Sound effects are the unsung heroes of movies, radio, and haunted houses. Hearing all the detailed sounds makes it feel like the action is happening right next to you. By carefully selecting which sound effects are highlighted, you can create the perfect environment for your audience to experience. In this project, I am going to give you a basic overview of the art of sound effects, and show you how to make them, how to record them, and even how to automate them.See the project on Instructables. Two of the most iconic sound effects are creaking doors and wooden floors. There are a lot of ways that you can make these sounds. One example is a 'creak box.'
. A creak box is a small wooden frame with a dowel going through the center. The dowel is held under pressure by a loop of rope and an eye bolt. When the dowel is turned, it rubs against the frame and makes a creaking sound. It works best if the rubbing surfaces are smooth and held tightly together.
Turning the dowel slowly will make the slow loud creek of a door. Shorter quicker turns will make the creak of footsteps on an old wooden floor.
You can change the sound by adjusting the eye bolt. The position of the eye bolt sets the tension on the rope and the pressure on the dowel. Another classic sound effect is breaking glass. The most common way to make this sound is to actually smash a pane of glass. But it is pretty inconvenient to contain and clean up a lot of broken glass, so here is a non-destructive alternative. First, find a bunch of small glass objects of various sizes.
I used glass vials. You want your glass objects to make different sounds. So I filled some of the vials with different amounts of water. Then find a bunch of small metal objects of various sizes. An assortment of small bolts and coins can work well. Again, you want the metal objects to make different sounds. Then take your collection of random objects and place them in a fabric bag.
Now gently drop the bag into your open hand or onto a pillow. You want to be very careful not to actually break the glass. Try this several different ways to see what makes the best sound.
I got the best results when the bag rolled slightly after impact. Once you know how to make the perfect sound effects, you need to record them. The first thing that you need is a microphone. There are a lot of different kinds of microphones and each of them is best at a different task.
I can't cover the subject of microphones in great detail here, but here is a that will give you all the information that you could ever want on selecting a microphone. Once you have a microphone, the next thing that you need is a quiet place where you can record the sounds. Most people don't have access to a professional recording studio, so you are probably going to want to put something together in your house. This comes with a number of challenges. The biggest problem that you will have to solve is ambient noise — most rooms are a lot noisier than you realize. Air conditioners, appliances, and nearby traffic make a lot of noise that can be picked up by your microphone. You could cover the walls in open cell foam in an attempt to make the room quieter.
But the best solution is to build a pillow fort. Surround yourself with pillows and loose blankets.
A pillow fort is the probably the best DIY sound booth that you can make. It is free, it is easy to make, and it doesn't take up any permanent space. You can throw it together in minutes and take it down just as fast.
Sound effects don't need to be restricted to media like movies and radio. They can also be fun to use at live events. Skyrim best graphics mods 2019. How would you like to have a fanfare play whenever someone walks into the party? Final fantasy 14 slow download. Or maybe you would like to have a scary noise play whenever someone walks up to your house on Halloween. All you need to set this up is a simple microcontroller.
There are a lot of systems that you can use to automatically play sound effects. An Arduino, a Raspberry Pi, and a Beaglebone can all be set up to play sound clips. But for a simple application like this, I decided to use a PicoBoo controller.
A PicoBoo controller is a record-playback system. Rather than coding the exact timing of each function, you program the controller by manually activating each function at the appropriate time. The controller is then able to play back this sequence whenever it is triggered by a sensor. These kinds of systems are common in theaters and haunted houses. To use this system, first hook up your computer and speakers to the PicoBoo controller. Record up to two minutes of audio, then hook up your trigger. This can be anything that connects the 'IN' pin to the 'GND' pin.
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You can use a switch, a pressure plate or even a motion sensor. Whenever the trigger is activated, the PicoBoo will play your sound effect. Automatically playing a clip of your sound effects can be really useful. But you can also set up a system to automatically create sound effects live. So why would you bother to setup the equipment to make sound effect live instead of just playing a sound clip? Well, a noise that is created right next to you has a fuller richer sound than something that is played out of a speaker.
The sound of nails on a chalkboard is much more painful than a recording of the same sound. This technique is especially well suited for haunted houses and theaters. Many sound effects can be automated using the same methods that you would use to make them in a recording studio. The only difference is that the human operator would be replaced by a motor. For example, you could use a motor to turn your creak box or your wind machine. A motor can also easily scrape two pieces of metal together or drag chains across the floor.
Use your imagination. You would be amazed at how many different kinds of sounds you can automate. Once you have figured out how to make your sounds with a motor, all you have to do is hook it up to a controller so that you can automate it. Once again there are a lot of microcontrollers that you can use, but for this example, I am using the PicoBoo controller.
Start by hooking up your motors to the output relays of the PicoBoo. To begin recording a sequence, press the 'REC' button. Then press buttons 1 and 2 to activate the output relays at the desired time. To stop recording press the 'REC' button again. To play back the sequence, press the 2 button. Once you are happy with how it is performing, then you can set up the trigger/switch. I hooked up a motion sensor to the 'TRIGGER' pins.
That way, whenever someone walks into the room, the motors will automatically turn on and create the desired sound effects.
