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Four Elements – A Sonic Journey

The Sound of Nature Transformed

Nature offers a vast spectrum of sonic experiences from thundering ocean waves and rushing rivers to crackling flames and the mighty rumble of heavy stones. For the new “Four Elements” library by Rock the Speakerbox, the team ventured far and wide to capture these raw forces of nature.

But it didn’t stop there: the recordings were transformed into an extensive collection of both organic and stylized sounds. In this blog post for ASoundEffect, we’ll walk you through the recording locations, setup choices, and post processing methods that brought this ambitious project to life.

Recording Locations

Water: Oceans, Rivers, and Studio Buckets

Capturing water sounds was a cornerstone of the project. The team traveled to France and Spain’s Atlantic coasts and ventured into the Mediterranean region to record a wide range of ocean waves, roaring waterfalls, and river ambiences. From the roaring rush of large waves to the gentle flow of smaller streams, variety was key to ensuring a comprehensive set of water sounds.

In addition to field recordings, creative studio sessions played a major role. One particularly effective setup involved draping towels over a large bucket filled with water, eliminating unwanted resonances to capture clean water whooshes and impacts. A pool was also used to record bigger splashes and more voluminous water movements, adding breadth to the library’s aquatic palette.

Fire: Isolated Fields and Resonant Hills

To record fire, the team headed to a remote field, free from traffic or other noise pollution. Surrounded by hills, they could capture the natural slapback and long reverberations of fireworks and open flames. This setting was ideal for safely experimenting with different burnable materials, yielding a diverse array of crackling and roaring fire textures. With minimal environmental interference, even subtle flames and sizzling embers were recorded in crisp detail.

Earth: Quarry Acoustics and Studio Rocks

For the elemental sounds of earth stone impacts, rock scrapes, and shifting pebbles an isolated quarry proved the perfect location. Quarries are typically quiet and spacious, allowing for large scale, high impact recordings without city noise intruding. Smaller stone and pebble sounds were then recorded in a studio environment to capture the nuances of each scrape, impact, and crumble with pristine clarity.

Air: Clean Studio Sessions

Capturing airy textures and whooshes often demands controlled conditions. The team chose an entirely studio based approach for the air element, using bamboo sticks, cloth flaps, wind wands, tonal tubes and synth patches to produce a broad range of whooshes and windy textures. Recording indoors allowed for tight control over ambient noise, ensuring each whoosh was as clean and focused as possible.

Recording Setups

When traveling to remote spots like coastal beaches or quarries efficient, mobile recording gear was essential. Two go to setups emerged:

  • Handheld Recorders (e.g., Sony PCM D100): Compact and easy to use, perfect for capturing sudden opportunities without cumbersome gear.
  • LOM Usi Pros + Zoom F3: Ideal for field ambiences, especially beach waves or other environmental recordings, while staying portable.

For underwater recordings of bubbles, whooshes, and subtle aquatic textures two hydrophones (Ambient ASF-2 MKII & Organic Audio Cjossul) were used to capture sound beneath the surface.

In more controlled sessions, such as the fire recordings, the team deployed multiple microphones at various distances to cover the full sonic spectrum:

  • Close range: DPA 4062s in AB configuration, a stereo pair of Sennheiser MKH 8040s in XY, and an MS rig with an MKH 8050 + Schoeps MK8.
  • Medium distance: Two LOM Audio BasicUchos in AB for a broader perspective.
  • Distant ambience: Sony PCM-D100 for capturing wide, atmospheric fire crackles or fireworks echoes.

The variety of these microphones ensure maximum flexibility during editing and sound design.

Post Processing

The “Four Elements” library is divided into two main categories: organic (pure recordings) and processed (creative design). While the more organic segment presents each element in its raw beauty, the processed sounds push these elements into stylized and imaginative directions.

Transforming Fire, Earth, Water, and Air

  • Fire Textures: Cloth whooshes and impacts were heavily distorted to achieve a fiery crackle. Then, using plugins like Traveler or Doppler Pro, new whooshes and bursts were “performed” in real time, blending organic recordings with manipulated layers.
  • Earthy Grit: Crackling plastic bottles were recorded and then granulated with Uhbik G to resemble gritty stone textures and impacts.
  • Sound Particles for Constant Textures: We started with creating one shot whooshes with the desired tonal quality. These elements were then placed in Sound Particles to generate complex movements and sequences. Adjusting parameters like particles per second, pitch randomization, and spatial arrangement yielded fantastic results.
  • Spintracer “Secret Sauce”: This tool enabled multiple audio layers to interact in real time. Controlling each layer’s behavior allowed the designers to craft evolving textures that maintain a cohesive elemental identity.

Final Words

Bringing the Four Elements to life in a single library demanded a blend of, on location recordings, imaginative studio setups, and inventive post processing. From oceanside captures to fiery explosions in remote fields, each element was faithfully documented and then transformed to offer both authentic nature recordings and richly stylized designs.

Whether you need raw water splashes, the crackle of burning embers, the rumble of shifting stones, or the whoosh of wind, the “Four Elements” library by Rock the Speakerbox aims to supply a comprehensive toolkit for sound designers everywhere. We hope this behind the scenes look inspires your next project and sparks new ideas for capturing the raw power of nature in your own creative work.

Fire, Water, Earth, Air

Four Elements

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