7 Types of Sound Effects to Know

When it comes to producing music, sound effects are a next-level creative tool that you can use to create very captivating and creative music/video.

You can either create your own sound effects or use royalty-free sound effect templates (if you don’t want to invest, as a beginner).

Audio effects have the power to turn any ordinary music into a finished track of superior quality.

That’s why we’ve specially tailored this article to help you understand sound effects. Moreover, we will also get acquainted with 7 types of sound effects that are a must-know! So, let’s not wait any longer and start exploring.

Part 1: The definition of sound effects

Before we get our hands on the different types of audio effects, we first need to understand what they are!

Basically, audio effects are generated by software or hardware devices by manipulating the way an audio signal is perceived. Effects can be controlled using several parameters.

For example, rate, speed or feedback. They are very useful as studio tools when mixing or recording music or when broadcasting live.

Here are a few types of audio effects that we will explore later in the article.

• Time-based effects include “Reverb” and “Delay and Echo”.
• Spectral effects include “Equalization (EQ)” and “Panning”.
• Dynamic effects include “Distortion”.
• Modulation effects include “Chorus”.
• And “Filters”.

Part 2: Sound Effects — Reverb

Reverb is nothing more than an audio effect of a set of echoes occurring simultaneously.

In other words, the sound reaches your ears in two ways. The first, by reaching your eardrums directly without any obstacles or surfaces.

And the second, a bunch of sound waves that reach your ears after bouncing off different surfaces. This set of echoes reaches your eardrums later and is quieter (due to less energy).

Actually, Reverb is short for Reverberation. It happens almost all the time in our daily life, but we hardly notice it. You can experience different types of reverb sound effects in different types of spaces.

For example, reverberation in tunnels or caves is different from the reverberation sound effect in cathedrals or halls.

Reverb audio effects can be generated digitally using reverb plugins to create multiple echoes algorithmically, and by manipulating the delay, level or frequency response.

Part 4: Sound Effects — Panning

The audio panning effect is usually created to give the illusion that the sound source is moving from one position in the scene to another. This is achieved by distributing the sound signal in a multichannel or stereo field.

The audio panning effect is very useful in cases where you need to avoid interference or masking (when two tracks/sounds overlap) in your mix. You can position the sound artificially, in a specific area of your stereo field.

With the help of an auto-pan, you can define how long the sound should sweep across the stereo field.

Usually, the main elements like vocals or low-frequency elements like bass drums are placed in the center. This is because the center is the busiest and also because these sound elements are the basis of your mix.

Part 5: Sound Effects — Equalization

The sound frequency in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz is the sound spectrum audible to the human ear. With the EQ technique, this spectrum is divided into different sections called bands.

These bands are then used to subdue or enhance the fragments of a mixed track.

Remember that equalization only works on the existing spectrum by modifying the fragments to create new sound effects. Audio EQ effects are mainly used to define a character or tone of the soundtrack.

In addition, you can define different types of sound characters using different audio EQ effects. For example, a digital plugin EQ sounds much more transparent than a vintage EQ.

Part 6: Sound Effects — Delay and Echo

Delay is another type of audio effect that falls into the category of time-based effects. Adding layers can give more complexity and depth to a soundtrack.

The basis for adding reverb or chorus to other audio effects is provided by the Delay. This is why it is widely used by many mixing engineers.

Echo is also a time-based audio effect, which is developed with the audio delay effect. An echo effect is simulated at various intervals when the audio delay effect has playheads or “taps” that are heard separately.

Part 7: Sound Effects — Distortion

When an audio circuit is overloaded, which ultimately leads to clipping, the signal is what is called distortion.

This audio effect can actually be a very creative tool if used in the right way. Distortion causes the sound to be compressed and cut by manipulating the original audio signal.

By manipulating the bit rate or sample rate, a “Bit-crush” is achieved. This ultimately adds harmony to the sound.

Usually, electric guitars use the Distortion audio effect, but more gradually it is used on Synths.

Distortion can be acquired using effects units, rack mounts, pedals, VSTs or, sometimes, built-in amplifiers and preamps. Distortion adds complexity and body to your song by making it wider and fuller.

