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Try it for yourself by editing and
blending the page fl ipping sounds from
the links at the end of this article.Some browsing required
Once you have an idea of the type of
sound that you want to use, you should
take the time to browse and compare
different variations. Furthermore, pick
sounds that naturally fi t your graphic.
Look for clips that are close to the right
duration and fi t the overall style. Also,
blending sounds is not uncommon, just
remember to compare and contrast.
Try to use uncompressed fi les like
WAVE or AIFF when possible. Com-
pressed audio formats introduce
unwanted compression artifacts and
reduce fi delity.Placement
These sounds are additive elements
and most often sit a little further back
in the mix. Avoid competing with dia-
logue and drowning out other sounds.
First of all, this doesn’t mean that you
should never give prominence to cer-
tain sounds. The accompanying sound
effect can be pushed forward in the
mix when using graphics as exclama-
tions, for example. Just think back
to the original “Batman” television
series’ “POWs” and “BANGS”.
Likewise, you can also try panning
sounds when working with a graphic
that enters from either side and moves
across the screen. A coordinating
sound will give the graphic a greater
feeling of movement. You can quickly
tell if this adds value to your scene.
You can widen an effect’s profi le
with stereo imaging plugins that can
change the stereo spread and give it a
wider sound. The sound could still be
centered but would be perceived as
having more width or presence.
Finally, reverb and delay can be
used to create scale. Imagine a graphic
dropping in a like a giant weight —
wouldn’t it be great if we used a bit of
reverb or delay on the accompanying
sound effect to give the imposing thud
a little bit more staying power?Motion graphics help give more life
and motion (literally) to anything
ranging from title credits and presen-
tations to projects that fall under the
multimedia category. Likewise, the
sounds you add to these sequences —
from adding simple swooshes, pops
and bangs all the way to full-blown
audio sequences — will make them
more effective in conveying both
mood and message.
This can be as simple as adding a
swoosh to an animated title or slide
transition in a presentation. It’s easy
to fi nd a classic swoosh sound that
would be equally at home in a fi ght
scene or accompanying transition in a
title sequence.
Another example of audio comple-
menting a title sequence is the Marvel
Studios introduction from the fi rst
“Iron Man” movie. In this example, we
hear the sound of pages fl ipping and
whooshing as the Marvel name fl ashes.
This gives the comic book style graph-
ics more physicality and reinforces the
intended look and feel.AUDIO
Sound effects will give your
titles and graphics more impact.
Here are some tips on effectively
adding sound effects to your
motion graphics, along with
links to some essential sounds.
by Blag IvanovAdd impact to your graphics
The Marvel Studios
introduction from
the first “Iron Man”
movie uses the
sound of pages flip-
ping and whooshing
as the Marvel name
flashes.382 C04 Audio.indd 42 1/21/19 10:10 AMVIDEOMAKER >>> MARCH 2019 43
Placement
These sounds are additive elements
and most often sit a little further back
in the mix. Avoid competing with dia-
logue and drowning out other sounds.
First of all, this doesn’t mean that you
should never give prominence to cer-
tain sounds. The accompanying sound
effect can be pushed forward in the
mix when using graphics as exclama-
tions, for example. Just think back
to the original “Batman” television
series’ “POWs” and “BANGS”.
Likewise, you can also try panning
sounds when working with a graphic
that enters from either side and moves
across the screen. A coordinating
sound will give the graphic a greater
feeling of movement. You can quickly
tell if this adds value to your scene.
You can widen an effect’s profile
with stereo imaging plugins that can
change the stereo spread and give it a
wider sound. The sound could still be
centered but would be perceived as
having more width or presence.
Finally, reverb and delay can be
used to create scale. Imagine a graphic
dropping in a like a giant weight —
wouldn’t it be great if we used a bit of
reverb or delay on the accompanying
sound effect to give the imposing thud
a little bit more staying power?AUDIO
by Blag IvanovBlag spends his time between software development, IT,
and audio. He works at a software company and is a contrib-
uting editor at Videomaker where he mainly focuses on, you
guessed it, audio.AUDIO MARCH 2019
What about music?
While being too continuous to be considered
a one-shot effect, music can be used to create
similar results. The title sequence of “Monty
Python’s Holy Grail” uses several music beds to
play along with the ever-increasing shenanigans
taking place in the title text until the produces
give up and switch to a bright blaring screen.Popular Sounds
Below, we’ve compiled a list of commonly-used
sound effects and where to find them. Use this
list as a starting point when building your sound
effects library. And don’t be afraid to manipulate
the base sounds to better fit your production.Pops
Cartoon pop
https://freesound.org/people/unfa/sounds/245645/Thuds
Thud
https://freesound.org/people/nebulasnails/
sounds/405536/Zings
Magical zing with chimes
https://youtu.be/BkNyLpoy1coSwooshes
Bamboo swoosh
https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/
sounds/394413/Bass Drop
Classic bass drop
https://youtu.be/fR2e2SRBjjwDirty bass drop
https://freesound.org/people/GnoteSoundz/
sounds/169713/Shatters
Picture frame shattering
https://freesound.org/people/SpliceSound/
sounds/156578/Glass shattering
https://freesound.org/people/qubodup/
sounds/219940/Page Flipping
Fast page flipping
https://freesound.org/people/amholma/
sounds/344359/Slow page flipping
https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/
sounds/416179/Alarms
Air raid siren
https://freesound.org/people/nooly/sounds/382611/Fire alarm
https://freesound.org/people/Lame%20Name/
sounds/202053/Screams
Wilhelm Scream
https://freesound.org/people/Syna-Max/
sounds/64939/Female scream
https://freesound.org/people/kokopetiyot/
sounds/218417/Male scream
https://freesound.org/people/adriancalzon/
sounds/220619/Crowd screaming
https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/
sounds/421852/Gunshots
Single gunshot
https://freesound.org/people/GregsMedia/
sounds/150137/Machine gun burst
https://freesound.org/people/pgi/sounds/212600/Heavy machine gun
https://freesound.org/people/ShawnyBoy/
sounds/165394/Explosions
Car explosion
https://freesound.org/people/Iwiploppenisse/
sounds/156031/With that, you can start experimenting with
adding sound effects to your own graphics.You can comment on this article by going online:
http://www.videomaker.com/?p=72000228382 C04 Audio.indd 43 1/21/19 10:10 AM