Welcome to part two of my “Bettering Yourself as an Artist” series here at Motionspire. Thank you to all of the people who contributed to the conversation in part one: “Five Things a Motion Graphics Artist Should Never Do.” As previously discussed, sound is half the battle when creating an enticing multimedia piece and today we are going to dive headfirst into the breathtaking sea of sound. Unfortunately, many producers live by the dreaded 95:5 ratio when balancing visuals and sounds. Many production teams will have a dedicated sound designer, which is a fantastic element for inclusion in your masterpiece. If you are blessed with this gift, make sure you spend a great deal of time with them from the get-go so all of your bases are covered when time comes to produce. This article is for the DIY guys/gals who don’t have the luxury of a dedicated sound designer and are interested in taking their work to the next level. For those who have yet to enjoy the simple pleasures of a good sound editor, get ready for action. My life changed as a producer when I approached audio with the same creative mindset as video. A whole new world opened up for me that I hope you will find just as exciting. So let’s hop to it, shall we? Here are five helpful tips that will make your next video sound a million times better.
1. Use Found Sounds
If you want to pump your originality up tenfold, avoid using effect libraries (I’m looking at you, Garageband users). A portable recorder is an inexpensive and highly entertaining investment for your creative endeavors. Add ten extra points to your scorecard if you are using one with a stereo mic and/or a dedicated input for an external microphone of your choice. Carry that business with you everywhere so you can capture unique sounds on-the-go that will set your content apart from the rest. Remember, every time you use a preset an angel loses her wings.
2. EQ is everything
All science aside, I like to think of the aural spectrum the same way I imagine visual light. Each frequency throughout the audio spectrum can be thought of as a unique color. If you aren’t careful with your colors, your canvas will start to look muddy and unattractive. The same is true with audio. For example, if you layer ten different bass drum sounds on top of one another, it is going to be difficult to distinguish one track from another. Things should not sound muddy unless the visuals absolutely call for it. Keep things tidy! Equalization is your best friend!
3. Use Your Mouth
That’s what she said… anybody? No? Moving on. Mouthing things out phonetically can save you tremendous amounts of time (so long as you don’t mind looking like an idiot in front of your co-workers/girlfriend). If you are having trouble deciding what type of sound to add to a certain area of your piece, just say it out loud as you watch it (this is a lot of fun to do with headphones on in a room full of elderly people). Once you have defined what kind of sound you need, grab an audio recorder and let the creativity blossom. Or, for ten more bonus points, use someone else’s mouth.
4. Close Your Eyes
Sometimes the best thing you can do to strengthen a video is close your eyes and listen to everything that is happening. This is exceptionally helpful when you know you can take the project to the next level, but are unsure what areas could use a spot of improvement. Dead zones will jump out at you while viewing the piece with only your ears. Alternatively, be sure not to overdo it. Sometimes silence is king.
5. Do Your Homework
This one might come off as obvious, but I have a valid point here. When was the last time you watched your favorite motion graphics piece with your eyes closed? When was the last time you really paid attention to what was happening (aurally) during that piece? Most producers I know don’t even do this with their own work and it constantly amazes me. Another fun activity I like to do is listen to movies without watching the visuals.
I hope these tips will help you as much as they help me. Putting in a little extra effort makes a huge difference in the long run, so remember to have fun with it and always push for originality. Be sure to tune in next week when we will be discussing how to improve the smell and taste of even the most insipid multimedia projects.
07/29/09
Really nice tips
thanks
08/05/09
hmm…
good tips, gotta try them out, and especially looking forward to that smell and taste tutorial. mmmm :)
10/07/09
Incredible, one of the most left out things. Thanks alot!
10/15/09
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10/22/09
Man I really aprecciate that tips, YOU rocks and thank you for the help, cheers from Colombia
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12/11/09
Every time you use a preset an angel looses it wings– and every time you use a found sound you lose an hour!
j/k – but you have to be expeditious with your time…
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