete channels. This will help you ir problem-solving complex recording situations and give some room for creativity. For example, if you are recording a loud sound, such as a gunshot, you might want to set up two mics. One mic would be set at a normal signal level and the second mic would be used as a safety backup with a lower signal level to reduce the risk of clipping.

Each mic would be sent to its own channel. So, if the first track clips, you car use the second, unaffected track. This would ensure that you end up with at least one usable recording. This is also helpful when you are miking one event from two angles simultaneously. For example, you can place a mono microphone in front of a door and run it to one channel on the recorder.

You can then place a second mono microphone on the opposite side of the door and run it to the other channel on the recorder. You can then perform an event, such as knocking on the door, and record it from two perspectives. In the edit, you can blend these channels together to create a new sound or separate the two channels into their own separate mono files for two different sound effects recorded at once.

A recorder that is capable of recording more than two channels is called a multitrack recorder. There are many options and models of these units available on the market today. The two-track recorder is still the most popular for sound effects gathering. Clipping There are two main differences between an analog recorder and a digital recorder.

The first difference is the recording medium An analog recorder stores its information on magnetic tape, while a hard disk recorder stores the information digitally on a micro drive or compact flash card. The second major difference is that analog tape is far more forgiving when the signal is distorted.

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Analog signals are imprinted on the tape through the use of magnets. When the signal is too strong, the waveform bleeds off the edges of the tape. A digital signal is stored merely as data: A digital file has an absolute zero, commonly called digital zero. Any signal that is higher than absolute zero is simply squared off until the next sample that is lower than absolute zero.

This is known as clipping. The result is far less desirable than analog distortion and should be avoided at all costs. For this reason, you should always use a limiter when working with a digital recorder. Limiters are very helpful when working with digital recorders as clipping is very difficult to correct in the edit. All professional recorders have a limiter. Some recorders also have this switch to determine what type of signal is being sent to the outputs of the device.

The gain or trim knobs on a recorder control the mic preamps. The most important feature on a field recorder is the quality of the mic preamps. A top- of-the-line recorder with poor mic preamps quickly loses value. All microphones send a mic level signal. Some professional electronic equipment will let you select the input and output levels. Power Supply Field recorders are different from studio recorders in that they are built to be portable. Disposable batteries can be costly and adversely affect the environment.

Rechargeable batteries such as AAs and 9 volts are useful, but need to be replaced several times throughout the day. Professional battery systems such as the Eco Charge and NP-1 batteries can connect directly to the power jack on the unit. This is the standard audio sample rate for DVD audio. Here is a chart of approximate file sizes based on bit depth, sample rate, and number of channels mono or stereo: Sample rates and digital audio are discussed in greater detail in Chapter Twelve, "Digital Audio. It is a good idea to create a checklist that you follow.

Here is an example of the checklists that we use at the Chop Shop: Fostex FR-2 Setup 1. Insert Card and Format 2. Set FS KHz to 96 9. UR or Mono 6. Some knobs and faders use numbers as a position reference. Also, presetting the levels does not mean that you will not change the levels in the field.

These are jusl good starting points that will yield a reasonable recording level. When in the field, make adjustments as necessary. Daily Wrap Up You should also create a wrap up checklist to follow when you are finished recording for the day. Here is the checklist that we use at the Chop Shop: Dust Equipment with Air Can 3. Wipe Down Cables 4. Store Gear in Case 5. Place Batteries on Charger 6. Transfer Card to a Workstation 7.

In the digital age, the audio data on the micro drives and compact flash cards are transferred to a computer. The card or drive is then formatted, erasing all of the data. If the computer crashes, then all of the audio data could be lost. Once burned to a DVD, the data should be verified. In my time, I have seen dozens of hard drives with hundreds of gigs of data burn out, taking all of their data with them Backing up data is extremely important and necessary.

You will one day. Be prepared and have a back-up of everything you record. Headphones Headphones are used to monitor the recording and playback of the sounds. Take care of the coiled cable that is attached to your headphones. You should never head wrap your headphones. This will cause the cable to lose its tension and shorten the life span of the headphones because of shorts in the cable. Always pick the headphones up from the head strap and not the cable or ear muffs.

