...
- Determine the characteristic of the record:
- Atmo -> STEREO
- Sound object -> MONO
- Choice of the microphone (Attention, Voodoo!)
- Dynamic / Condenser
- Stereo arrangements: XY, Binaural ...
- Optimal time and location for recording
- Allow enough time!
- Take into account cutting when recording
- If you think the sound is over, count on 3 again ...
- For longer sessions: Record recording: recorder, microphone, microphone position, situation description
- Recorded distance influences character of the recording (and level!), keep recording distance and angle constant over takes -> consistency
- Correct recording level: plan enough headroom (in relation to the expected dynamics of the signal)
...
File formats / Save
- Formats: Uncompressed (PCM, eg in aiff or wav container), lossless (eg in flac, apple & wma lossless) / lossy Compressed (eg as mp3, ogg, wma, mp4)
- Sample rates: 8 - 192khz -> Nyquist-Shannon Theorem, anti-alias filtering, sample rate compatibility for programs, sample rate conversionBit rates & their dynamics:
- 8-bit integer: 45 dB
- 16-bit integer: 90 dB
- 24-bit integer: 135 dB 32-bit floating point: near-infinite dB192khz
Tips for naming files
For a soundlibrary, terms make sense that characterize the sound in general, eg. according to material and "morphology" of the sound. So you can find the sounds again. Examples:
- “beer_can_metal_impact_sharp_long_resonance”
- “fingernails_scratching_wood_dull”
- “small_tonal_ding_glass_repeated”
If you have a concrete, known process, e.g. a coffee machine or a kitchen blender, etc. then it is worth saving the whole noise under this name, and adding any qualities (eg coffe_maker_steamy_sharp_hiss ")
If you have a sound that is (kind of) similar to the sound of a motor or something else concrete, so where a "purpose" is audible, then that could also be in the name, but not only.
Sometimes it makes sense to make a note about the recording technique, especially when creating variants, eg:
- _closeup
- _distant
- _stereo
- _….
It also makes sense to create folders for:
- materials
- progression (impact - repetitive pattern - long - lasting sounds
- tonal sounds (as opposed to noises - although "tonal" belongs in the file name anyway, if that is)
- recordings of concrete objects and devices
- vocal sounds also deserve a folder
- the default is to sort the sounds by "Atmos" and "SFX" as well as "Voices" and "Music".
- in general, the more abstract a sound is (the less the original source can be heard) the more the abstract qualities should be emphasized, and vice versa.