Part 8: Sound Effects — Chorus

The chorus audio effect refers to different sounds that are similar and are heard as one.

For example, recording the same note stacked on top of the others that is timed and slightly offset from the others.

All this creates a chorus effect. In simple terms, a group of singers sing a song while creating a singular sound effect at the same time.

The chorus also adds complexity and depth to your soundtracks. It is usually used to enhance harmony or load a particular track, which in turn makes the track fuller and more layered.

Part 9: Sound Effects — Filters

The frequency range of an audio signal can be changed using audio filters. Using an audio filter, you can easily boost or boost the frequency range.

Or you can mute or unmute a frequency range. When it comes to classifying audio filters, they are divided into three categories: HPF (high-pass filters), LPF (low-pass filters), BPF (bandpass filters).

All other filters have a well-defined threshold for increasing or decreasing a frequency. They are then classified according to the changes that have been made above or below this threshold.

An audio filter is an important tool used to correct problems and to significantly improve tracks. With filters, you can effectively achieve dramatic effects or add character to the soundtrack.

Conclusion

With this in-depth discussion of audio effects and the different types of audio effects, it is now time to conclude this topic. We now believe that you have a complete understanding of these basic audio effects and can use them effectively for your needs.

5 Tips From Us Experts That Will Make You Better at Audio Mixing

The intensive training (a little fictionalized) + Audio results

From the outside, passers-by witnessed a bitter smell of skulls and crossbones. Some even took offense at the sort of nervous cackling that they said came from an animal in distress.

This was the learning phase, the theory.

Then it was time for the “crash test”, the practice. Every precious advice put to the test on my own music. One by one. In order to sharpen my own methodology again and again.

Between the post-it notes rearranging the walls and the loose, dog-eared, scribbled books… this immaculate temple of thought now looked like an investigation room in a bad detective show.

The old mix, even if it had the ardor of the “garage sound”, sounded like a model in a playlist. The new mix is on this plan there a good notch above level quality to my taste.

And it is for this reason that today, I wish to entrust you these key elements which transformed my way of mixing.

So here is, translated and illustrated, the heritage of these great Sensei of mixing.

Tip 1: An inward-looking intro

At the beginning of the song, avoid sending the whole band. A 1st element, then another one. Little by little the piece starts, like grandma’s diesel.

And it’s annoying because pro music all starts with a good volume intro, even with few elements. So you have no choice: you have to do the same… Otherwise, next to them, your song will sound as embarrassing as your buddy in sneakers/jogging at that famous gala party.

Same thing in music: people judge on their first impression, the intro. Except that they do it with their finger on the “next” button…

So how to do?

Well, a simple solution is to add volume automation on the master track of your project: a few dB more to boost the intro. Then, as soon as the big crowd comes in, you go back to a normal level.

Make it as subtle as possible: all in progressive curves and lightness of settings. (Let your feminine side speak if you’re a guy. We won’t judge you)

Tip 2: Build up your drums

The result is cleaner and faster than getting out a bunch of microphones and a lot of other stuff:

• taking out a bunch of microphones and placing them properly
• caulking your walls
• making the neighbors scream while drums are being played
• The problem is that samples can quickly sound flat and lifeless.

Because OK… you took care of the feeling and added variations to humanize it. Already: bravo, that’s serious.

But at the mixing stage, you can do even better:

Boost the intensity of the drumming.

Maybe you’ve noticed how your buddy Igor the drummer hits like a mule on the chorus? Well yes, you can take inspiration from Igor… with a little more nuance.

When mixing, make sure that the drum volume is a few dB louder on the parts that require more energy, like the choruses.

Tip 3: Listen to the midrange

The “medium” frequencies.

We often forget this, but they are at the front of the stage. They are the ones that support the main actors: voices and other leads.

If you can make your mix sound good on cheap speakers (very “medium”), it will sound great on normal speakers.

Because yes, when you listen to music on your laptop, your smartphone, or any other media with small speakers… you just hear mediums.