Disconnect the headphones from the recorder by pulling on the quarter-inch plug and not the cable. Headphones Head Wrapped Headphones Correctly Stored The volume level of your headphones will directly correlate to how many years you will be able to work. Monitor at low listening levels. Ear damage is permanent. Always turn the headphone volume completely down before putting on your headphones.

This will stop microphone feedback as well as eliminate the chances of exposing your ears to high-level sounds. Some recorders are known for having noisy headphone amps. This noise appears as hiss when the headphone volume is increased. However, this amplifier does not affect the sound level or quality of the recording. Each recorder is different and time should be spent experimenting with the recorder to get familiar with the sound of the headphone amp. Some headphone amplifiers give you the choice of what channel s to listen to, such as left only, right only, left and right mono both channels sent to each ear , left and right stereo, and MS monitoring.

Con fi dence Monitoring Confidence monitoring is the ability to listen to what you recorded while you are still recording. This was made possible on tape-based recorders, including DAT, with an additional playback head after the record head. The tape would pass by the record head and the signal was recorded onto the tape. As the tape continued to move, it then passed the additional playback head and would then replay what was just recorded.

The space between the record head and the playback head would give the recorded sound about a half- second delay from the original sound. In the digital world, some new hard drive and compact flash recorders are offering this same function through virtual playback heads. It can be a bit confusing to listen to everything with a delay, but the benefit is the confidence in knowing that you have a solid recording. At this time, confidence monitoring is not available on most hard disk recorders. The female connector has a socket or sockets that receive the signal for a device.

Barrels A third type of gender is called a barrel or gender bender. These are used to change the sex of a connector. For example, if you need to extend a cable but both cables have male connectors, you would use a female barrel to connect the two male connectors. Barrels are available for all types of connectors. Audio cables use three types of connectors: Phone Jacks Phone jacks get their name from the old patch bays that were used by telephone companies. They come ir two sizes: They come in either balanced or unbalanced connections.

The tip of the jack carries the hot signal. The sleeve of the jack carries the cold signal. TRS tip, ring, sleeve is a balanced phone jack connector. Radio Corporation of America. RCA connectors have only two conductors and are therefore unbalanced. The pin or plug carries the hot signal.

The sleeve carries the ground signal. The name is a reference to a mode] series designed by Canon when these connectors were first developed. Despite the rumors, XLR does no stand for anything. This connector has three conductors. Pin 1 carries the ground signal. Pin 2 carries the hot signal. Pin 3 carries the cold signal. As with building anything, budget will dictate quality. Luckily, over the years, high-quality recording equipment has become more and more affordable.

The following are examples of three different recording packages priced from low to high. Basic Recording Package A basic recording package consists of: In this price range, the following equipment offers great versatility: The microphone can be used outdoors where there is no wind; however, even with the supplied windscreen, mild gusts of wind will affect the recording.

The unit is also handheld, so be sure to limit your movements. This particular pair is a prosumer brand that looks like the kind of headphones commonly used with an MP3 player. These headphones car be paired nicely with the Zoom H4, giving the appearance that you are just listening to music and nol recording.

The Zoom H4S microphones make it look like a stun gun. Usecaution in public places to prevent people from calling the police. In this price range, the following equipment offers great quality: The company has set the standards for field recording equipment for decades and has adapted to become a pioneer of new format recorders. They have a closed-ear design that stops the sound from getting outside the headphones and back into the mic, and a wide frequency response range. The NT-4 is a perfect stereo field mic that captures rich and faithful reproduction of sound in just about any given location.

