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Floor Surfaces for Foley


Sprotnik

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Hi!

I want to record some foley footsteps in different surfaces,

I know that footsteps in sand, grass and stones (and others) use to be simulated with

kinda trays like this

postproduction2.jpg

and i know that the best way to have a good sound for footsteps in thick and solid surfaces

like cement or concrete, tiles, marble etc... is to have it built in the very ground like this

ush_foley1.jpg

unfortunately I can´t have it...

so I want to make a few DIY transportable surfaces (around 1m square) and I would like to know how to avoid unwanted resonances in surfaces like concrete or tiles.

I appreciate any advice and every experience about how to record foley footsteps properly

Thanks in advance

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thanks, senator

I think you are right and I have to deal with it

but...

any advice about how to have the best sound possible and accurated recording Foley footsteps in surfaces like concrete and tiles when it´s impossible to do it properly?

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Hi there,

If you get the sound effects bible by Ric Viers, you' ll find a subject that covers the transportable foley. Easy to construct and acomplish what you're looking for. I would suggest always keep in your mind of recording foley outside a Foley stage. As a last small advice is to watch experienced Foley artists in action. In that way you'll understand how footsteps support the different characters involved in a shot and their mood also.

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Thanks Marco

yes i keep in mind to record some effects outside the Foley stage, but it makes it difficult to record it in sync with the image and it will need more time (search for locations, wait for a noisless time (maybe in the late night) in order to avoid other sounds , etc.

I´ll try to find "sound effects bible" and read about transportable Foley to consider new ideas.

Thanks

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Hi sonicparticle.Yes, I know "the Foley grail" and it´s a great book, but (if I remember well) it doesn´t say a word about "how to construct the surfaces to have a convincing sound ". she talks about how to work in a footsteps session.
It is constructed properly if whatever sound it yields is the correct sound for whatever movie you are recording the sound for. If it isn't the right sound, well, I guess you'll need a different surface.Seeing as how you mentioned not having the resources to do it properly there is no best second.option. Just build something that fits your budget, space, and seems to yield the sound you need.
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The best foley i have recorded was outside of a foley stage using an iPhone for image and zoom h4n connected with a sd302 (the other way around) with a rode nt1000 mic on a stand.

Yeah sure you could use these portable surfaces, and there's no single answer to your question, but thousands. And the answer is: "the solution that sounds best"

try for yourself, don't care for the other advice. Use the force, follow your heart. Your ears know the answer

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I did some work in a studio where they had made trays like what you have in your picture. They did this for concrete as well as well as wood, tile and some other surfaces. They used between 6-10 inches of concrete in each tray the built (I can't remember exactly). Then laid the flooring on top of the concrete like you normally would on a foley stage. To protect their flooring and to cut out a lot of the resonance they placed these trays onto a few layers of carpet padding. They would use moving dollys if they needed to reposition them, since they were so heavy. They also had a wood surface that was for porch/western type wooden floors. Simply wood planks on a wooden frame. Since there was about a 6" gap between it and the floor I found I could control (somewhat) the amount of squeaks by leaving it open or stuffing packing blankets under it. With it completely stuff I actually used it a lot for regular wooden floor recordings. Sounded great. Half the fun of foley is the experimentation. Good Luck!

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Hi there,

If you get the sound effects bible by Ric Viers, you' ll find a subject that covers the transportable foley. Easy to construct and acomplish what you're looking for.

I can´t get (in time) the "sound effects bible"

could you tell me the indications that Ric Viers writes about the construction of solid surfaces?

Thanks Marco

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