A COLLABORATIVE POST
BOOM BOX POST
As vast as our sound effects library is here at Boom Box, we're still frequently faced with action on screen that can only be convincingly conveyed with original sound recordings. Last week, sound effects editor Brad Meyer was working on a project that had a hula-hooping scene. These hula hoops, in particular, were the bead-filled type that rattle with every movement. Brad tried everything in the library, from maracas, shakers, rain sticks, bean bags to pill bottles… nothing quite captured the sound convincingly. We put our intern, Renata Schmult, to work by tasking her with a hula hoop recording session to capture the authenticity of these hula hoops. After sourcing the materials and brainstorming a list of recordings to cover all of Brad’s editorial needs, it was time to record. Luckily, Renata happens to be a very competent hula hooper! Below is a brief interview with photos, videos, and audio clips from Renata’s recording session!
Can you tell about your approach for this recording session and how you went about the materials?
I started the project by sourcing the hula hoop and materials to put inside to emulate the beads. Jennifer, my co-intern and I originally went searching for a hula hoop that came with beads inside, but they were very hard to find so we started brainstorming how we might be able to make one ourselves. We settled on purchasing some cheap plastic hula hoops, cutting them open and filling them with rice. When I went to pick up the hula hoop the pack we purchased turned out to be a pack of one which didn't seem ideal since we wanted a few testers to cut open but the hula hoop ended up coming with an opening, so it ended up working really well. We filled it up with rice and decided a smaller, harder filling would sound more like beads, so I picked up some lentils and sunflower seeds and recorded both separately so we could compare and have options. The winner was definitely the lentils; they sounded very similar to small plastic beads. My approach to the recordings themselves was to get close miked clean recordings of everything for the project they're needed for and future use in the BBP library.
Which sound was the most challenging to record and why?
Recording the sound of myself hula hooping was probably the hardest because the sound of the motion itself was pretty quiet, but when the hula hoop fell that sound was quite loud so gain staging was tricky. I was also trying to keep from bumping the mic while hula hooping and monitor the recording while wearing headphones. It was hard to focus on how the recording sounded while hula hooping and trying to keep my headphone cable from getting wrapped up in anything while I was doing the motion.
Which recording ended up being your favorite?
I really like the recording of the spin drop, I think the lentils especially sound really nice and clear while it's spinning and the fall to the ground is very satisfying.
If you were to conduct this recording session again, what would you do differently?
If I were to do this again, I would probably try to get the mic a little closer to the quieter sounds and be a little less concerned about bumping the mic now that I know more about how the hula hoop will move. I'd also be interested in recording some throws or more intense spins.
Big thanks to Renata for her work on the hula hoop recording session and contributing sounds to the Boom Box Post sound effects Library! Hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for more Intern Recording Challenges.
If you enjoyed this blog, check out these:
NEW BOOM BOX LIBRARY: AUXILIARY PERCUSSION
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