The Recordist High Definition Sound Effects Libraries
Here is the second video from recording the sound of black powder. The audio track in this video is from a MKH-8040ST. Other microphones I used during the sessions were a MKH-416 and a Sanken CSS-5. Recorded over a 2 week period, I was experimenting with a few different types of black powder to see what sounds it would make separately and combined. As you can hear in this demonstration the smokeless kind produces a nice fat flame rumble while … [Read more...]
I want to share what I experienced recording the wind gusts that blew through the ranch this week as it was not as easy as it I thought it was going to be. From inside the house I heard the wind swell and fade and it rumbled and rattle the walls so I thought it might be a good idea to set up outside at certain areas around the ranch and see what I could get. I had three locations in mind and the first was at the wire mesh fence in the garden. I … [Read more...]
This last weekend I had a really stupid idea. I thought if I blow up a ballon, tie it to a pole and submerge it underwater at my secret pond I could the pop it and record the sound of the bubbles surfacing. I had the notion that it just might work. I have recorded many large stone splashes at this pond and when the rock sinks to the bottom of the pond the air bubbles that surface immediately after sound really cool. The thing is, they surface … [Read more...]
Here is the sound from a heavy rain storm that pounded North Idaho last night. Recorded on my 40 foot long deck at 3AM with a MKH-8040ST set to XY 90 degrees at 24-Bit 96K on May 4, 2012. The location faces West towards the forest and at 3AM it is very quiet here. No cars, trains, birds or anything else going on to disturb the beautiful rain drops that fall from my roof edge. This storm woke me up from a deep sleep as I have a metal roof … [Read more...]
Recently I have been experimenting with recording different type of gun powder to see which is the most effective at certain things. Some of those things are flare up speed, loudness, sizzle and volatility. So far I have tried three different types and those include synthetic, natural, and smokeless. These three types make a different sound and visual effect. The synthetic burns really fast and bright, the natural has a nice sizzle and of course … [Read more...]
This is a quick tutorial on one of my techniques for cleaning up thunder recordings. At the bottom of the page is a version of the original recording which you can download from SoundCloud for free. (24-Bit 48k) Recorded with a Sennheiser MKH-8040ST set at XY 90 degrees. Approximately 50% of the thunder I record here on the ranch is fairly clean with little to no rain and wind. The other 50% has some other junk like crickets, birds, cars, … [Read more...]
This is Dixie, a very special English Bull Terrier with an amazing vocal ability that is unlike anything I have every heard. She is special because she is deaf and cannot hear what comes out of her mouth. She is loved and cared for by some friends here in town and they graciously allowed me to come to their home and record her. Dixie makes the best noises when she is asleep dreaming or very tired and does not want to be bothered. She was very … [Read more...]
In my quest for more source material for Ultimate Destruction SFX Library I took a quick trip to the local metal recycling facility to see if they would allow me to record. They were super nice and loaned me a hard hat and said "stay out of trouble" The only interesting activity they had going on was some scrap aluminum bundling. This giant machine is belt fed with scraps of metal and after they tumble down the chute into the compactor they come … [Read more...]
While recording the floodwaters here today I happened to see a train heading for town so I stopped at the Sandpoint train station and waited. A minute later the train pulls up and stops right in front of me! I did not expect this to happen as they usually just pass through town slowly on their journey. I had the microphone on a boom pole and was barely hanging on to it as it was very windy. I did not have a chance to take any photos or video as I … [Read more...]
Here is a sound recorded from inside my Tahoe SUV. I had just arrived back at the ranch when I noticed the rain and wind had really started to get heavy. I parked in my driveway and pulled out my Sony PCM D-50 and started recording. I really just wanted to get the heavy rain drop sound hitting the roof when all of a sudden the rain turned to hail and the wind really picked up. As you can hear in the sound demo, the wind was hitting the side of … [Read more...]
