How to create your own sound effects for digital video production?

As you watch a TV show or movie, it is easy to forget that many of the subtle little sounds you hear are actually sound effects that were added in during editing, rather than “real” sounds that were recorded with the video image. This is often because the microphone was focused on the voice of a speaking subject as opposed to other actions in the scene. Subtle sounds like footsteps, a knock on the door, or splashing water are often recorded separately and added to the movie later. These sound effects are often called Foley sounds by movie pros, and someone who makes Foley sounds is called a Foley artist. Foley sound effects are named after audio pioneer Jack Foley, who invented the technique in the 1950s.

Recording your own sound effects is pretty easy. Many sounds will actually sound better in a video project if they’re simulated, as opposed to recording the real thing. For example:

• Breaking bone: Snap carrots or celery in half. Fruit and vegetables can be used to produce many disgusting sounds, and they don’t complain about being broken in half nearly as much as human actors.
  
• Buzzing insect: Wrap wax paper tightly around a comb, place your lips so that they are just barely touching the paper, and hum so that the wax paper makes a buzzing sound.
• Fire: Crumple cellophane or wax paper to simulate the sound of a crackling fire.
• Footsteps: Hold two shoes and tap the heels together followed by the toes. Experiment with different shoe types for different sounds. This may take some practice to get the timing of each footstep just right.
  
• Gravel or snow: Walk on cat litter to simulate the sound of walking through snow or gravel.
• Horse hooves: This is one of the classic sound effects. The clop-clopclopping of horse hooves is often made by clapping two halves of a coconut shell together.
• Kiss: Pucker up and give your forearm a nice big smooch to make the sound of a kiss.
• Punch: Punch a raw piece of steak or a raw chicken.
• Thunder: Shake a large piece of sheet metal to simulate a thunderstorm.
  
• Town bell: To replicate the sound of a large bell ringing, hold the handle of a metal stew pot lid, and tap the edge with a spoon or other metal object. Experiment with various strikers and lids for just the right effect.

Some sound effects might be included with your editing software or are available for download. Pinnacle Studio, for example, comes with a diverse library of sound effects, which you can access by clicking the Show Sound Effects tab or choosing Album➪Sound Effects. If the sound effects aren’t currently listed, navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Studio 8\ Sound Effects, and then open one of the thirteen sound-effect category folders such as \Animals or \Squeaks.
Apple iMovie 3 also includes some built-in sound effects. Open iMovie and click the Audio button. To view a list of sound effects, make sure you have iMovie Sound Effects listed in the menu at the top of the audio browser). You may also be able to download additional sound effects periodically from www.apple.com/imovie/audio_effects.html. If you use Windows Movie Maker, you may be able to download free sound effects from Microsoft. Visit www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ and look for links to downloadable sound effects. If you are using another video-editing program, check the documentation or visit the publisher’s Web site to see whether free sound effects are available.