It’s difficult to record good thunder sounds. First and foremost because thunder doesn’t occur every day or even every week, or month, so on that rare occasion when lightning and thunder DO come to where you are, you need to be prepared. It’s no good being somewhere away from your recording equipment when those 15 minutes of thunder passes by. You need to be where your equipment is, and it needs to be charged, propped up, and ready to record.

Another reason why it’s hard to get good thunder sounds is the fact that during a thunder storm, it also tends to rain a lot. And the rain makes a lot of noise – which you may, or may not, want on your thunder recording. Therefore, being able to catch the sound of a lightning strike with thunder rumble – without rain – is frustratingly hard! I’ve found that when a thunderstorm approaches, you may get lucky and catch a thunder crack or two before it starts to rain. As the clouds are coming in from the distance, if a lightning strikes a little bit away, it may be far enough so you don’t hear the rain, but close enough so you get a good, well defined, thunder sound. That’s one of those “once in every 5 years” sound recording opportunities.

The sound of thunder and thunder storms is strangely invigorating to listen to. I think it touches on something deep inside of us, some primal respect and fear for the massively powerful forces of nature. During a thunderstorm I will – besides having my microphones mounted and recording everything of course – just stand there, perplexed, listening to it and watching the lightning strikes, with some kind of fear, combined with joy, exhilaration, excitement, nerve, and a strange inner peace. I think it has this effect on other people too.

Besides just listening, thunder sounds and weather sounds in general are of course often used in media productions. When you hear lightning and thunder in a film, it’s never from the actual scene where the actors are playing out the story. It’s far too difficult to actually get a good sound recording of thunder, weather, wind sounds etc. at same time as worrying about everything else, the acting, the direction, the cameras, etc. So these sounds are always picked up from a sound effects library such as ours, and then added to the film in post production. The same goes with the sound fx you can hear in computer games and other types of production. These are the kinds of people who get their sounds from our sound effects website.

Here at 1SoundFX.com we’re lucky enough to work with many great sound recordists all over the world, so we have tropical thunder storms as well as Nordic/Scandinavian thunder sounds and some pretty close-up lightning sounds from England, plus several other places. Spend a few minutes just listening to our thunder sounds – I think you will enjoy it!

Sound Effects Bible - the book

The Sound Effects Bible, by professional sound designer Ric Viers, is the penultimate resource for any beginning, amateur, or working sound designer interested in creating or bolstering a sound effects library.  The quality and depth of this book is not surprising, as Viers’ experience in the field is considerable.  In addition to location sound design credits for major television networks, Universal Studios, Disney, radio programs and video games, Viers is also the owner of sound label Blastwave FX.  Blastwave offers many of Viers’ 150 different sound effect libraries and 150,000 plus personally produced sounds for licensing to media professionals.

The Sound Effects Bible is a pleasure to read in that it offers indispensable expert knowledge and tips in a smooth easy-to-read manner,  ensuring that beginning sound designers will understand the material while pros will be simultaneously be fascinated by the message.  For beginners looking to get into the vibrant sound effects marketplace,  this is book is literally a “how to” from A to Z on creating a profitable sound effects library.  You will learn everything you need to know regarding sound effect types, the science of sound, hardware necessities, recording and editing tips, as well as strategies for cataloging and naming sounds.  For professionals, the book serves to fill in any gaps in sound design knowledge and proves to be a great resource for inspiration in the creation of new sounds.  As an  experienced sound designer myself, I was completely taken by the suggestions and tips for creating the various types of sounds and have subsequently made lists of the processes and strategies that Viers suggests to try out in the future.

After a general introduction on Viers companies, The Detroit Chop Shop and Blastwave FX, the first chapter gives a run down and explanation of the different types of sound effects including hard, foley, background, electronic and sound design effects.  “Hard Effects,” for example, are the most common type of sfx, ready for immediate use in film, such as punches, animal sounds, etc, whereas as “foley sound effects” depend on performace to create usable and convincing audio.  Understanding these five main categories and the differences between them is a fantastic mental framework for building and organizing a sound library.