Free To Use Sound Clips
OPTIONS IN WALL/CEILINGS SOUND ISOLATION SYSTEM SUPERSOUNDCLIPS MOUNTINGS!AS-1 Soundclips, RC-1 & 2 Resilient channel DWFC Soundproofing materials.Sound control has become a serious issue in the war against noise pollution A typical wall or ceiling will allow ordinary conversation to be heard through it.Elements of a wall or ceiling in typical home or office construction are:A structure (wood or metal, called studding if for walls, joists if for ceilings), to support the walls and ceiling.Panels of wallboard attached to the structure with fasteners such as nails or “drywall screws”. Steps involved after fastening the panels to the walls are:Filling the gaps and crevices of the panel joints with “mud”.Taping the joints and covering with “mud”.Sanding the surfaces smooth and painting to suit.Depending on various factors such as the thickness and quality and the denseness of the panels, such a wall will still allow normal conversation to be heard through it.Resiliently mounted wall and ceiling Gypsum board (Drywall/ Sheetrock/ Wallboard) is fast becoming a building industry standard for reducing sound transfer between rooms in homes and offices.
By isolating the mounting of the wall panels from the studding, (or joists), annoying sound travel through the wall to the other side is greatly reduced. (Loud shouting is not heard). This is a real plus for apartments and rooms that should be quiet, such as bedrooms, for instance. Several methods to provide resilient mounting of these building wall and ceiling panels using Drywall Furring Channel (DWFC) have been provided to the marketplace.Depending on cost, labor and desired level of sound control through a wall or ceiling assembly, there are now choices for reducing sound. DWFC channel is mounted with 2 screws with this SoundClip. Pix with DWFC installed. Design Patent Pending).
A very new, (Patent Pending), mount with numerous advantages over the other units. Has 3 rubber mounting grommets. (Works with DWFC). Use for walls.COST: Speaks for itself: Certain cost advantages may be outweighed by other considerations.AVAILABILITY: Due to various market constraints, such as stocking and shipping. Some products may not be readily available when needed. This can have a very negative effect on a construction/remodel project, which is normally working on a pre – determined schedule. This should be considered first, before picking a product to use.
Obviously, if it’s not available, you can’t use it!PERFORMANCE: Of course one of the prime requirements is to reduce sound transfer. How well each product does this is a matter of design and practical experience, not necessarily lab reports, which many times are heavily biased. The A-S clip performs better by using a smaller footprint than the others. It will mount Drywall Furring Channel, (DWFC) as well as Resilient Channel: (RC-1). (Walls only). It’s advanced design allows it to be used in many different ways.
You Can Do It Song
It also has a unique “pull-tite” grommet mounting system.EASE TO INSTALL: Some mounts with one screw, the SSP with 2 and the A-S with 1, 2, or 3, depending on the installation. The first two products mentioned are somewhat limited except for the most basic installations. Their typical use is to simply screw them to the face of the wall/joist/stud for the channel/drywall to be mounted.
Unfortunately, this can cause a serious loss of living space due to a “build-out” of several inches. (And problems where walls meet doorways/windows, etc). Their large rubber mount area passes sound better than the smaller mounting areas of the A-S clip.VERSATILITY: Unless special mounting brackets are constructed or purchased to use with the first two mounts mentioned, the basic units are not suitable for many projects where build-out is an issue. This adds greatly to the cost, not only for the purchase of these extra parts, but for the added labor for installing them. The A-S mounts in various positions and ways.
No added parts are needed.NUMBER REQUIRED:A second issue with these types of mountings is the number required to support the wall/ceiling assembly, which many times consists of other elements for additional sound control such as lead-lined drywall, sound-(deadening) board, Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV), Homasote Panels, etc. A rule of thumb is 1 mount per each 4 sq. Of wall or ceiling, adding more depending on the situation.
The A-S mount system does not have this limitation, mounting as much as 6-8 sq.ft. Of wall paneling, regardless of the number of sandwich panels and weight involved, thereby reducing the number of units needed, slashing the cost.CODES: Building codes are always a issue with commercial installers and contractors, especially if there are wall and ceilings with fire code requirements or primary structure, load bearing walls, etc. Each job is different but many times sound control, not structure, is the primary concern and only issue. Then, such codes are not an issue. The X’s in the chart above are an indication of the level of approvals obtained for these products to date.
Obviously, the longer the product has been on the market, the more time has passed enabling testing to be done to prove meeting the many various codes. While there is a great difference in the design and method of construction of these products, they are all basically made of the same two materials: steel with some kind of rubber (type) mounting grommets.
Therefore they will all eventually reach the same level of compliance, it just takes more time.Get a Sample!TIP: If you decide to not use soundclips or resilient channel, at least do the “Poor Mans” soundproofing by padding the surface of the studs/joists with special before installing your drywall panels.
The Simpsons Sound BytesThe Simpsons© Sound BytesHere is my collection of sound bytes whichI have collected over the year's from Fox'swonderful animated sitcom, The Simpsons®.These are offered here with my sincere thanksto the Fox Broadcasting Company.These sound bytes were all recorded in wavefile format. The vast majority are less than100K in size.
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