Hear Incredible Sounds Of Our World - With Field Recordist Thomas Rex Beverly:

Sound Effects Field Recordist Thomas Rex Beverly Podcast Interview

Posted December 13, 2021 by Asbjoern Andersen in A Sound Effect, Recording, SFX interview

Glad to give you this new episode of the A Sound Effect Podcast. Here, acclaimed field recordist Thomas Rex Beverly shares some of his favorite field recordings, gives you stories from his many sonic adventures, tells you about his special recording techniques and details how he captured some really unusual natural sounds:

Interview by Jennifer Walden, hosted by Asbjoern Andersen and Christian Hagelskjaer

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Here’s what’s in this episode (with starting times):

0:00 Introduction and new independent sound effects

02:59 Field Recordist Thomas Rex Beverly takes you behind his incredible field recording adventures, shares some of his favorite recordings & much more

49:48 Find more great podcasts about sound from our friends in the Audio Podcast Alliance

Hear the episode below:

Sound effects libraries highlighted in this episode:

Mechanical Sound Effects Industrial Robot Play Track 500+ sounds included, 126 mins total $79

ROBOTICS SOUND DESIGN TOOLKIT
The Industrial Robot sound collection contains many recordings and performances of an ABB industrial robot. Robot sounds like these are perfect for designing pneumatic doors, sci-fi weapons or robots, futuristic engines and vehicles, hydraulics, spaceships and more.

RECORDINGS OF A REAL ROBOT
Industrial robots perform many different tasks and create, thanks to their flexible movement abilities, a lot of interesting sounds. In order to capture all these sound possibilities, the company we worked with prepared and programmed the robot especially for our recording sessions.

THE RECORDING PROCESS
The robot’s six axes and a sound-proof room provided us with a perfect recording base. We recorded each of the six axes at three speeds from different perspectives in mono and stereo, giving you a fundamental collection that you can use to design all sorts of robot and servo sounds. You also get more specific sounds resulting from different work performances, leading to pitch-modulated movements such as fast and slow acceleration. In addition to the robot recordings, you will receive various snapping sounds, clicks and tool handlings to round off the sound package.

All in all this library contains 142 files with more than 500 individual sounds.

Jon Lipman
Sound Designer, Sony Pictures
“I’m not sure where you found this robot but it’s just amazing for technical, sci-fi and gadget design. I’m normally pitching down household appliances or car doors to achieve these sort of sounds – thank you for going out and recording the actual thing!!”

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Roomtones Quiet Hotels At Night Vol.2 Play Track 63 sounds included, 238 mins total $70

“Quiet Hotels At Night Vol. 2” is the second part of our most popular library “Quiet Hotels At Night”. Comprised of the best pieces of several years of recordings. Imagine you are in a game or a security guard who is doing his regular tour. You find yourself in different corridors, rooms, and stairwells, even in the kitchen of a restaurant late at night. Through the recordings, you can experience a wide variety of settings – from riding a hotel elevator to looking around the lobby. The idea of the library is to include a rich variety of room tones and quiet atmospheres very early in the morning, late in the evening, or at night. The atmospheres in hotels of different sizes and stages of construction are quite distinctive because of their different reverberation, density of walls, doors, etc. Most of the library is focused around silence. You can hear photo-cell lighting at times, distant faint voices at others, or just sporadic sounds coming from places such as doors or footsteps from an upper floor. The stairwells are also very interesting as you can hear the sound of moving elevators stopping on another floor or the sound of pure electricity. This library sequel also includes atmospheres from the interior of moving elevators. You will hear the sound of doors closing, traveling, and doors opening. Room tones from a handful number of bathrooms are included as well. This library has been recorded in Eastern Europe and more specifically in Bulgaria which makes the atmospheres even more diverse and intriguing.

All of the files are carefully and thoroughly meta-tagged in UCS.

Gear used:

Recorders: Sound Devices 833, 664, Sony PCM D100, Zoom H6,

Microphones: Neumann KM184 mP, Usi Pro

Enjoy the night hotels.

