Shaun’s foley solution was a combination of custom recordings, sample libraries, and midi. Get the details below, and be sure to check out the special video at the end of the post to hear the foley sounds in isolation. Here’s his post – reprinted with his kind permission.
When I began my contract at Netherrealm Studios back in July of 2014, Rich Carle, Netherrealm’s audio director, informed me that one of my primary tasks would be to “own the foley process” for Mortal Kombat X’s Story Mode over the next several months. Little did I know what I was in for…
The team decided to take a different approach to foley for this game.
The team decided to take a different approach to foley for this game. Typically in visual media (TV, film, games), footstep, cloth, and interaction foley is performed live to picture, and then cleaned up and edited in post, if need be. In my experience, the largest amount of time spent in foley is on footsteps. Timing, performance, and volume all need to be practiced multiple times to picture, memorizing the scene and its nuances, until you’ve hopefully captured your best take.
In games and animation (where production sound is absent and all audio needs to be created from scratch), a 7 minute scene with 6 characters, all needing footsteps (with varying shoe types) performed to picture can quickly grow to be time consuming with diminishing returns. Also take into account the nature of animation and game design. In film or TV, the visual aspects of a character are locked. For example, after picture lock, you can count on a certain character in a specific scene having the same shoe type, for it to not be raining, and for the character’s costume to remain the same.
In games, where dozens of people are simultaneously refining environments, effects, character models, etc., this is not the case, and any one item in the foley track in a scene may need to be swapped quickly to match something visual that has changed. Hopefully you can see how important time, energy, and flexibility were when creating audio for MKX’s story mode.
Our solution? There are currently a few companies offering MIDI solutions to our foley problem, specifically for footsteps. We initially decided upon 2:
• Signo SFX-Instruments
• Foley Collection
Both services provide the same thing: individual footfalls for a variety of surfaces and shoe types, performed at varying volumes and mapped to keys in custom patches that work in Native Instruments’ Kontakt. This allowed us the option to, say if a surface changed or character costume was altered, easily swap out the patch for an already performed MIDI region. Timing and volume remain the same, but our surface or shoe type could be altered on the fly. This still requires quite a bit of time, as footfalls need to be performed to picture in real-time.
However, unlike recording in a foley booth where if a timing or volume mistake was made for any one footfall, with MIDI this is no problem
However, unlike recording in a foley booth where if a timing or volume mistake was made for any one footfall, with MIDI this is no problem; you could finish your performance and open the MIDI region, nudge notes for precise timing and change any volumes on the fly. Hell, swap the patch entirely while all of the data that was needed to be performed in real-time remains unchanged.
As for cloth and interaction foley:
This was either created from foley recordings done in house, or designed using a mixture of the former and library material, and then edited and placed accordingly. Here is a picture of a typical foley session in Nuendo. Note the separation of scenes and Kontakt instances based on ground type and MIDI routing to group tracks for easy stem bouncing of each individual character:
And here’s a zoomed view of a typical amount of footstep patches in one instance of Kontakt, and the MIDI performances associated with each character and their footstep patch:
We later contracted John Roesch and his foley team at Warner Brother’s Sound Studios in Burbank and had them record additional footfalls and scuffs, which we then edited and programmed into our own Netherrealm Footstep Foley patches for use in Kontakt. This ended up being the go-to material for footsteps.
I believe our combination of MIDI patches for footsteps in conjunction with traditional foley recording and editing yielded a great result and saved a ton of time and hair pulling
In retrospect, I believe our combination of MIDI patches for footsteps in conjunction with traditional foley recording and editing yielded a great result and saved a ton of time and hair pulling, especially for the amount of times scenes changed throughout development. There were additional surfaces we felt we could have used towards the end, particularly raised wood and corrugated metal, but I was able to design something that sounded just fine.
