July 2nd, 2009
When working with a composer, producers and directors are at times hesitant and unsure of how to communicate their musical ideas. Some feel they lack the proper terminology or method to communicate with composers and musicians. I always tell them not to worry, convey their ideas as they see fit, and encourage open communication without restriction. I’m here to say to all editors and producers, there is no strict means of speaking about musical ideas to a composer. Your ears and voice are all you need, and perhaps a willingness to follow some of the suggestions below.
1. Trust your vocabulary: Don’t be hesitant to describe the music you need for your production in your terms. There is no “special” vocabulary that composers use that you lack. Simply use descriptive terms to describe the music you need, such as “organic,” “scary,” “romantic,” “funny,” etc. A good composer will understand your references.
2. Use examples: Even better than adjectives, example tracks of music similar to what you want in your video is a very effective means of communicating. Send a handful of tracks that convey the same genre or mood of the music that you are seeking for your film.
3. Trust your ears: Just because you make video and a composer makes music doesn’t mean the composer is the authority on “good” music. Your like or dislike of a particular piece of music is just as valid as the composer’s. Say so.
4. Give time: Make sure you think about the music early. This will make the process of acquiring great audio easier. If a good composer has to get something out in one day due to lack of planning, its certainly possible but not ideal. Instead, a week, a month, or even several months will give good breathing room for the musical ideas to grow and for multiple re-edits to occur.
5. Lock your picture: Finally, one of the best ways to communicate effectively with a composer or sound designer is to make sure your video or film is as locked as possible before requesting specifically timed pieces. Communication can break down if you’re changing the timing of certain scenes and cuts after you’ve given instructions to your composer on specific time changes.
Tags: audio, composer, composers, music for film, music for video
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May 26th, 2009
The H2 handheld recorder made by Zoom is a great little resource for recording sound effects. With this simple unit, any novice can quickly and easily begin gathering raw audio for sound effect creation. On the upside, the unit is cheap, small, light weight, and simple to use. It starts quickly for off the cuff recording and its small size allows it to be used without drawing attention. It records up to 96k and 24 bit, allowing professional quality, and also permits surround sound recording. In addition, the mic can be used in tandem with any DAW, such as Logic Pro, via USB input for live audio input. Finally, it employs AA batteries and therefore there is no risk of running low on power, assuming you’ve got an ample supply of batteries. On the downside, the mid range of its recordings tends to be a bit high and the recording button must be pushed twice to start recording. If only pushed once, the unit simply goes into recording standby mode. If the user is unaware of this, a valuable recording opportunity could be missed. All in all, however, the H2 Zoom is an excellent buy for the money and good enough to build a sound effect library for professional download.
Tags: H2 Zoom, recorders, recording audio, sound effect, sound effects
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May 18th, 2009
Free Sound Effects and Loops is a website that provides completely free sound effects and loops for download. Categories include ambiance sounds, animal sounds, combat sounds, home and office sounds, human sounds, nature sounds, object sounds, sports sounds, tool sounds, vehicle sounds, and loops. Sounds are available to download with a simple right click. Recently, we have uploaded a free batch of free funk loop .mp3 files for your use in media productions. Just go to Free Loops to check them out!
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April 16th, 2009
Editing your raw audio recordings into professional quality sound effects is the step that takes place after the initial recording period. Hunt down an audio editing software that has eqs, the ability to cut audio, normalization, and fade in/out capabilites. You may use either a freeware readily found online or purchase one of the many digital audio workstations (DAW) available on the web.
First import all of your raw .wav recordings into the software of your choice. Try to import 40 or so for efficiency, though you may attack one at a time, and solo each track for editing which mutes all tracks except the one with which you are working. Now you are ready to edit your sounds and then bounce them into completed sound effects. The following points will assist the quality and efficiency of your work.
1. The first step is to normalize each sample. This makes the audio as loud as possible by increasing the amplitude of the highest point on your recording to the highest point possible.
2. Next, cut out unwanted frequencies that degrade the quality of your sound by using eqs. For instance, an unwanted air conditioning sound may be interfering with a bird chirp. To get rid of the unwanted AC simply apply a high pass filter around 2,000 Hz which will kill the AC noise but preserve the higher frequencies of the bird chirp sound effect.
3. After cleaning and amping the audio next find a clean break with which to start each particular sound effect and make a fade out or let the natural reverb of the sound fade out by itself for 1-2 seconds.
5. Mix down a 48k 24bit stereo .wav file to be used for video productions. Such 48k 24bit stereo files earn the most money as they are valued by video editors and producers for their higher quality.