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Surround Sound Effects Seasons Of Earth – Spring Play Track 144 sounds included From: $135

Our planet has a fascinating sonic spectrum, and every season, nature offers us an impressive and multi-faceted sound composition. We have recorded the most interesting and iconic ambiences the only way that truly reflects the sonic character of Earth as precisely as possible: Using the unparalleled Schoeps ORTF3D Surround Set. Harness these first-rate sounds to shape your projects in the most authentic way possible, from the ground up in 3D Surround or Stereo.

INCLUDED SOUNDS – KEYWORDS
BACKGROUND, BIRDS, BRANCHES, BREEZE, BUSHES, BUZZ, CALM, CANOPY, CANYON, CHIRP, COYOTE, CREEK, CRICKET, CROWS, DEBRIS, DESERT, DOGS, DOVES, DUSK, FLIES, FOREST, FROG, GOOSE, HUMMINGBIRD, INSECTS, LAKESIDE, LEAVES, MAMMALS, MIGRATING, MOTHS, NIGHT-BIRDS, OWLS, PHEASANTS, PINES, PRAIRIE, RAIN, SEASONAL, SHORE, SQUIRRELS, SUBTLE, WETLAND, WIND, WOODPECKER

Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Gore Sound Effects Squish Splat Ooze Play Track 380 sounds included $20

The Squish Splat Ooze Library contains a wide variety of gelatinous liquid sound effect recordings. These include drops, slaps, impacts, squeezes, steady movements, and more recorded with a variety of thick viscous liquids. For a list of all sound files included, see the PDF sound file list below.

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A selection of sound libraries from Thomas Rex Beverly:

Nature & Countryside Ambiences High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature Play Track 10+ sounds included, 94 mins total $35

In High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature, get a mini-nature collection of desolately beautiful sounds of the American southwest as the sun brings to life the songs of desert wildlife. This collection features sounds that will make you fall in love with the desert with the trickling of distant rivers, smooth cricket chirps, echoey caws from ravens so close you can hear the details in their wings flaps, snorts from a cautious yet curious mule deer, choruses of birds at dawn, and much more. Most recordings are well over 4 minutes, with one half-hour night-time track that will make you want to take out your tent immediately. For a mini-nature collection of lush, peaceful nature sounds from the heart of the American Southwest, here’s High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature.

2% for the Planet:
Two percent of the price of this library is donated to an environmental cause. I view it as an “artist royalty” for the planet!
KEY FEATURES:

• Sounds in this library are NOT included in High Desert Ambiences 2 and 3.
• This library contains a small selection of both “active” and “quiet” nature sounds from the high deserts of West Texas.
• If you need more “active” or “quiet” nature sounds check out: High Desert Ambiences 2: Active Nature or High Desert Ambiences 3: Quiet Nature.
• Featured on Designing Sound: “Our Favorite Sounds of 2016”
• Desert dawn and evening choruses
• Distant flowing river, songbirds, and insects
• Ravens soaring and squawking in a stark and resonant valley
• Lengthy night-time cricket chorus
• Partially audible and ultrasonic bat clicks up to 70kHz
• Ghostly distant animal calls
• Mule deer warning snorts and jumping movement
• Files ranging from 31 seconds to 30 minutes
• Rio Grande dawn chorus along the Texas/Mexico river border
• Locations: Near Marfa, Texas (in a mountain valley at an altitude of 6,000 ft) and Big Bend National Park along the Rio Grande River, Texas/Mexico border.
• These desert ambiences are extremely quiet, so I have included descriptive markers to signal interesting events in an otherwise featureless waveform. These markers can be read in programs such as RX, Reaper, and Soundminer. The markers are also included as .txt files in the sound files folder.

GEAR USED:
• Sennheiser MKH 50/30 MS pair
• Mid/Side recordings decoded to LR stereo
• Sound Devices 702
• Rycote AG MS Blimp
• ***Note – the name of this library was changed from High Desert Ambiences 1 to High Desert Ambiences 1: Miniature on 11/28/17. This was a name change only. No audio files were updated.

