Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
Dust clouds plaguing your carpet? Kitchen floor starting to get dirty? Badlands Sound have the solution with Retro Vacuum. Get it now for just $20. Retro Fabulous.
November 23, 2021
Company: Badlands Sound
Product: Retro Vacuum
Price: $20
Our Rating: 4.6/5
Everything here is neat and tidy, carefully packaged into 4 categories (Activity, Exterior, Foley, Onboard), Lots of coverage, captured in 24 Bit 96kHz WAV format. Badlands Sound libraries are always a well packaged treat, lets start 'er up.
Badlands have shown a real progression with this library in terms of content and consistency, they are experts in choosing a theme that no one ever dares to try, no matter how mundane the source material.
Each category on offer has a distinctive vibe and character:
Activity offers distant and close perspectives of various movements on different surfaces. This proves useful for extended scenes and is easy to edit, due to the noise based nature of the vacuum. Exterior offers up sounds reminiscent of vehicle libraries, with multiple pass bys that impressively omit any of the recordist's footsteps. Both of these sections have a more distant and 'roomy' quality, allowing them to blend into a retro living room in a pinch!
Foley offers up some useful auxilliary samples, from the vacuum, and are a great way to get those authentic plasticky bag grabs, button hits and squeaks. Onboard hillariously gives you the dry onboard sounds of the vacuum, much like an interior car engine library - great for worldizing vacuums in your film spaces. We would definitely use the Onboard sounds for Spaceship and vehicle design too. Both of these sections have a 'closer' quality with less room reflections.
One thing that struck us about this library compared with other Badlands products was that it feels EQ'ed. You can definitely hear which files were recorded with the RODE NTG3, yet its 'boominess' seems to be less present than we're used to. It feels like it has been balanced by EQ or recording distance, which doesn't hurt the library but is worth mentioning.
The focus here is on functionality, and there is a drag and drop quality to a lot of the sounds. The performance aspect, the lack of footstep noises, and the overall coverage make this library a winner for $20.
The overall sound is quite varied. Categories 1 and 2 have a much roomier, and reflective sound, that sometimes feels phasey. 3 and 4 are up close and personal. While this allows for use in multiple situations, don't expect all categories to blend seamlessly without processing.
Some of the Foley sounds could have also had more tail, cutting them shorter makes it tough for the Sound Editor to tracklay effectively.
Overall, a small price to pay for the amount of content and the detailed coverage of the overall theme.
If you need vacuum sounds, you don't have an old vacuum at your disposal or you're short on time, this one is for you. The onboard category provides a tone that will work with new and old vacuum models alike in your projects.
Mattia Cellotto is known for delivering some of the finest source material for audio manipulation. Ultrasonic Dry Ice exudes a level of playfulness and sonic detail that encourages results.
November 23, 2021
Company: Mattia Cellotto
Product: Ultrasonic Dry Ice
Price: $65
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Once the freezer door was opened, and we pulled out the icicles of Designed and Raw sounds, it was time to take a look at the content. As usual, Mattia's branding for this library is nothing short of a modern DaVinci, with his signature, hand drawn look; beautiful.
When opening the root folder, you are greeted with a very personable and useful Library Information document, a big plus for us. There is a support email address, as well as some tips for audio manipulation, and a guide to the file naming structure. Mattia generously named the filenames for users that don't have dedicated library management software. He also tagged extensive metadata - covering all bases for SFX searching.
The files are split between Raw and Designed folders which offer the user a chance to use the initial recordings, or the suggested designed ideas offered up by Mattia.
There is lots of content to cover the theme - 71 minutes of data, over a whopping 635 sound effects. The recordings were captured with some stunning equipment, allowing users to work with content above the human hearing range. The sounds were recorded at 192 kHz with a Sanken CO100K, a couple of Sennheiser MKH8040's and a MKH416 through a Zaxcom recorder.
When auditioning the sounds, you really get the sense of overall quality from the equipment used. Dry ice should make your skin crawl, like nails on a chalkboard. Mattia has recorded this in such a way that it keeps the atonal edge, without the harsh overtones that you would imagine. The overall frequency range is balanced, and the distance perception feels just about right. We have used Mattia's previous products extensively, especially Polarity, which tends to creep into lot's of our more general design work, and often inspires fresh ideas.
