Happy Valentines week everyone! In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, I thought I’d share a production tip on how to create sounds that get your heart pumping. 😉 Have you ever wondered what individual elements can go into the sound design of producing a movie, television program, commercial, or even a voiceover demo? When it comes to audio production, there is quite a bit more that goes into sound design then you may realize.
Layers of sounds are critical in creating interesting, dramatic and/or realistic audio productions. After all, we do not live in a world where only one sound is occurring at a time. Taking environment and locations where different sounds originate (left, right, above and below you, in front and behind you) into consideration are critical when creating a realistic environment. For drama, a sound such as an explosion (for example) often involves a lot more than simply pulling an explosion sound effect out of the sound effects library.
Explosion sound effects are far more exciting when multiple layers of sounds are mixed together. An audio explosion might include one or more impact sounds, the reflected concussion from the impact, the sound of the low end boom and trailing rumble and perhaps even a subtle musical drone may all be layered together to create a dramatic … BOOM!.
Listen to this simple explosion sound effect downloaded straight from the AudioBlocks.com library:
Listen to this explosion which includes 8 separate elements (including the above audio file) each of which can also found on the AudioBlocks.com library:
Now, that is a sound that will get your heart pumping!
Nearly all music requires layers of sounds and instrumentation to create an emotional response in the listener. Sound design is no different. While this was just a simple demonstration, hopefully it provided some insight into another side of our business that you may not have thought about. If you’re a voice talent interested in sound design and audio production, try layering different sounds and hear what you can create. Most importantly … have FUN!!
