FX… Choose them wisely – Andre’s Production Diary Part 6

Chapter 8: FX:

boom, bang, zap, crrkk, woosh…

We all know them, we all love them. FX, our little helpers to spice up an element to give it the final touch. As a Benztown volunteer, I have the privilege to choose from over 1000 FX from the Benztown library (yeah, I’m a lucky guy :)). But here starts the problem: Which FX do I choose?

I think, sooner or later we all get to the point when we ask this question, so here a few basic tricks and tips to limit the number of possible FX for an element.

try to categorize your FX:

Put them in diferrent folders for each category or give them names that make clear what kind of FX you’ve got (wooshes, hits, zaps, etc…). You can also sort them in different moods (hot, soft, electronic, noisy, etc…)

be context specific:

Which FX fit the situation? Would you use some soft wooshes when your station is presenting the hottest rockstars on earth? I guess not. Try to imagine the mood or situation in your promo, sweeper, branding, etc. Hot songs and topics need hot FX, soft songs and serious topics don’t work with massive impacts. Example: “Check our station online.” Try some elecronic FX or sample in some computer sounds.

Always try to catch the mood of the topic or the music with your FX. Your FX are here to support the music, not to do the opposite.

Create new FX:

Don’t limit on the FX, you’ve already got. It’s not that hard to create stunning combos with your FX. Just play around with the FX you’ve got and try to combine or change them.

Use a template:

You’ve got some favourite FX, you often use? Great, just save them in your template

Try to broaden your horizon and try different settings, PlugINs and combinations. You’ll soon get a feeling for the right FX. You’ll hear the Promo, Sweeper, Song, etc.. and you’ll start thinking: “Ahh, I know what FX would sound great.” Believe me 😉

Just have fun and be creative.

Cheers

Andre