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Weather Sound Effects High Desert Thunderstorms Play Track 124+ sounds included, 137 mins total From: $45

High Desert Thunderstorms has the vast, beautiful crackling of Southwestern summer thunderstorms. These powerful storms travel for miles in all directions with rumbles that feel physically and emotionally immersive. Plus, you receive many types of Texan storms with rainstorms, dry thunder, echoing thunderclaps, and much more. If you need storm ambiences that ripple across barren valleys, listen to High Desert Thunderstorms.

2% for the Planet:
Two percent of the price of this library is donated to an environmental cause. I view it as an “artist royalty” for the planet!
Key Features:

• Hand-picked sounds from over 20 summer thunderstorms
• Three-part library: Dry Thunder, Wet Thunder, and Rain and Thunderstorm Ambiences
• Thunder echoing in mountain valleys
• Unraveling explosions as close as 2,000 feet
• Sub-bass growls as far away as 20 miles
• Approaching and fading storm cells
• Descriptors: close, distant, rippling, rolling, growling, rumbling, unraveling, sonic boom, Zeus, and sub-bass
• multiple microphone perspectives for a variety of stereo images and uses
• Location: Near Marfa, Texas, summer 2016, mountain valley at an altitude of 6,000 ft.
• 95% Bird Free
• Library can be purchased in parts or as a bundle to save 20%

Dry Thunder 1:
• Specs: 690 MB – 192 kHz / 24-bit WAV – 26 stereo files, 26+ sounds – MS recordings decoded and library does not include the RAW MS files
• Duration: Approx. 10 min total
• Isolated rain-free thunderclaps from nearby supercells
• Thunder with wind in summer grass
• Clips ranging from 7 to 44 seconds

Dry Thunder 2:
• New Content – Available 10/03/2019
• Isolated rain-free thunderclaps from nearby supercells
• 15 dry thunder clips
• Long rippling booms
• Unraveling echoes bouncing between mountains
• MKH8040 – ORTF recordings

Wet Thunder:
• Specs: 2.37 GB – 192 kHz / 24-bit WAV – 67 stereo files, 67+ sounds – MS recordings decoded and library does not include the RAW MS files
• Duration: Approx. 34 min total
• Isolated thunderclaps with rain
• Heavy, medium, and light rain
• Clips ranging from 10 to 64 seconds

Rain and Thunderstorm Ambiences:
• Specs: 6.47 GB – 192 kHz / 24-bit WAV – 31 stereo files, 31+ sounds – MS recordings decoded and library does not include the RAW MS files
• Duration: Approx. 93 min total
• Dry and Wet thunderstorm ambiences, including thunderclaps
• Heavy, medium, and light rain without thunder
• Metal rooftops, storm drains, small hail stones
• Clips ranging from 1 to 20 minutes

High Desert Thunderstorm – Full Library:
• Specs: 9.54 GB – 192 kHz / 24-bit WAV – 124 stereo files, 124+ sounds – MS recordings decoded and library does not include the RAW MS files
• Duration: Approx. 137 min total
• All Dry Thunder, Wet Thunder, and Rain and Thunderstorm Ambiences included

File List & Metadata:
• View larger version or Download CSV

Gear Used:
Sennheiser MKH 50/30 MS pair
MS recordings decoded
Sennheiser MKH8040s in ORTF
DPA 4060 A/B pair
Sound Devices 702

Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Weather Sound Effects High Desert Winds 1 Play Track 52+ sounds included, 200 mins total $70

In this collection, get the blustery sounds of High Desert Winds 1 recorded in the resonant mountains of west Texas. This library includes sounds of the mountain ridge tops of the David Mountains with 15-50 mph gale force gusts, low whistling drones, breezes through pinyon pines, mesquite and much more. There are also seasonal recordings with leafy gusts, pouring rain, broad spectrum wind through winter grass, and crickets at night braving the weather. If you need sounds of the blustery wide open American Southwest, this is the library to check out.