5. Make as many versions of each sound recording as possible to increase your number of products. For example, if you have a dog barking 20 times then create sound effects with one bark, three barks, six barks, 10 barks etc. switching up the combinations of barks. This could easily give you 50 or more sound effects from just that one sequence of dog barks.
6. You can further increase your number of effects by using pitch shift or other filters on each sound sample. For instance, the sound of a stream can be pitch shifted up to make it sound lighter and less tumultuous and pitch shifted down to make it sound larger and deeper.
With a little knowledge of audio editing, simply follow the above advice to transform your audio samples into professional quality sound effects for licensing in media productions.
SFXsource publishes articles on a variety of intriguing topics, has a sound effects library at Sound Effects and offers vast amounts of royalty free production music which can be heard at Royalty Free Music
Tags: Add new tag, downloadable sound effects, loops, royalty free, royalty free music, sound effect, sound effects, sound samples, sounds affect
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April 2nd, 2009
The audio side of video is often not well recorded due to small production budgets and short time frames. Therefore, during post-production, producers can be assaulted by a series of previous sonic missteps. An annoying rumble or hum in the low end is a common problem in audio recorded for video.
Certainly many of the software plugins on the market that filter out noise work very well. Though, under a tight deadline, it may prove impossible to seek out, purchase, and learn the functions of whatever new plugins you may find. As an easy alternative, use the standard eq and reverb plugins provided in your video or audio software.
Use these procedures in tandem with your default plugins to help rid your audio recording of unnecessary and distracting noise:
First, use a Single Band EQ to try and cut out the offensive hum. This type of EQ will cut out all sound below or above a certain frequency. For example, since low rumbles generally occur around 60 Hz, you can use a Single Band EQ to cut out everything below 80 Hz which will remove the hum without adversely affecting the dialog.
Next, target a very small width of the offending sound spectrum by using a Parametric EQ and “notching,” which decreases a certain frequency and its octaves such as 80 Hz, 160 Hz, and 320 Hz. One preserves the surrounding audio by being able to target a small area of audio.
Next, a Parametric EQ can also be used to boost the wanted audio. Boosting the desired frequencies will give them prominence over the unwanted noise and thus redirect the listener’s attention from the noise. For instance, put a small hump in around 5 Khz will amp the human voice over a lower rumble.
Fourth, once the low end has been cut or minimized, use a bit of reverb on the entire mix. This creates a sonic wash of sorts and reduces the “tin can” effect that can be created by cutting out the low end.
Following the above strategies may not completely erase all problems associated with bad audio, but they can improve the quality of the product when unwanted noise and dialog are competing for attention in the mix. These strategies can also be employed when editing fresh audio such as sound effects for professional ends.
Check out SFXsource’s sound effect library and hear great sound effects and production tracks at Sound Effects Library and download free sound effects and music loops at Free Sound Effects and Loops
Tags: audio sweetening, eq, equalization, sound editing, sound effects, sound samples
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March 16th, 2009
In order to be a music composer for film, television, and media one needs to have audio skills beyond instrumental and composition ability. While being able to compose music beautifully on an instrument is a fantastic talent, it is not enough in terms of creating a career in music composition. There are many other audio related skills which follow that are vital to a working music composer that should be mastered by any newcomer looking to break into the game.
1. Study music theory to learn the ins and outs of time signatures, tempos, and scales. The ability to play the flute or banjo are fine talents, but understanding the theory of the music you play will give you the proficiency to adapt or reconfigure your pieces to fit the requirements of a particular project in music composition.
2. Be familiar with all musical genres so that you are not limited in your work.. Its fine to have a distinct style or favorite type of music, but in order to be a professional composer for media one needs the knowledge and flexibility to compose in all genres since it is impossible to predict what a client may request. No one wants a composer who says that they cannot write something.
3. Purchase and learn to use a DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation. You will be able to record and edit your music whenever you like by using any of the plentiful software DAWs on the market, vital skills under a strict deadlines for a working composer.
5. Gain expertise in mixing your audio tracks. Having to schedule and afford a third party audio engineer or studio to mix your tracks can be costly and time wasting. Say time and funds by becoming an audio mixing expert and out pace other competing composers who have no audio skills and are bogged down with hiring someone else.
5. Become a mastering ninja. As with the initial audio mixing of your music, finding and hiring an audio house to master your tracks for deliver is wasteful in terms of time and money. Taking classes or studying the mastering of audio on your own will tease out the sweetness and power of your tracks and make your clients very happy and keep them coming back for more!
