SFX Editing and Processing
Part 1 - Editing
1. Collect Your Recordings:
Make sure you have the five recordings from Assignment 3 ready. These include recordings of LARGE and SMALL environments, as well as LARGE, MEDIUM, and SMALL object/device/event sounds.
2. Edit Large and Small Environments:
- Start with the LARGE environment recording.
- Listen to the recording and identify any unwanted or unintended sounds.
- Use editing tools (e.g., cut, fade, silence) to remove these unwanted portions.
- Ensure that the final edited version is exactly 1 minute long.
3. Repeat for Small Environment:
- Follow the same steps as above for the SMALL environment recording.
- Edit out unwanted sounds and ensure the edited version is 1 minute long.
4. Create Variations for Object/Device/Event Sounds:
- Now, move on to the LARGE object/device/event recording.
- Edit five variations of each large, medium, and small object/device/event giving you 15 short sound effects.
5. Total Count: After completing Part 1, you should have 17 edited sound files. Two for environments and five variations for each type of object/device/event sound.
Part 2 - Processing
Processing for Environments:
- For the LARGE and SMALL environments:
- If necessary, normalize each recording within the range of -16 to -12 dB.
- Apply equalization to make them sound natural and realistic.
- For the LARGE and SMALL environments:
Processing for Object/Device/Event Sounds:
- For the LARGE, MEDIUM, and SMALL object/device/event sounds:
- Normalize each recording to -0.5 dB.
- Apply equalization and light compression if necessary.
- For the LARGE, MEDIUM, and SMALL object/device/event sounds:
Part 3 - Final Production
Finish each sound: Work through the remaining steps of the L-I-S-T-E-N editing mantra — the focus here is the signal-processing and noise steps — until each of your five sounds is production-ready.
Bouncing: Bounce your five final sound effects (two stereo environments; three mono objects/devices/events) into a FINAL-SFX folder inside your REAPER project folder.
Submission: Submit the zipped REAPER project folder with all of your edits labeled and notated on separate tracks — comment each track and give each track and region a unique color. Include the bounced FINAL-SFX files.
Grading Rubric (40 points total)
| Criterion | Exemplary | Proficient | Developing | Emerging | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editing Quality (12 pts) | Clean cuts and fades with no clicks, unwanted sounds removed, each environment running exactly one minute | Clean overall; a click or a slightly off duration | Audible clicks or stray sounds, or durations noticeably off | Edits rough throughout | /12 |
| Variations (10 pts) | Five distinct, usable variations of each object, device, and event sound: 15 effects differing in duration, intensity, or perspective | All 15 present; a few vary only slightly | Fewer than 15, or variations too alike to be separately usable | Little variation attempted | /10 |
| Processing and Polish (10 pts) | Normalized to the specified ranges; EQ and light compression leave all five sounds production-ready with no artifacts | Processed and usable, with one sound needing another pass | Normalization outside range, or processing introducing artifacts | Unprocessed, or artifacts throughout | /10 |
| Deliverables and Annotation (8 pts) | FINAL-SFX folder with all five bounces; edits on separate labeled tracks with comments and unique track and region colors | All bounces present; annotation partial | Bounces missing, or no track annotation | Neither bounces nor annotation | /8 |
Total: ___ / 40