By Forris Day Jr.
“The Sound Effects Bible” is a great overview of how to create and organize sound effects. Author Ric Viers has a passion for sound and he teaches what he knows in this awesome reference manual. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the work that goes into creating sound effects for movies and TV. It is a thick book filled with information about creating sound effects and the tools you need to create and record them.
The book starts with an explanation of what sound effects are and the types of sound effects. Yes there are different types as I learned. It goes on to teach about different microphone types and what the application for each one is. There are more types of microphones that you may imagine and Viers explains them here. What to record on? Read chapter six. There is a short history of recording devices and lots of pictures showing the modern stuff in use. If you are a techie type you will love the section on sample rates. If you are not a a techie geek you can skip over some of this stuff but if you want in-depth information it’s there.
Viers offers advice on putting a great recording equipment package together on several different budget levels. He also includes instructions on how to make a foley stage for creating our own sound effects as needed. Again lots of pictures so you know exactly what is being discussed. You will learn what kind of software to get and learn some pretty cool tips and tricks for creating sounds using oddball things like vegetables, blow torches and leather jackets. I know…weird. An example I thought was pretty cool, as a guy who has worked on several horror films, is the sound of dripping blood can be mimicked by mixing flour and water together and dropping it from various heights. Very cool!
The book contains a section with lots of resources to books, magazines, websites and products to help you in your quest for just the right sound effect. One of the things Viers teaches is that the sound does not have to be created by recording what is being shown on the picture. A perfect example is in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Arc” when Indiana Jones is running from the giant rolling stone ball. The sound of the ball is actually a recording of a Honda Civic coasting along over a gravel roadbed. Who knew? There is a nice list of suggested movies to watch so you can study them with your ears open.
Ric Viers has been creating sound effects for Hollywood movies and TV programs for years. You have heard his effects in films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings”. If you want to learn how to make your films better or want to become the next sound effects guru “The Sound Effects Bible” is a great book to start with.
Rating: 8/10 -“Takes the mystery out of creating SFX”