6. Learn the legal language of music licensing. A familiarity with the legal aspects of music licensing will allow you to respond intelligently and swiftly to any proposals by eager clients who are ready to pay you for your work. Understand the nuances and power of royalty free music licensing.
These abilities will enable a hopeful music composer to gain the professionalism, efficiency, and flexibility vital in the competitive career of music composition.
Visit SFXsource’s sound effect catalog and hear fantastic sound effects at Sound Effects Library and search huge amounts of royalty free production music at Royalty Free Music
Tags: music composer, Music Production, royalty free music, sound effects, sound samples
Posted in Careers in Audio | No Comments »
March 4th, 2009
There are may different types of sound effects available as single downloads. Some are free, some are royalty free, some are expensive, others are cheap. While many web surfers on a tight budget may tout free sound effects as fantastic material, this posting exposes some of the differences between free sound effects and the benefits of sound effects that one actually buys a license to use, called “royalty free.” While the purchase is often less than a cup of coffee, the difference in quality between “free” and “royalty free” can be astronomical, not to mention much safer from a legal perspective.
1. Quality: Professionally produced sounds that cost money have all been made by experienced sound designers with professional recording equipment and edited with skill and expertise. All such sounds have “qualified,” so to speak, and passed muster as high-quality sounds worthy of use in anything from amateur productions to Hollywood films. In contrast, often sounds on certain free sites are not edited well and contain noise, distortion, clips, pops or a very high signal to noise ratio. When nearly anyone can upload sounds you’re going to get a wide range of quality and alot of it is not so good. Sure, there are some great clips on free sites but they are often not easy to find and inordinate amounts of time can be wasted combing through thousands of sfx of negligible quality.
2. Bit rate and format: When you license a sound from a professional library for a few bucks you often get three choices of 48k .aiff files, 44.1 .wav files, or an .mp3. The 48k .aiffs are ready to go for video editing and there is no need to re-render one’s timeline when converting from a 44.1 to a 48k. In contrast, free sites generally offer only .wavs and .mp3s and I’ve never seen a 48k sample offered for free, though they may be out there somewhere.
3. Redundancy: With huge free sites you can type in “dog bark” and get 1,000s of low to mid quality dog barks which can take ages to sift through, not fun in the midst of a tight deadline. With professional libraries, only the best “dog barks” have been selected and while the choices are numerous, they are not so overwhelming as to take an entire afternoon to wade through.
4. Legality - with professional libraries the licensing agreements have been sorted out before hand and contracts between artists and providers already signed and a licensee can rest assured that their rights are secure in the use of the sound and that no copyright infringement will take place. With “Creative Commons” use this is not guaranteed. Creative Commons is not a free-for-all blanket license to use all the sounds on WhateverFreeStuff.org in whatever manner one chooses. In fact, when using a sound through a Creative Commons license you need to attribute the source of the sample which means placing the attribution in the credits of your project, on your webpage etc. for every sound used. Also, you CAN”T use the files for commercial purposes, as certain free sites specifically state on their websites. So, if anyone has used free sounds in a commercial production they are at risk of getting sued if the creator of the sound should find out.
Professionally created and marketed sound effects are a worthy and valuable product and the pro sound designers who put hard work into creating them deserve credit and pay for their work. Grabbing some free audio off of junkaudio.org for a personal YouTube project is fine, but for media professionals and those involved in the commercial side of video and media production, obtaining a rock solid legal use of a professionally produced high quality 48k sfx is by far the way to go … especially when the cost to license one of these sounds is literally that of a sandwich.
Tags: downloadable, downloads, free sound effects, royalty free sound effects, sound effects, sound fx, sounds
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March 2nd, 2009
In today’s internet driven society, a music composer’s main window to the world is their website. Your website will serve you in many ways including acting as your twenty-four/seven all-purpose representative, hosting excerpts of your music and information about yourself and your work. A web page is crucial to fostering a healthy musical career in the 21st century. Below are listed some chief things to incorporate into any composer’s new website.
1. When choosing the design for your site make sure to consider ease of use so that visitors can navigate your site easily.
2. Display your activity by posting dates of recent and upcoming performances of your work.
3. Keep an up-to-date catalog of your work online. This allows performers or promoters of music to see if your catalog includes something that interests them.
4. Provide both a brief and full biography on separate pages detailing people you’ve worked with, press clippings, etc. You’ll be surprised how often a short biography these come in handy.
5. Post no less than three music excerpts of your work for listeners to demo as easily accessible .mp3s.
6. Social networking sites are active arenas of musical activity so post links in profiles on such sites. Participate in the action!
7. Use professional and easy to remember contact information/email address. That means you should ditch that old guitarhero99 at hotmail.com email address you’ve had since you were thirteen and simply go with your formal name or business name.
