Here are a handful of sound effects articles, websites, tutorials, field recordings, and free sound fx from the last while that I found interesting.
Articles & Blog Posts
- A bit burnt out working in sound? In a rut? A brief article in the New York Times examines the difference between hearing and listening. It looks at the distinction by examining how the brain works. Useful for considering sound in an active way.
- hollywoodlostandfound.net has a small corner carved away for film sound. There are interviews about sound for Lawrence of Arabia, Planet of the Apes, and RoboCop.
- In an earlier article on Airborne Sound I mentioned that selling (and buying) used books, DVDs, or CDs skirts mechanical redistribution copyright infringement with something known as the first sale doctrine. Companies such as ReDigi made a business from reselling digital media. A new law has changed that, though. This article from The New York Times explains more.
- Cornell University has recently released their entire sound archive. The library is intended more for research purposes. The site isn’t as fluid as typical a la carte downloadable shops. However, you can’t argue with a 10 GB collection of sound dating from 1929.
Websites
- Interested in a pro audio podcast? I’ve mentioned the Tonebenders podcast here before. They’re still cranking out the episodes. Here’s another one: Everything Sounds. The focus is broad: it includes music as well as sound effects, including episodes on Bernie Krause, sound chambers, and soundwalks. The episodes appear weekly.
- I’ve mentioned field recordist Chris Watson here before: his field recording workshop, and an exhibition he’s assembling. Here’s his personal blog.
- A VST adapter-free list of free plug-ins for Pro Tools.
Tutorials
- Don’t miss Frank Bry’s article on transient enhancement on Designing Sound. Pure gold for those of you working with gunshots or explosions.
- Rene Coronado shares a handy way to navigate through your tracks in Pro Tools while avoiding the tedium of zooming in and out.
Field Recordings
- Sound artist Venzha Christ explores the covert American military base known as Area 51 with an ultrasonic frequency receiver.
Free Sound Effects
- Frank Bry gathers all his “free crazy sound effects” in one blog post. All sounds are available for instant download via the SoundCloud links on that page.
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