The variety of materials recorded in the Raw folder, gives the user so many sonic options. As many of the resonating tools used were metal, you get metallic textures, as well as dry ice. There are atonal elements, but some files have a clearly defined tonality, often melodic in nature.
The Designed folder offers up some great starting points for further manipulation. There are Stingers, Risers, UI sounds and more. The pricing at $65 feels just right, and provides exceptional value - especially if you take advantage of the 20% off currently available at A Sound Effect.
Pitching down theses sounds leaves you with a sense of unimaginable horror. A ghastly, breezy, smoky, icy wasteland, reminiscent of The Thing is instantly conjured, and Mattia created this library with the full intention of you exploring this.
In terms of situational use, our Sound Design instincts are screaming Modern Horror/Sci-Fi. We'd be surprised if Oats Studios' Sound Designers don't purchase this product, as it screams Neill Blomkamp. It also works well for creature design when pitched. Almost whale-like tones can be had. Any on screen cue with metallic friction can benefit from this tool, especially screeching industrial trains or vehicles coming to a halt.
We would definitely use Ultrasonic Dry Ice in atonal music too, paired with Spitfire's Albion IV, some wonderfully hellish textures could be crafted. It is also powerful for sonic branding. Iconic sounds can be found with time-stretching and pitching, which feel right at home as part of a dark, minimal ident.
Even after the clear risk of frostbite endured to create this wonderful sound library, there are a few suggestions which we feel could push it to the next level...
The sounds in the design folder, while reasonably manipulated, still feel like more of a starting point for further mangling - some users may want instant gratification.
We would like to also see Mattia push the library in a further musical direction, creating atmospheric pads and sequences, that would allow composers to implement these wonderful textures. A Kontakt library would be a very welcome addition, and make the library exceptionally valuable for the user.
There may also be further scope to explore the world of dry ice, on more unusual resonating surfaces - something to include in a future library.
Any Sound Designer looking for source material, will not be dissapointed with Ultrasonic Dry Ice. The price on offer currently makes it an instant purchase for Designers carrying out Sci-Fi/Horror work. Go grab it now!
Articulated Sounds latest product Yeti Monster, is a great example of their implicit attention to detail. An innovative theme with outstanding execution, and more uses than you might think.
November 23, 2021
Company: Articulated Sounds
Product: Yeti Monster
Price: $39
Our Rating: 4.7/5
The first thing to mention about Articulated Sounds is that their presentation is impeccable. A quick look over their website reveals a company who care about the user's experience when searching for products. Their sound libraries are also high quality, Yeti Monster being recorded and delivered in 24Bit 192kHz and recorded with high end microphones such as the Sanken CO-100K and the Sennheiser 8090.
The file hierarchy here is clean and simple, with naming conventions, extensive metadata and every organisational base covered for users. Their ReadMe document has a nice thank you message and offers a chance to give feedback or contact the company with questions.
As well as the main body of sounds provided, there is a folder intended for use in cartoons, which makes sense given the library's theme.
So, does the library live up to this mythological creature's spooky reputation? We think so. The inclusion of different vocalisations, snow movements and footsteps have this monster well covered. The pitching in the sounds is clean and free of artefacts, leaving audio that can be processed much further if desired.
Yeti Monster has uses for much more than just this ice dwelling ape. We would happily use it as a base layer for vocalisation, adding other animals into the mix to create unique textures. The fact that over 10 voice actors were used adds immense value, but isn't painfully obvious. There is enough difference and variation to cover multiple beasts without them sounding too far apart in a scene. We could see them being used as trolls, gorillas and other humanoids.
The overall sound is great, the variety is plentiful and it has an 'instantly usable' feel. You can tell that some of the worlds best equipment was used to capture these performances, and time was invested into pitching them down to the correct point with a good algorithm.
The price is fair and gives you great bang for buck, as well as saving you the time and rental cost of hiring this great equipment and sourcing voice actors for vocalisations on your projects.
The one downside to this library, which came as quite a surprise to us, was that there were some inconsistent edits on particular files. The great news is that Articulated Sounds instantly fixed these and updated the library after we informed them.
Do not underestimate this library's potential to cover multiple beastly expressions within projects. For those who do creature design and cartoon/animation frequently, this product will be a useful addition.
