Using the Anime library to recreate the sound of a high-energy fight scene.
Anime is an enormous genre which is not often as sonically explored as other genres. Although the sounds may be classified as 'cartoonish,' anime sound design has its own unique style which many fans can identify right away.
The sonic characteristics of anime include huge, over the top, expressive, non-literal sounds which, above all, are most often synthesized. Even ordinary events on-screen include synthetic elements. The tradition of incorporating synthesized sound effects to anime stems from a time when sound effects libraries were limited, & today they define the aural experience of anime.
In a new demo video, sound artist Jason Strawley cuts sound effects to recreate the sound for a fight scene from the anime One-Punch Man – using only sounds from the new Anime sound effects library he created along with Andrew Garraway exclusively for Pro Sound Effects.
After months of research, Jason & Andrew created a library with over 1,000 sound effects inspired by sound effects inspired by works like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dragon Ball Z, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, & more – you can read more about their methods & creation in an exclusive interview with Jason here.
ANIME: Available Now
Watch Jason demonstrate how to re-designing a fight scene:
1:39 - Clip Watch Through
5:44 - ProTools Session Organization Explanation
7:40 - Exploring the Anime Library
20:18 - Spotting Sound Effects
28:05 - Editing Beam & Energy SFX
01:19:09 - First Evaluation
01:21:16 - Additional SFX Editing
01:44:09 - Final Watch Through
Jason begins the video with a helpful overview of his Pro Tools template. After analyzing the scene, he listens through the Anime library, flagging sound effects that match the tone and powers of both characters as well as the energy of their battle. Next he chooses to spot the SFX within his Pro Tools session, marking regions where each sound effect will hit to create a framework to then work off of as you include additional layers of elements.
Jason emphasizes the importance of dynamic range when building sound effects & to choose which on-screen elements to emphasize with louder & more stylized sounds. He also reminds us to always consider processing sound effects, such as reversing them to obtain additional unique sounds.
Please note: Jason is using an early version of the Anime library in this video. The final version of the Anime library includes full embedded metadata in each file including Description, Category, Subcategory, etc.
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