Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
Recently we took a trip to the Pacific Northwest United States where we explored new cities, beaches, and rainforests. We were able to capture a ton of new sounds for our collection.
November 23, 2021
At 344 Audio we are always looking for unique opportunities to update our sound library. Recently we took a trip to the Pacific Northwest United States where we explored new cities, beaches, and rainforests.
We were able to capture a ton of new sounds for our collection. From distinctive cross walk signals to the songs of the Pacific Tree Frog, there was something new waiting to be heard around every corner.
Some of our favorite recordings were from our time spent Hiking in La Push, a village on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Olympic National Park has a very cinematic feel to it, lush and full of life yet dark and mysterious with trees that tower hundreds of feet above the ground, some estimated to be over 1,000 years old.
Something that really stood out in this ancient forest was how easy is was to capture clean recordings. Once we set off on a trail, there were no cars or planes to be heard. Aside from the occasional passerby, our recordings remained uninterrupted.
Overall, we had a successful trip for sound recording. While we were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t find any bears to record, we still look forward to sharing the sound effects we did manage to capture. Keep an eye out for updates and check out our recent vlog live from the rainforest where we offer some tips for field recording!
Odyssey Vehicles Basic includes recordings from the most commonly used vehicles in Film and TV.
November 23, 2021
Company: Pro Sound Effects
Product: Odyssey Vehicles Basic
Price: $199
Our Rating: 4.8/5
The Basic library has an included 25+ Vehicles, which have been handpicked from the larger 250+ available in the full version. They comprise of 21GB of data in 1500+ files. The selection is very useful, and it is clear that time was put into selecting the vehicles that most editors will search for first on a project - think Mustang, Focus, Harley Davidson and Impala.
Most of the effects are ‘workups’ a nickname for recordings of cars with multiple accelerations, movements and speeds, exactly what a Sound Editor needs to fill extended scenes.
The overall sound quality varies from car to car, but what we love about the recordings is that some dirt is left in, which always helps with worldizing a vehicle in a mix. The frequency response is natural, but the quality is exceptional. Care has been put into the mic positioning and editing of these effects. Some exterior mics have subtle wind noise that gives them an authentic sound, rather than an overly processed one. The included pass bys are excellent, as are the onboard mics and the variable interior speeds. A nice extra is the car horns, interior beeps and gravel noise often missing from comparable libraries. There are also some very useful slow ‘coasting’ sounds as a car moves without accelerating which are very welcome additions.
If you were to compare this library to those from heavy hitters Pole Position Production, this library is less polished, but arguably more useful in a film workflow, as it is priced at the same point as a single library of theirs, but includes 25x the vehicle choices. The advantage of Pole’s libraries is that they work great for mission critical uses such as game audio, where every track must be flawless and noise free.
A very, very usable product, that fills a lot of holes in general libraries and allows you to edit extended and complex car scenes with ease. It's by the legends Mangini and Anderson for god's sake. Try the Basic version at least, but it you edit cars all the time get the Full version.
We are proud to announce that our Lead Sound Designer, Alex Gregson, has been recognised for his work in The Last Dance and awarded Best Sound at Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival.
November 23, 2021
We are proud to announce that our Lead Sound Designer, Alex Gregson, has been recognised for his work in The Last Dance and awarded Best Sound at Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival.
To get a taste of the sound design that helped 344 Audio win, check out this clip from our showreel.
There's nothing more beneficial to a film than a team of like minded individuals who work together. It's not always easy to find that chemistry, but working with Chris Keller on The Last Dance was a creative experience like no other.
"I have high standards for sound, and was delighted to discover that 344 share them. They are a dedicated and valuable partner in the process. Alex did a great job interpreting my thoughts." - Chris Keller
Chris really knows what he wants from a film's story and soundtrack, this was especially clear on The Last Dance. There were moments where sound had to shine, and others where it had to sit back and let the actors, visuals and music take over. Finding that balance was a challenge we fully embraced.
The Last Dance
| Director: Chris Keller | Producer: Oliver Milburn |
| Audio Post Production & Sound Design: 344 Audio |
| Music Composition: Alex Wallace |
Tonsturm are back with a solution to solve an age old problem; the recreation of the Doppler effect.
November 23, 2021
Company: TONSTURM
Product: Traveler
Price: $179 (Usually $229)
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Not only does Traveler allow you to create Doppler effects either in real time, by processing imported audio, or by way of audiosuite processing, but the user can plot movement graphs in the GUI and use LFOs to provide additional modulation.
There is an included sample library, which includes 76 effects for whooshing and whipping. These are of a high quality, more than sufficient for use within this plugin, but you will want to import your own sounds to create more original effects. The sound of the processing is rather nice, and doesn’t have the artefacts that you may expect from heavy processing. It has a level of control missed in it’s competitors engines.
We used it on a recent project to simulate wind movement, and it was a really nice base layer for further design. Frustration with other doppler plugins has often left us relying on automated pitch shifters and sound effects to pick up the slack, which is less than ideal. It is nice to know that problem is now resolved with the use of Traveler.
There really aren't many negatives to point out with Traveler. The ease of use, preset and sound library, AAX format without Reaktor are all massive plus points. The price currently sits at that of a premium plugin level, but pretty similar to comparable plugins from other vendors. This may be out of the hands of hobbyists, but the again it is a serious workflow tool for professionals.
Any Sound Designer worth their salt uses doppler/movement effects, from whatever source that may be. If you also have found the older plugins a little outdated, this is your answer and it sounds great!
Our Lead Audio Craftsman Alex Gregson was asked to visit Pinewood Studios last week to undergo training to become an Avid Certified Instructor for Pro Tools.
November 23, 2021
Avid HQ at Pinewood is situated right under the nose of film sets for James Bond, Star Wars and other major franchises. On this 5 day intensive course, Alex was trained under Emmy award winning Engineer and Pro Tools Expert Justin Fraser. He took part in lessons to develop teaching skills, a deeper knowledge of the Pro Tools engine and advanced workflows. A lot of which is only available on this course.
As well as this, other tutors present were experienced engineers in their own right, and travelled from across Europe to take part. Perhaps the most valuable part of the journey was the opportunity to present a lesson to the rest of the class. Overall, a further knowledge of Pro Tools and the networking opportunities of being in London and Pinewood were a massive benefit to us. The icing on the cake was being able to meet with remote clients in London that we have only previously skyped with!