8. Edit some of your tracks into usable 30 second and 1 minute lengths for licensing as royalty free music.
A website that meets the guidelines mentioned above will undoubtedly boost your career. As a final note however, remember that while your website’s goal is to portray you as a pro in the field don’t be afraid to show a bit of your stellar personality. Professionalism is great, but you are most likely to be successful if you also interest people in a personal way.
Go forth and prosper!
Check out SFXsource’s sound effect library and demo grehere, sound effects here, Sound Effects and review vast amounts of royalty free production music here, Royalty Free Music
Tags: audio mixing, audio post, music composer, Music Production, royalty free music, royalty free sound effects, sound effect, sound effects, sound effects to download, sounds effect, web design
Posted in Careers in Audio | No Comments »
December 10th, 2008
The difference between a fantastic piece of music and a mediocre one often has nothing to do with the actual melody or music itself. Often, one music tracks sounds much better than another simply because it has a professional final mix while the other has been sloppily recorded and thrown together without skill or experience. Creating a great mix is simply a matter of knowing what to do and the following tips will assist.
1. Use the most professional sounding recordings and sound samples to build your track in the first place. Bad audio recordings is the surest way to have a terrible sounding track.
2. Cut separate areas for each instrument within the audio spectrum by using EQ. For example, keep the bass drum and bass guitar from getting muddy by cutting out all frequencies below 80Hz on the bass drum track.
3. Create a nice stereo field by panning some instruments. While the bass drum and guitar should stay in the center to give the track stability, other elements such as cymbals and strings can be panned to add depth and sonic intrigue.
4. Understand and use compression to give clout to presence to each instrument. Tracks sound weak and lame without compression and is often a main difference between professional and amateur sounding tracks.
5. Compare the overall sound of your track next to favorite CDs in the same genre before you master. Make sure your track sounds as close to possible as the professionally made track and if it doesn’t, then figure out why and correct.
6. During mastering, or the final mix, use a limiter to crunch down the highest peaks of the recording, allowing you to bring up the level of the entire mix without distorting.
After you’ve mixed down to CD, play your fresh new track in a variety of speaker systems to make sure it holds up in all listening environments.
SFXsource writes articles on a variety of interesting subjects, hosts a sound effects library here, Sound Effects and offers huge numbers of royalty free production music which can be heard here, Royalty Free Music
Tags: audio mixing, audio post, Music Production, royalty free music, royalty free sound effects, sound effect, sound effects, sound effects to download, sounds effect
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December 10th, 2008
A sonic logo is essentially a short jingle or audio identity used for brand development that is generally between 3 and 7 seconds long. In essence, it is the use of sound to convey the personality and values of a brand. Companies, associations, and brands use sonic logos to build awareness of their services and apply them across a wide array of sonic touchpoints including television, radio, the web, and mobile technology.
While the creation of the sonic logo itself is a matter of musicians and sound designers working in the studio, there are actually other steps to consider before a single note or sound is recorded. Research into the character and history of the brand is very necessary and precludes any studio work. The creators must determine who the brand is exactly so that the final sonic logo will accurately depict the brand’s identity. There are several basic steps in the process of creating a sonic logo that follow.
1. In order to begin the process of creating the sonic logo, one must first determine the core values of the brand. For example, is the brand environmentally aware, conservative, or part of a particular cultural movement?
2. Secondly, research the sonic history of the company to how sound or music has been used in the past to reflect the identity of the brand. Past use of sound could prove as a springboard for inspiration or a direction not to take if the company is unhappy with past sonic elements.
3. Third, determine what audio ambience or sound effects might work to convey the values of the brand. An technology company, for example, may have computer or data sounds incorporated into some sort of futuristic melody.
4. Then, determine if this sonic logo will use a vocal line. Is the logo just going to have a musical melody or something such as “Um um good?”
5. Lastly, be sure that all of the sonic logos you create are memorable and original since its main function is to identify one specific brand.
The tips above give media professionals a basic description of the necessary element in creating a sonic logo. Regardless of how you create your sonic logos, be absolutely sure that they are unique from anything done before and that the brand you are working for are happy with their new audio identity. By achieving these two things you’ve reached sonic logo success!
SFXsource writes articles on a variety of interesting subjects, hosts a sound effects catalog at Sound Effects and hosts vast amounts of royalty free production music which can be heard at Royalty Free Music
Tags: audio mixing, audio post, Music Production, royalty free music, royalty free sound effects, sonic branding, sonic logo, sound effect, sound effects, sound effects to download, sounds effect
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