I'm an Audio Engineer - Ask me a question!

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57 comments, last by anthemaudio 18 years, 3 months ago
You're giving sound advice on a programmer's site. Not many will understand, but I, for one, am taking notes.

I'm looking to produce dramatic tones. I'm working on finishing this song (zipped mp3). I have a very extensive library of samples and have produced some pretty cool effects. I'm just kinda at a loss with this one. As a sound engineer, I'd like you to take a quick listen and tell me what's missing. The middle of the song is kinda... empty. This is where I need some effects. Any ideas?

You help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Quit screwin' around! - Brock Samson
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Quote:Original post by coderx75
You're giving sound advice on a programmer's site.

This is not a programmer's site. It's a game developer's site.
- blew
I'm looking for a high quality portable digital audio recorder; one that I can take sounds of footsteps and ambient noise from various places. Recommendations? I'd rather not use tape is there anything that burns to those mini-CDs?
Quote:Original post by ghetalion
Quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
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catpturing explosions. (slow down a firework maybe?)
...

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Explosions are typically gathered from stock footage and then mixed with other explosions to create a bigger boom.
...

I was configuring my parents new audio system. They have an Harmon Kardon AVR 240 reciever with an automatic speaker configuration tool. When it cofigured the subwoofer it made the coolest explosion sound. When it was configuring the other speakers, it just sounded like static, so i have no clue what type of signal it sent.

What software would you use to remove static from stuff that I imported from casettes?
"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?" - Chancellor Palpatine
Quote:Original post by coderx75
You're giving sound advice on a programmer's site. Not many will understand, but I, for one, am taking notes.

I'm looking to produce dramatic tones. I'm working on finishing this song (zipped mp3). I have a very extensive library of samples and have produced some pretty cool effects. I'm just kinda at a loss with this one. As a sound engineer, I'd like you to take a quick listen and tell me what's missing. The middle of the song is kinda... empty. This is where I need some effects. Any ideas?

You help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Clearly, this needs more cowbell.

Actually less... the cowbell rhythem could be different to emphasize the drama some more... but its light-hearted disco 70s rythem is a good contrast.

The acoustic guitar needs Madonna. :( The electric guitar notes could be different because as they currently stand, the mood is more introspective then dramatic. You could decrease the volume of the delay on it and add maybe even a hint of static. As it currently stands everything is in the 1khz range band/octave, and the full spectrum is not being utilized.

The drums are very weak in the middle. Really weak. Increase their presence or change them altogehter.

Here's something I made before I was an audio engineer: http://www.ghetalion.com/files/songs/Iron_Fist.mp3
Dramatic but could be more so
Quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
I'm looking for a high quality portable digital audio recorder; one that I can take sounds of footsteps and ambient noise from various places. Recommendations? I'd rather not use tape is there anything that burns to those mini-CDs?


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/240239/

Multitrack recorder

Might be over kill if you are recording one thing at a time.
Quote:Original post by chaosgame
Quote:Original post by ghetalion
Quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
...
catpturing explosions. (slow down a firework maybe?)
...

...
Explosions are typically gathered from stock footage and then mixed with other explosions to create a bigger boom.
...

I was configuring my parents new audio system. They have an Harmon Kardon AVR 240 reciever with an automatic speaker configuration tool. When it cofigured the subwoofer it made the coolest explosion sound. When it was configuring the other speakers, it just sounded like static, so i have no clue what type of signal it sent.

What software would you use to remove static from stuff that I imported from casettes?


Static is usually used to configure speakers since it is all frequencies at equal volume. In most cases, 'pink noise' is used since it plays the frequencies we are sensative to at a logarithmic curve.

There are some plugins called Waves Restoration floating around on BitTorrent. I suggest trying those. You'll need Sound Forge as well which is... also floating around BitTorrent.
Quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
I'm looking for a high quality portable digital audio recorder; one that I can take sounds of footsteps and ambient noise from various places. Recommendations? I'd rather not use tape is there anything that burns to those mini-CDs?

I got a Olympus DM-10 portable digital voice recorder/MP3 player (64MB of flash memory) for $70 USD from ebay. It's recording quality is awesome even with the built in mic, although built in speaker is crap and makes everything sound like radio quality. I thought something was wrong with it until I listened to it's recordings through head phones.

Anyway, I'm sure that if you paired the right mic to a digital voice recorder you could do exactly what you are asking about just fine. I would not use tape recorders though, this is the digital information age tape is dead.
Programming since 1995.
Quote:Original post by ghetalion

There are some plugins called Waves Restoration floating around on BitTorrent. I suggest trying those. You'll need Sound Forge as well which is... also floating around BitTorrent.


Please don't say you just said that. Please don't condone getting these amazing programs through piracy. Some of us engineers really understand the importance of supporting good software by paying for it.

Certainly don't want this to turn into any debate about that...I hope there isn't one. I've been watching this thread to see if I can get any pointers from a fellow engineer so I was upset at your endorsement.

If I mistook your statement as something else (perhaps you were encouraging people to check out the demos available at
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Products/ShowProduct.asp?PID=961%20
and at
http://register.waves.com/waves/wvclients/Down_load_3_6.asp#win3_5)

then my sincerest apologies.

And I'll try to lighten up.

Tony
___________________________
http://www.anthem-audio.com
Quote:Original post by anthemaudio
Quote:Original post by ghetalion

There are some plugins called Waves Restoration floating around on BitTorrent. I suggest trying those. You'll need Sound Forge as well which is... also floating around BitTorrent.


Please don't say you just said that. Please don't condone getting these amazing programs through piracy. Some of us engineers really understand the importance of supporting good software by paying for it.

Certainly don't want this to turn into any debate about that...I hope there isn't one. I've been watching this thread to see if I can get any pointers from a fellow engineer so I was upset at your endorsement.

If I mistook your statement as something else (perhaps you were encouraging people to check out the demos available at
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/Products/ShowProduct.asp?PID=961%20
and at
http://register.waves.com/waves/wvclients/Down_load_3_6.asp#win3_5)

then my sincerest apologies.

And I'll try to lighten up.

Tony
___________________________
http://www.anthem-audio.com


Then I will revise:

-Find a way to raise up $1200
-Click here: http://register.waves.com/WavesStore/StoreMain.aspx?item=USW379-1362-510
-Buy it.
-Convince yourself that $1200 for a single one-time use of cleaning up the noise from a crappy technology wasn't the biggest waste of money in your life.

I'm not good at being politically correct. They ask me a question, I give them an answer.

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