Roughly the first half of the book is dedicated to sound knowledge, hardware , and assembling the physical tools needed to record sound effects. Chapter 2 is a quick and succinct explanation of the main components of sound science that every sound designer should understand, including waves, phase, sound speed, frequency, amplitude, decibels, acoustics,  and reverb.  Chapters 3 to 7 provide extensive information on hardware which include an explanation of relevant microphone terms, types of microphones such as shotgun, stereo, lavalier etc as well as their applications and uses, microphone accessories, types of sound recorders, and the ins-and-outs of building a “field recording package.”

Ric Viers - creator of sound effects

I found Chapter 8 to be a delightful chapter to read, entitled “The Ten Recording Commandments.”  This chapter is extremely useful in pointing out potential problems that can occur during the recording process with the aim of getting recordings right the first time in order to be efficient.  From experience, I know that recording and editing sound effects can be ridiculously time consuming and any tips that save precious time are always welcome.  The chapter fleshes out the particulars of the Ten Commandments, but in brief they suggest including 2 second pre-rolls and post-rolls for each recording, recording more than needed, slating every take, check levels constantly, using headphones, eliminating noise, not interrupting takes, pointing microphones correctly, checking equipment frequently, and the biggest of all – not violating copyright.  Armed with these Ten Commandments, a sound enthusiast will surely be a productive and effective sound recordist.

Chapters 9 to 11 offers a huge variety of suggestions on finding the best sound locations, making the most of each location, designing and building a foley state, with detailed construction tips and sound proofing.  Viers even goes so far as to outline the process for constructing a foley stage in a basement, accurately presuming that many indie sound designers might not have access to a stage or large building to build a foley area.  Again, this chapter fully covers its topic and could very easily be the only resource one would need to build a foley stage or foley room.  In addition, practical tips on recording foley, from what materials and props to buy to what to wear when performing foley is given in vivid detail.

Interestingly, before Viers launches into the second half of the book, which covers an astounding variety of sound effect categories and how to record them, he first address the “importance of a detailed database.”  This portion, Chapter 16, lays out the foundation of file naming and categorization.  One might ask, why put this chapter before the actual recording process?  Doesn’t the naming part of sound effects come after one records and edits that sounds?  The answer is that a thorough understanding of how to title and catalog sounds is extremely important when you are editing and producing the actual files.  Because, creating a distinct naming structure while processing the sounds saves vast amounts of time in the end.  For example, if you were to record and cut 100 footstep sounds, for example, and simply named them “tennis shoe 1, “ “tennis shoe  2” etc. you would most likely have to go back and rename the files to include their broader category and description.  As suggested by Viers, instead, a more appropriate and useful name from the onset would be “FOOTSTEPS TENNIS SHOE SINGLE STEP LEFT HARD WOOD FLOOR 01.”   Viers lists the exact elements of this name structure which include, in this order:  Category, Noun, Verb, Description, Number.  The brilliance of this method is that it includes the category, description, and keywords in the title of the sound itself.  This means that in terms of meta-data there is literally only the need for the title, as opposed title, category, description, and keywords.  If you have catalogued sound effects before, then you understand what a perfect solution this is to supplying metadata with the least amount of hassle.  If you have not cataloged sound effects yet, then I suggest employing Viers’ method.

The final half of the book, beginning with Chapter 17, throws down massive amounts of spectacularily usable information for actually making specific types of sound.  Termed “The Sound Effects Encyclopedia,” the remaining portions of the book are dedicated to discussing in great detail how to go about finding and recording all categories of sounds, whose broad categories include:  Ambience,  Animal, Cartoon, Crash, Crowd, Emergency, Electronic, Explosion, Fire, Foley, Foostep, Horror, Household, Human, Impact, Industrial, LFE, Multimedia, Musical, Office, Science Fiction, Technology, Vehicle, Warfare, Water, and Weather.  Each main category, furthermore, includes sub-categories. For instance, the Horror effects category includes tips on how to create Blood Drips (add flour to water to create a more viscous liquid which sounds like blood), Flesh Rips, Guillotine, Knife Hacking at Body, Monsters, Vegetable Abuse, and Werewolf Transformation.  As one can see, simply be reviewing the titles of the subcategories, there is an absolute wealth of practical sound effect creation information within Viers’ sound encyclopedia.