Though a tad heavy and bulky the microphone barely fits inside the mounting clips of the Rycote suspension mount , this mic is a perfect stereo workhorse for field production. Rycote Windshield Kit 4 Rycote makes the best wind protection equipment in the business. They are used on the sets of nearly every film and television show out there. This unit will give your microphone the maximum amount of protection available on the market. The kit includes a modular suspension mount with a pistol grip, a windshield zeppelin , and a windjammer. Professional Recording Package A professional recording package consists of: In this price range, the following equipment offers professional results: Fostex FR-2 Field Recorder Fostex has set the standard for high-definition digital field recorders with this unit.

The microphone preamps are extremely quiet and the unit is very easy to work. All of the major controls are associated with real-world buttons and switches, not hidden deep within soft menus. The recorder also offers pre- record buffering. NP-l Batteries with Charger NP-1 batteries are professional-grade batteries that can last for more than a solid day of recording. Note that you will need a special adapter to connect the NP-1 battery to your FR-2 recorder.

They fit around your ears, reducing th amount of leakage. They are great for voice work because the closed-ear design prevents sound spill into the mic. The frequency response range covers everything that any human ear could possibly hear. Rode NT-4 Stereo Microphone Despite the option to upgrade, the Rode NT-4 is still a fantastic general purpose stereo microphone that is able to go wherever you go.

I have had great service from Rode with microphone damage caused by me , and their turnaround time will make your head spin. They believe in their customers and it shows in the quality of their mics. However, yoi will need to use the largest mounting clips to fit the Rode NT Keep in mind that you will be pushing the limits of the mounting clips to fit the mic. It is a good idea to secure the microphone to the mounting clips with cable ties to prevent the mic from falling out of place.

Note that you will need one Rycote Windshield Kit for each microphone. The quality is superb and it car withstand extreme temperatures ranging from the hottest desert sun to the coldest winds of the South Pole. The extreme focus of its pickup pattern allows you to zero in on the sound that you are after without picking up much of the surrounding environment.

Every professional sound recordist should have this mic. The Chop Shop owns a half dozen of these bags, and the oldest, which is now ten years old, has yet to see a single rip or tear. They last forever and will keep your gear protected from extreme locations. Other Goodies There are many other tools and devices that you can add to your package to make it more roadworthy.

One of the best investments that you can make for your gear is cases. This is especially true if you plan to travel with your equipment.

This is not a place to skimp. Spend the money to protect your equipment. A great start is a Pelican case. These cases are indestructible and waterproof. Here is a list of common items found in the packages at the Chop Shop: At the Chop Shop, I have a manual that I give to the recordists and sounc designers. The manual includes many of the tips and tricks in this book.

They are each equally important as individual rules, but even more powerful when used together. The use of these commandments will result in top-notch, professional recordings. Thou Shalt Not Interrupt a Take 8. Thou Shalt Point the Microphone at the Sound 9. The same was true for video decks.

To ensure a seamless edit, the video editor would allow the deck to roll for a few seconds before and after the edit point to eliminate flicker and glitches. In general, you should always pre-roll and post-roll each take for two seconds. Pre-rolling the record deck before the event allows for a more graceful recording. Many times when the record button is pressed in a hurry to record the sound, the take can sound cut off at the front or end of the take. This is especially true of sounds that need to settle, such as glass breaking or an object dropped on the ground that continues to bounce or roll for a few seconds before finally coming to rest.

Post-rolling past the event ensures that the take will have more than what is actually needed, allowing the sound to be properly edited. With modern digital recorders, it is now possible to have a prerecord buffer rolling at all times. For example, with the pre-record function on the Fostex FR-2, you can press record and start recording ffon ten seconds before that time. This can be a powerful tool when you are limited on drive space or need to record something spontaneous.

Imagine that you are recording jets taking off from a nearby Air Force base. You only have four minutes of drive space left, but you still need to record the sound of an F- With a pre-record buffer enabled, you can simply wait to press record until you start to hear the jet. The moment the record button is pressed, the unit saves the ten seconds of pre-recorded sound and continues from that point on. This is a huge leap forward from the days of DAT recording, when pressing record usually meant you had to wait a second or two before the deck actually began to record.

