Sound Effects.

 

Sound effects are to the radio play what scenery is to stage production. Of course, there may be radio plays that are produced without the aid of sound effects, just as there are plays in which scenery is not essential. Sound effects are largely dependent upon the listener's imagination and are presented in order to make him create a visual picture of the scene in which the play is being produced. Much of their value depends upon the psychological suggestion of mentioning what the sound represents to stimulate the listener's imagination. In the majority of instances it is quite essential that the actors in their lines allude to the sound so that the listener will form the correct visual image. In this way the rustling of a piece of paper may carry the listener's imagination to the crest of Niagara Falls, where he will hear the roar of the falling water, or into the woods at autumn, with the rustle of falling leaves. By far the largest proportion of sounds used in radio dramas are produced by recordings, which are made from the actual sounds. These records, which ordinarily cost from $1.50 to $2 each, are manufactured by the Masque, Starr (Genett records), Victor, Standard Radio, Columbia, and other companies. Over 12,000 sounds are available and the list includes such unusual items as closing a barn door, sounds in a bowling alley, cats fighting, chopping through river ice, corn popping, drilling an oil well, horse and wagon in the snow, snores, man walking and running, and milking a cow. The company that manufactures these transcription effects takes its sound -recording equipment to the football game to record the crowd noises and to the lighthouse to record the fog horn. As an illustration of this, a manufacturer recently came to me and stated that the recorded sounds of screams and groans had been made by dramatic stars and were not realistic. He wanted to know whether it would not be possible to place the sound -recording equipment in a local hospital in order to record the shrieks of a person injured in an automobile accident. It is interesting to note that the recording of applause most frequently used was made at an address given by former President Herbert Hoover. In addition to the recording of noises and sounds, special background music is supplied by these companies to be used in creating the right atmosphere for scenes of sorrow, approaching danger, underhanded procedure, quarrels, and love -making. A number of variations of a sound may be recorded upon one side of the record; for instance, on one side may be the sounds of an automobile starting, door slam, speeding up, and stopping, while on the other the automobile will run continuously. Asan economic measure, when we buy a sound -effect record we make a copy of it, using our recording equipment. The original record costs us $1.50; the copy costs only the price of the disc, about 30 cents. 

We use the copy for our broadcasts and retain the original for a master record for futurè copies. In some studios the sound recordings are played in the control studio and are wired into the mixing panel without the actor's hearing them. The better practice seems to be to use the recorded sound effects in such a way that they will be heard by the actors and be picked up by the same microphone that picks up their voices. The larger studios have a multiple - turntable equipment which may be rolled into the studio in which the drama is to be presented. The multiple turntable is used in order to blend sounds. For instance, a play may be taking place in the interior of a freight car. One of the records being played will be the noises heard in the freight car while the other will be the noises of the engine and the train itself. In a ghost -story recording, one record may bring in the shrieking of wind while another record conveys to the listener the sound of howling wolves. One manufacturer of sound recordings has suggested, as an experiment, the combining of records in order to create new sounds and the playing of existing recordings at different speeds in order to create desired effects. The sound of frying bacon and popping corn has been combined to create the effect of the breaking up of a glacier. The playing of a recording of artillery fire at a slow speed has been used for thunder.  

The noises on records must be rehearsed, since it is often their volume which is most important. For instance, the sound of a car skidding into a crash is recorded as one unit. The sound engineer must take into consideration whether that car is right in front of the actor, whether it is 20 feet away, or whether it is down a block or two. Also, he has to notice if the car skids as it is going by the actor and crashes away from him, or whether the whole thing takes place away from him. Not all sounds are created by such recordings. The expense of building up a library of sound records is too great for the smaller station; consequently experimentation must be conducted by the dramatic director or sound -effects man in the local studio. As he experiments in order to create desired sounds for his radio dramas, he adds to the equipment to be used for sounds in the studio. All manner of junk such as tin cans, bottles, and broken china, as well as good cups, saucers, and plates, silverware, rocks, a bag of gravel, whisk -broom, soda -fountain straws, and other things are gathered by the experimenting sound -effects man (see Fig. 20). In the studio there will be planks which may be laid upon the floor in order that the actors may walk upon them to create the sound of walking upon a stage. There will be creaky rocking chairs and squeaky hinges which are treasured by the sound -effects operator. A good reliable squeaky door is a treasure. Very simple things may be used to create sounds. The radio warrior selects his swords by ear; and every 6 -foot length of chain carries a different sound picture to the listener (see Fig. 21)

There are some manual sounds which are as important today as they ever were. These have been retained because they synchronize with speech or suggested action. The opening and closing of doors and windows, movement of furniture, and so on may partake of the character and mood of the persons in the drama at the moment they occur. For example, when a person is angry he opens and shuts a door in quite a different manner from that which he uses when he is being stealthy or feeling calm. As a basis for the card catalogue of manual sound effects the following may be used. 