The Sound Effects Bible is an invaluable resource for any person interested in doing sound design.  Simply following the tips, techniques, and expert information provided in the book will lead a determined sound designer toward the creation and ownership of a valuable professional sound library that can generate income for years through licensing.  For any professors or teachers of sound design out there, you could literally develop an entire college level course on sound design using this book alone.  My only wish is that I could turn back time and somehow have read this book before embarking on my own sound career, as it would have saved me some headaches and unnecessary effort.  However, as I’ve stated above, the book is still a solid resource of inspiration now and for years to come as I continue down the path of professional sound design.

Author, Adam A. Johnson

About the author: Adam A. Johnson is a music composer who owns and operates Architect of Sound ™, a music company that provides custom music scoring and sound design for Film/TV/New Media projects both in the U.S. and abroad with clients in Canada, Ireland, Haiti, Egypt, and Dubai.  Credits include the United Nations, Aquafina-Pepsico, the National Endowment for the Arts, US Customs, Exxon, NYC Mayor Bloomberg and more. Additional services include sonic branding, foley, audio sweetening and mixing, and music supervision. He also owns and operates the sound effects library SFXsource.com.

Have you ever wondered how sound effects are created? Some people imagine that you need sound processors and compressors taking up half your room. But it is not really so. In this article I want to show some curious stories from the world of sound effect design. First however, I should try to explain what a sound effect is. Firstly, it is an aural sensation; secondly, it is an acoustic wave. Sound effects are used to warn about dangers, navigation and communication. If you want to learn how to make sound effects, you have to experiment with aural sensations. Can you remember the needle and balloon practical joke? A great way of scaring someone. Simple and easy to make. A loud sound is created by releasing air under pressure emitting a low-frequency sound similar to an explosion. This explains why the victim is so frightened. Much safer than using an actual stick of dynamite for the same purpose.

Jet Engine Sound:

The first example of my experiments with sound effects is how I discovered (accidentally) how to recreate the sound of a jet engine. One day I was designing an NPC for a certain game project and I was hard pressed to come up with some new ideas. Then I just grabbed a blank sheet of paper, folded it in half and dragged it across the wall. It made a sound like a jet engine and a flying F-16. This experiment saved me having to go to an air show to record a real fighter jet sound.

Sound example no. 1 – Fighter jet

Sound of leaves:

That is not the last thing you can do with a sheet of paper. You may be familiar with the Japanese art of origami. After watching a Prison Break episode where Michael Scofield uses the art of origami to send information I attempted to make a “prison break origami duck”. Obviously, it turned out to be much harder than it would seem, so I tried and tried again to make the goddam duck. Having just failed with another prototype duck, I crumpled it between thumbs and forefingers. A few moments later the sheet became useless, but I got a sound similar to that made when moving through tall grass.

Capturing the sound of moving through leaves

Sound Example nr 2 – sound of moving through leaves

Sound of ice freezing or unfreezing:

And now for something different. A riddle maybe? What sound does a slowly torn glued paper make? The sound that annoys you at night, but is close to you when you are hungry. A sound that comes from a fridge. Depending on how quickly you tear the paper, it makes the sound of freezing or unfreezing.

Sound Example nr 3 – sound of freezing or unfreezing

Sound of flesh ripping and tearing:

For the next example we will use a lemon cut in half. Crushing it in your hand will produce the sounds of tearing flesh or a bullet or weapon digging into it.