Gone are the days of sitting by the railroad tracks with a handful of two-hour DAT tapes with the deck in record, waiting to capture a passing train. By knowing when to roll and when to cut, you give yourself more sound to work with. You also help eliminate mistakes such as background noise before a take or cutting off the tail end of a sound.

There is no such thing as too much when it comes to sound gathering. You never know what you might need in the final edit, and conversely, sometimes the material that you thought was usable can contain flaws. For this reason, record additional takes, variations, perspectives, and safety takes. Directors know that once they are in the edit, they can only cut what they shot. Sometimes even the most vigilant director may overlook an obvious mistake such as an actor saying the wrong line, a continuity error like an actor holding the prop in the wrong hand or an actor walking in off-cue.

The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects

By rolling a safety take, they give themselves options to work with in post. When recording at locations that are difficult to schedule, you should record additional takes of the events to ensure that you have the most amount of usable material for editing. A good example is recording additional gunshots, but at lower levels in case there is peaking or other forms of distortion in some of the takes. Another scenario where safety takes are important is when an object or location is about to be permanently altered or destroyed.

Of course you are going to stick around to record the demolition, but once the house falls, that great metal squeak that the door to the wood- burning furnace made can never be recorded again. So, while the house is still standing, record as many takes as possible. Keep in mind that safety takes can sometimes be creatively used as source material. Source Material Source material is priceless in the hands of a good sound designer.

Ruin becomes riches, garbage becomes gold. Save your extra takes and use them as source material. Multiple takes of a door slammighl give you a couple of leftover takes that can create beefy wood impacts or become the base for a solid bullet impact into wood. The leftover bins on your hard drive may serve as a smorgasbord of material that can be similarly repurposed. Even mistakes can be a source for something else. Source material can become virtually anything. The catch is that you have to have source material in order to be able to use it! When working with props, record extra performances that can later be combined to create sounds that are bigger, longer, or more complex than the original sound.

Be sure to vary the performance of each sound. The idea here is that each sound is unique by itself but, when combined with other unique sounds, can create something spectacular. In my experience, the best crashes come from dozens of takes that are layered and designed into one. A small pile of junk that might contain 20 pieces of metal and plastic debris can be recorded smashing and crashing on ten takes.

When those takes are combined, the modest pile of junk is transformed into a mountain of debris. In the television news world, there is a saying: Shooters cameramen who are not editors might not be familiar with the editing process and shoot way too much footage or not enough. Use your creativity when recording source material, but be sure to find the balance between recording too little and too much. No one wants to sit and edit hundreds of crash elements!

Ambiences Ambiences are generally edited down to a final sound of about two minutes. This gives an editor more than enough sound to work with or loop without a noticeable loop point. The first advantage is that during recording there might be unnoticed background sounds that need to be removed in the final edit. When recording a crowd inside a mall, for example, the voices might sound like indistinguishable white noise — a sea of nonsensical words — in the headphones.

Ambiences are best created as a bed of sound that identifies a location without being specific. Identifiable words and phrases should be avoided because they would be quite noticeable if the ambience was looped. It might also pull listeners out of the moment as they try to figure out what is being said. Identifying sounds or so- called identifiers should be eliminated so that the ambience will be more versatile for future use. Every year on the Fourth of July, my subdivision holds a makeshift fireworks show, and my neighbor Scott and his son, Mac, are always there.

All of the neighbors gather while a few intoxicated smokers fumble around in the dark with lit cigarettes trying to ignite highly explosive mortars and rockets for the amusement of the rest of the group. Without fail, every year, the fireworks show ambiences I record include my neighbor yelling for Mac to get out of the way of the fireworks. Nonetheless, I always anticipate recording more material of that event than I need to allow me to remove his name in the edit.

The second advantage to recording additional amounts of ambience at a location is to gather extra material for doubling or designing the sound in the edit. This is particularly valuable when recording at locations that sound thin or not very active. For example, a grocery store might allow you to come in and record, but what if that day has a low amount of traffic? Fewer patrons means less sound. However, by recording double or even triple the desired length of time, you can layer the sounds on top of each other to create a busy supermarket ambience out of the small and empty grocery store that you recorded.

