Will It Whoosh

by soundeziner

A discussion in the Sound Design Facebook group reminded me I experimented recording a bunch of whoosh sounds a while ago AND that I had posted them in horribly un-clean condition on SoundCloud. I've cleaned a few of them up, given them pictures like they deserve, and removed some particular offenders. These aren't the best recordings I've ever made, nor are they ideal whooshes of some sort. I just think they're neat-o. I'll be contributing more to this playlist whenever I record or clean up more examples.

The discussion in question was about "techniques" and "recipes" for making whooshes. As expected, the responses nearly all boiled down to what software or plugin to buy and/ or what library to buy. This always distresses me for several reasons, the first of which being that it minimizes the importance of our most important real-world tools: our ears. Second, buy acquiring specific software or recorded libraries we limit ourselves to the same resources as other creators, making it that much more difficult to find our own unique voices. Finally, it lures us away from experimenting with the fundamental tactile reality around us.

This may sound a little hokey, but it's important: The real things around us make sound. By thinking "software first" we prevent ourselves from experiencing that world around us, frustrate our sense of creativity and experimentation, and ultimately lead ourselves away from the simple solutions of relying on what we have. We fool ourselves into imagining that there's "a way" to do something.

How do you make a whoosh sound? Swing something around. Play with your microphones. Play with string. Grab a small child, swing them around (carefully), and listen to the way their giggles doppler past a microphone.
I can accept that there are times when software and plugins and libraries serve the situation better, particularly when time is short. I even use them myself. I just believe that these should not be our FIRST suggestions nor our "secret toolbelt" solutions.

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A discussion in the Sound Design Facebook group reminded me I experimented recording a bunch of whoosh sounds a while ago AND that I had posted them in horribly un-clean condition on SoundCloud. I've cleaned a few of them up, given them pictures like they deserve, and removed some particular offenders. These aren't the best recordings I've ever made, nor are they ideal whooshes of some sort. I just think they're neat-o. I'll be contributing more to this playlist whenever I record or clean up more examples.

The discussion in question was about "techniques" and "recipes" for making whooshes. As expected, the responses nearly all boiled down to what software or plugin to buy and/ or what library to buy. This always distresses me for several reasons, the first of which being that it minimizes the importance of our most important real-world tools: our ears. Second, buy acquiring specific software or recorded libraries we limit ourselves to the same resources as other creators, making it that much more difficult to find our own unique voices. Finally, it lures us away from experimenting with the fundamental tactile reality around us.

This may sound a little hokey, but it's important: The real things around us make sound. By thinking "software first" we prevent ourselves from experiencing that world around us, frustrate our sense of creativity and experimentation, and ultimately lead ourselves away from the simple solutions of relying on what we have. We fool ourselves into imagining that there's "a way" to do something.

How do you make a whoosh sound? Swing something around. Play with your microphones. Play with string. Grab a small child, swing them around (carefully), and listen to the way their giggles doppler past a microphone.
I can accept that there are times when software and plugins and libraries serve the situation better, particularly when time is short. I even use them myself. I just believe that these should not be our FIRST suggestions nor our "secret toolbelt" solutions.