Sound Example nr 4 – Sound of tearing flesh

Sound of bones breaking:

And another vegetable example. Have you ever wondered how sound designers generate the sounds of broken bones? Worry not, no arms or legs need to be broken in the creation of these sounds. A piece of leek will suffice. The sound changes depending on whether you brake the stem or twist the leaves. It can also be achieved with the use of a carrot.

Sound Example 4.5 – sound of bones cracking, using a carrot.

Squishing a lemon to create the sound effect of ripping flesh

Sound of a flamethrower

As a kid I used to play a game called “Alien vs predator” with my friends. If you played it, you may remember the sound of a flame-thrower. It is rather simple to recreate, though not as safe as squashing lemons. All you need is a spray deodorant and lighter… The sound may need to be repeated, as a real flame-thrower flames longer than our home-made variety.

Making Sound Effects for Games – Sword clanks etc.

When I was making sound effects for a browser based strategy game Spellarena I had to recreate some medieval sounds, such as a sword cut. I could not record the sounds at the Grunwald medieval fair (the yearly July 1410 Battle of Grunwald reconstruction), because I was working on the game in August and time travel is sadly unavailable. I pondered the problem of recreating these sounds in the studio for quite some time. The swish of a sword came from a two-meter feeder cable, while at the same time I was making attempts to record the sounds of two forks and a kitchen knife clashing together.  When I finished recording I was actually quite astonished with the final effect. It was surprisingly lifelike.

Sounds of magic spells:

Now for some magic. Personally, I love to play a spellcasting character in fantasy games, so making sound effects for a mage in Spellarena was pure pleasure. The sound of a ring of fire can be created by quickly huffing into the microphone (adding some reverb will help make sound sounds more “fantasy”). Similarly, a firewall sound is created by slowly huffing into the microphone and editing sound in reverse.

Spellarena Video

When making sound effects for the MMORPG Krai Mira, my task was to create the sounds of one of the opponents – a mutant from the ruins of a dead city, which carried a heap of junk on its body. For making the sounds of its movement I used a lot of cutlery shaken in a container for drying dishes. The sound of a hitting cap was a combination of the sounds of a two-meter feeder cable and a small pot lightly hit with a hammer.

In the Krai Mira universe we can encounter one more strange creature – a Helicer. This acid-spitting insect is quite a threat for a young traveler. To recreate the sound made by its four legs I combined the sound of scissors and a matchbox waved up and down.

One of the most difficult sounds I had to record for the Krai Mira project was the sound of a metal trap shutting and opening. I needed to use a garlic press and a large cheese press. Having recorded both sounds I had to combine them in Audacity and set high frequency (14 to 16 khz).

Sound of huge lighting rigs coming on

To make the sound of lighting up large old lamps used in cinemas I used a cigarette lighter, adding some reverb to the sound with 1.5 second decay and set up low frequency (100 hz)

Sound Example nr 5 – switching on huge lighting

Sound of walking on swampy terrain

One of the sound effects I had to create for the Krai Mira was the sound of walking over swampy terrain. To recreate this sound you really do not need to take the recorder out on a rainy day, or make a homemade swamp in a potted plant. All you have to do is slowly squeeze a wet rag with your fist.

Metal stacking sounds

Metal blinds are great for making the sounds for a game’s main or loading menu which shows moving metal elements. To record this sound you have to drag your finger quickly from the top to the bottom of the bind. This method can also be used for making sound effects accompanying some robot animations, such as a dragonfly robot’s wings.

Making a sound like an old recording

To bring your sound effects back to the 30s or  make it sound like from an old radio, you have to adjust the Equalizer in Audacity to the middle band ( 1 khz – 3 khz ) and turn off the high and lower band (see image)

Making a sound effect sound like it's from a very old recording

Sounds of static electricity

And now for some physics. On winter days you may experience electric sparks jumping from your fingers to metal objects. To record the sound of this spark you have to rub two blankets together and then slowly move the blanket towards the microphone. You can use your own hair instead of one of the blankets, but be warned that after a few charges your haircut will look like Beethoven’s or Shopenhauer’s. After doing the recording it is advised to earth your electrostatic charge by touching a radiator, so as not to damage your sound equipment. A stronger spark sound can be recorded from a kitchen stove lighter.

