THE EPIC SOUND BLOG

Our collection of bite-size, audio related stories from around the web.

The Sound of Real Steel


October 7, 2011

Another great feature from Michael Coleman at The SoundWorks Collection – this one is on the sound for Real Steel:

Who says robot boxing won’t happen in 2020?! “Real Steel” plays out this fantasy as robots have replaced humans in boxing in this Shawn Levy film (“Night at the Museum” franchise and “Date Night”).

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) loses a chance to become a boxing champion when robots take over, and he becomes a small-time promoter. When he has difficulty making a living, he reluctantly teams up with his son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build a robot that can contend for the championship.

The stunning visual effects behind the robots can only be brought to life by believable sound. The team responsible for this difficult task include Craig Henighan (sound designer, sound re-recording mixer, supervising sound editor), Skip Longfellow (first assistant sound editor), Warren Hendriks (sound designer), Rob Nokes (sound effects field recordist), and Dan O’Connell (foley artist).

 





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category film sound Tags , , , , , , , , , —

New ideas added to ‘The Guide to Sound Effects’


September 14, 2011

Sound designer David Filskov’s ‘The Guide to Sound Effects‘ has just been updated with five new ideas for creating your own sound effects. These include:

 

  • Explosion debris
  • Kung Fu punches
  • Grappling hook guns
  • Guns cocked
  • Arrow flybys

 

Have a peek over at ‘The Guide to Sound Effects’!

 

PS: If you have any tips to share, do let us know
  





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category Epic Sound,sound design Tags , , , , , , , —

The sound of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’


August 22, 2011

Check out this Soundworks Collection feature on the sound for ‘Rise of the Planets of the Apes’:

 

 





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

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What is Foley? – with veteran Foley artist Gary Hecker


November 16, 2010

Gary Hecker explains what goes into being a Foley artist in this great Soundworks Collection feature:



And if you’re looking to create your own Foley sounds, don’t forget to check out our very own David Filskov’s excellent Guide To Sound Effects, which provides numerous tips and tricks for rolling your own sounds!





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category film sound,sound design Tags , , , , , , , —

The art of post-production sound


October 28, 2010

Puzzled by the process of audio post production? Check out this primer on the post production workflow:


How does sound get on pictures? The following is a rough sketch of the procedure for a major Hollywood feature production. But it is not a blueprint; exact procedures vary tremendously with the budget and shooting schedule of the film.

Blockbuster action films, for instance, often devote much more time and money to sound effects than is described below. The process certainly does not describe how the average film is made abroad; few other cultures have such a fetish for perfect lip-synching as ours–so even dialog is recorded after the shoot in many countries.


Read the full primer on post production sound – it’s quite a lengthy read, so grab a cup of coffee, lean back and dig in.


(via @rainrecording)






  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category film sound Tags , , , , , , , —

The ultimate ressource for sound effect ideas


October 7, 2010

Excuse us while we tout our own horn for a bit :)

Sound designer David Filskov has spent many years compiling tips, tricks and ideas for creating your own sound effects – and the end result is The Guide to Sound Effects.


It contains a myriad of ideas for creating sounds ranging from bat shrieks to sliding tentacles – and, as far as I’m aware, this is the biggest collection of sound effects ideas freely available anywhere online.


Haven’t checked it out yet? Be sure to hop on over to the sound effects guide right here!




Oh, and if you have any tips to share, be sure to let us know.







  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category recording,sound design Tags , , , , , , , , —

That Light Saber Sound


April 29, 2010

The Skywalker Sound Blog has a feature on the legendary Light Saber sound:


The Lightsaber sound. What more can be said about one of the most iconic sounds in one of the most iconic sagas in film history? Rather than retread what has already been discussed about these futuristic swords of light, this month’s blog entry is a convenient roundup of resources available on the web about how this sound was created, and how you can make similar sounds using easily available and inexpensive gear.


Hop on over to the site for the full lowdown on this classic sound.


Also, sound designer Darren Blondin has launched a very thorough investigation into how to make those sabers hum – have a peek as well.





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category recording,sound design Tags , , , —

10 tips for effective web sound design


April 7, 2010

Everyday Listening has a great list of things to bear in mind when working with sound for websites. Here’s a selection:


    • Unobtrusive interface sounds
    Adding sounds to user-interface items can absolutely enhance the usability of your site. Try to keep these sounds unobtrusive in a way that a user can still hear them, even while listening to music, but without being disturbing while browsing in a quiet environment.


    • Keep sounds short
    A good way to prevent sounds from becoming annoying is by keeping them short. Imagine navigating a website with a second-long sound playing for every link your mouse cursor touches, that wouldn’t be a pleasant experience, would it?


    • Use the right frequencies
    The human ear is most sensitive to sounds between 1kHz and 5kHz, so if you want people to hear the sounds, even on crappy laptop speakers set to low volumes, focus on this frequency range.


    • Add extra functionality
    Do it right or don’t do it at all. If you decide to use sound on your website you can give it extra functionality, more than just providing auditive feedback. Variations in timbre and pitch of the sounds can be used to tell the user more about the menu or the page he/she is browsing.


Read the full list here.





  Posted by Asbjoern Andersen, Epic Sound - Contact

Category sound design Tags , , , , —

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