Sound Advice: Random Noises (page 2)

Creating Foley is exactly like creating video. In pre-production, you analyze the video to find the sounds that need replaced or enhanced, then gather all the goodies you'll need for the recording. In production, you record the sounds, matching them to the action on the screen. As in video, multiple takes give you options later as you edit. In post-production, you trim the sounds and treat them as needed to get just the right result.

Post is where you can really push your audio editor to the limit. Creating the perfect sound effect often involves blending multiple sounds, altering pitch or duration and tweaking the tonal characteristics of the original sound mix.

For some inspiration, rent Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 1. As with the visuals, the sound effects and Foley are completely over the top. During one fight scene, a group of assassins falls in a heap to the sound of a bowling strike. Pretty funny. I'm not suggesting you layer all your effects that way, but you can create new effects and punctuate others by combining sounds, sometimes from radically different sources.

If this level of sound treatment sounds intimidating, don't worry. Start simple by creating basic sounds that are easy to synchronize to your video. As you build your skills, advance to more adventurous projects. I can't promise you'll be the next Jack Foley, but in time you'll have the tools to easily zap those nasty mutant space monsters.

The big boys can afford to replace virtually every sound in a movie, so it's easy for them to toss reality out the window. We're guessing your productions don't have that kind of budget. Your task is blending real sound and dialog from the shoot with Foley and sound effects you've recorded after the fact. The trick is making it all sound seamlessly real. It starts as you record the sounds. Rather than placing the microphone as close as possible to the sound source, think about how you'd hear the sound in the real world. Something as simple as a telephone ring is always heard from at least arms length, so start by placing your mike there. Too close and it sounds unnatural – too far away and it sounds thin and distant. Experiment until you find the right balance and your replacement sounds will fly by without a hint to their origin.

Ever thought you heard the same sound in different movies? Well, you probably did. Before the digital revolution exploded the number of sound effect libraries available, limited budgets often meant that folks used the same sounds over and over. Here are some fun examples you may recognize:

• From Dracula's Castle to Dr. Frankenstein's lab, why did the lightning (or should we say thunder) always sound the same?
• Have you ever wondered what Australian Kookaburras were doing laughing away in the African (or South American) jungles?
• All soaring birds in cowboy movies make the same cry. Is that a hawk? A vulture? An eagle?
• Have you ever heard a mouse (or a rat) squeak in real life when it wasn't caught in a trap?
• Does your computer beep when you hit Enter? Does it buzz when calculating a particularly difficult problem?

• Digg This!
• del.icio.us
• Technorati
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit