How's It Sounding?

Sound Library - Static and Radio Transmissions

Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Post Audio, Review, Sound Design, Sound Library, Soundtrack

We have once again released another top quality, yet low priced sound library for you. This time it’s all about noise! Static and radio transmissions. This actually came about when DB Productions was working on a video that had many digital distortion edits. Seeing the distortion on the screen looked pretty cool, but it definitely needed a sound. Enter, this library.

Beware of UAA Music

Posted: Monday, December 22, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Business, Music, Review

In today’s world, there are tons of record companies and labels out there. Some promise to make you the next biggest thing, others will help you produce an album, others will sign you for life, and then there is United Artists Alliance Music. The one that is… different.

I have put off writing this article for a while because I didn’t want to burn anyone too bad, but after I had the misfortune of working for them, and time has gone on past the point to which I really don’t care anymore, I figured that I would let all of you potential artists or production assistants know to beware of these guys. In short, they are one of the most disorganized, poorly run, and poorly prepared group of people that I have worked for; and I’ve done a lot of side jobs for a lot of people.

Audio Libraries for You!

Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gaming, Movies, Music, Post Audio, Sound Design, Soundtrack

I have constantly run into situations when listening to a movie or video game and said, “that’s not the right sound!” My solution? I am releasing sound libraries to combat that. As of writing this blog post, there are only two, but there are plenty more on the way.

So far they are car specific libraries: a 2002 Chevy Blazer and a custom 2005 V6 Mustang. Now the next time you are working on a movie and need those two vehicles, you have the right sounds! Don’t need those exact ones? Well the Blazer is perfect for any full sized SUV, and the Mustang is great for any sports car!

So what do you get? Basically if it makes a sound, it’s recorded. This is everything from door locks, glovebox opening and closing, engine loops at idle, mid range RPM, and high RPM from inside, in front, and behind the vehicles, drive-bys, creaks and rattles, and SO MUCH MORE.

Each library has over 60 files, and most files have more than one sound giving you a crazy amount of sound effects to use!

Want more? Well, the first one is free. That’s right, for a limited time, the 2002 Chevy Blazer is yours to download at no charge. Enjoy these libraries, and let me know what you use them for!

Find the libraries here!

Sound at Sea - Part Two

Posted: Tuesday, September 9, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Business, Gear, Music, Review

Carnival cruise lines miracle ship sailing sound tech Skagway Juneau Alaska victoria british Colombia Canada dylan benson tracy arms fjord Yamaha pmd5 shure electrovoice ev wireless live production

If you have read Part One of Sound at Sea, then you know that I am the sound technician aboard the Carnival Miracle. You also know what I do, and about the shows. I know that a lot of you care about audio gear, so let’s get into that.

Carnival uses quite a bit a gear. We have some old stuff, some new stuff, some good stuff, some questionable stuff, and so on. However, all of it serves a purpose, and it does what it is supposed to do. We have a main lounge (like a theater) where the main shows happen, and many smaller lounges throughout the ship that have their own gear.

Disclaimer: I can’t get into too much detail, due to a signed contract, but everything that I am telling you, you can physically see for yourself if you are ever onboard since all of the audio gear is exposed in public spaces.

Sound at Sea - Part One

Posted: Monday, July 7, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Business, Gear, Review

Carnival cruise lines miracle ship sailing sound tech Skagway Juneau Alaska victoria british Colombia Canada dylan benson tracy arms fjord

Many of you avid readers may be wondering where I have been. In short, I have been on a journey, but most of you don’t come here to read things “in short”, so let’s get into where I have been. For the past month (and for the next five months), I have been working on the M/s Carnival Miracle as their sound tech. I have decided to start up this series to not only tell you where I have been, but also about life at sea, and the job itself. So, join me aboard the Carnival Miracle for my journey.

First off, I would like to debunk any negative stigmas about Carnival. Yes, the media likes to pick on Carnival Cruise Lines because of some incidences in the past, but things happen to every cruise line. Carnival is one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, and it got like that for a reason: people like the cruises. You don’t get to be the biggest for nothing. I am not just saying all of this because I have to as an employee, because I don’t; I am saying this because this is what I have observed.

Book Review: Professional Microphone Techniques

Posted: Friday, April 25, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Music, Review, Sound Design

professional microphone techniques book review stereo mic mixing vocals david miles huber phillip williams

If you are like me, you don’t always have time to sit down and read a book. However, regardless if you are an armature, hobbyist, or a pro in the recording industry, it never hurts to read a little something every now and then they may give you some good insight. I know, I know. Who reads books anymore? If it’s worth it, you should.

The book Professional Microphone Techniques by David Miles Huber and Philip Williams really gives some good insight about recording just about any instrument that you can think of. It is well illustrated, well written, and includes a CD so you can actually hear the different microphone placements.

The book is broken up into well laid out and chronological sections (AKA chapters). It starts out with an introduction to microphones followed by the basics of them. To the pros, this may be common knowledge, but to the amateur, or weekend recording warrior, they may now realize why directional microphones work they way they do, or why 48 volts of phantom power should be used on condenser mics. After you cover the concepts of basic placement, then you get into the good stuff: miking instruments.

Xbox One Audio Review

Posted: Saturday, January 4, 2014 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gaming, Gear, Review, Software

I have had some time to really mess around with the Xbox One. Since this is not a game review blog, I’ll stick to the audio side of this. There is more to talk about then you probably think. So let’s dive into the expected, unexpected, and just flat out strange audio aspects of the Xbox One.

Microsoft released the Xbox One to the North American market on November 22, 2013 a few days behind Sony’s release of the PS4. The highly anticipated console had a few unanticipated drawbacks for me. The Xbox One only has two audio outputs: HDMI and optical. This for me was a huge let down.

Movie Audio: Getaway (2013)

Posted: Thursday, November 28, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Movies, Music, Post Audio, Review, Sound Design

I am a huge fan of Fords – Mustangs specifically. Needless to say, when I first saw the trailers for the movie Getaway (2013), I have always wanted to see it. However, I only got the chance to see it recently. Since this is not a movie review blog, I’ll save you my less-than-satisfied comments on the movie itself, and stick to the audio.

It’s obvious that anything big budget these days (this movie cost $18 million to make) needs to have audio that is high quality. For the most part, this movie did a good job with the audio. Probably one of the best audio related aspects of the movie was in the car dialogue. When the two main actors Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke were sitting in the Shelby GT500 talking to each other, the audio characteristics and reflections of the voices definitely sounded like they were in a car with the windows up. That was a nice touch.

"I Do" Wedding Rings

Posted: Sunday, November 24, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gear, Science, Sound Design

The visualization of audio is nothing new. There are simple ways to “see” audio such as recording something into a DAW and seeing the waveform, or going a little more advanced and diving into the world of cymatics. Either way, it is very interesting to allow another one of your senses to experience what (at one point) was specifically for just one.

Happily married people will often tell you that one of the best moments in their lives is getting married. Wedding videos, rings, photos, and the like are all things one has to remember the big day by. Japanese artist Sakurako Shimizu takes things one step further: she engraves the waveforms of the “I do” into rings. To an audio geek, this is pretty freaking cool. Now along with your wedding video and photos, you can now forever “see” your “I dos”.

Four Great Audio Blogs

Posted: Monday, October 21, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Business, Review

If you haven’t noticed, I enjoy audio: post audio, sound design, field recording, game audio, etc. If you are here, chances are you do too. Now as much as I’d love to say you only need one blog to read about audio, and that’s “How’s It Sounding”, that’s a little too egotistical for me. When I come across a good audio blog, I put it in my blogroll. Why? Well let’s find out.

Grand Theft Auto V Audio Review

Posted: Saturday, October 5, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gaming, Music, Review, Sound Design, Soundtrack

Rockstar Games has once again released another game in the Grand Theft Auto line up. Since GTA V has been out for a little bit now, it seems appropriate to review the audio of this game. While of course I have things to say about the gameplay itself, this is an audio blog, so let’s stick to that. Let’s dive into it, shall we?

Well, there’s a good segue: diving. I am quite fond of how Rockstar designed the sound for underwater. Everything is muffled with some very prominent low pass filters on all the sound. There doesn't seem to be any unnatural sounds such giving fish a sound, just to give them a sound. I love the deep rumbles and scrapes you get when crashing a submarine into whatever you find underwater.