In his book, Mike Senior recommends the Auratone. A speaker with a rotten “medium” sound, very popular in pro studios to anticipate what the mix will sound like in real life.

-> Check your mix on a listening surface that reproduces mostly medium frequencies. You don’t have to invest in an Auratone speaker or equivalent*: old PC speakers will do. (A good addition to your basic arsenal)

(* The Auratone is no longer manufactured but there are substitutes at Avantone or Behringer. Personally, I chose to have only one medium speaker: the Mixcube from Avantone)

Here is a hidden tip, well known by pro studios.

Tip 4: Frequency boost without EQ

What do you do when an instrument is missing some frequencies?

For example, your bass lacks a bit of bite in the midrange but doesn’t have a single dB in those frequencies.

Let me guess… you stick the first equalizer you can get your hands on and make it spit out mids by boosting to +6dB… +9dB maybe?

Little advice: go easy on the EQ boost. Better remove it, it will sound better. And here, if you boost frequencies that don’t exist: either it won’t do anything, or it will sound weird.

So here’s how to handle those recalcitrant tracks with tact and delicacy:

Make them eat saturation.

Yes, saturation… you thought it was just an orange toy that some grunge in converse stomped on to get from verse to chorus?

No way. Saturation is used in the studio as much as the equalizer. It creates harmonics in the mid and high frequencies. Frequencies that didn’t exist in the first place.

Perfect, isn’t it?

That’s what you need for your bass: give it a hint of saturation and you’ll see it come out of the mix as well as the big Berthe on your 6th-grade pictures.

But be careful.

Saturation is red pepper: just a hint to spice it up a bit. Too much = aggressive mix = unlistenable music = you are disgusted.

Tip 5: Listen to talk

So you turn up the volume to enjoy it. It’s only human. We all do that…

Except that when you mix, you’re in work mode, not pleasure mode. And to be able to work for a long time, you have to know how to take care of your sensitive little auditory sensors.

For that, the advice of my friend Bobby, (the author of this book whose name I love) is: “mix at a volume that will allow you to follow a normal conversation with someone”.

So watch out, I see you coming… He said “normal” Bobby. Not a mustachioed conversation of fishmongers spitting in each other’s faces.

And when I tell you that you can work for a “long time”, it has 2 meanings:

• The “short” long: instead of mixing for 3 hours in a row and ending up with your head drained of all substance, you can mix all day like a pro. No worries.
• The “long duration”: mixing at low volume will also allow you to avoid that your next brand of headphones is Sonotone. (Ask grandpa what they are…)

-> Mixes at low volume 99% of the time. At the level of a normal conversation.

Bonus benefit: a less fatigued ear means a more accurate ear and therefore more successful mixes.

Understanding Automation in Audio Mixing

Automation is not the first word that comes to mind when talking about audio mixing techniques. It’s more likely to be EQ, compression, reverb and delay.

Thus, it often does not appear, wrongly, as an essential step and technique to master in audio mixing.

Before talking about the different ways of using it, let’s see in this article what is behind the concept of automation.

Automation: what is it?

Generally speaking, it allows you to program and memorize different actions and variations during the mixing process.

It can thus take several forms. We can talk about volume automation, equalization, dynamics, panning, send…

For example, in the case of volume automation, it will allow you to vary the volume of a track at different places in the song you are mixing. For example, we could raise the volume by a few dB on the snare drum only on the chorus passages in order to make it stand out.

Long live digital!

We don’t always realize it, but our digital sequencers today allow a multitude of things that were unthinkable just a few years ago.

Imagine that before the first SSL consoles and the “total recall” function (which means the automatic recall of all the settings), to carry out an automation you had to make the fader movements on the fly, during a single pass and here there was no room for error at the risk of having to start all over again.

Thus, when there were only 8 tracks, the sound engineer was able to manage, but later on, with projects of 24 tracks and sometimes more, automation became a real headache, almost impossible to achieve.

On the other hand, it is important to understand today that automation, thanks to our digital sequencers, allows us to automate everything we want.

