Wild Recording Expeditions Around The World - With Field Recordist And Adventurer George Vlad (includes Free SFX!)

Wild field recording adventures with George Vlad

Posted February 24, 2021 by Asbjoern Andersen in Recording, SFX interview, Sound community highlights

Field recordist, adventurer and independent sound effects creator George Vlad travels the world to record some truly incredible natural soundscapes. Hear stories from his wild adventures capturing sounds of deserts, jungles - and even a live, roaring volcano - in this in-depth podcast interview. And, as a bonus, you get an exclusive collection of 9 premium ambiences from Mindful Audio, completely free too!

Featuring George Vlad. Interview by Jennifer Walden, hosted by Asbjoern Andersen & Christian Hagelskjaer

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In this episode:

0:00 Introduction and new independent sound effects
03:36 Wild field recording adventures – with George Vlad. Learn more about him on A Sound Effect here, and on his Mindful Audio website here.
56:32 Greetings from our friends in the Audio Podcast Alliance

Hear the episode below:

Sound effects libraries highlighted in this episode:

Nature & Countryside Ambiences African Desert Play Track 29+ sounds included, 227 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$195

African Desert is a collection of immersive stereo soundscapes recorded in the remotest parts of the Namib desert. It covers a variety of locations, from sand dunes and canyons to desert pavement and rocky outcrops. Subjects include sand movement recorded with hydrophones, soft to medium wind blowing over the surface of the dunes, and insects, birds and reptiles creating a sparse ambience full of minute detail.

The purpose of this collection is to portray the soundscape of the Namib desert in all its sparseness and beauty. Some of these recordings are not much more than very soft wind. A few of the included soundscapes feature sand being blown over the surface of dunes. There’s a variety of wildlife calls too, from insects like cicadas, crickets or flies to barking geckos and occasional birds. This is not a wildlife library though, as the focus is more on the lifeless beauty of this mostly barren landscape.

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Electricity Sound Effects Arcs and Sparks Play Track 2228 sounds included $149
Arcs and Sparks is an essential collection of electrical sounds including both longer sustained elements and one-shots, arcs and sparks if you will. The sounds in this library were created through the processing of non-electrical sources, going beyond the limitations of literal electricity. Along with the diverse, personality rich processed content, you’ll get all the raw recordings used in the design process. Use this raw source to create your own electricity designs and learn about the new techniques we discovered during our extensive sonic explorations in the creation of this library.
- 378 files
- 2,228 total sounds
- 96k/24bit
- 1117 raw source sounds
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Train Sound Effects Trains in Sri Lanka Play Track 27+ sounds included, 50 mins total $27

Trains in Sri Lanka gives you a collection of old Diesel Electric, Hybrid Train sounds. M6, S12, S13 are the Trains from which most of the sounds are from.
It contains idle engines, screeching breaks, train pass by sounds, and the sweet rhythmic sound of moving trains. Also, some unique station ambiance and PA sounds are included too.

The library was recorded with Zoom H5N and Rode NTG5.

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Mechanical Sound Effects Vintage Buttons, Switches & Mini-Mechanicals Play Track 1400+ sounds included $49.99

This immense sound-set has been meticulously recorded and curated to provide a vast array of creative sonic material.

This pack contains over 1400 sounds sourced from a variety of vintage gear from the 1970s and 80s, ranging from old analog sound equipment to obscure kitchen tools. This pack works great for Foley or just as sonic inspiration and would be ideal for use in games or movies.

Highlights include two different reel-to-reel tape recorders from the 1970s and an assortment of retro tools and implements. Included are a few bonus more modern sounds – just to complete the pack’s usability.

If you need to make gizmo or mechanical sounds then this library is for you.

It also contains a hefty amount of mechanical switches.

Gear Used: Neumann KMR 81i – Mic. Sound Devices – Recorder. Izotope RX7 – Processing.

Recorded at 24 Bit 96kHz.

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Be sure to subscribe to the A Sound Effect Podcast:

Get future episodes directly in your favorite podcast player – subscribe in places like , iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and SoundCloud

Explore the libraries from Mindful Audio below:

Newest libraries from Mindful Audio:

Environments & Ambiences African Desert Sahara Play Track 83+ sounds included, 486 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

African Desert: Sahara is a collection of stereo and quad soundscapes recorded in the barren but beautiful mountain range at the heart of the Sahara desert. This is the largest hot desert on Earth, incredibly difficult to access and explore. It’s a breathtaking place with a huge dynamic range, from dead silence to powerful winds. The soundscapes in this collection were recorded around giant rock formations, rocky outcrops, canyons and sand dune expanses.

