sound design

[AdamFrick]

Hey all you sound designers and FX makers!

I'm getting ready to do less Foley-based sound FX and more sound-design type work, and I'm wondering what you all use for that type of work. Creating footsteps is one thing, but I'm looking to be stacking sounds and manipulating, etc to make huge wierd non-organic stuff - you know the deal.

So anyways, do you work in PT for that kind of stuff? Are there must-have plugins that specialize in this kind of work? What do you use to augment your primary workstation (samplers, other software...)?

Thanks for any and all tips.

-adam

[Marc Edwards]

We use logic, PT, soundhack (www.soundhack.com), and more outboard effects than plug-ins (we don't have a TDM system). Samplers are great for messing up sounds (the EMUs have some great filters and a system called 'cords' for assigning anything to anything else -- ie. pitch to LFO to AMP to cutoff or whatever).
Depending on what your after the Nord Modular is by far the most powerful synth I've used! -- great for crazy synth-related stuff. It can also process external sources.
Kyma is a software/hardware solution, but i've only read about this and heard a demo CD. This allows heaps of realtime manipulation. Think sampler/synth/effects unit/daw hybrid and that's what Kyma is. Not too cheap though.

Hope this helps. Marc

[nkf]

Adam Frick wrote:
>>>So anyways, do you work in PT for that kind of stuff?<<<
PT is slow in handling when you want to work
on SFX which go beyond the usual boring stuff. Plug in work, especially when you have only one plug in window open, is a drag for me. What I do is using my digital mixers and stuff like my Kyma, DSP 4000, samplers, synths, etc. like other people use plug ins - everything is routed digital.
Kyma is connected to PTMix here and even the Kyma PCI card coexists nicely with the Mix card in my 9600. Mostly, if I use plug ins for producing SFX or soundscapes, I use them on native platforms, in my case mostly NT machines. One Win 98 machine runs Creamware Pulsar and is connected to an 888 too.
Like with other musical stuff, experience with your material and devices is what counts most.
Free up your mind and don't go everytime the usual route and 'abuse' your machines and softwares.
The new WAVES Pro FX plugs Enigma and Doppler
are a recommendation from my side.

Nirto Karsten Fischer

[AdamFrick]

Thanks guys!

more tips out there?

-adam

[Robert U]

Wavemechanics Soundblender is a very great plug to create SFX you never heard b4!


Good luck!



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Robert

[GPD]

Try Metasynth if you have not already. It preforms additive and subtractive synthesis using PICT's as control source--it converts pictures into sound and vice versa. Extremely powerful SD. WaveMechanics is also wonderful.

[Tim Walters]

You might want to check out Clavia's Nord MicroModular. It's a "virtual" modular synth, in the vein of a Moog 55 or Buchla, and while it doesn't capture everything it's an amazing piece of gear for the price (<$500). It has audio inputs, and is very useful for processing as well as synthesis. You can find details at http://www.clavia.se.

[ProTools4]

Sound font technology made by EM-U rocks.
Multiple samples can be layered on user made custom keyboard banks.

Get (PC) a Sound Blaster AWE 64 Gold off of EBAY for $50 or less.

You can layout a keyboard with a different sound pitched across every half octave (or whatever)

Sound fonts are avalible on the net for free.

You can set up a Sampler, Sequencer, Edit, Station for pennies on the dollar. A Pentium I 150mhz will do fine. Add Cool Edit 96 and AWE software and go nutz.

I've been using the new Sound Blaster Live Platnum latley. Way quieter than the older SB cards. But still noisy Vs. Pro Gear.

I might be crazy (and alone) for using a Sound Blaster card with ProTools. BUT >>>
I've used a Syncavier and this is faster and WAY WAY Way cheaper.

Just not as Pro.'
If your loaded get a Synclavier.

[ProTools4]

Old Synths and guitar pedals.
gr8t 2 have around for FX or Music production
Who knew?
http://www.synclavier.com/

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Tad Banzuelo
[email protected]

[RP Montoya]

Adam or anyone else whos interested.
I needed to come up with some sci-fi stuff for my work so the approach I took was the signal generator plug-in and Soundblender from wave mechanics...FUN FOR DAYS!!!
Worth an ear!

Ramon