Tips for Recording a Sound Effect Library
To create sound effects for a respectable sound effect library one needs an audio recorder of professional quality. A digital recorder the size of a small digital camera will run you between $150 and $400 and will give you the quality you need for sound effects worthy of purchase and licensing. Also, many new recorders run easily on battery power, come with an acceptable T shaped microphone, can store up to 4 gigs of info via a flash card, and utilize USB connection.
Since video has a 48k sample rate then sound effects supplied for video need to be 48k, not the standard 44.1k used for CDS, so any recorder you purchase must be able to record up to 48k quality. If you have a library of 44.1k these samples always have to be up-converted by a video editor and their quality can be compromise. Therefore, do yourself the favor of recording at 48k and you will have a more valuable and usable sound effect collection.
Two basic categories of sound effects to be recorded are "ambiences" and "hits." Hits are single audio events like a burp, splash, or car horn. Ambiences are longer recordings generally between 30 seconds and 10 minutes that contain background sounds such as those found on city streets, in a hotel lobby, or a doctor's office.
Any quality sound effect library needs both types of sound effects so you should be intent on recording both types. Ambiences are the easiest to obtain because they require only being at a location, standing there, and recording. Hits, though, need more planning because you often need to do foley to get what you need or wait around at various locations for the right moment, such as visiting a new mother and her newborn in order to capture that perfect baby cry.
The basics of recording a sound effect is literally as simple as hitting the record button. However, there are several tips to keep in mind in order to get the best recordings possible.
2. Record all of your sounds as "hot" as you can, meaning as loud as possible without overloading the microphone. You need to pull back from your source if you notice a red LED light on your recorder which signals that your incoming signal is too hot. Capturing the strongest signal without distorting is the goal.
2. In order to record sounds with high decibel levels, such as fireworks or loud crowds, buy a 10dB pad which will fit between the digital recorder and your microphone. For $20 purchased online, this pad will lower the incoming signal by 10dB
3. While you want to minimize unwanted sounds and noise in your recordings as much as possible, do not obsess over finding the quietest recording environment because great sound effects can occur unexpectedly such as a beefed up motorcycle cruising by. If you are too uptight about getting that perfect recording environment you will slow yourself down in your efforts to gain content and just remember that you can always filter much background noise from your recordings during the editing process.
4. Protect the microphone with a windscreen or simply keep your recorder out of the wind by using physical barriers such as trees, walls, or even your jacket, because wind hitting the microphone head will ruin your recording efforts. Sometimes wind noise can be cut out during editing with a high pass filter and cutting frequencies below 200-500 khz but for the most part wind will destroy your work.
5. Keep background music from loudspeakers or live performances out of your recordings. Your efforts will be compromised if you inadvertently include music in the background, such as the music played in a restaurant. This music is copyrighted and if it appears in your ambience recordings you will be violating copyright law.
It is the hope of this author that the simple advice in this article will aid new sound effect artists in their efforts to create a worthy sound effect library. New articles on editing distinct sound effects from these recordings, categorizing these new sound effects, and licensing them are forthcoming.
Since video has a 48k sample rate then sound effects supplied for video need to be 48k, not the standard 44.1k used for CDS, so any recorder you purchase must be able to record up to 48k quality. If you have a library of 44.1k these samples always have to be up-converted by a video editor and their quality can be compromise. Therefore, do yourself the favor of recording at 48k and you will have a more valuable and usable sound effect collection.
Two basic categories of sound effects to be recorded are "ambiences" and "hits." Hits are single audio events like a burp, splash, or car horn. Ambiences are longer recordings generally between 30 seconds and 10 minutes that contain background sounds such as those found on city streets, in a hotel lobby, or a doctor's office.
Any quality sound effect library needs both types of sound effects so you should be intent on recording both types. Ambiences are the easiest to obtain because they require only being at a location, standing there, and recording. Hits, though, need more planning because you often need to do foley to get what you need or wait around at various locations for the right moment, such as visiting a new mother and her newborn in order to capture that perfect baby cry.
The basics of recording a sound effect is literally as simple as hitting the record button. However, there are several tips to keep in mind in order to get the best recordings possible.
2. Record all of your sounds as "hot" as you can, meaning as loud as possible without overloading the microphone. You need to pull back from your source if you notice a red LED light on your recorder which signals that your incoming signal is too hot. Capturing the strongest signal without distorting is the goal.
2. In order to record sounds with high decibel levels, such as fireworks or loud crowds, buy a 10dB pad which will fit between the digital recorder and your microphone. For $20 purchased online, this pad will lower the incoming signal by 10dB
3. While you want to minimize unwanted sounds and noise in your recordings as much as possible, do not obsess over finding the quietest recording environment because great sound effects can occur unexpectedly such as a beefed up motorcycle cruising by. If you are too uptight about getting that perfect recording environment you will slow yourself down in your efforts to gain content and just remember that you can always filter much background noise from your recordings during the editing process.
4. Protect the microphone with a windscreen or simply keep your recorder out of the wind by using physical barriers such as trees, walls, or even your jacket, because wind hitting the microphone head will ruin your recording efforts. Sometimes wind noise can be cut out during editing with a high pass filter and cutting frequencies below 200-500 khz but for the most part wind will destroy your work.
5. Keep background music from loudspeakers or live performances out of your recordings. Your efforts will be compromised if you inadvertently include music in the background, such as the music played in a restaurant. This music is copyrighted and if it appears in your ambience recordings you will be violating copyright law.
It is the hope of this author that the simple advice in this article will aid new sound effect artists in their efforts to create a worthy sound effect library. New articles on editing distinct sound effects from these recordings, categorizing these new sound effects, and licensing them are forthcoming.
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In order to hear and download sound effects view SFXsource's collection of sound effects at Download Sound Effects, and Free Sound Effects and Loops
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:50 AM
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