Asbjoern Andersen


German sound designer and recordist Stephan Marche has just released Around Bridges, an interesting new sound library with some very unique soundscapes and ambiences. I’ve spoken with him about his work and his new sfx library:
 

How did you get started with sound effect library creation?

After 15 years working as video editor and sound engineer specializing in documentary design, I felt there was a lack of compact and easily manageable sound libraries that could quickly give me what I need, without having to browse through hundreds of files.

This need for well-arranged and not-oversized libraries drove me to launch “Detunized” in 2009.
Under this brand I develop and distribute themed sound libraries with a handy size of often less than 1 GB.
My catalog covers a growing range of sampled instruments, sound design tool boxes and field recordings.

With “Around Bridges” I reached release No. 55, and as long as I get inspired enough this list will be expanded monthly.
 



Detunized Around Bridges (Live Pack & Universal WAV)


 

How did you come up with the idea of recording the sounds of bridges?

Dresden, my home town, is situated at the nice river Elbe and therefore has a lot of bridges. Two of them are of special interest for me: The first one was opened this year – and because of this bridge, Dresden instantly lost its UNESCO authentication as a world cultural heritage, which is really sad.

The other one, and also much more interesting from an architectural point of view, is the one called “Blaues Wunder” (eng: Blue Wonder).

I have to cross this 120-year old bridge every day and I’m still impressed by its slender construction which is held together by thousands of steel rivets.

Inspired by the commotion caused by the first bridge, and attracted by the beauty of the Blue Wonder, it was just a question of time before I decided to have a closer look at their sound capabilities. And, to be honest, without big expectations.

But right after listening to the first test examples I felt a little ashamed that I completely underestimated the sonic potential of a bridge!

I felt a little ashamed that I completely underestimated the sonic potential of a bridge!

 

What was your approach to Around Bridges?

So my approach was to find out if and how vibrations are transmitted by the steel components of a bridge and how these sounds are perceived when the visual context is missing or has changed.

Firstly, I discovered that even the voices of passing pedestrians are transmitted by a bridge’s handrail. As fascinating as this was, I did not include these files in the library because they are too specific and definitely insist on a concrete dialog scene of a movie, or something related to images of a speaking human.

Recording on the bridge

Recording on the bridge

Then I found out that this “DA-DANG” caused by cars crossing the expansion gaps could be the most versatile sound. It’s a percussive impulse that can be tweaked into many directions and therefore doesn´t need the visual context from its origin.

The same goes for these slowly swelling or sometimes even steady drones with their decent resonances (my favourite sounds of them all). It’s always nice to include a discreet background texture in a musical track, a movie score or a soundscape for theater or dance performances.

To round up this library – and knowing from experience that one often need some according ambiences in documentary editing – I also included some ambiences that are mainly recorded below the bridges. This gives them a certain character in terms of frequency range and stereo image.
 

What was your recording setup?

For Around Bridges I used at least 2 handmade contact mics that went into a Shure FP33. This is a rock-solid piece of gear which I’ve owned since my TV years.
I love it´s high output because this allowed me to go straight into the consumer level input of an Olympus LS-5 where I had to use just a minimum of gain.
 

How did people react to your project?

Well, that was one thing that struck me during the days of recording: The fact that nobody seemed care about what this guy was doing there! I mean, just imagine a person crouching down by a handrail in the middle of a bridge, staring into a pocket of dubious content, with black wires coming out that disappear anywhere between the bars of this handrail. Shouldn’t this attract some interest?

Only once a kind lady asked me if I was an employee of the town and what kind of measurements I was doing. She was seriously concerned that this bridge was in such a desolate state :-)

 

Thanks to Stephan Marche for taking the time to do this interview.

Check out the preview below, and grab his Around Bridges library right here.

 

Please share this:


 



 
 
THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Abandoned Oil Tank Play Track 327 sounds included $40

    On a recording trip to the smaller Danish port town Struer, I came across an abandoned empty oil tank. Inside I found two giant wires attached to the floor and the ceiling of the tank, almost like a huge 2 stringed double bass. I’m telling you the reverb in there was longer than the Eiffel Tower on a cloudless day !

    On the outside this was just an empty abandoned building, but it turned out it was not empty at all because it was full of sound and a few dead birds. I’m glad I was curious enough to go inside for a closer investigation and not just pass by.

    After several hours of concentrated recording, it was nice to get my ears back out in dry air. I’m happy there are no open sends to Valhalla in real life but experiencing the eternal resonance on the low frequencies from the wires was absolutely amazing.

    Abandoned Oil Tank was recorded with a LOM basic Ucho stereo pair, a Zoom H6 and the LOM Geofon. All files are in 96 kHz/24 bit and contain the original recordings.

    The result is a unique sound effect library including balloon pop impulse responses from a truly unique location that very recently became even more unique since word says that the oil tank is no more and has abandoned this world.

