Whenever we add some sort of lo-fi effect to a sound we usually get two things, the removal of some details of the sound and the addition of artifacts. This can be a bunch of different things, like aliasing and quantization error in the case of bit crushing, distortion, speaker emulation, or the more complex artifacts created by data compression (mp3, aac etc.). I'm interested … [Read more...]
Useful Lo-Fi Effects
Lo-fi , or low fidelity, is a degraded reproduction of the original source. For the purposes of this article, we will- not surprisingly- focus on only the audio aspect of low fidelity. The reason it is used in audio so frequently is that it has the ability to simulate and mimic recording techniques and mediums, such as tape and early digital audio. Many audio engineers choose … [Read more...]
EQ as a Sound Design Tool
Ah EQ. The first type of DSP you learned how to use in school to make your sounds clean, bright, warm, etc. EQ is so much more interesting and powerful than just changing tonal balance though and I want to really focus on some of the crazy sound design we can do with an EQ, some by exploiting the DSP going on under the hood that makes an EQ work. I'll be going through some of … [Read more...]
Capturing the Sonic Character of Costa Rica
For anyone that has spent time in Manhattan, the city has its own sonic roar that makes it uniquely identifiable as New York. Pro Sound Effects has released a library, NYC Ambisonics, which embodies this idea and really inspired me as a designer to start using and recording my own ambiences. As a sound designer, traveling has the added benefit of providing the opportunity to … [Read more...]
Making a Plasma Gun from a Beer Can
Designing sounds for really large or complex objects can be really intimidating especially for younger sound designers and those with limited access to sound libraries. I’ll be showing you how I go about breaking down complex sounds into simple little sounds that we can easily access with household objects, and then we will build our complex sound using these techniques. This … [Read more...]
Know Thy Mixer: A guide to adapting your sound editing workflow
Unlike picture editors, whose every cut is projected on the big screen for everyone to see, we as sound editors work with the intangible. There is no right way to edit sound and if done properly, we can get away with a lot. Every project, scene or audio file can provide a unique set of challenges that we as editors have to contend with. “How should I remove that … [Read more...]
The 30-Day SFX Challenge
Sound effects libraries are the essential toolkit of every sound designer: they are convenient and practical. Furthermore, in a time where deadlines seem to get shorter and shorter, why would one bother to hike their way into field recording when we have all the tools we need within a click from our reach? As with every overindulgence, relying on sound effects libraries for too … [Read more...]