Surround Ambiences Another advantage to recording more than you need might be for fabricating surround material from a stereo source. Surround sound recording in the field is an art form in itself. It is difficult enough to record in one direction as a stereo recording. Finding a location that sounds great in every direction is a virtual impossibility. Stereo sounds can be edited, looped, and cross-faded as needed to eliminate extraneous or unusable sounds.

But true surround recordings have six tracks instead of two and are less flexible in the edit. A less expensive work-around for recording surround sound material is to use a stereo microphone and record twice the amount of material. You can use the first half of the recording in the front left and front right speakers, and the second half of the recording in the rear left and rear right speakers. This can be very helpful when you have a tight budget that does not allow for single-point surround sound microphones such as the Holophone series.

An even better pseudo- surround sound recording trick is to record five minutes of material facing one direction and five minutes of additional material in the opposite direction. Use the first recorded direction in the front left and front right speakers, and the second recorded direction in the rear left and rear right speakers. The results can be very convincing and can sometimes produce a cleaner and more pure- sounding recording than a true surround sound microphone. Finally, if you have two recorders or a four- track recorder and two stereo microphones, you can set up a quadraphonic recording.

Place one stereo microphone facing forward and the other stereo microphone in the opposite direction. When using two recorders, clap your hands together to create a sync point in the recording that you can use during the edit. Record Different Takes with Variation Avoid recording too much of the same type of material.

This will only give you redundant takes and waste time. Instead, record additional takes with variations. This will give you more usable material.

Use variations such as: Duration Perform the event with short and long takes. Keep in mind that long takes can easily be shortened. Record a variety to provide flexibility during editing. Frequency Recordings can be varied by how frequently events are performed. Changing the timing between events will make the takes different and give you more to work with later.

Impact How hard or soft you perform an action can evoke emotion for example, slamming a door or can imply weight a hard body fall on wood. When recording, try to vary the force with which you move or strike objects. Perspective Where you place the microphone can give you different perspectives on a sound. Try miking footsteps from underneath stairs, a garage door from the inside and the outside, or even door knocks from both sides of a door.

Using different perspectives gives you not only different sounds but also source material to use for mixing and designing different effects. Speed The speed of an object will affect how it sounds. Recording a car driving by at the same speed five times is only going to give you five takes of one sound. Try recording the car driving by going 15 mph, 35 mph, 55 mph, 75 mph, and 95 mph. This will give you five different sound effects. You can apply the same principle of variation to other sounds opening and closing doors, typing on a keyboard, fan speeds, and so on.

See a Problem?

Record More Recording additional material will give you the best odds of producing a better ambience track. Always record more than you need.

Remember, the more you record, the more you have to work with in the edit. Therefore, you need to slate each take with as much information as possible. When I first started researching sound effects recording techniques years ago, I remember one blog noting that the easiest way to remember what you recorded for a particular sound was to record the sounds with a video camera. That way you could see what you were recording and use the audio track on the video for the sound.

Even as an amateur at the time, I knew that video cameras would produce far from professional sounds. However, this was the first time I realized that it would be important to somehow log each take with information that could be used in naming and describing each final sound file. Because I was fresh out of film school, I remembered learning about location sound recordists whc record the dialogue for films.

This is somewhat easy for them because they are usually sitting in front of a sound cart and have a clipboard with log sheets right there. Paperwork and fieldwork are rarely good bedfellows. However, location sound recordists also slate each take with their voice, recording the same information they write down and giving the editor two points of reference: This was the answer. A slate is a spoken description of the event on the same take as the event.

The slate should always be on the same take as the event so that the two are never separated; over time, individual files can be separated as they are moved around from folder to folder or across several hard drives. Slates should appear at the front of each take and should be isolated from the actual event. Sound recordings that have talking over them are unusable, so be sure to allow time between the slate and the performance. Each sound recording should be accompanied with a slated voice indicating: If a slate switch is not available on the recorder, be sure to slate the take loudly enough for the microphone to pick it up.