A new library from the dynamic Dutch duo that is Frick & Traa, City Bicycles puts you in the saddle of 4 different models of pushbike.
November 23, 2021
Company: FRICK & TRAA
Product: City Bicycles
Price: $99
Our Rating: 4.9/5
After opening our copy, we searched through the folder structure to find an extensive metadata guide, as well as metadata provided in multiple formats (something that we should see more of in libraries). Also featured is a file hierarchy guide, a read me file with a nice welcoming message of support and contact details. Frick & Traa get 5/5 for customer service.
The research and marketing put into this library is impressive to say the least and is a great start for the company going forward. A total of 2 years research and development allowed them to find the most effective recording techniques, which gives the library an immersive sound and content that packs a punch.
The artwork is gorgeous and the videos created market the product extremely well.
The whopping total of 5.5 hours of content was recorded at 96 kHz, over 7GB unzipped! It's safe to say the sounds here can cover a multitude of bicycle scenes, just take a look at some of the information below on what is included:
Four bikes were recorded and given names to help the user identify their favourites for different uses:
1. Good bike: a smooth sounding retro bike that doesn’t rattle or squeak, really nice tire noise.2. Bad bike: an old worn bike with severe rattles and cranking, tends to let the chain fly off.3. Ugly bike: this bike gets you from A to B... but it won’t win awards for it’s looks.4. Racer bike: a vintage racer that’s probably owned by a barista or a hipster art student.
Speeds and actions:
Three speeds for every bike and every surface (see below). Departures from slow, medium to fast getaways. Arrivals from slow stops with gently squeaking handbrakes to heavy stuttering skids.
Five perspectives were also recorded:
1. Onboard Front: captures the whirring tire and surface sound.
2. Onboard Pedal: nice overall combination of pedaling, crank creaks, chain rattle, tire and surface sounds.
3. Onboard Rear: close up sound of the rear axle, with chain, sprocket and switching of gear.
4. Tracking shot: mono recording of the passby, keeping the bike in focus while passing by.
5. Static XY shot: stereo recording of the passby that emphasises speed.
Five Surfaces were covered:
1. Asphalt: nice and clean, with smooth singing sound.
2. Large Bricks: nicely textured surface that makes the tires purr like a cat.
3. Gravel: a fresh crackling surface sound that you might find in a city park.
4. Grit: classic bicycle path surface sounds that layers perfectly with the other surfaces.
5. Icy road: frozen asphalt with sparkling textures of ice crystals snapping under the wheels.
Bonus additions include:
1. Exterior recordings of various actions in multiple takes from rattles, bounces, shakes to roll-bys. Enough to make your bike sound just a little different.
2. We also recorded 21 additional single passbys of various bicycles, from severely rattling to smooth riding bikes on small brick streets and alleys.
Enough to expand your options to create a distinguished sound design.
In terms of using the library, there isn't much this won't cover. The recordings are clean, without feeling overly processed or harsh. We love the mic options, and between them, you can cover most camera shots or video game situations with minimal processing and mixing. The overall tonal balance and riding performances feel well executed, as does the presentation - making the library a breeze to use on a deadline.
The handling sounds and extras are a welcome addition, and really complete the package. This product just seems to keep on answering your wishes each time you open a folder. 'What if my rider is drunk?' They have it covered. 'What if my rider has broken his bike' They have it covered. There were many more happy surprises too as we listened through.
The surface recordings are perfect for vehicle sound design - with some pitching, they could be a car's tires on gravel, or a motorbike slowly approaching on an icy road. They would also would work well for crackle and lo-fi vinyl fun - the possibilities are truly endless here!
Some of our personal favourites come in the 'Various other' folder, pass by's on unique surfaces like brick and cobblestones - they are a fun idea to implement in sci-fi spaceship pass bys.
City Bicycles is a library that makes you feel like you're present on location, listening to your own bike moving. That's what all of Frick & Traa's hard work has been for.
The only constructive criticism we can aim at City Bicycles, is the consistency of presentation - some folders have short descriptions in their file name. We think keeping these descriptions in the metadata guide would have been more user friendly.
