Creating a realistic exterior reverb for gunshot audio samples...

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Dave Draper

Well-known member
I have a scene where multiple gunshots are being exchanged in a forrested area, and I need to create a realistic reverb for the gunshot audio samples I'm using, as they are rather "dry" as is.

FYI, I can use Audition, Sound Booth or Vegas Pro, and have access to Waves plugins for Audition.

So apart from obtaining samples recorded in the correct surroundings, how would you guys go about doing this?

DD.
 
In a forest, you won't get too much reverb. Maybe a 20 millisecond delay with fast decay. That is unless your master shot shows canyon walls.

Forests that are "open" will not have reverb. It is called open air sound.
 
EQ can also be used to create some perspective, such as distance, to create a more layered and dimensional sound track. For instance, the ground and the air itself absorbs treble, so cutting them back can help make something sound to be farther away.
 
Another trick is to use a convolution reverb with an impulse recorded in a similar environment to what is shown on the screen
 
Unless you have a sample/ impulse based reverb that has outdoor spaces, I would think it would be easier to just find a gunshot that was recorded outside. I know my hollywood edge collection has quite a few.
as various distances.
 
I use convolution reverb impulse responses to tune my sounds, as I've done outdoor gunshots. I use Altiverb, do you know anyone that has Altiverb you can get access to? There are TONS of outdoor samples, in forests, and they sound really good.
 
I agree with everything that has been said here. Since you're going for "realistic" sounds, I'd focus a bit of time trying to match the gun shots to production sound even if that means "dirty-ing" them up a bit with EQ and possibly distortion, depending on the quality of the production recording. Build the environment around the scene first, then add the guns, then add some of the nuances like gun handling, etc.

I hate hearing library sound fx that just stand out in the mix. There were a few examples of this in Contagion where some of the sfx didn't match production at all. I shook my head a couple of times when I was watching that movie. "Hey! I have that sound effect at home!"

** EDIT - Get Altiverb and never look back **
 
Doc is right, the sound reflections will be minimal, but we all have to remember that we're making a movie, not attempting to recreate reality. The audience expects a noticeable reverb tail, so as "entertainers" in the business of creating "illusions" we need to give it to them (of course, you don't go overboard :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)). Let's face it guys, guns that make as much noise when handled as those in the movies would probably blow up in the shooters hands. And punches don't sound like that in real life either. I try to avoid the clichés as much as the next guy, but some times you have to go there.
 
I usually find a movie that has a scene with a gun going off in the same setting and use that as a target if it's something I haven't done before. (That obviously sounds good and is well regarded). I agree that almost ALL sounds from guns/fights are unrealistic that are used in film. Believe me, I hear what gets recorded on set :P
 
Doc Bernard said:
In a forest, you won't get too much reverb. Maybe a 20 millisecond delay with fast decay. That is unless your master shot shows canyon walls.

Forests that are "open" will not have reverb. It is called open air sound.
Click to expand...

Open air sound, you say? Thanks for the clarification of the term I was after.

dano said:
Found this one informative...

http://thesoundmyheadmakes.blogspot.com/2011/06/west-texas-gun-recording-pt-1-prep.html

http://thesoundmyheadmakes.blogspot.com/2011/06/west-texas-gun-recording-pt-2-recording.html

If you can get out and record your own of course ;)
Click to expand...

Many thanks for those links - Very helpful.

I would record them myself, but I live in the UK, where the mere mention of the word "gun" sends shivers down the spines of these tea-drinking toffee nosed saps.

Tim Joy said:
Unless you have a sample/ impulse based reverb that has outdoor spaces, I would think it would be easier to just find a gunshot that was recorded outside. I know my hollywood edge collection has quite a few.
as various distances.
Click to expand...

I'm actually using a few samples from Hollywood Edge, but only one of the samples I'm using has the same shots recorded from a distance, which is rather irritating.

Rick Burnett said:
I use convolution reverb impulse responses to tune my sounds, as I've done outdoor gunshots. I use Altiverb, do you know anyone that has Altiverb you can get access to? There are TONS of outdoor samples, in forests, and they sound really good.
Click to expand...

I think I may know of a few guys who use Altiverb - I'll check it out. I went on the website, but could not find any exterior impulse responses - All appeared to be interior. Would you point me in the right direction?

ryanjf said:
I agree with everything that has been said here. Since you're going for "realistic" sounds, I'd focus a bit of time trying to match the gun shots to production sound even if that means "dirty-ing" them up a bit with EQ and possibly distortion, depending on the quality of the production recording. Build the environment around the scene first, then add the guns, then add some of the nuances like gun handling, etc.
Click to expand...

Got plenty of "gun handling" sounds, as well as other sound effects, but even with all of those, the gunshots are really sticking out and not sounding like part of the picture at the moment. Having some sort of decay, "open air sound", or using the correct impulse responses in a reverb plugin would definitely help sell the idea. I will try fiddling with the EQ as well.

Another question I have is, if you're imitating sub / machine-gun fire, using a sample of one gunshot, multiplied, how do you make each gun shot sound varied enough, so that it doesn't sound like you've literally just copied and pasted the same shot after the other? I was thinking of some sort of pitch curve, but would like to hear your responses.
 
Dave Draper said:
Open air sound, you say? Thanks for the clarification of the term I was after.



Many thanks for those links - Very helpful.

I would record them myself, but I live in the UK, where the mere mention of the word "gun" sends shivers down the spines of these tea-drinking toffee nosed saps.



I'm actually using a few samples from Hollywood Edge, but only one of the samples I'm using has the same shots recorded from a distance, which is rather irritating.



I think I may know of a few guys who use Altiverb - I'll check it out. I went on the website, but could not find any exterior impulse responses - All appeared to be interior. Would you point me in the right direction?



Got plenty of "gun handling" sounds, as well as other sound effects, but even with all of those, the gunshots are really sticking out and not sounding like part of the picture at the moment. Having some sort of decay, "open air sound", or using the correct impulse responses in a reverb plugin would definitely help sell the idea. I will try fiddling with the EQ as well.

Another question I have is, if you're imitating sub / machine-gun fire, using a sample of one gunshot, multiplied, how do you make each gun shot sound varied enough, so that it doesn't sound like you've literally just copied and pasted the same shot after the other? I was thinking of some sort of pitch curve, but would like to hear your responses.
Click to expand...

Missed the last question.

I'd probably feed my gunshot through a filter that I could modulate with an LFO some of the parameters. I would then tune the LFO so the frequency was not the same as the gunshots but, not too short that you could here pitch shifting on each shot (might do this with a random Sample and Hold better on the LFO with a frequency tuned exactly to the shots.

Then, I would probably do a notch filter that doesn't dip much and put it on the sample.

I've not done this, as after dropping in the shots we used, they sounded realistic unmodified.

You could also use a filter and ramp it a little over time, that way, say the gun is moving across the screen at you, then you could ramp the sound across the filter to give that 'doppler' like effect, automating again a filter type.

So many different ways :) All of them I'd be tuning by ear.
 
Automating filters and EQ to create some variances works great. You can also use FMOD for it's randomization (with volume too) and granular effects. Record the output and dump it into the DAW. In the User Guide, there's an example of how to turn a 9 birds with almost the same pitch into a group of birds that varies in pitch and volume. It's free too ;)
 
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