A COLLABORATIVE POST BY SAM BUSEKRUS

 ASSISTANT EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST

In 2016, we did two very popular “Glossary of Sound Effects” posts. Learning keywords to use for your library can save you a ton of time. I thought it would be helpful to do a third post with a ton of new terms!


Whinny: The sound of a horse Neigh, usually high in pitch. Also look up: search neigh.

Pat: The sound of a hand coming into contact with a surface, such as cloth, skin, wood, etc. Also look up: grab, touch, clasp, skin touch.

Gallop: A fast walk cycle of a horse or other four legged creature, usually with 3-4 audible steps. Also look up: trot, canter, horse walk.

Rise: A cinematic musical or tonal element ascending in pitch, usually for the purpose of creating suspense. Also look up: riser, suspense, suction.

Guts: Squishy, slimy, movement or impacts that are typically wet and gross sounding. Also look up: gore, flesh, blood spill.

Scuff: To walk without lifting ones foot. Dragging one's foot across a surface of dirt, cement, grass, snow, etc. Also look up: scuffle, foot drag.

Flap: The sound of a material moving in the wind, such as a cape, parachute, or flag. Also the sound a bird's wings make whilst flying. Also look up: cloth move, cloth buffet.

Wronk: The sound of ripping/scraping metal. Also look up: metal creak, metal scrape, dry ice

Ringout: Describes a high pitched sound with a long decay. Usually a metal/sword hit with a long tail.

Peel: Sound of a tire squeal as it accelerates away (vs. a “skid” or a “chirp” for a tire squeal on a brake)

Shing: A sharp metal scrape indicating movement, usually for a sword. Also look up: unsheath, ring out, sword scrape

Flap: A good term for erratic fast movement. Great as a descriptor for cloth movement. Also look up: shake, movement

Bell Tree: The sound of chimes that usually ascend or descend in pitch. Also look up: gliss, wind chime

Screamer: Another term for a firework whistle

Goo: The sound of a sticky and slimey substance. Also look up: Slime, guts and squish

Gore: The general sound of blood, guts or violence. Also look up: blood, stab, splatter

Ronk: stress movement of a certain material. Great less transient alternative for Hits or Impacts. Also look up: stretch, stress, expand.

Parking Lot Maneuver: useful int/ext vehicle SFX for piecing together vehicle scenes where a car is doing different moves

Body Fall: The sound of bodyweight hitting the floor. Usually on multiple surfaces. Also look up: Body Impact, Body Roll

Trill: A musical ornamentation consisting of rapid alternation between two notes. Great for toony twinkling. Also look up: Tremelo

Sail Zip: A long trailing whistle. Great for something being thrown. Also look up: Zip

Jaw Harp: An instrument placed in one's mouth used to make twangy boings. Also look up: Jews Harp

Multi Whoosh: Very fast repetitive whooshes or swishes. Great for spinning. Also look up: Multi Swish

Squish: to make a gushing or splash sound. Also look up: mud, gore, blood

Dust: earth or other matter in fine, dry particles. Also look up: sand, small rock, pebble

CHECK OUT TWO MORE OF OUR GLOSSARY POSTS: GLOSSARY OF SOUND EFFECTS PART 1 AND GLOSSARY OF SOUND EFFECTS PART 2!

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