Basic sound effects

[Rodney Morris]

For the phone effect, I would try a simple EQ setting first. What you want is to use a high pass filter (HPF) set at around 1kHz and a low pass filter (LPF) set at around 2kHz. Basically you are removing all frequencies below 1k and above 2k, so have a very narrow frequency range left. If you really want authenticity then you could re-record the lines using cell phones (one actor speaks the lines in one cell and the other cell is miked up). If re-recording the actors themselves is not possible, then play the recorded lines back and hold the cell phone up to the speakers and record the other cell phone in another room.

For the club scene, if the scene is completely outside the club then I would set up a LPF for the music track set to around 400Hz or so. This way you are just hearing the lower frequencies. Try moving that LPF frequency around a bit to find the right effect.

[Jjmoldes]

oh, thanks so much Rodney, I`ve just tried it and it worked wonders.
I was actually using the highpass filter, but it wasnt that good and never thought of combining the 2 filters, and it works great.

I`d like to know if it`s worth getting an audio program for these kind of things. I mean is it worth spending the time to learn how to do these minor fixes that u can also manage with APP for example?

thanks guys!

[Jean-christophe Boulay]

If you’re going to be doing more complex stuff, learning the right way to do it and going at it with the optmial tools is definitely the way to go. These two examples are very basic things that can be done in most applications that have such a thing as an audio editor included in them. So if this is the funkiest manipulation you’ll do, don’t invest, just learn the tricks to achieve what you need. If you want to have a larger palette, then investing in software and plugins and especially investing time in learning the chops and fooling around with your new toys is a must.

For your telephone effect, you can make it more realistic by bringing up a compressor after your filtering and really compressing the hell out of it, with something like a 6:1 ratio and fast attack and release settings. I’m talking 10dB gain reduction to start with. The breaths will come to the front and, combined with the filtering, give you a truer rendition of what a phone really sounds like. Of course, recording through a phone in the first place is best, but it gives you zero maneuvrability if the plan changes or the client wants a different effect.

JC Boulay
Audio Z
Montreal, Canada
http://www.audioz.com

[Rodney Morris]

JC is absolutely correct. I had a full blown ProTools rig at my disposal every day for 4 years doing post production, sound design, radio spot production, etc. The only way to become good at this art is to have all the tools and practice, practice, practice. Some effects can be achieved fairly simply, others are more complex and require more knowledge, experience and tools.

At one point in my career I was offered the opportunity to train to become a video editor (AVID) but I turned it down because I wanted to focus solely on ProTools and audio production. You really have to dedicate yourself to a particular craft to be any good at it. So if audio production is something you are really interested in, then yeah get an audio editing program and go to town learning as much as you can. If it’s more like something you might like to know but isn’t a priority, I would say stick with what you have and ask some questions around here every now and then when you get stuck. Good luck.

[Jjmoldes]

thank u guys for your help.
I think I wont even try with other programs, cos what i need is just a thing here and there for my movies. I like making short movies with my friends, just for fun, so what i need to know about audio is very basic stuff. I spend much more time editing video which is very fun.
Anyway, thanks!!!

g0g0 Montreal!!!
😀