This video highlights footstep, cloth, and interaction foley using the processes outlined above. Anything we classified as sound design (punches, characters breaking items, etc.) have been omitted. VO is included for context (warning: the video is graphic):
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Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Magic – Alchemy Play Track 4213 sounds includedFrom: $135From: $108SONIC SPELLS WITH REAL PERSONALITY MAGIC – ALCHEMY is a professional sound effects library built from real chemical reactions and elemental forces. It delivers short, character-rich magic sound effects perfect for spellcasting, magical UI design, and fantasy storytelling. Designed to sit cleanly in a mix and shimmer with personality, these spell sounds are ideal for games, trailers, audio dramas and more. Real reactions, recorded with obsessive detail.
Magic Sounds from Real Chemical ReactionsNo digital fakery here. Every sound in MAGIC – ALCHEMY began as a live experiment — alcohol burning in jars, butane growling through pipes, fuses igniting, water swirling in glass. These are true-to-life textures, captured in a lab-grade recording setup. The result? Magical sound with depth, realism, and spark..
Short, Sharp, and Ready to UseThese are not long, cinematic flourishes. This library is about immediacy — short, dry, punchy magic effects that are easy to slot into your project. Ideal for game asset design, magical feedback sounds, and trailer moments where clarity counts.
Three Spell Flavours: Holy, Cursed, NeutralNeed a healing chime, a cursed hex, or something more ambiguous? The Designed section is grouped into Holy, Cursed, and Neutral categories — giving you emotional options that match your scene’s intent, whether you’re crafting a fantasy RPG or a subtle magical interaction.
Built for Professionals, Whatever You CreateWhether you’re layering magic for a fantasy film, adding interactive audio to a mobile game, or creating rich textures for audiobooks or theatre, MAGIC – ALCHEMY fits right in. It’s mix-ready, flexible, and full of sonic character.
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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Spells Variations Vol 4 Play Track 255 sounds included $10.20
Spell Variations Vol. 4 marks the grand finale of our magical sound series, delivering a diverse and powerful collection of spell effects. Inside, you’ll find summonings, blood spells, petrifications, healing spells, dark incantations, and much more!
This volume includes 255 high-quality sound effects, organized into 27 distinct spell types, each with multiple variations (3 to 17) to ensure no spell sounds the same, even when reused across your project.
Each spell type is carefully named and sorted into individual folders, giving you intuitive navigation and maximum flexibility for magical scenes, game effects, or cinematic transitions.
Recorded, edited, and mastered in 192 kHz / 24-bit, these sounds deliver exceptional clarity and full adaptability for pitching, layering, or creative processing.
A must-have library for professional sound designers seeking drag-and-drop magical sounds for video games, trailers, animations, or any audiovisual production.
More about the pack
– Intuitive file naming
– All you’ll ever need regarding magical sounds [Use them again & again
Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
– Totally mono compatibility
– All sounds have several variations.
– Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a creature other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.
– For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.comFeatures
– 255 spell sounds
– Number of Audio Waves: 255
– Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
– Win/Mac: Yes
– Minutes of audio provided: 19:2140 %OFF -
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Forest and Mountains features nature and wildlife sounds from California, Washington, and Oregon. Included are a number of bird recordings and forest ambiences, along with some insects, winds, rivers, and rain.
These were recorded over the past three years in various forests, foothills, and mountain environments. A lot of these took place in or near Southern California’s Angeles Forest and San Gabriel Mountains, an area that spans 1200 Square Miles and varies vastly in terrain.
Also included are some sounds from Northern California, along with recordings from the Pacific Northwest.
The recording techniques for this varied as sometimes I went with the recorders running unattended to capture night, dawn and early morning. Other times I’d record while being close by.
Working as a Sound Effects Editor I’ve curated this collection with Editors in mind. Background Ambiences and Spotted FX can really bring a location to life and give it so much story and character and that was a lot of the inspiration behind putting this all together.
The Locations
California (61 Files) – This is where a majority of the sounds from this library were recorded and specifically Southern California. Variety of areas and different environments, mostly around Angeles Forest, from Lower Elevation Foothills to more rugged mid-elevation Mountain Canyons and then much Higher Elevation and more remote terrain. Also included are a few recordings from the Eastern Sierras and Northern California.
Washington (19 Files) – Southern WA in Gifford Pinchot Forest and various Northwest Forest areas near Puget Sound.