City Bicycles has a plethora of content, for a great price. The perfect balance between a great concept, great presentation and outstanding execution, lands them an almost perfect score of 4.9. Not only do Frick & Traa offer a free mini pack to try the library, but they also will give all readers some unreleased content when they purchase with our code (see below).
Go grab it now for all of your creative Sound Design projects!
At 344 Audio we like to provide carefully crafted Sound Design, even with tight deadlines. For Strays, we built a lo-fi soundtrack to compliment this Northern British Dystopia.
November 23, 2021
After multiple conversations with Director Aaron Dunleavy, and providing Sound Effects/Design on his previous film 'The Truants', it was a clear progression to approach a project that harnessed his lo-fi, no frills vision of Northern England. That project is Strays, part of Random Acts Centre North's production programme - a joint initiative between Arts Council England and Channel 4.
The film has themes of survival, abandonment and child exploration without boundaries (for better or worse). Children have taken over a street (and seemingly the neighbourhood), with no rules or discipline to stop their dark imaginations running wild. Aaron made it clear that because the film was completely mute at the editing stage, the Sound Design would make or break the audience's perception of this forgotten terraced block.
With a big passion for sound in his filmmaking process, it was clear that Aaron needed to capture the essence of the locations while shooting. Bringing a Sound Recordist on board to record sound effects meant that the final process was not only quicker, but also felt more authentic to the Blackburn based set. We edited these sounds to use for both their intended purpose, and in new ventures - such as turning a hair trimmer into a transitional element:
Most of all Aaron allowed us to roam free, confident in our mutual understanding from previous projects. He gave us references from video games, films and real life objects to describe the sounds he envisioned. Because of the children's struggle for survival, there was an almost predatory element in both the film's editing and in the vision for the Final Mix.
Dialogue in the film is minimal, but often a gateway to off screen action not entirely described by the visuals alone. The sound of children playing in the foreground, and an almost subconscious sound of distant adult screams, suggests an awful anti-paradise which draws you in.
The Sound Design had to have a musical element and rhythm which flowed with the haunting slow motion of the entire piece. It had to be time stretched and pitched, so that washing clothes in sinks, or even blabber from a baby felt like naturally recorded sync sound. This all was combined with the stunning music offered up by the ever eclectic Slomo. Disturbing guitar drones blended well with our harsh feedback effects, microscopic audio fragments and precise music editorial.
We are introduced to the world with establishing shots, and sounds that are equally reminiscent of the film's world. Wind through the bushes foreshadows emptiness, while seagulls fly by, almost trying to evade impending danger. The interior shots of the film are riddled with industrial sounds, reflecting revolutions of the past in this part of the world.
Our custom recordings of Northern British towns and rural areas, combined with the wild tracks recorded on set, gave us plenty of material to build an immersive soundscape. The use of certain eagle sounds suggest that wildlife has commuted from Scotland and the Moors, a great way to express the predatory element mentioned in the spotting session. We also used ethnic instruments to punctuate moments where the children showed their primal instincts.
Many interesting things occur beyond this point in the film, which we can't give away, but the film closes with quite a crucial sound effect. The combination of static and harsh electronic squeals rises from the lo-fi effects we used, and closes the piece almost as if a busted old television is switching off.
Strays was mixed in stereo for broadcast delivery, but due to the lack of dialogue and experimental nature, there was lots of discussion with Aaron to keep the mix as fluid and natural as possible while still meeting the specifications.
It was crucial with this mix to retain clarity but give an unpolished, disused feel. The flow of volume, panning and frequency balance of the Sound Design had to weave around the music to help elements cut through. We added vinyl crackle, tape noise and other audio dirt, which also enhanced Aaron's characteristic colour grade and film grain. By mixing these low in the soundscape, it gives off a feeling that something isn't quite right, that we are watching this world through a lens.
It was a pleasure to work on Strays, and explore new audio techniques that we hadn't seen used before to tell a story. No doubt there will be more to come from Aaron Dunleavy and 344 Audio in the future.
Strays is currently on the festival circuit, recently achieving an official selection at the BAFTA and Oscar® qualifying Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol, the UK’s leading short film and animation festival. The film is also currently touring the UK as part of the Random Acts Playback Festival; a showcase of short films screening at venues throughout the country and finishing at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The film was recently acquired by Channel 4 and will be showcased on the Random Acts website towards the end of the year.
