Sunday Sound Effects Round Up - Articulated Sounds, Sonic Salute, Red Libraries, Rz Post, A Sound Effect
This week I review some of the libraries from the Articulated Sounds Library, Sonic Salute announce 2 new libraries, red Libraries release the final library in their World Of Secrets series, Rz Post release a POV Bicycles library, and we finish with a great article from the A Sound Effects blog - 10 Essential Tips for Game Audio Freelancers, which well a read as it has alot of tips for any freelance creative.
Articulated Sounds Review
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Articulated Sounds and promised a review of some of their sounds.
I looked through their catalog and there were 3 libraries that appealed to me. Quiet Streets, 100 Fountains and Dice Party. So what do I think of them?
I am always needing ambiences and atmoses for both drama and documentaries and looking at the listings for Quiet Streets, they looked very interesting. Now they are here on my harddrive and catalogued using Soundly I have to say they lived up to my expectations and these will get used alot in future productions. I especially like that they are 'quiet'. They allow me to add spot effects where needed, and I don't have to waste time cutting out unwanted elements, which I find myself doing with allot of street atmos tracks.
Moving onto 100 Fountains. When I saw this , I thought, how can you need so many variations of different fountains, after all water falling is just white noise isn't it. How wrong I was. Initially the variety wasn't so obvious but as I listened they do have their unique characters. With this library I can be confident that I will be able to find the 'right' fountain. The other high spot with this library is the range of perspectives of the same fountain. There is often a close up, another at 3m and another at 10m, which is great if you have a scene close to a fountain which has wide shots cut into it, now you have the same fountain from 3 different perspectives.
The last library I selected was a 'left-field' one called Dice SFX Party. This is a library with a great selection of different rolls and throws of dice. This library is one of those collections that you won't need that often but when you do, nothing else will do, whether it is a gambling scene of playing Ludo. Whatever you need you should find it here.
You can check these out and the others in their catalog on the Articulated Sounds web site.
Sonic Salute Release Two New Libraries - Construction Ambiences And Backyards & Alleyways
Mikkel Nielsen has been in touch to tell me about 2 new libraries he has just released. Here is some initial info and I will be sharing a review of them in an upcoming Sunday Sound Effects Round Up.
Construction Ambiences
Recorded on various construction sites the last 3 years, Construction Ambiences is 32 stereo tracks of distant and close up construction situations. This library is all about, hammering, grinding, drilling, cranes working, sawing and more. Recorded mainly on bigger construction sites, harbours, and in cities, but there are also some isolated interior, and “next door” recordings too. Recordings varies from close up and loud recordings of a concrete shredder crushing rocks, to interior tracks of traditional stonecutters working on sandstone, and construction workers drilling to concrete walls.
- 32 stereo tracks, 96/24
- About 4Gb big when unzipped.
- Recorded with Sennheiser Mkh 8040/30, Mkh 8020´s and Sound Devices 702/744.
- Price: $56.25 inc VAT
Backyards & Alleyways
Mikkel has divided Backyards & Alleyways into 2 seasonal categories with 20 tracks recorded in the spring and summertime, with lots of bird life from sparrows, swallows, blackbirds, seagulls and magpies. Then there are 15 tracks recorded in winter with less life and more wind. The sounds were captured in bigger and smaller exterior spaces, some with buildings or trees completely surrounding the area for a far more narrow sounding atmosphere track.
- 35 stereo tracks. 96/24.
- Almost 6.5Gb when umzipped. Metadata tagged.
- Equipment used: Sennheiser Mkh 8020/30/40. Sound Devices 702, 744T.
- Price: $56.25 inc VAT
Red Libraries Release Huge Hidden Passages
Cedric has been in touch to tell me about their latest release. Huge Hidden Passages is the 3rd and last opus of their World Of Secrets series. After the furnitures, the objects and their the secret mechanisms, they finish with "the awesome and huge".
From the depths of the jungle, at the entrance of a temple, behind the thick walls of a castle, to discover a buried pyramids. This collection is the result of a year of recording and sound design and is designed to versatile, dense, and pitchable.
- 192/96 kHz/24bits, 1727 .WAV, stereo and mono files
- 744T + EAA Micromix
- Schoeps MS Couple
- KM 82i Neuman
- 2 KM 184 Neuman
- DPA 4060
- Sennheiser MD 441
- Barcus Berry contact mic
- Price: $130.00
Rz Post Release Bicycles SFX Library
Bicycles is a collection of recordings of bicycles on different surfaces from a POV perspective.
- 40 48kHZ 24 Bit Audio files
- 108 MB
- Price: $19.99 CAD, normally $29.99 CAD
10 Essential Tips for Game Audio Freelancers From The A Sound Effect Blog
Planning to go freelance in game audio – or perhaps you already work as a freelancer? Rebecca Parnell is a BAFTA Award-winning Sound Designer who has worked in sound for 19 years on 50+ game titles, and has been working freelance for the past 10 years – and in this special guide on the A Sound Effect blog, she shares her essential tips to a successful freelance career in game audio. The topics she covers are...
- Start with in-house experience
- Build your network
- Establish your legal framework and contact the tax office
- Create a suitable space to work
- Prioritise setting up expenditure
- Decide a visual identity
- Be organised – lists and logs
- Do your research and be confident in what you charge
- Build good client relationships
- Enjoy it.. and living life too!
You can read this guide in full on the A Sound Effects blog and although of what Rebecca shares applies to anyone in the creative sector