This blog post is about how I recorded the sound of fire. Sound recording has always been my passion, and when I was given this assignment for Sound Recording 101, it gave me an opportunity to explore a new type of sound. Sound recordings are typically made in studios with microphones and reverb units to make professional recordings. But what if your subject happens to be on the other side of the world? How do you record it then? This is where my story begins…
Cautiously Record the Sound of Fire
Danger – When you record the sound of fire be careful that you do not harm yourself or others. The majority of people who perish in fires succumb to the poisonous gases, thick smoke, and lack of oxygen. Breathing even minor quantities of these hazardous components can be disorienting in a fire, causing some individuals to faint. Because fire is both useful and dangerous, it can harm homes, trees, as well as many other things.
Sound Designer on Fire
I was given the assignment to record the sound of a fire. I had never attempted to record this type of sound before, so I did some research on how to do it properly. I found that there are two ways to go about it: you can either use a contact microphone or a cheap old one. A contact microphone is basically a small microphone that you attach to your recorder or video camera. Sound is recorded through vibrations in the air, so when something vibrates like a fire, it will produce sound waves which can be converted into an audio signal by the microphone. The other method of recording this type of sound with cheap old microphones is taking into account that my not so expensive cheap old microphones would be damage by the fire, at a lower cost.
One method is to use a contact microphone by attaching it directly onto something that vibrates when you’re around the fire, like a metal pot or pan which has been heated up on the stove. The other option, and the one I chose to use, was to place a cheap old microphone near the fire but not too close so it wouldn’t be damaged.
I placed my recorder on a tripod about two feet away from the fire and started recording. It was difficult to get a good sound because of all the background noise, but once I got the hang of it, I was able to record some pretty interesting sounds.
I hope you enjoyed reading about how I recorded a sound that has never been done before! Sound recording is such an amazing art form and this assignment helped me realize just how true that statement really is.
Warm Fire Sound Mix Tape For Sale
Commercially you always can sell new sounds that produce fire sound effects that goes beyond the sound that you can find easily like fire truck sounds or other sounds from the fire station.
Scary Fire Monsters
Create some more frightening monsters by adding a fire sound effect to your audio. Shape the low mids to really boost or suppress the sound effect of flames. A final step is to route the sound through tools like Krotos Reformer, Igniter Full Tank, Reformer Pro, or Weaponiser. Also, take a look at BYOME and similar sound design/effect plugins. You need to act as a sound designer and not as a composer who is composing music. Having that in mind I did beef up the trailer score and audio track with fire sounds in the past. You will experience that sound quality pumps up the heat when inspiration strikes.
Conclusion
Sound recording is an art form that can be used to create a host of different sounds. Sound recordings are typically made in studios with microphones and reverb units, but what if you want to record something on the other side of the world? In this article, we did explore how sound designers go about capturing their subject’s unique sound using contact microphones or cheap old ones.
Prevent Burning House and Building Down
Fire is a very useful element, but it can also be very dangerous. The majority of people who perish in fires succumb to the poisonous gases, thick smoke, and lack of oxygen. Breathing even minor quantities of these hazardous components can be disorienting in a fire, causing some individuals to faint. Because fire is both useful and dangerous, it can harm homes, trees, as well as many other things.
Wind can kindle fire out of your control and you are left with a burn down studio, location or property.
