Explosion Sound Design in REAPER - How to layer sounds in frequency ranges

This is one of the most fundamental concepts for designing a sound. Layer sounds to fill the the frequency spectrum. Each layer should bring something to the whole picture.

Layering multiple sounds within the same frequency range can sound really muddy or messy, but if you're addressing subs, lows, lower mids, upper mids, and highs in separate layers that don't really overlap or compete, you'll have a much better sound. Plus more control over it in the mix and it will much easier to create variations.

Mainly you accomplish this by choosing sounds that fits in a particular range and then secondly use filtering to restrict each sound into its own frequency range. You need to be careful here though because you don't want each layer to sound like a separate thing it should all be cohesive and one event with multiple details within it.

Think of an explosion. An explosion is more than just a big bang. This should be a concussive thump in the lows, there can be a roar in the lower mids for power, in the upper mids and highs there's fire crackles, and debris falling. The whole thing is held together with a good amount of distortion and probably quite a lot of compression, as well as reverb. If anyone of those was missing it wouldn't sound complete, if any one of those was too loud it wouldn't feel right.

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[emilyschmanks]

how do you record an explosion
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with a BOOM mic

[bleach]

Great video. Some of your tracks in mixer looks different (much larger). What are they? Folder tracks, BUSes? You changed apearence manually for each, or there is some script for that?

[felipesborges]

can you share your template settings with us?

[kigm]

It would be interesting to know how long it takes you doing it. The result is pretty good in regards to the samples you used.

[Neumah]

Hey Jon! Do you know of any way to set a global scale for an entire project, so that the midi input on every track (unless overridden) is mapped to said global scale? I put ReaControlMIDI on every track, since I can't play the piano for shit, to achieve this locally, but it's getting tiresome to set the scale on every single track. Lazy man needs help.

[sickheadofficial]

that sounds like sth huge hitting the ground. was that the goal or sth exploding? at the beginning sth explosive weapon like is missing if sth actually exploding was the goal.

[letslearnreaper]

Nope don't use lots of EQ to make sound fit, you should only use sounds which work together sonically. You don't need to crowbar the sounds together. Select a pallet of sounds which work together. Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, Godfather) makes the comparsion to food you have to select flavours which complement each other, not flavours that clash or fight each other. That's the same with selecting sounds for sound design, pick high quality sounds which don't require lots of processing in order to help them blend together.