DIY Sound Design: Tips and Tricks for Creating Your Own Movie Sounds

Creating a movie can be an incredibly difficult task to complete, regardless of whether you are a skilled director or a novice. There are so many moving parts that need to be considered, with the sounds being used often being one of the most integral. 

The audio used throughout the film can help to immerse, engage and connect with the audience. These sounds are what people will hear immediately, and if they are not quite right, it can be something that they find too hard to ignore and even potentially tolerate. 

Thankfully, there are various methods that can be utilized when creating your own movie sounds to perfect them and create the type of viewing and listening experiences that are possible to enjoy. 

Create your own sounds 

Creating your own sounds to go with the scenes that have been created can be the best way to capture the sounds that you desire. This is a known technique across the film industry, with many using Foley artistry to accomplish this successfully. 

This process requires individuals to recreate the sounds that they are going for by using everyday items that can be found. For instance, they can recreate sounds like rainfall by using rice grains and dropping them from a height to create the pitter-patter sounds that can be associated with the drops hitting a surface. Shoes can be used to bang against a surface in a way that resembles footsteps being made, or simply being worn in close proximity to a microphone as an individual walks on the spot to create an identical sound. 

Using sound effects 

One of the cheapest and most effective ways to obtain the ideal sounds for the movie can be to use templates that already have the sound uploaded and are made available to use. You can find almost everything you could want on these platforms, from basic effects like a camera sound effect to those that are more advanced and a little more difficult to create. 

Using software that provides access to a variety of sounds can allow users more time to find an effective sound that fits the narrative of their movie. They can spend more time shifting through the various sounds that are uploaded for each category rather than have to spend time trying to recreate a sound that may be difficult to execute perfectly. 

Layer any sounds that have been created 

To gain an element of uniqueness or to potentially enhance any sound that has been created, it can be advisable to use the technique of layering to help bring them further to life and create a more dynamic audio experience. 

It’s a technique that is used by the very best in the industry and it’s something that has become extremely accessible through technological developments to novices, too. It’s important to make sure that any sounds that have been layered are authentic and are believable, though, as too much of this method can create sounds that are hard to imagine. It can be very easy to create sounds that ultimately do not fit the scene that they are desired to match. 

Having the right equipment helps 

Of course, the right equipment can ensure that the best movie sounds are possible and enable one to create their own. Naturally, this is an expensive approach, but it allows the filmmaker total control over the sound that is produced and ultimately used. 

Given an appropriate microphone, they will be able to record the sounds made more accurately. This can bring in an element of realism in the film that they are working on, so the film is more likely to grab and touch the audience. Additional equipment may consist of sound recorders, editing software, and a conducive environment for clear and flawless acoustics to be heard and recorded. 

Final Thoughts 

You can produce sounds manually in many ways, but whatever you do, do it with originality and be consistent with the method. 

Audiences will be able to relate better to the created film if the sounds they hear are realistic and as per the scenes or narrative that is being portrayed. 

At times, therefore, the best method to achieve this is by creating your own sounds. 

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Written by Catie Moore

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