Keep in mind, the slate does not have to be recorded at a usable level. The slate only needs to be loud enough to be understood during the edit. Tail Slates For takes where a slate would interfere with the take for example, a train pass-by , use a tail slate, which is simply a slate that is given at the end of the take. In the film world when it is impractical for the camera to film a slate at the start of the take, the actual film slate or clapper would be photographed upside down to let the editor know that the slate belonged to the previous take. I remember an intern at the Chop Shop who would slate takes during the events, thus rendering then useless.

My favorite example was a take at an ice rink in which he recorded for several minutes waiting for the sound of a Zamboni the vehicle that resurfaces the ice. During the edit, we listened to the take and also patiently waited for the sound of the diesel engine.

Suddenly, a roar filled the room as the engine started up and the Zamboni made its way onto the ice. It sounded great, clean, perfect. Then, much to oui dismay, there was a voice. In fact, it was the voice of a pirate! Now, I should explain that it is a common practice at the Chop Shop for the recordists to try their best tc entertain the editors by using funny voices or accents during take slates. Keep in mind that the editors are locked up in a studio all day chopping away at the endless supply of recorded sounds and have no social life.

Every year or so, we compile all of the outtakes into a reel and throw a humorous music bed underneath and sit back and listen to all the fun — both planned and unplanned. Undoubtedly this particular intern was trying to get his 15 seconds of recorded fame on the outtakes reel, and yes, his voice did end up there with all the others, but the joke was at the expense of a take that was difficult to reschedule. In the end, he learned that all slates should be separate from the events.

So remember, if necessary, tail slate the event. While it is easier to simply press record and work for hours on end, you will waste time during the editing process searching through lengthy files that can also take a long time to transfer and load into your DAW. Start each new event with a new take accompanied with an informative slate.

Keep in mind, though, that when working with certain objects for example, mud or torches , it makes sense to press record and continue to perform events as one long take. In such cases, be sure to slate each separate action. Sometimes it helps to snap your fingers or clap your hands together prior to the slate. This will give the file a visible and audible spike that is easy to locate during the edit. Some field recorders have a button that lets you drop markers in the file while recording. A recordist was given access to the gun vault and recorded hours of gun Foley loading and unloading weapons, cocking, locking, and other various handling movements.

Despite their high-quality sounds, the bulk of the recordings were unusable. The problem was that the recordist only slated the beginning of each take with the name of the weapon before performing dozens of actions. Weeks later, the editor sat puzzled as to what action was being performed. They tried to decipher the dozens of clicks and mechanical sounds of each gun, but to no avail.

Ultimately, the sounds were unusable. There was no way of determining what each action was. The editor needed to know the precise information for labeling and metadata purposes. In the end, takes that are properly slated will give you all the information you need to properly describe your sound.

You can then create an accurate and detailed database of searchable keywords to retrieve the sounds that you spent so much time and energy to record. Commandment 4 Thou Shalt Check Your Levels Often It is imperative that you check the levels on your recorder — both recording meters and physical knob positions — as often as possible. The same concept applies to sound recording.

Knobs and Faders The arduous conditions and the constant running and gunning of field recording can cause knobs to get bumped and moved, resulting in levels being turned up or down accidentally. Check your knobs and faders every time you press record, every time you wrap a location, and every time you set up at a new location. Meters There is an old saying in the wonderful world of recording: Always rely on your meters to inform you of when a recording is too hot or too low, and then make the necessary adjustments.

Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. The Sound Effects Bible: The Sound Effects Bible is a complete guide to recording and editing sound effects. The book covers topics such as microphone selection, field recorders, the ABCs of digital audio, understanding Digital Audio Workstations, building your own Foley stage, designing your own editing studio, and more. Paperback , pages. Published October 1st by Michael Wiese Productions.

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Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Oct 28, Terry marked it as to-read. He used my Vortex Surround Encoder to do some of the post production work. James Tobin rated it really liked it Jan 13, Ailsa rated it really liked it Aug 31,

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