Sound of a Star Wars pneumatic / hydraulic door opening or closing

Star Wars?! Are you kidding?

Some sound effects are actually quite easy to make, although most people just do not know how to make them. For example the sound of a door opening in Star Wars. You just plug one nostril and blow air from the other one. Simple, is it not? As long as you do not have a cold.

A sound of a door streight from an SF movie can also be made by adjusting the height of a computer chair or with kitchen furniture (thanks to the kitchen cabinet door air spring).

Sound Example nr 7 – sounds of scifi doors

Being a sound designer is sometimes funny, because every day, even while doing shopping, I think of how various sounds can be recreated in the studio. If you have just started dabbling in sound effects or are looking for ideas to create a sound or sound background, let me give you a piece of advice. Before you start creating the sounds for any material, see it with no sounds and try to imagine the sound you would like to add to it. Write down all your ideas in a notebook, so you do not have to waste time trying to remember them.

Creating the sound effect of a parachute opening

Finally, I will reveal how to make the sound of a parachute opening, by giving you another riddle. You may not like to carry it around, but it sure helps on a rainy day. Good luck !

Piotr Koczewski

About the author:  Piotr Koczewski started working in game development in 2006 as a Musician and Sound Designer. In 2008 he released an ambient music album inspired by post-nuclear SF, called “Wasteland Theme”. He co-organized in 2009 the Video Games Live concert in Poland. You can listen Piotr`s music at his website www.piotrkoczewski.com

My 5 days trip to Holland took me from the hustle and bustle of the streets of Amsterdam, where electric trams constantly zig-zag the city and no matter where you turn, there is a great “crowd buzz”, 24 hours a day. To the countryside of Northern Holland, in and around Harlingen, this northern harbor town and it’s surrounding farmland with a great variety of farm animals.

On the downside, though, Holland surely has to be the most windy place in Europe, and in particular so, the northern districts, in and around Friesland. It seemed that no matter what I tried to record, be it a goat bleat, a sheep bah or a cow mooing, I was struggling hard to keep wind from blowing directly onto my microphones.

Sure, I used a wind muffler, but it only helps to some degree. When the wind is blowing as strong and as persistently as this, wind will constantly get directly onto the microphone and regular wind mufflers just won’t help you. You’ll need a LOT of patience and try to come up with imaginative ways of capturing your sounds without having it ruined by “wind mic boom” noise. Trying to record the sound of an old musical box playing in the streets of Harlingen, I may have looked a bit odd with my microphone sticking out underneath my T-shirt, while holding my coat up to either side, seemingly trying to look like Batman, the caped crusader. But it did help me — I was in fact able to capture a good sound of this “musical caravan”.

Of course, another perpetual enemy of the sound recordist, is people talking. Or “yapping”, which is the word you’re most likely to think of when you’re trying to record the sound of a great fireworks display, only to have people standing next to you discussing where to go for dinner afterward. It’s not always easy or possible to simply move to another spot where there are no people close up — especially during “public events” where people just seem to be crowding around in every corner you can possibly get to

I’m sure other sound recorders and sound engineers will recognize themselves in these situations. There’s no real way around them, other than to try, try, and try again. You’ll need patience, a good wind muffler, and the ability to ignore other people staring at you, wondering what this weird individual is doing, sprawled out on the sidewalk like some tent, trying to stop wind, and people, from ruining your field recording.

Either way, despite the usual problems — perhaps worse than usual because of the windy nature of the areas I was trying to record in — I did manage to get some pretty good sounds of people crowds, amusement faires, casino ambiences, goats, cafe crowds and more. All of these are of course now available to purchase at http://www.1Soundfx.com