For the card catalogue, items should be cross-indexed and listed under all conceivable headings. 

Every time a new effect is created and proved satisfactory it should be filed in this catalogue no matter how unimportant it seems to be at the time. We have found it advisable, when a special effect has been desired and finally created manually, to record that effect and add it to our library of recordings. Then when the same effect is needed at a later time, we do not have to experiment a second time. The operator must be careful that the equipment he uses will not break and cause a sound not desired. Furthermore, the control operator should be informed of the sound effect to be used and when it is to be used. I recall the early days of broadcasting when Jesse Lynch Williams, Pulitzer Prize playwright, was presenting a radio drama over WOR. He used a couple of pennies in a cocktail shaker to create the sound of ice. The control operator some distance away did not recognize the sound and faded it out. The sound -effects man should not neglect to experiment with the actual source of the required sound. Dishwashing is a sound that is difficult to imitate, so it is best to wash dishes before a microphone. Nothing sounds more like pouring water from a glass than pouring water from a glass. Try out the sound itself first if it is convenient. If it is not reproduced satisfactorily, then seek to create it by other methods. One station, desiring to get the sound of the starting of an old Model T Ford, its cranking, -explosions, and sputtering, found that the best way was to bring an engine into the studio. The sound -effects man should possess a good sense of rhythm and timing. His position requires finesse, artistry, and good judgment. He works closely with the director, keeping one eye on the script and the other on the director. He may ring his cues in the script with red pencil and indicate where the sound is to be peaked and where it is to be faded out. He must be willing to experiment for hours creating new effects and getting the presentation of other sounds just exactly right. An active imagination and ingenuity are also essential. He should also be what is called in the theater a "quick study." It is helpful if he can memorize cues so that no time will be lost. When he has 50 or 60 cues, this is not too easy! The sound man must be absolutely dependable, for the sound effect must come on time, at just the right level, and for just the proper duration. Before the broadcast he,should arrange everything in the order that it is to be used, and everything must be close at hand so that he will not waste time getting it into the microphone. While the show is in progress, the sound man is given his cues by the producer. He, after all, can hear how the show sounds, since he is in the control room. So the sound man must watch constantly in order that he may tell by signals if the volume and the quality of sound are correct. He should be resourceful, eager to experiment, know radio engineering and studio technique, appreciate dramatic values, and have a workable knowledge of music and rhythm. Added to all this he must have a pleasant personality to withstand the rigors of long rehearsals and tired radio directors. I have used the masculine pronoun, but many sound engineers are women. It is far better to have no sound at all than a sound that is a poor representation of the desired effect. Sound effects should never be injected into a radio drama for their own sake. They must be a valuable aid to the visual imagination of the listener or else they must not be included. It is true that the youthful audience desires more sound effects than the adult audience. In order to get the proper reaction, the sound effects must be timed perfectly. Consequently it is better, according to the American system, to present them in the same Radio studio with the actors. In some instances sound effects are produced for the benefit of the actors and are hardly heard by the listener; they tend to get the actor into the right mood. Sound may be used as a background for short scenes. In longer scenes this effect may become irksome and in this case the sound is not continued throughout the whole scenes but is "sneaked in." This means in the case of a play laid upon a train, that the sound is brought up strong at the beginning of the scene and then gradually faded out, perhaps all the way. Then at the close of the scene or during short intervals, the sound may be brought up again to remind the listener that the scene is laid on a train. If the listener is too aware of the background sound, something is wrong-it should be almost completely unnoticed except at short intervals. Sound effects may also be used to great advantage as transitions from one scene to another in the radio drama. In writing the radio play, sound is not imperative unless it clarifies a piece of stage business or intensifies the atmosphere. Sound effects have other uses than those which are already stated. In many cases deliberately unreal sounds are used to aid in creating a certain effect. For instance, the opening and shutting of a door so rapidly that no one could possibly get through it is a favorite with radio comics. Sound effects may be used in an expressionistic fashion; for example, the use of a clock or a metronome to help emphasize the slipping away of precious time.