WRITTEN BY Rich DanHakl
Sound Editor, BOOM BOX POST
Often times, we’re faced with the task of designing sounds that track the movements of certain on screen visuals. These sounds need to be continuous, reactive, and dynamically pitched; imagine a car weaving in and out of traffic. It accelerates, then gradually slows down, eventually swerving out of the way of an oncoming semi-truck. Maybe you have a character wielding a magical sword; swinging it through the air at varying speeds and veracity while emitting a sparkly blue glow. These types of scenarios need a convincing sound that coincides with the every movement of the character or prop.
Making your steady
I like to start by creating a steady loop for what will be the base of the sound. Maybe you’ve found the perfect sound, but the file is not nearly long enough. In this case, you’ll need to find a section of the file that is somewhat steady, with as few fluctuations as possible. Isolate that section (highlight, command + T). Then, make a cut somewhere in the middle (B). Reverse the order of the two clips so that the two middle facing sides are now outside facing. Crossfade the new middle points (Always check to make sure it’s a smooth transition and adjust accordingly). You now have a perfect loop, which you can repeat for as many times as you’d like (command +L). Bounce a wave of your newly looped clip (it should be at least 30 seconds in length) and import into your sampler. I recommend using either Structure by AIR or Kontakt by Native Instruments.
Setting up your sampler
Once in the sampler, it’s easy to get distracted by the bevy of knobs, faders, effects, and oscillator controlled envelopes. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! Unless you’re Steve Aoki or some kind of analog synth savant, you only need to worry about two parameters; pitch and velocity.
PITCH: In most cases, less is more when it comes to pitch range. This is especially true when working with vehicles. Most vehicles will shift to a different gear once they reach a certain rpm. This limits variance of pitch you can use before it starts to sound unrealistic. I usually set it to stay within 3-8 semi-tones of the source file.
VELOCITY: Set the velocity range to zero. This will play the sound at unity regardless of how soft or hard you press the trigger and will allow you to easily replicate through multiple takes.
Modulating your steady in the sampler
Now that you have your sampler set up, it’s time to record. First, watch down the sequence a couple of times and get a feel for the action. When you’re ready, hit record, hold down the trigger, and use the mod/pitch wheel to match the movements. If you’re happy with the performance, cut for perspective and fine tune to the sync (i.e. nudge a few frame here and there where applicable). If you need a refresher on how to properly prospective cut be sure to read Boom Box Post Co-Owner Jeff Shiffman’s article on the subject. At this point, you’ll have a great foundation on which to build the rest of the sequence! Note: Make sure to sweeten and modify with other sounds (tire screeches, doppler by’s, whooshes, ect).
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