    327 individual sounds – all tagged with Universal Category System (UCS) metadata.

    www.katrineamsler.com

    20 %
    OFF
    Ends 1713131999
  • Electricity Sound Effects Polarity Play Track 975 sounds included $72

    Polarity delivers more than 950 sounds of electricity, science and technology – captured in several locations around the world, from electricity museums to science labs. About 50% of the library is all about electricity, with various types of Jacob’s Ladders, Tesla Coils, Ruhmkorff lamp and all sorts of impactful bursts of energy.

    Then we go through welders, plasma spheres, 3D printers, starting to cover a more broad technology theme – like old phones, telegraphs, dynamo wheels, rotary dials, whirling watchers, alarm, lab centrifuges, something scientists call a roller and a rocker, servo sounds, neon lights, a wimshurst machine and sparklers.

    Many sounds in this section were captured from vintage equipment, from a 1928’s tram to old telephone switchboards, high voltage levers and control surfaces.

    All content was recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, a couple of Sennheiser 8040 and a Neumann 81i, translating into final assets that have plenty of ultrasonic content, ready for the most extreme manipulation.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
    20 %
    OFF
  • Door Sound Effects Noisy Doors Play Track 44 sounds included $10

    This library contains recordings of eleven different types of doors specifically chosen for their interesting sound. I performed all actions with a lot of detail covering “open/close”, “knocks”, “bangs and thuds”, “handle grab and rattle” and when possible also “crackles and squeaks” (all recorded at various intensities)

    50 %
    OFF
    Ends 1711666799
Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Trench Rammers is a one-of-a-kind sound library, created by sound designer Barney Oram. It features recordings of two 20th century Trench Rammers, some of the last operating machines of their kind in the world. The library features 48 files in total, capturing the Trench Rammers using a variety of microphones and perspectives, supplied in 192kHz 24bit WAV file format.

    This library contains multiple recordings of two antique Trench Rammers, the Pegson ER5 and the Warsop Benjo, and also features additional recordings of four antique stationary engines, the Amanco Hired Man (1920s), the JAP 1947, the Lister D (1940s) and the Norman T3000.

    Recorded in Leeds, UK, this library features multi-mic coverage and a range of distance positions captured on all included source content. Microphones used include; Sanken, Sennheiser, Neumann and DPA, captured with Sound Devices and Tascam recorders.

    This library includes detailed SoundMiner metadata and utilizes the UCS system for ease of integration into your library.

    Behind the Scenes Video:


    Trench Rammer


  • The cozy natural rhythms of hums, scrapes, splashes and thuds soundtrack the pottery workshop where the earth meets art. Find the true sound of it with Vadi Sound Library.

     

    About Pottery Workshop

     

    84 sounds that are clean, subtle and capture pretty much every object and action of the magic of fire and earth.

    From the rhythmic hum of the spinning potter’s wheel, to the splash of water, the scrape of clay with the tools shaping and smoothing surfaces, listen up for the symphony of creation.

    You will hear the tapping and thud of ceramic pottery, wooden ribs, wire cutters, loop tools, and sponges, all kinds of rummage, and mud actions on the potter’s wheel. The clicking and whirring of mechanisms during firing cycles add a mechanical counterpoint to the workshop’s natural rhythms.

    You will get variations of sounds in different proximity, size, and style of action. This collection is handy due to the clarity and diversity of the raw sounds. They have both Foley and practical usability and room for further sound design.

    You will get intuitive, detailed naming, UCS compatibility and the usual Vadi Sound craft and attention to detail in 84 pristine sounds. Recorded in 24bit-96kHz.WAV format on our favorite Sennheiser MKH 8040 stereo pair and Zoom F6.

     

    Keywords

    Pottery, workshop, electric potter’s wheel, wheel, oven, heat gun, mud, clay, ceramic, glass, wooden, metal, cup, handle, push, pull, move, remove, shape, tap, shake, clank, level, lid, tool, organizer, toolbox, rummage, fiberboard, button, bucket, sponge, plate, Dremel.

     

    What else you may need

    You may also want to check out Drag & Slide for 477 sound files of dragging, sliding, scraping and friction sounds of different objects made of wood, plastic, metal on various surfaces. Our bestseller Crafting & Survival is another good choice to get access to 1000+ survival, gathering, movement and crafting sounds.

  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with Shure KSM 137, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272, Sonorous Objects SO.3 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

  • Introducing Devils Bane Trailer, a chilling symphony of horror encapsulated in 533 meticulously crafted sound files, ready to unleash terror upon your audience. Dive into a nightmare realm where every creak, whisper, and shriek is meticulously designed to send shivers down your spine.

    • 533 files
    • 3.5 GB of game audio assets
    • All in 96k 24bit .wav
    • Dark Horror Movie Trailer Sound Effects Library
    17 %
    OFF
  • Birdsong from the countryside of the Swedish rural region of Värmland.


   

One thought on “New SFX Library Unveils The Strange And Surprising Sounds Of Bridges

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HTML tags are not allowed.