WRITTEN BY JACOB COOK
RE-RECORDING MIXER, BOOM BOX POST
We often talk on this blog about recordings we make and sound library files that we use, but rarely go into detail about how these files are prepared for use. At Boom Box Post we edit and label all of our sound recordings before adding them to the library. Different editors approach this in different ways, but here is my process for taking a good recording and turning into a great library sound effect.
Noise Reduction
The first step I take after importing my files into Pro Tools is Noise Reduction. The reason to do this step first is that you can use a full unedited recording to create a noise-print for reduction without having to re-edit. At this stage I have separate backups of the recordings, so I can revert any changes. I use Izotope RX Spectral De-noise and Voice De-Noise for this, though I have in the past had great results with Brusfri as well. De-noising is a topic often covered online, so I won’t go into too much detail, but my general guidelines for these types of projects are to de-noise enough to reduce the noise, but still be non-destructive to the recording. Additionally it is better to do multiple passes of a lesser amount of noise reduction. This example features some human yawns intentionally recorded near a noisy refrigerator. You can hear how effective RX is with reducing steady noise.
EQ
My next step is to apply a High-Pass filter and any other slight corrective EQ on each track. This is especially important for sound effects created from human voices, like our yawns, because we want them to sound natural and clean to match the dialogue of our shows. Any changes outside of a gentle high-pass will be subtle, such as reducing proximity affect or correcting for a boomy recording space.
Editing
Once those global cleanup processes are complete I jump into editing the files. Every editor and studio has a different preference for edited library files, but at Boom Box we like to organize multiple similar takes or variations into one file so they can be imported all at once. I’ll first trim out all the empty space between the takes, then add natural sounding fades on the head and tail of each. Lastly, I space the takes out an equal amount. For these yawns, I separated each take by about one second. Here’s what my edited takes look like:
Dynamics
My last step before bouncing is to add subtle dynamics processing and adjust each track to a reasonable library level. I use compressors, limiters and transient shapers to adjust the sound and get it sounding exactly the way I want by reducing and increasing the dynamic range. You can read more specifics about this in my blog post on dynamics processing here. Since we are creating files for our library, the key is to not overdo it and focus on making the end result a versatile and valuable library file.
The final step is to adjust each track to the desired level. Everyone has different preferences on this, so my recommendation is to import and reference a few of your most commonly used library files, and place your new sounds at a similar level. This way, each sound can be previewed at a similar level to other library files and easily dropped into a session with minimal adjustment.