Oregon (16 Files) – Lakeside Recordings in forest and marsh at Klamath Lake in SE Oregon.
The Birds
Prominent / Specific Birds (36) (Closer Mic Perspective and more detailed) (* denotes multiple versions)
Acorn Woodpecker, Barred Owl, Black-headed Grosbeak, California Towhee, *Canadian Geese, *Fox Sparrow, *Great Horned Owl, *House Wren, Northern Flicker, Oak Titmouse, Pacific Wren, Pileated Woodpecker, *Raven, Robin, *Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Swainson’s Thrush
Other Birds Featured (17) (Mixed together from various perspectives, calm to busy depending on time of day, and then closer to more medium and distant sounds.)
Acorn Woodpecker, American Coot, California Quail, California Towhee, Cassin’s Finch, Fox Sparrow, Great Horned Owl, Hose Wren, Mallard, Mountain Chickadee, Northern Flicker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Poorwill, Raven, Red-tailed Hawk, Spotted Towhee, Steller’s Jay, Western Tanager, Western Wood-Pewee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Wilson’s Warbler, Wrentit, Yellow-throated Blackbird, Zone-tailed Hawk
General Forest (9) – A mix of some wildlife (Chipmunk, Deer, Bullfrogs), and more general lighter forest ambiences.
Insects (7) – Crickets from various perspectives and different forests along with some Grasshoppers.
Rain (4) Light to heavier in a canyon with dense vegetation, some with distant birds.
Rivers (5) Smaller detailed creeks to faster moving rivers.
Wind (11) A mix of calm to heavier with gusts, vegetation, and tree creaks.Metadata
Detailed with descriptions and markers and photos to easily navigate and allow for options when searching. UCS was used to categorize and various bird species are identified. I’ve also labeled the metadata with what I consider Lower Elevation (up to 1500 feet), Middle Elevation (2000-5000 feet), and Higher Elevation (above 5000 feet). Included are the season of the year which was mostly Spring and Summer. Using Open-Tier in Soundminer you can use these to help get a bit more specific to particular environments.The Gear
Sound Devices MixPre-3 & 6 | Zoom F3 & 6 | Sony PCM-D100
Mics
Sennheiser MKH 8020 | Sennheiser MKH 8040 |
Sennheiser MKH 30 | Clippy EM 272
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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries General UI Sounds Play Track 136 sounds included $10Hello Creators!
Here’s my new pack: “General UI Sounds“
I wanted to create a sound pack to cover different situations in an user interface.
I hope you enjoy implementing this sounds in your project!Making-Off
All this sounds were originally recorded with a Zoom H6 (cardiod microphone), and were processed in Logic Pro X, mainly editing the recorded material but also I used the Logix Pro X sampler.
Some considerations
1. Keep in mind this sounds can be used in a variety of situations, I put a name to the SFX but this doesn’t mean it can’t be used in other contexts.
2. The sounds are in 44.1Khz/16 bit format. I have the original files at 96khz/24bit also, if you need this format, please contact me.
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Foley Design? Really? Is that a real title given out these days or is it some made up name you give to a mid level effects editor who steels sounds from other Foley sessions and then hacks them into a new project?
What the author is forgetting is that Real Foley is not just about footfalls. It’s all about Performance. And not just a performance by the Foley Artist but by also the recording engineer too.
Yes, all the sounds in the demo are there but with no perspective, no emotion or feeling these scenes are as interesting as a hacked together 80’s dance track. What this is at best, is a demo of the authors effects editorial skills not Foley.
As a Foley artist for over 25 years, after hearing this demo, I feel completely secure in my life’s work.
So Please don’t call “Foley Design” Foley. In fact, Loose this tital completely. All this does is cheapens the craft and dummies down real sound designs and Foley artist world wide
I understand what you mean, in the sense that this isn’t a classic foley performance as such. However, I think your criticism is needlessly harsh. An analogy can perhaps be found in played/performed vs sequenced music – I think both types can certainly have artistic and real value as a craft. It’s just different types of music.