Pub Sound Effects Asbjoern Andersen


Recordists Rowan Watson and Luke Gentry recently teamed up on an ambitious undertaking: To create the ultimate pub crowd sound effects library.

The end-result is an impressive collection of more than 8 (!) hours of music-free pub crowd and ambience recordings from around London – covering everything from near-empty to jam-packed pubs.

Get the full story behind their library, download free samples, and hear why you sometimes need to wear a hat for that perfect take:



 

Hi Rowan and Luke, please introduce yourselves and what got you into indie SFX:
Hi Asbjoern. Thanks for having us! Individually we are Luke and Rowan, two sound effects editors and recordists who work in film. Collectively we are C O L O S S A L. Colossal exists as a conduit for pursuing our passion of recording. We want to create and share great-sounding libraries that people find useful and interesting.
 
How did you come up with the idea for the ‘London Pubs’ library – and what are some of the highlights of the library?
London is blessed with many beautiful-sounding old public houses. Many of these offer up historic and unique acoustic environments and the folks that fill them make for killer recordings. We knew that editors in all walks of life would find crowds like these useful. Our aim was to create the ultimate pub crowd library and offer the rest of the world what we have on our doorstep.


Examples of some of the ambiences included in the London Pubs library

How did you pick the places to record, and what was your recording setup?
Essentially our pub selection came down to three main factors: Music, Acoustics and People. We had to source locations that played no music for obvious reasons, so a lot of reckies were done before hand. Sourcing beautiful-sounding spaces was an absolute must. Some of our pubs were super old taverns panelled in wood and stained glass, so we wanted to capture that character in our recordings.
 
[tweet_box]Capturing the atmospheric sounds of London Pubs (includes free samples!)[/tweet_box]  

The people then in these spaces were hugely important. We didn’t just want gigabytes of busy pubs, we needed to get a full range from empty to heaving and everything in between. There are a lot of pubs in London, but using this strict criteria when selecting left us only with a few perfect venues – and we recorded every single one.

We didn’t just want gigabytes of busy pubs, we needed to get a full range from empty to heaving and everything in between

In terms of setup, we often we had DPA4060s hooked up on hats so the capsules sat right above our ears – about the most accurate Jecklin Disk you could put together, and it sounds that way. And we usually shot the same location from 2 discrete perspectives. We set up at different areas in a space, sunk up and rolled. The dual perspective gives you so much choice when it comes to using the material; you end up with a close and distant perspective of every event that happens in one recording. If you need an easy way to build a really immersive crowd bed, this stuff is great for it.
 

Get 26 minutes of pub ambiences here – for free:

Want 26 minutes of pristine London pub recordings from the full London Pubs library? And yes, they can be used for commercial projects too. Just enter your name and valid email address below to get the download link + the much-loved A Sound Effect newsletter:

 


Sorry, the offer is currently not available - but the A Sound Effect newsletter comes with free sounds in every issue (+ exclusive stories, interviews, guides, audio jobs, audio events, sound highlights and more). Get it right here.


 
NB: If you don’t receive the email with the download link, please check your spam folder. Oh, and existing newsletter subscribers can of course get the sounds too.
 
What was the biggest challenge in recording the library? Any surprises along the way?
Unsurprisingly, music was our biggest challenge here. Some places we recorded
didn’t play music as a rule so they weren’t an issue, yet other places, often the best-sounding spaces played music constantly. So we had to talk it out with the place and find a time where they were happy to shut the music off while we recorded. Thankfully most publicans were happy to indulge us in exchange for a few pints!
 

London Pubs is available in three versions:

London Pubs Vol 1: Primary interior perspectives
London Pubs Vol 2: Secondary perspectives for quad use, exterior pubs, football crowds, pub sound effects
London Pubs Complete: Features everything from vol 1 & vol 2

Get all three versions here

 
What are some of your favorite recordings in there?
I think a favourite is definitely the recording at the Blind Fool. Basically a bunch of loud out-of-towners were in town for a day and having a good time.

I was set up near them, with a satchel containing my 722 and a scarf around my neck, concealing the DPAs that were wired into my hat

I was set up near them, with a satchel containing my 722 and a scarf around my neck, concealing the DPAs that were wired into my hat. It wasn’t really a cold day, so I must have looked a bit odd with a scarf like that much to their amusement. They decided to take the piss out of me, my scarf, and my satchel, the very things that allowed me record them up close and personal, without them actually knowing… and the take is great.

And of course Luke caught a more diffuse version of all the mockery in all its distant glory, too.
 
What’s ahead for Colossal?
Without spoiling too much, we’ve got several new libraries underway. They’re a mixture of FX, Ambiences, and Sound Design that we think the editors out there are really going to love and find both useful and fun to cut with. Watch this space!!
 

A big thanks to Rowan and Luke from Colossal for speaking with us! You can check out their sound library ‘London Pubs’ right here on A Sound Effect.

 

 
  • City Life Sound Effects London Pubs Play Track 118+ sounds included, 524 mins total From: $50

    This library is a bespoke collection of crowd recordings from all over foggy London Town. We hand picked the finest pubs based on the locals and acoustics, with each recording offering a unique sense of space and character. From the sweet and quaint to the darn right scary, we shot them all!

    Enjoy cutting crowds of all flavours; The pissed and disorderly, jovial folk waxing lyrical, raucous football fans, relaxed pub garden chatter, through-the-wall conversations, Quiz Night whispers, and a f*ckload more! This library is diverse, rich, and comprehensive. Whether your scene is contemporary or period, we’ve got you covered.

    Obviously not a musical note in sight and where you need it most, we’re offering up two perspectives with our binaural quad recordings. With a little panning you will be immersed in your choice of London local… Drink up!

    Available in three versions:
    London Pubs Vol 1: Primary interior perspectives
    London Pubs Vol 2: Secondary perspectives for quad use, exterior pubs, football crowds, pub sound effects
    London Pubs Complete: Features everything from vol 1 & vol 2

 
 

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.


 

Leave a Reply

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

HTML tags are not allowed.