Sound Effects Article Roundup #3

Not working during the holidays? Have some time? Want to read about sound?

I actually look forward to travelling during the holidays. It gives me time to catch up on reading sound effects blogs.

Here are sound-related articles I’ve enjoyed:

Contents hide

Articles & Blog Posts

A few months ago a question on socialsounddesign.com asked which sounds were becoming extinct. I commented, mentioning the affect of civilization on marine life. That’s how Stemming the Rise of a Sea of Noise from the New York Times caught my eye. It examines attempts to fight noise pollution underwater, and includes a heat map of sound in oceans. What I found interesting is that it was by expressing noise pollution in a visual form that people became mobilized.

Once you see the pictures, the serious risk that ocean noise poses to the very fabric of marine life becomes impossible to ignore.
This article from Mix Magazine is a bit older, but essential. It describes how legendary Hollywood field recordists John Fasal and Eric Potter capture sound effects for film.

I think of mics like brushes. They’re all good for different things, and certain combinations of mics and recorders are magical.
The Mix article discusses ways Fasal and Potter get permission, and interest, to record sound effects in challenging locations. Two interesting posts on socialsounddesign.com explore the idea further (discussion one, discussion two).
Confused at the difference between “professional” and “consumer” line level? This brief article demystifies line level terms, and explains how line-level works.

The Noise Jockey blog has been around for quite some time. He’s been writing more lately, and I’ve been appreciating his recordings, reviews, and observations on sound. Well-written and concise.
The Soundworks Collection is a slick website that shares well-produced video interviews about Hollywood film sound and sound crew.

Timothy Muirhead of Azimuth Audio writes about the Sound Collector’s Club. The Club is a cool concept: a field recording theme is presented, then recordists strike out to capture those sound effects. You pay £20 and have access to everyone’s efforts. The blog post explains the idea in depth, its appeal in addition to collecting clips, and the need to spread this compelling idea. I’m now a member, and I’m looking forward to contributing in the new year.

Want to back up your recordings in the field without lugging a laptop computer around? The Noise Jockey blog reviews the NextoDI NVS1501, which is designed to do back up your media on the go. When I travel and record, I often fill my 722’s hard drive. This could help. It’s now on my wish list.

Frank Bry describes how he conceived, recorded and mastered explosion sound effects. For those of you wishing to master loud or brief, dynamic sounds, Frank’s screenshots of plug-in settings is illuminating.
Tamas Dragon shares a fast and dirty one-minute method to add beef to your explosions.

Colonel Chris Hadfield returns from the International Space Station with an ambient sound effect recording of the US Lab module.

Frank Bry offers a free, custom Mauser 6.5×300 Weatherby rifle sound effect. Lots of punch!
Frank also shares his “Crazy Sound of the Year,” pigs feeding sound clips.

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