Courtesy of Gotta Be Mobile

Sound Design – Unique Clap

Posted: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Music, Post Audio, Sound Design

I love post audio and sound design, but every now and then, I like making some music. When I have the opportunity to fuse the two together, then what could be better? A while back, Indaba Music offered up the opportunity to remix Young London’s “Let Me Go”. I decided to give this song a whirl, and I gave it a different remix feel. This is not my best work, but below is what I ended up with as my final product.

Movie Audio: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Movies, Music, Post Audio, Review, Sound Design, Soundtrack

There are tons of war movies out there that are done very well. However, one of the best would have to be Saving Private Ryan. I’m sure everyone who has seen it has said the same thing, but how many have focused on the audio of it? Being a sound guy, that’s obviously one of the first things that I do. So let’s dive into the audio of the classic war film’s audio shall we?

If anyone has seen this movie, that opening scene that takes place on the shores of Normandy, France during D-Day will be something you will always remember. While it was shot incredibly well, Gary Rydstrom did an amazing job as the sound designer for Steven Spielberg’s hit film.

Signed Streetlight Manifesto CD

Posted: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Music, Review

For anyone who is into the ska band Streetlight Manifesto, you know it is pretty rare to too see something autographed/signed by them. This was just what I was thinking when I ran into someone who claimed to have a signed copy of Streetlight Manifesto’s 2007 album “Somewhere in the Between”.

Soundtrack that Boosts Productivity

Posted: Sunday, July 21, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Movies, Music, Review, Science, Soundtrack

If you’re like me, you find yourself doing many tedious tasks that often take a bit of time. This could be creating some document on a computer, or soldering some cables together. Either way, there comes a time where you find yourself looking at the clock and wondering why time has slowed down. You’re losing interesting, and productivity has slowed down.

For me personally, I have found listening to specific music doesn’t exactly help me focused, but it helps the time pass faster, and I whine less about the work I have to do. However, not just any music did it (nothing new to anyone, but just hear me out). If there were lyrics, I would get distracted and sing. So I found movie or videogame soundtracks worked the best. Then I started playing a group of soundtracks, and my productivity increased, and my mental fatigue decreased. I present to you, my soundtracks of choice: Back to the Future, Part I, II, and III.

Badpiper – The Fire Shooting Bagpiper

Posted: Sunday, June 30, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Music

If you have listened to my tracks “Not Your Grandmother’s Ireland” and “Not Your Grandfather’s Ireland”, then you should know that there is a spot in my musical heart for the sound of bagpipes and other Celtic sounds. Now while I normally don’t talk about music on this blog, I recently came across a performer that is unique enough to be mentioned, and that is The Badpiper – “the world’s only flame-throwing, punk rock bagpiper.”

The Badpiper Playing ACDC’s Thunderstruck

I personally am not the biggest fan of punk rock. However, as mentioned in my article How to make your Music Sound Different, I’m not opposed to listening to something new. ACDC songs are an undeniable classic, so when I heard some guy with bagpipes would be performing “Thunderstruck”, it was worth giving it a listen, and I’m glad I did.

The Last of Us Audio Review

Posted: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gaming, Music, Post Audio, Review, Sound Design, Soundtrack

It seems that anyone you ask gives a similar answer when you ask, “how is The Last of Us?” Just about everyone says something along the lines of, “this is the best game I ever played.” I love Uncharted, so when I heard about this game, I had it pre-ordered as soon as it became available. The game was very good, but let’s talk about the audio shall we? I mean after all, this is an audio blog, right?

Courtesy of Christian Gaming

How to make your Music Sound Different

Posted: Thursday, June 20, 2013 by Dylan Benson in Labels: Gear, Music, Software, Sound Design

Have you ever had that moment where you become frustrated with yourself when you try to compose some music because you realize it always sounds the same? There is a difference when “that’s so-and-so’s signature sound” becomes, “haven’t I heard that before?” I have recently been running into that problem. I’m going to share some of my tips that helped me get out of it. These “tips” may be common sense to some, or not helpful to others. However, I hope these may help someone!

Don’t turn into this; unless it makes you tons of money of course!