A COLLABORATIVE POST
WRITTEN BY BOOM BOX POST
Last year, we published two blogs that listed classic cartoon sound effects and the emotion they convey to the audience. In those posts, we outlined the toony sounds we associate with happiness, anger, sadness, humor, scared, disgust, love, and boredom.
Toon sound effects have been provoking emotion for decades. With so many classic toon sounds to choose from, how does one know which to use? Our hope is these blog posts help those stuck in their sound editorial from having to sift through their entire sound library looking for the perfect sound. You can read part one HERE and part two HERE!
In this post, we are outlining the following: Shyness, amusement, envy, guilt, and thrill. Check out how our editors would approach these emotions with classic cartoon sound effects!
Shyness
Toon Sound Effect: Violin Slide Up or Down
Katie Jackson
Sound Effects Editor
The sound of a string ascending works really well to accent a character being sneaky, shy, intrigued, or other similar internal emotions. It’s especially great to accompany a physical movement, like an eyebrow raise or eyes widening. The sound of a string descending works great in the reverse - a character shrinking themselves or retracting.
Amusement
Toon Sound Effect: Valoop or Party Horn
Tess Fournier
Supervising Sound Editor
Valoops are so silly and cute. They usually rise up at the end and are a really pleasant sound. They work well tied to a character’s smile to signify happiness.
Everyone loves a party, so this sound is such a recognizable way to underline amusement in cartoons. (alternatively, it’s also kind of funny to use these to describe something lame. If there is a moment of silence and paused glances, a party horn can really put a stamp on that moment - similar to a single blink or crickets in a moment of silence).
Guilt
Toon Sound Effect: Heartbeat or Drumbeat
Katie Jackson
Sound Effects Editor
A sound that feels internal like a heartbeat can accentuate the feeling of your heart beating out of its chest in a moment of panic. I think this works great to convey guilt.
Thrill
Answer: Drumroll or Fanfare
Natalia Saavedra Brychcy
Sound Effects Editor
A sound that creates expectation can help emulate the sensation of thrill. For me, thrill means heart racing and excitement so a drumroll sound creates a sense that something awesome is coming once this sound finishes. (you can also use it as a fake out, where you create the thrill of something you want coming, and then at the end you add a sound like a tuba or something similar and it makes the situation really funny).
This sound is most commonly used as beginning to something exciting (royalty is coming in, a race is about to start, etc). It a good way to change the mood in a scene and also to catch the attention of the audience and characters.
If you enjoyed this blog, check out these:
RECREATING CLASSIC CARTOON SOUND EFFECTS
A CRASH COURSE IN TOON HOW TO DESIGN A FUNNY SOUND EFFECT WITHOUT GETTING TOONY DESIGN