VI's for SFX?

[tdblanchard]

I was doing a mix with another engineer the other day and showed him how I sometimes use virtual instruments to achieve certain sound effects. He was pretty amazed and it made me think to myself "isn't everyone doing this?".

How many of you guys are taking advantage of the new VI's out there to achieve some pretty lush sound bedding and SFX?

For me it's slowly but surely more often taking the place of traversing through our SFX library. Especially when it's easier to just make it right in there on the spot in the DAW using an instrument track and then bussing that to an audio track. Obviously, there are certain sounds you just keep in the bank, but...

I'm interested to hear/read what everyone else is doing with all these killer VI's coming out (primarily Kontakt/Reaktor-hosted)?

[postprosound]

Tim, I must ask, when you say bedding and SFX that you are creating in an instrument, what are you referring to?

[tdblanchard]

Originally Posted by postprosound

Tim, I must ask, when you say bedding and SFX that you are creating in an instrument, what are you referring to?

In the session I was referring to in my OP, we had to recreate a tiny bell sound I thought it would sit better in the mix if the bell were musically a third above the background music's key signature. It did and it was perfect. I used Xpand2 (I forget which patch).

But I often use Native Instruments (or other VI's) to create whooshes, booms, clicks, rumbles, etc.

[postprosound]

Ah, i see what you're saying. And on some levels, the best answer, i feel, is it depends.

I would think that by and large, the VAST majority of sounds in movies and tv are the recorded and edited type. This is simply because things like background traffic, birds, winds, Fx like door slams, gunshots, tire screeches just sound better and more natural because, well, they are natural.

The water tends to get more murky when you speak about sound design. (which is what i'm assuming is what you are referring to. And here, i use the term 'sound design' in the thought of creating sounds. There are many definitions.) When you hit this realm, frankly, use what works. I think a lot of folks use Native Instruments VI's. But it goes wide from there. Structure, FM synths, Kyma, even old school Synclaviers. I've seen a lot of use of guitar amps and such. Even the old metal thunder sheet, which was used a bit in Shutter Island. Even then, i think that a lot of the 'sound design' in many movies is layer upon layer of recorded sound.

What do you like to use?

[tdblanchard]

Originally Posted by postprosound

What do you like to use?

Loving the new Komplete 9.
The new Kinetic Metals is probably next on my list of NI treats.
But as far as samplers go, you hit the main players. Then there are the goodies out there like Sonokinetic and SamplePhonics.
I have a ton of old-school MIDI synths/samplers that I whip out every so often but there are oceans and oceans of sounds...

I couldn't agree with you more regarding foley recording "on the spot". Nothing can replace that (plus it's fun as heck!).

[FajitaTone]

Izotope Iris. Wicked...

[tdblanchard]

Loooove Iris!

[subbasshead]

So do you print/record the sounds you're creating/manipulating in VIs as audio?

The issue of conforming to new picture changes is what concerns me from carrying too much VI material in a session

[tdblanchard]

Originally Posted by subbasshead

So do you print/record the sounds you're creating/manipulating in VIs as audio?

The issue of conforming to new picture changes is what concerns me from carrying too much VI material in a session

Yeah. I usually play/record the midi (so that I have it in that format). Then comment the heck out of the midi track (VI/Patch...).
Then I record it to an audio track (with comments referencing the midi track) and hide/make inactive the midi track.

[FajitaTone]

Originally Posted by tdblanchard

Yeah. I usually play/record the midi (so that I have it in that format). Then comment the heck out of the midi track (VI/Patch...).
Then I record it to an audio track (with comments referencing the midi track) and hide/make inactive the midi track.

+1