So, this is the end of the amazing special of Charles Maynes. We hope you enjoyed it as we did. Here are the answers to the reader questions: Designing Sound Reader: Hi Charles, I see you have done loads of weapons recording, I dont have any experience of that but I would love to try it. Do you ever use analogue tape to record gun/explosion sounds? CM: I have not I must … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Gun Recording Thoughts for 2010
I hope you folks found some of my experiences entertaining, and more so helpful in your problem solving, so in the spirit of such fellowship I wanted to share some thoughts and experiences in my recording weapons and explosions for Films and Games. Chuck Russom, whom I consider a great sound designer, already spent some time discussing many of the logistical and creative … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Weapons SFX Recording and Design
Here's another interesting article published some years ago by Charles Maynes, this time on Gamasutra, talking about his approach on weapon sound effects recording and design. Some things have changed in Charles' process, but it's a worth reading anyway. Check: The romantic notion of sound design is what gets a lot people into film and game sound; that idea of creating sounds … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 3] – “Twister” and “Starship Troopers”
![Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 3] – “Twister” and “Starship Troopers”](https://designingsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SciFi_Superhero_Sound2-150x150.jpg)
These two films were a toss in the deep end of the pool for my sound editing career. Stephen Hunter Flick, who supervised both films through his sound house “Creative Cafe” had me as one of his staff editor /designers and being surrounded by titans of the film sound editing community, I have to say I was pretty much in awe most of the time. Since I am now writing this 13 years … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Worldizing
Some years ago, MPEG published a very interesting article of Charles Maynes talking about his approach on the use of the worldizing technique: For some of us in sound and music circles, “worldizing” has long held a special sense of the exotic. Worldizing is the act of playing back a recording in a real-world environment, allowing the sound to react to that environment, and then … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 2] – “S. Darko” and “Mystery Men”
![Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 2] – “S. Darko” and “Mystery Men”](https://designingsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SciFi_Superhero_Sound1-150x150.jpg)
The tales of inept wannabe super heroes and a mysterious girl named Samantha Darko. Wow what a different set of films- but they landed in the brief for this little travelogue, so sit back and enjoy a scenic and hopefully entertaining trip. Mystery Men, a big screen rendition of the Dark Horse Comic book of the same name- Delightfully insane with a comic all-star cast … [Read more...]
Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 1] – "Spider-Man" and "Fantastic Four"
![Charles Maynes Special: Sound for Sci-Fi/Superhero Films [Part 1] – "Spider-Man" and "Fantastic Four"](https://designingsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/SciFi_Superhero_Sound-150x150.jpg)
The films Spider-Man and Fantastic Four were tour-de-forces of creativity, both visually and sonically. The superhero franchise is really one of the venues for sound design that can be both fun and challenging due to the character flaws and traits of the protagonist, and the usually insanely busy nature of the story and how it takes the heros from the relatively typical, to the … [Read more...]