Animated Series Sound Library

[locash]

Im looking for some suggestions for some sound effects libraries for an animated series. The on particular series is based around 2 birds as the main characters. Ive looked at the 3 animated libraries at hollywood edge. Is there any others to mention?
thanks.
mitch

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I'd check all the other mainstream libraries, too, although for an animated series I'd perhaps be more inclined to forego the natural SFX libraries, and create an original palette of sounds based on the characters...

Sounds like a lot of fun!!

[Mike Greene]

Don't get the Hollywood Edge Cartoon set. I have it and it's not as good as the Sound Ideas animated sets.

I recommend the Hanna Barbera or Warner Brothers cartoon sets. Both sets are 4 or 5 CDs each and are the classic sounds, as well as a bunch of pretty good utilitarian type stuff. Both are sold by Sound Ideas
www.sound-ideas.com

- Mike Greene

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I don't know that I'd get near the Hanna Barbera or Warner Brothers sets. They are so tied to their original uses!! It would be very hard to mangle them beyond recognition, they are so widely known. I have the HB set, and it was the worst buying decision I've ever made. The minute you use one of those sounds, your mind goes straight to Fred Flintstone, or the Jetsons, or Snagglepuss, or whatever the original use was.

It seems to me if you're doing animation as a sound designer, that you would want to create most of it yourself. The bar is higher to clear with animation than with live-human productions, since there is no concept of natural sound in animation. I've only done one, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

[FredProgGH]

Also, make sure you're buying content that's licensed for actual commercial use. There's been a lot of stuff put out for private/home use (including the famous libraries mentioned) that has a stipulation regarding the content not being used commercially (i.e. it's for your home video productions).

Lee Blaske

From SI's License PDF:

iNo additional fees are required when any Sound Ideas royalty free product is used in accordance with the following permitted uses.
You can synchronize the audio content from any Sound Ideas royalty free product with audio and/or visual productions or applications such as • films • training and marketing presentations • corporate videos • on hold messages • radio presentations or commercials • television presentations or commercials • musical recordings • Web pages • interactive programs • computer games •
audio-visual or computer generated displays, programs or presentations which may incorporate streaming audio or podcasts. You may create copies of your audio and/or visual productions or applications which contain synchronized audio content from any Sound Ideas royalty free product, however, if you require more than 10,000 copies please advise Sound Ideas since additional licensing may be required.

But I'm with Bruce- I wouldn't use anything that connected my new original animation to Fred Flintstone. Personally, I think it's fun to create sounds like that, getting out a mic and going for it just like they did back in the day, but you might not have the time or desire, I realise...

[wst3ae]

It depends a lot on your approach to sound design, but since you are asking about libraries I guess we can narrow it down a bit<G>...

I use a handful of commercial libraries, my favorites are probably the BBC and HB libraries, but I also use a lot of my own sounds, stuff I collect or stuff I generate with synthesizers.

I like the BBC library because I live in the US, and it is very "continental." That means I am starting with sounds that may not be immediately recognizable to folks in my neighborhood.

I like the HB library because, well, because it is so recognizable. I have just sat and listened to it, it's a blast. I think (and I may be wrong) that the familiarity makes it a little easier to manipulate than the WB stuff. I haven't tried any of the other animation sound sets.

Bruce is right about it being instant recognition though, it is uncanny. This may also mean I spent too much time watching cartoons as a kid!

This past summer I did a sound design for a live theatrical production, and I needed sounds of cars on gravel, arriving leaving, etc. I used some of the Fred Flinstone "car" sounds and it worked beautifully. Of course it was mixed in with a bunch of other stuff, and no one said hey, isn't that from the Flintstones? So it can be done.

Bruce is also right that sound design for animation is really challenging, and a lot of work. I too have done only one, and I haven't decided whether or not I want to do a second<G>!

You probably already know this, but if you are going to start with a library then I'd also suggest a really good sound mangling plugin set. The Waves library of plugins was once my mainstay, but I've become sufficiently annoyed with them over the years that I've finally started replacing them. Izotope's Spectron has become one of my new favorites!

A conventional audio editor is also quite handy, but then you knew that too!

[geronimo001]

Thanks Lee, that's very interesting since i order strings/brass bundle from Sonic Implants today, any idee how mutch it cost past that 10 000 copies?
I would really like to know that and is it the same whit VSL.

[Nick Batzdorf]

Sound Ideas, Geronimo, not Sonic Implants.

But you should buy Sound Ideas and then shout out the window that the pop guns are out of tune.

:n: :|: :n: :|:

[geronimo001]

Is it a jock or an insult:confused: , cuas it sounds like a insult from here.

[Nick Batzdorf]

It's a jock insult.:eek:

[geronimo001]

Did that make you feel good? I was under the impression you were an adult, what are you? 12?, so you get a kick out of insulting people, is that it?
Grow up you... big baby.

:|:

[Nick Batzdorf]

I'm just being silly, Geronimo. Please don't take anything I say seriously.

[TLarkin]

If I were gearing up for an animated series, I would get a hold of some great general libraries. You'd be surprised at how much great sound, whether it's comedic or not you get from everyday sfx. I've done quite a bit of animation sound design and have found that the animated sfx don't work as well overall. I think partly because the animation today has a different sense of humour than the classic Warner or HB cartoons. As a result, I would create your sound design with that in mind. Gone for the most part is the slapstick and violence that has been replaced with a more sophisticated sense of humor and timing. I'm talking about some of the better animated features.
It truly is also very rewarding to come up with your own recordings and edit them, but when time is an issue, you need to rely on some well recorded sfx libraries. I would recommend the DIGIFEX and Hollywood Edge libraries for overall consistent sound quality, along with SI's general 6000 series and it's sequels.
If you have a budget, what I would also HIGHLY recommend is to hire a Foley walker aling with you sound design. You'd be surprised at how much subtlety and nuance you can add to create depth to your work, and it also saves time in the long run. They don't just do footsteps anymore either.
Good luck and have fun with it.
Tim

[Nick Batzdorf]

I've done a little bit of that, and the most important tool was pitch shifting/time compression/expansion. Sound Toys Speed and Serato Pitch'nTime are indispensable.

[locash]

thanks for the input guys......great as usual.
The budget for this particular project is small and therefore libraries will be key. Along with my project studio being kinda noisey to record in and there really isnt much budget to rent a studio. I plan on getting rid of my noisey elements and doing some of it homemade .... looking forward to the challenge.
I thought the HB library was very well....HB and sound out of place for this project ......and its not really a slapstick vibe. I guess im going for a balance btw cartoon yet modern. So i would have to agree with you TLarkin.
Another project i just quoted on has a bigger budget and renting a better room and a walker is currently the plan.
Thanks for any more help.
mitch