With such a wide variety of TV shows, our sound effects editors can end up designing some pretty out-of-this-world sound effects builds, like balloon nightmares, interdimensional time jumps, and even monster armies! For another imaginative look into some of the exciting sound effects we create at Boom Box Post, sound effects editor Natalia is sharing a deeper dive into how she approaches designing a magical tree transformation. Read more to learn how finding unique library sounds can contribute to a supernatural metamorphosis.
As I’m building upon my sound editing skills, a critique I often receive is that my sound effects build is not utilizing a fuller frequency range, so it’s not as impactful during previews. Developing a dynamic frequency range into my builds isn’t just important for having powerful sound moments, it’s also essential for ensuring that the sound effects translate on all possible listening platforms, like a huge Dolby Atmos theatre and tiny pair of ear buds. In order to tackle this challenge, I asked two of our supervising sound editors, Brad Meyer, MPSE, and Tess Fournier, MPSE, to play a frequency-association game. I named some commonly referenced frequency ranges, and they followed up with sound effects that come to mind, and why these particular ranges are valuable for creating effective sound effects builds.
Constructing a portfolio reel for the first time can be daunting, but it’s an effective method to show recruiters and potential employers your skill set in post-production audio editing. I noticed in my own job search that many employers encourage and even require them. While many audio-post production internships or college programs can offer helpful guidance for building portfolio reels, not everyone has these resources. So, here are four tips for making your portfolio reel.
Data management in audio post-production can impact productivity and is a vital skill for many reasons. Most of the materials we accept and send out can take up a lot of space on a hard drive, there are assets coming in from multiple sources, and especially with TV shows, there are influxes of files coming in constantly. Without a solid structure for organizing locked pictures, sound effects edit sessions, music exports, mixes, and deliverables, wading through data can turn from a tide pool into a tidal wave. Whether working as a freelancer, editing or mixing in post-production, or at a company like Boom Box Post, here are five data management tips to consider.
From its beginnings in 1920’s live broadcasts to “walking” with MIDI, Foley has always been a valuable form of character development, allowing viewers to learn more about a character through both visual and auditory cues. Whether we realize it or not, we can unconsciously assume more about a character by the sounds they make, as we did to first survive in the wilderness by detecting on-coming sounds as family or strangers. Foley artists can achieve unique footsteps that we learn to recognize in their own performances, but how have digital Foley techniques impacted character design? Boom Box Post’s Foley editor Carol Ma dives into the details of character design through digital Foley.
When I hear telemetry, I’m reminded of the music of twentieth century Austrian composer, Arnold Schoenberg. He used a style called Serialism, which took a mathematical approach to developing melodies and rhythms and focused on atonality. He developed a technique called the tone row, which takes the twelve chromatic notes of a scale, and places them in a random sequence. The sequence is then manipulated by flipping it backwards and turning it upside-down. This develops into a chaotic composition with a melody that is difficult to follow, much like a typical telemetry loop in a sound library.
From Back to the Future to Edge of Tomorrow, the concept and interpretation of “interdimensional time jumping” has been a key feature in sci-fi films and TV-shows. Such out-of-this-world story telling requires the support of creative and exciting sound design to immerse the viewer into the stretching of space. Read on to learn how Jessey builds a unique time jump sequence.
We are so excited to showcase our latest work in the new Netflix animated TV show, Centaurworld! In honor of the shows release, we asked one of our sound editors to dive into some of the magical sound elements she created for the show. Get ready to learn about how Katie designed the “magical artifact” seen in the trailer and first episode of Centaurworld!
It isn’t close to being Halloween yet, but there’s never a bad time for something SCARY! This blog has some very exciting sound design by one of our sound editor’s, Lalo. We hope you enjoy its creepiness as much as we do. Check out this scary balloon nightmare below!
At Boom Box, we are lucky to get to use so much creativity designing new things for our shows. A lot of times this includes monsters, vehicles, machines etc. I think this one is especially cool because it is an army of monsters with weapons, vocals, and more! Check out the awesome sound design Katie used to create this army build and how she did it below!
I hope you’re ready to be SPOOKED because this blog is going to uncover how Natalia created an evil slime monster! Here at Boom Box, we are constantly having to create unique sound design, so check out how she managed to make THIS monster unique!
Last fall, I had the pleasure to take part in a roundtable discussion about sound design for series animation with the lovely people at the Tonebenders Podcast. At the time, I had just had a new baby a mere matter of weeks before and was in the heart of the sleep-deprived, can-barely-grab-a-banana-much-less-a-sandwich days of motherhood. But, I couldn’t turn down the flattering invitation to join this discussion between key animation sound design players. So, I aggressively fueled up on coffee, shut myself up in my garage studio (ahhhh, the joys of a completely silent soundproof room after playing maidservant to a screaming tyrant…), set up my mic, and away we went!
One of our sound effects editors, Ben, was faced with a unique challenge recently. He needed to create 8-bit video game style sound design for one of our shows. Now if you don’t know what 8-bit video games are, check out this example I grabbed from Youtube showing a few popular games under this genre. It makes me want to play some video games right now... that is besides the point, though, so let’s dive right into what he created!
When I think of risers, stingers, and cinematic hits, I think of horror movies! They’re placed at just the right moments to make me jump out of my seat or hide behind a friend. I’m gonna get nightmares just thinking about it! Whether you know it or not, these risers, stingers, and hits can also be used in other genres. Here at Boom Box, we use them in the animated shows we work on! One of our editors, Greg, designed some cool ones which you can check out below along with how he went about making them.
In my opinion, creature vocals are crucial to sound design. Nobody wants to see a gigantic dragon on screen and then it sounds lame… It should stand out and fit the part! So, where do you start when you want to design a ferocious dragon? There is no right or wrong way, but Jessey can give you some insight on how she designs her dragon vocals!
If you’re like me, then you think being a re-recording mixer sounds not only intimidating but also very confusing. I think of the giant mixing board with a ton of buttons and nobs on it. YIKES. I thought the best way to get my questions answered was to ask one of our re-recording mixers, Jacob! He has his hands in all of our shows so he definitely has the lowdown. Let’s jump right in!
It can be both an exciting and terrifying feeling being a new editor. On one hand, you are thrilled to start editing on a project! On the other hand, you don’t know where to begin…I interviewed a few editors on our team who know exactly how you’re feeling and can give you some insight on their editorial approach.
One of the best parts about sound for animation is being able to completely start from scratch designing something. That’s why we love showing you our creative process on fun things we get to design! For this focus on the creative blog, we are going to dive right into showing you a cute little flying machine we designed. Check it out below!
As a sound editor, having a well rounded library is very important. Some of you might be lucky enough to have a library provided to you by your company and others might be wondering where the heck you even start. There are plenty of great libraries out there on the web that you can purchase or download for free with no effort of recording at all but there are going to be things that you will need to record yourself. A good place to start is by recording small hand held props. Recently we came across needing these type of recordings for a new series. Check out some helpful tips below!
Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you are all staying safe during this crazy time of quarantine. We sure do miss being at Boom Box! We hope to get your mind off all the madness with this bug zapper transformation build. Most people know that bugs are drawn to lights at night (it’s rather gross to watch… and makes me mad just thinking about how many bugs have swarmed my face at night near any sort of light). Well, this build showcases that kind of sequence. It is pretty epic so check out the creative process and listen to how it came together!
