WANTED: IR or Suggestions For Outdoor Ambience

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:37 pm

Hi,

I have some dialogue I need to process in such a way that it -sounds- like the people are talking at a seaside beach. You know... wind... waves... the odd seagull in the background. Mr. Green

No, the dialogue can't be re-recorded live.

I have some background sounds of the beach itself, but I need an IR or some tips on using conventional reverbs or -whatever- to properly set the voices into that soundbed.

Ideas?

THANKS!

---JC

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:19 pm

Because there are not many hard surfaces, an IR is not going to do much. You can simulate distance by pushing the low and high end down a little. Maybe a short convolution reverb just to muddy up the transients a little.

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:13 pm

Run it out of the box to analog tape.

Would that work?

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:23 am

There are lots of sound effect/environmental sound tracks that you could use in the background.

http://musicishere.com/artists/Nature_Sound_Series/Relaxing_Seaside_.Nature_sounds_only_version./

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1058942/a/Essential+Sound+Effects.htm

http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/archive/Nature/Ocean-sounds/Very-Light-Seaside-Ambience/284032

http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1126388-seagull-sounds-sound-effect-wav

Have fun

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:23 am

Your job as a sound designer is not to re-create reality, but is to create a sonic reality that stimulates the story, provides information about the characters, and plays with the emotions of the audience.

If you see waves crashing on the shore they need to be in sync. Are they crashing into rocks or just rolling up onto the shore or gently lapping on the beach, or...

For other sounds you need to look for visual clues; seagulls, sandpipers, kids building sandcastles or playing frisbee, passing boats, etc.

Once you have catalogued the visual references you build your sound library and then pick sounds to enhance the scene, the story and the characters. Once all of the pieces are in place you then use an IR reverb to put it all into sonic perspective.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:20 am

Thomas: Thanks for the SFX sites.

Uncle Bob: Any thoughts on -what- IR to use? I've tried a number of 'standard' reverbs and IRs and the dialogue definitely does -not- feel like it fits inside the 'beach' sounds.

Ideas?

---JC

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:34 am

I am not Uncle Bob and I don't play him on TV but....

SIR 1.1 is the one we use a lot.

http://www.knufinke.de/sir/sir1.html

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:42 am

Thomas W. Bethel wrote:

I am not Uncle Bob and I don't play him on TV but....

SIR 1.1 is the one we use a lot.

http://www.knufinke.de/sir/sir1.html

Thanks. I have SIR. I just can't seem to find an IR that fits this application.

Anyone else?

---JC

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:59 pm

Since the IRs are all wave files. Just go outside and record some "ambiance" and use it for the wave file. That should be as close to outdoors as you can get.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:36 pm

I use Altiverb. There are lots of nice IRs to use as a starting point for what I want to hear. I did a beach scene a while back and settled on an "Open Forest" algorithm as a place to start. Remember, the work you are doing is representational, not reality. (BTW, on their website Audio Ease has all of the specifications on what you need to create your own IRs. I haven't done it myself, but have used some created by members of the Altiverb users group; very nice...)

Beaches are very open places for the most part, so you wouldn't have very much in the way of reflections unless you are near rocks or buildings. What little you do have in the way of reflections are covered up by the rest of the ambient noise. Find an IR that comes close to what you want to hear and warms up the dialog. We all search for perfection, but unless you have a huge budget you occasionally have to compromise.

For sounds check out Freesound.org. They range from horrible to sublime, but they are free and well worth the effort to find the good ones. Please read and follow the guidelines for crediting the creators of the sounds.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:41 pm

Thanks Uncle Bob... Good ideas. I don't have Altiverb, but I definitely will try creating an IR from a beach sound near me. I'll let ya know how it goes...

---JC

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