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Environments & Ambiences Atacama Desert Play Track 40 sounds included, 246 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

Atacama Desert is a collection of stereo and quad soundscapes recorded in the barren but amazingly beautiful desert plateau of Western Chile. This is the most arid desert on Earth, with some weather stations here having never recorded any rain. It’s a breathtaking place with incredible silence and powerful winds. The soundscapes in this collection were recorded around giant rock pillars, endless rock plains and fields of sparse dry vegetation.

This library is the perfect way to portray the barren expanse of the Atacama desert. Some of the soundscapes recorded are the lightest of desert airs. The others feature wind, from light and soft to heavy and gusty. Lastly, some of the recordings also include flies buzzing around.

This library was recorded in several locations on the border between Chile, Argentina and Bolivia . Reaching this part of the world was no easy task, as you can see in the second part of the teaser video.

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Wild Animals Sound Effects Whale Song Play Track 17+ sounds included, 108 mins total $195

Whale Song is a collection of underwater recordings of humpback whales singing and calling in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Madagascar. These soundscapes were recorded in pseudo-stereo with two hydrophones and also include the sounds of corals, fish, shrimp and water movement.

Humpback whales migrate to this part of the Indian Ocean every year to mate and give birth. Their fascinating songs and calls can be heard underwater from tens of miles away, however reaching this part of the world can prove quite challenging as seen in the second part of the teaser.

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences Arabian Desert Play Track 67+ sounds included, 416 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

Arabian Desert is a collection of stereo and quad soundscapes recorded on the Arabian Peninsula in the Empty Quarter, the largest expanse of sand dunes on Earth. The recordings range from soft to medium and gusty/blustery wind, with variations including sand spray, vegetation movement and insects.

This collection of recordings will help portray the vast expanse of the Empty Quarter. Many of these soundscapes are not much more than soft wind. There’s also gusty and blustery wind, recorded with microphones at the top of dunes and underneath the sand surface. Wildlife is incredibly sparse in the Empty Quarter and is represented in this library by buzzing flies and other insects.

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Best-selling libraries from Mindful Audio:

Environments & Ambiences Woodland Atmosphere Play Track 58+ sounds included, 309 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$110

Woodland Atmosphere is a collection of clean and immersive natural ambiences recorded in forests around Europe by George Vlad. The library is updated with new content on a regular basis, all free for existing users.

Get more than 5 hours of pristine nature recordings and birdsong with this SFX library:

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Featured Sound Creators Elements: Gears Play Track 212+ sounds included, 205 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$110

Elements: Gears is a collection of small and large gear, ratchet, cogwheel and other mechanical sounds recorded and edited over more than 2 years by George Vlad. The library encompasses more than 4000 individual sounds covering actions such as single clicks, slow movement, fast movement, short turns etc. The objects recorded include ratchet tools, plastic toys, old sewing machines, wagon wheels and ethnic noise making instruments. Some of the larger objects have been recorded using MKH 8040, DPA 4060 and a JrF contact microphone with each perspective included on a separate track.

Elements: Gears 1.1 Update adds more large gear sounds! Check out the accompanying spreadsheet.

The sounds can be used for obvious purposes such as ratchet wrenches, cogwheels, drawbridges, steampunk mechanisms, machinery etc.. As is the case with other libraries in the Elements series, these sounds can also be used as building blocks for more complex sounds such as spaceships, vehicles, industrial machinery and others. Additionally, all files are recorded and mastered at 24/96 quality which makes them excellent sound design elements ripe for serious processing.

Elements: Gears at a glance:

• 212 .wav files; more than 4000 sounds in total
• recorded and presented as 24 bit/96 kHz mono files
• 3 hours and 55 minutes total length
• 3.83 GB uncompressed size – 3.11 GB zip archive
• recorded on Sound Devices 633 with Sennheiser MKH-8040, DPA 4060 and JrF microphones
• comprehensive metadata compatible with Basehead and Soundminer

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Aircraft - Jet/Propeller Plane Sound Effects WW2 Aircraft Play Track 59 sounds included, 96 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$150

WW2 Aircraft is a collection of recordings of rare World War 2 aircraft. It features icons such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Bucker Bu-131 Jungmann, North American P-51 Mustang, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Grumman F8F Bearcat and others. The library consists of 59 recordings ranging from 13 seconds to over 10 minutes in length. The sounds have been recorded with the Sennheiser MKH416, MKH8040 and the Sony PCM D100.

