Finding the perfect sound can often be quite difficult. However, there are potentially a myriad of interesting sounds at your disposal right there in your house. Quite often these objects are perfect for recreating sounds that you hear at the movies. Also, with a little reverberation, reversing or other manipulation, the possibilities are endless!
Meat
Meat can make many interesting sounds. Experiment with hitting it, dropping it, or squeezing it to get all sorts of alien sounds.
Sticks
Remember when you were a kid and you made those whooshing sounds by waving sticks through the air? Listen to how that sounds like an arrow flying by in a battle.
Sticks are also great for producing all sorts of sounds depending on what you hit with them. Experiment with different surfaces.
A box of cornstarch
A tool no sound engineer should be without. Get that freshly fallen snow squeak by squeezing a box of cornstarch. This can also be used to simulate the sound of walking on hot sand.
Kitchen Foil
Get those futuristic, robotic sounds by rattling a sheet of foil. Also, try stretching the foil over a container to create a kind of drum.
The Toilet
Many of your underwater activities can be simulated by playing with the reverberation on the sound of a toilet flushing. You can also get some interesting sounds by dropping things into water, and pulling them out, although you might want to do this in the sink…
Toys, especially clockwork
The kid’s bedroom is a great place to find buzzes, clinks and whirrs that sound like complex machinery, especially with a little echo added.
Dropping stuff
Silverware onto a metal tray sounds just like glass breaking. Experiment by dropping different objects onto different surfaces and altering the speed of the recordings to create a plethora of interesting sounds.
Balloons
These are a good basis for a fundamental squeak that you can manipulate. Rub them, pop them, and let the air out of them for some often amusing sounds!
Newspaper in a bag
Try putting different things into different kinds of bags and rattling them around, to create sounds similar to walking on grass.
Creaky hinges
Many sound engineers use objects that creak and grind to simulate all sorts of interesting sounds. Look for old wooden objects that you can experiment with.
And finally, biting into an apple…
…sounds remarkably like walking on gravel!
Keep an eye out for everyday objects you can use to create interesting sounds.