You can automate a volume, a compression, an equalization, an effect in a modular sound, the sends sent on your different tracks… In short, there are almost no limits anymore, which will allow the most creative to exploit and explore many possibilities. Imagination is the only limit to the use of automation.

The different automation modes

Today’s sequencers allow different modes which all have a particular function and which it is interesting to know.

Read: as its function indicates, by selecting this “read” mode you will activate the playback of the automation if you have recorded one. Thus the variations recorded on your track will be played back but you will not be able to record a new one from this mode.

Touch: This is the mode that will be preferred when it is a second or even a third pass. That is to say, as soon as you move the fader, it will make the changes, but as soon as it is released, the track will resume the normal tracking of what was previously recorded. This is therefore a very practical mode when you are looking for precision within the automation or simply to correct a short passage that did not give full satisfaction during the first passes.

Latch: Unlike Touch mode, when you release the fader the automation will persist. So if you release your fader in the case of a 10 db volume automation, all the rest of the track will have a 10 db volume. So be careful to think about your needs before using this mode.

Write: This mode will overwrite everything that has been recorded when you start playback. It is, therefore, preferable to use it when you make your first modification using automation.

Be careful to deselect it after recording, otherwise, all the modifications made previously will be overwritten.

This is a first part that I hope will allow you to see a little more clearly this notion which I remind you is very important within a mix whatever it is.

We will see in the next article how to use automation in your own mixes and for which purposes.

5 Applications of Automation in Audio Mixing

Today’s digital sequencers allow a multitude of things and greatly facilitate audio mixing thanks to functions that sound engineers in the 60’s and 70’s would have dreamed of.

Automation is one of these tools that we can’t do without today, especially since thanks to this function, everything or almost everything is “automatable” within a mix, which leaves open an immense field of investigation that is limited only by the imagination of its user.

In this article, I propose to detail 5 uses of automation that will be easily applicable and highly effective to embellish an audio mix.

Give your main tracks some punch

The main track will often be the vocals but it can also be other sources. Everything will obviously depend on the style of music and especially on the choices that will be made and the production you will opt for during the mixing.

The idea here is to support the song by thinking couplet/refrain. Thanks to the automation, the volume will be raised on the chorus and lowered on the verses with attention to detail.

Give “life” to your mix

Working on the volume automation by looking for detail, for example by accentuating a finger slide on a guitar or a vocal passage with a crack or a breath in the feel of the song, will make your takes sound even more natural and above all will prove to be more effective in many cases and above all much more natural than compression or other tricks affecting the dynamics of the track. Of course, it is important to be delicate in order to keep the natural feel of the take, otherwise it could be counterproductive.

Reduce sibilance and extraneous noise

The voice, whether male or female, always requires special attention in a mix because it is often the backbone and foundation of the mix. It is also often the track that will require the most processing in order to place it correctly in the mix (compression, equalization, saturation, reverb, delay, de-esser…)

For example, to reduce sibilance on a vocal track rather than using a de-esser systematically, lowering the volume on a few passages or certain syllables that could interfere with the intelligibility of the voice can be an excellent solution that can prove to be highly effective in many cases.

You can also use the same method to attenuate parasitic noises, especially what is called plosives.

Removing sibilance from the voice using automation

Another advantage of using this technique is that it does not overtax your processor, which is important, especially when dealing with vocals.

Send automation

Keeping the listener entertained throughout the song should be the main concern when mixing a track or a song.

A small trick to keep this attention could be to vary the delay or reverb effects from one passage to the next with the send automation.

This will create different “moods” and give life to your mix. This technique is still widely used by today’s producers.

Panning automation

A well known effect that can be interesting in a mix and that I often use on a guitar is to vary the panning by not hesitating to go straight to distinguish right/left.

The listener will be plunged into the heart of the mix as if he was in the room where the recording took place with the perception of seeing the guitarist moving from one place to another in the studio.

If there are many applications of automation, I hope that these 5 points discussed in this article will help you to better understand this notion and especially that they will give you the desire to dare your own settings and your own experiments to give your mixes a whole new dimension.