The library covers exterior flybys from slow to very fast, aircraft taxiing by, engines starting up, idling, revving, stopping and a few takeoffs. It also includes an on-board recording of a Bucker Bu-131 biplane as it starts up, taxies, takes off, flies, lands and then stops. The planes have been recorded at a variety of distances, from close to relatively far away. As an added bonus, one of the P-51 Mustangs recorded had had its guns removed, which caused an awesome whistling sound every time it swooped down at a certain angle.

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences Eerie Forest Play Track 30+ sounds included, 154 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
~~From: $140~~ From: $130

Eerie Forest is a collection of subtle ambiences recorded at night in dense forests in the regions of Transylvania and Moldova, Romania over two trips in Spring and Autumn 2017. The library features soft wind, distant hum, vegetation rustles, dogs barking at various distances, church bells tolling, a variety of owl species and other birds like ravens and woodcocks. All these elements are not foreground, but rather washed-out, echoey and atmospheric.

Eerie Forest is not suitable for foreground sound elements as the recordings are very soft and subtle. Make sure you check out the demos before you purchase.

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences Amazon Jungle Play Track 49 sounds included, 357 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

Amazon Jungle is a collection of unique ambiences recorded in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. The library was recorded during the rainy season when birds are vocal and humidity is at its highest. These recordings feature species such as the Screaming Piha, Toucans, Howler Monkeys, Trogons, Tinamous, Owls, very vocal Bamboo Rats and a multitude of insects and frogs.

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences African Jungle Play Track 80+ sounds included, 460 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

African Jungle is a huge collection of unique ambiences recorded in Central Africa’s Congo Basin rainforests. To my knowledge, these are the first surround field recordings made in this area. Last year I spent a whole month off the grid, listening to and recording a variety of habitats at all times of day and night, at the height of the rainy season when birds are most vocal. It took me many days of travel to get to these places, from using trains, boats, cars and planes to hiking on foot in the jungle.

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences Arabian Desert Play Track 67+ sounds included, 416 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
From: $220

Arabian Desert is a collection of stereo and quad soundscapes recorded on the Arabian Peninsula in the Empty Quarter, the largest expanse of sand dunes on Earth. The recordings range from soft to medium and gusty/blustery wind, with variations including sand spray, vegetation movement and insects.

This collection of recordings will help portray the vast expanse of the Empty Quarter. Many of these soundscapes are not much more than soft wind. There’s also gusty and blustery wind, recorded with microphones at the top of dunes and underneath the sand surface. Wildlife is incredibly sparse in the Empty Quarter and is represented in this library by buzzing flies and other insects.

Select options
Nature & Countryside Ambiences African Desert Play Track 29+ sounds included, 227 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$195

African Desert is a collection of immersive stereo soundscapes recorded in the remotest parts of the Namib desert. It covers a variety of locations, from sand dunes and canyons to desert pavement and rocky outcrops. Subjects include sand movement recorded with hydrophones, soft to medium wind blowing over the surface of the dunes, and insects, birds and reptiles creating a sparse ambience full of minute detail.

The purpose of this collection is to portray the soundscape of the Namib desert in all its sparseness and beauty. Some of these recordings are not much more than very soft wind. A few of the included soundscapes feature sand being blown over the surface of dunes. There’s a variety of wildlife calls too, from insects like cicadas, crickets or flies to barking geckos and occasional birds. This is not a wildlife library though, as the focus is more on the lifeless beauty of this mostly barren landscape.

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Browse the full Mindful Audio catalog here

Exclusive gift: Instantly download 9 premium ambiences from Mindful Audio:

To give you a taste of what Mindful Audio has to offer, here’s an exclusive collection of 9 premium ambiences from Mindful Audio, completely free:
Download the free sounds here
One wish from us: Please remember to share a link to this page, so others can discover what Mindful Audio has to offer, and get free sounds too. Thanks in advance!

