If music is the beat, and vocals are the lead, then sound effects are the fill to good audio. Just like exclamation points, sound effects add emphasis to your projects and bring context and emotion to a scene, soundscape or podcast.

This page reviews resources, applications, and ways to record sound effects.

TERMS & PROCESSES 🎤

The following terms are applicable to audio production, but it's important to note that as you work with recording, using and editing sounds, you'll likely encounter additional terms which you are encouraged to research and learn more about when you encounter these terms.

SFX / Foley

an abbreviation for sound effects, and reference to sounds that compliment an action, scene or object. Foley is often everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality.

Ambient Audio

The background noise present in a scene or recording location.

Room Tone

Room tone is background audio, recorded on set, during production, using the same microphone that is used for dialogue. It is used for filling holes in the production audio that are created during dialogue editing, or replacing unwanted noises (during non-speaking moments) in your production audio.
Backgrounds and atmospheres are recorded separately and/or designed to reflect the location.

Diagetic Sound

Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originating from the visible source. Think of the sound of a car horn, as you see someone honking the horn.

Mono / Stereo

References the number of channels or inputs an audio file has. Mono indicates only 1 channel, where Stereo could be 2 or more. Think the sound from a voice call on your cell phone as Mono. Stereo might have drums and beats in one ear, but then vocals or piano in the other ear.

Mixing

the process of editing and arranging audio clips in a way that sounds seamless and natural to a listener.

VU Meter

Volume unit (VU) meter or standard volume indicator (SVI) is a way of displaying a representation of the signal level in audio equipment.

EQ

Abbreviation for equalizer or equalization, where audio waves are altered to manipulate the ranges of amplitude in a sound wave.

Decibals (dB)

Decibels (written as dB) are used to measure sound level. The dB is a logarithmic way of describing a ratio. The ratio may be power, sound pressure, voltage, or intensity, for example. Humans can (typically) hear sounds between 0 and 120-140 dB.

44.1 / 48 / 96 kHz

Kilohertz is one way sampling frequency is measured and refers to how many cycles per second a wave is measured, it's similar to frames per second as a video equivalency.

  • 44.1 is often considered CD Quality

  • 48 is often used for video

  • 96 can be mastering level quality



Amplitude

The waveform signal (audio ) level. It can refer to acoustic sound levels or electrical signal levels.

Omni / Cardioid / Super-Cardioid

These terms refer to the pickup patterns or "the shape area of listening" by which microphones pick-up sound. - An omni mic listens in a sphere all around itself - A Cardioid Mic is aimed at a sound source, and resembles a cone on either end of the mic, which limits the surrounding areas - A Super-Cardioid is just a much more focused cone and limited version of a cardioid. These are often long stick-like mics- "shotgun", although they can technically come in any shape.

The Art of Foley 🎧

FOLEY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

When creating recordings, consider these practices and how they might improve your audio quality and your recording approach.

CREATING YOUR OWN FOLEY

If you are interested in creating your own Foley, congratulations because you're probably SUPER creative! That said, not everyone is as tuned to listening and recording specific sounds.

Additional sources of finding sound effects, SFX, will be made available, however if you are daring or inspired enough to create your own, below are a few recommendations.

The recording of foley is just the first step, editing and tweaking those sounds may be necessary to get the right effect. Check out the editors section for more info on changing recordings.

person dropping bowling ball to create sound effect

FOLEY RECORDING RECOMMENDATIONS

Shotgun microphone

USE A HIGH-QUALITY MICROPHONE, RECORDER & EARBUDS or HEADPHONES

see the Know Your Mics section

& review the available equipment you need.

person adjusting bowl in a sound effects recording booth

CREATE MULTIPLE TAKES

To the extent you can control, vary your takes by duration, angle & distance of recording, environment, materials used and devices.

man standing near the edge of a waterfall holding up a large boom mic

LISTEN!!!!

Inspiration and Motivation are everywhere, you just need to be open to exploration.

LEARN ABOUT ROOM-TONE and HOW TO USE IT

FOLEY & SFX RESOURCES 🎶

If you aren't the audio engineering creative-type that's ok, luckily there's a large community of those types who have generously donated their work for you to use in your own projects.

To find a database of sound effects you can use, click over to the Online Databases page, or click here for a filtered view of just sound effects.

Additionally, several video editors like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Bandlab and DaVinci Resolve include audio libraries for you to use, which may require an additional download.

You can also search the internet for supplemental resources more specific to your needs, AND don't forget that if you hear something that you think will be REALLY impactful to your project from an existing online source. You can also use screen-recording programs like iShowU in the digital video editing lab to capture those sound bytes!


IMPORTANT READINGS