[Adam Taylor]

ever wondered why there are always credits on movies for sound editors/designers/foley artists, etc.

They spend their lives creating sounds that you would swear blind were created by the objects you see moving on screen – but reality is never as realistic as you would think.

What you need to do, now that you have identified the sound you like, is to figure out a way to recreate it. Record it and blend it with other sounds to create the new effect. Be as creative and original as you can nd you will find a whole world full of sounds you can use to illustrate your image.

The main thing to remember is your audience have no idea how the sound was created – as long as the timing and timbre of the sound matches what they see, they will believe it. I have to record lots of snow crunches for a show i work on – i use a chamois leather pouch filled with cornstarch – but you the viewer would swear it was snow. Partly because it sounds close, but also because you have been conditioned to accept that sound as snow because Hollywood have used that technique for decades.

Describe the sound you are after – i might be able to suggest alternatives.

adam

“silly keeps you sane”

[Adam Taylor]

Tapco S5 – very good sound for the money. I have a pair in my home studio and find them revealing and truthful…as they should be! If you found the extra money I would certainly recommend PMC DB1SA monitors as they are the best nearfields I have heard. I have some in my work studio and love em.

“silly keeps you sane”

[Adam Taylor]

my first question would be : what do you do? is this for music, or audio post for video, etc. Are your projects sent out for further work by others, hence needing something like OMF compatability.

There are many other questions that would lead you the correct answers, but don’t forget – the correct system for you is one that you are comfortable with using, and which allows you to do your work with the minimum of interruption and the maximum creativity.

I personally would go with a Mac, and whilst I use ProTools all day, I would be just as happy using Digital Performer, at a tiny fraction of the cost. You have a PC system, so moving to mac would entail changing ALL your software, and you may find stuff that you can’t live without is not available on the mac.

The other thing that you should consider first – your room acoustics! If the room sounds poor, so will everything you do in it. Get the room analysed and treated, then spend a lot of money on your monitoring. Even an SSL desk will sound crap through a pair of cheapo speakers. I recommend trying the PMC range of monitors….they’re not cheap, but heck are they damned good!! We tried some out here, and liked them so much we bought 2 pairs.

So – decide what you want to use the kit for, then research it thoroughly, then research it a bit more, check out the user forums for your chosen few items – they’ll give a good idea of the problems users have, then have fun spending the cash.

“silly keeps you sane”