More about George Vlad and Mindful Audio:

Featured Sound Creator: Mindful Audio
Learn more about Mindful Audio, a Featured Sound Creator here on A Sound Effect:

Learn more here

Preparing for a successful field recording trip
Make the most of your field recording trip with these excellent planning tips from recordist George Vlad:

Read the story here

The Senegal sound recording expedition – with George Vlad:
Sound recordist George Vlad shares the stories behind an incredible recording expedition to Senegal:

Read the story here

Capturing the fascinating sounds of Africa

George Vlad and Daan Hendriks tell the intriguing stories behind their many African recording adventures:

Read the story here

How To Find The Best Handheld Recorder
A good handheld recorder is an essential addition to any audio professional’s toolkit – but finding the right one is tricky. Get a much-needed overview here:

Read the story here

Recording Atmospheric Nature Sounds in Scotland
Get the story behind Woodland Atmosphere, a new SFX library that captures the atmospheric sounds of Scotland’s nature:

Read the story here

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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 Bloody Nightmare Play Track 550 sounds included $9

Bloody Nightmare is a modern horror cinematic library aimed at the most cutting edge bone chilling productions out there.

Whether you work in sound design, as a composer, trailer editor or as an electronic musician, Bloody Nightmare is a valuable new wave of Horror sounds that will surely cause visceral moments of terror and dread!

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User Interface (UI) Sound Effects Motion Graphics Play Track 650+ sounds included $9

Introducing MOTION GRAPHICS, a complete Motion Graphics sound effects library from SoundMorph!

Motion Graphics focuses on all the elements you might need for sound design on a trailer, a cinematic scene or a visual that is heavy with motion graphics, whether it be abstract or straight forward, Motion Graphics has all the elements and textures you could think of. Motion Graphics are something all of us sound designers run into at one point or another, so this library is an excellent addition to your sound effects tool box.

Motion Graphics was created by and in collaboration with sound designer Rostislav Trifonov (SoundMorph Elemental library contributor).

Motion Graphics features 650 24bit/96 kHz .wav files, all meticulously embedded with Soundminer & Basehead metadata.

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• 450 + designed sound effects
• 190 + source audio files
• Whooshes
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• Risers
• Stingers
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• Impulse Responses
• Passbys
• Textures – noise, grit, glitch
• Ambiences
• Buttons and Clicks
• Mechanical Elements
• Granular effects

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Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV Play Track 2096 sounds included, 78 mins total $153

⏰ For a very limited time:
Add this library to the cart and enter ah4launch in the cart coupon field – to sprinkle an extra launch discount, on top of the current discount!

Animal Hyperrealism Vol IV is a sound library containing animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 2000 individual sounds in 294 files. The sounds were recorded in zoos, and wildlife centers.

The asset list includes but is not limited to: hippos, hyenas, vultures, dwarf mongooses, elephants, African cranes, parrots, tigers, pigmy hippos, rhea ostriches, brown bears, pheasants, wildebeests, African wild dogs and many more. The content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, an Avisoft CMPA and a Sennheiser 8050 for center plus two Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image.

The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.

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Latest sound effects libraries:

Foley Sound Effects Potion Sound Effects Play Track 135 sounds included $19.99

A collection of 135 potion sound effects.

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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Power Up Sound Effects Play Track 140 sounds included $29.99

A collection of 140 individual power up ability sound effects.

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Foley Sound Effects Bowling Sound Effects Play Track 103 sounds included $19.99

A collection of 103 bowling sound effects.

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Environments & Ambiences São Miguel – Flows Play Track 14 sounds included, 9 mins total $10

São Miguel – Flows (supporter pack) is a collection that includes 14 looped files.
The palette explores the sounds of the ocean, waterfalls, and hot springs. These recordings were captured in Moihnos (Cascata do Limbo, Praia dos Moihnos), Ribeira dos Caldeirões, Ponta do Arnel, and Furnas (Caldeira).
Recorded in 96 kHz/24 bit, these sounds are easy to navigate and were captured using a Sony PCM D100.

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Game Audio Packs - Game Sound Effects Libraries Sports Slot Game Music and Sound Effects Play Track 170 sounds included $269.99
ATTENTION: The audio preview only simulates gameplay to demo just a portion of the library’s content.

Reward your players with the jackpot of 340 high-quality (170 original sounds), easy to use audio files that provide you with all the sports-themed audio your games will ever need!

Create a casino masterpiece and a true immersion in your slots with this one-of-a-kind collection of royalty free sounds and music, expertly handcrafted to be a perfect fit for your games.

ALL SLOT GAME ELEMENTS YOU WILL EVER NEED

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With all essential action and foley sounds for most common Oympic Sports that have been included in this pack, along with ambiences and miscellaneous sounds – such as AIR HORNS, ARENA AMBIENCES, CROWD CHEERING and CHANTING, JUDGE WHISTLE, and more – this sound effects library will leave nothing to be desired!

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