Sound Effect Software

#1 Hi Ian

Software like Cubase,Cakewalk,Logic and simular, you mostly use
for music production the only use for them in sfx production should be
if you want a multichannel mixed sfx that you want to mixdown.

What you need is a software like Wavelab,Soundforge,Audacity they are
not multichannel enviroments they are more suited for editing sounds.

But it depends on the specific sfx you should make.
You must still have a recorded sound to edit.

Create soundfx could be done in 1000 ways
If you should go and bang on the pots in your house then you need
a decent mic with good cables and lots of imagination.
To make sounds for a space enviroment , buy a Synthmodul or get some
synth and sampler software there are lots of them out there.

The cheapest solution would be Audiocity its free here is the link
Click


-Billy


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#2 Hi Billy, thats for the info thats good to know. I was wondering if its best to have a pre-recorded sound that you then edit or not, and what the alternative would be. Is it worth looking into some of the royalty free soundpacks that are around, or are they not such a good bet? I am not a sound technician myself, but I just like to be in the know so I can point newcomers to the team in the right direction. ;)

Cheers!
Ian

#3 Some sounds is hard todo, not because of the recording more about
to find the source.
Record sounds like a real ak47 , or a russian mig29 could be hard because
of the source.
But there are lots of soundpacks that have them ,but edit a ak47 to sound
like your own is not a good idea ,some guys get angry if it not sounds real:)

Most sounds you can do yourself if you only listen around you.
Dont think a scratch on a door only could be a scratch on the door
you can make it sound like a moving stone or a arrow flying in the air.
One thing thats really important is not use to much effects like reverbs
and echos , only use them on really special sounds.
But this depends on how you use them , they can sound really good when played alone
but sound really bad when played with another sound with another kind of reverb or echo.

Hope you get some info from this , im not so good at
explaining things.

-Billy

#4 Hey I understand exactly what you mean. Thanks for the info, I know what you mean about gunsounds. Even if you have access to the source, its difficult as you need high quality equipment, so I have been told anyhow. Otherwise the sound effect is corrupted or distorted.

But thats cool, cheers for the info. :)

Ian

#5 Soundforge is great!

#6 Soundforge is the only editor you need to work on the base sound.
i recommend importing raw wavs (raw after editing) and mixing in a mixer with other sounds. careful layering can really give a sound effect depth. good luck!

#7 Hello Ian, explaining sound engineering from the scratch is a little difficult, in a single post :)

There are no "magic softwares" to help you in the task. The only way to have unique quality sounds is to ask a skilled studio to create them... as always, when I give such suggestions... don't ask us!!! :D ask other studios around... heh

#8 In a perfect world you would have the time to foley every instance. I use Sound Forge with the Waves Diamond bundle to cut up and sweaten my sounds. With rushed production schedules and SD as a last minute afterthought I often have to resort to my sound library. Library use can be tricky. To get a good library your looking to spend several thousand dollars. If you're just starting out this may be the way to go though. Get yourself one really good royalty free library and build from there. Just to give you an idead I've got about eighty gigs of just footsteps. It makes production alot faster to be able to grab instances from a reliable library and manipulate them into your project.

#9 A good imagination microfoon and recorder and soundforge can bring you almost everywhere like told.

Will give a quick example. I needed the sound of a sword movement (not a battle, just a swing). A big towel, a shower and a recorder and later on soundforge gave me a nice swing sound.
I think the advise Billy gave you is one of the best. Forget reverb in the beginning, its easy to "mask" certain flaws in the sound or give you a quick and easy effect, but in the end it can sound cheap and you never get really a grip on what the sound is. Train without reverb and if you master that then you can master almost everything :D

Good luck.