2% for the Planet:
Two percent of the price of this library is donated to an environmental cause. I view it as an “artist royalty” for the planet!
Key Features:

• 80% bird and insect free
• High altitude desert wind: 6000 ft. average elevation
• Turbulent gale-force gusts ranging from 15-50 mph
• Mountain ridge tops
• Indoor window perspectives
• Dead winter and spring grass
• Pinyon Pine
• Scratching Mesquite
• Bats above 20kHz
• Locations: Davis Mountains, Texas
*Bowed metal sounds in demo not included

Gear Used:
• Sennheiser MKH 50/30 Mid/Side pair
• Mid/Side recordings decoded to LR stereo
• DPA 4060 A/B pair
• Sound Devices 702
• Rycote AG MS Blimp

Need More Winds? Listen to High Desert Winds 2!

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Nature & Countryside Ambiences Nature Roomtones: Deserts Play Track 44+ sounds included, 116 mins total
Rated 5.00 out of 5
$80

• In Nature Roomtones: Deserts, get a collection of ambiences with zero wildlife and barely audible wind. Hear the nothingness of desert plains and open sparseness of mountain valleys resonated by barely audible wind. Hear wildlife-free, natural roomtones from 44 different locations perfect for your post-apocalyptic productions or as atmospheric beds for any type of environment.

• This library offers you an extensive collection of ambiences with sparse flora and zero fauna from winter nights in the desert. Hear the majestic sparseness of desert nights perfect for your dystopian adventure story.

2% FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & CARBON NEUTRAL:
• Two percent of the price of this library is donated to an environmental cause, as an “artist royalty” for the planet!
• Carbon offset credits were purchased to offset my field recording travel for this library.

KEY FEATURES:
• 2-5 minutes clips from 44 different locations
• Mountain valleys
• Mountain ridge tops
• Barely audible wind
• Light wind with distant winter grass
• Nothingness
• Zero wildlife and insects
• Zero water
• Sparse foliage

FILE LIST & METADATA:
• View larger version or Download CSV

MORE INFO:
• Read 40+ testimonials for Thomas Rex Beverly Audio
• Read my Field Recording Mastering Rules and learn more about how these recordings were mastered.
• Browse the Library Info Master List to compare specs on all my libraries.
• Browse the Metadata Master List to search my entire catalog.
• MD5 and SHA 256 Checksums are included for each zip file in my catalog. Use these hashes to check the integrity of your downloaded files.

What’s the different between “nature roomtones” and “quiet nature” sound libraries?

Nature Roomtones: These are natural soundscapes with zero fauna, sparse flora, and sparse water. These recordings are location nonspecific because there is zero wildlife. As a result, these sounds can be used as a foundation for any natural environment you create.
Quiet Nature: These are natural soundscapes with sparse fauna, sparse flora, and sparse water. These recordings are geographically linked to a place because of the wildlife present in the recordings.

GEAR USED:
• Sennheiser 8040s in ORTF
• Sennheiser MKH 8040 and MKH 30 in MS
• Sennheiser MKH50 and 30 in MS
• Sound Devices 702
• Rycote ORTF Blimp
• Rycote MS Blimp

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Hear more from Thomas Rex Beverly here

This podcast is part of the Audio Podcast Alliance. Check out the full list of members below – click a podcast name to go directly to their latest episode:

AMPS Podcast • CAS In Conversation • Field & Foley • Immersive Audio Podcast • LA Post Production Sound Design • Level with Emily Reese • Location Sound Podcast • Sound Business • Soundbytes Podcast • SoundGirls Podcast • Soundtrack Show • Soundworks Collection • The A Sound Effect Podcast • The Dolby Institute Podcast • The Game Audio Journey • The Sound Architect Podcast • Tonebenders • Twenty Thousand Hertz

Hear more audio-related podcasts here

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THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:

A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:
Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:

Fire Sound Effects Campfire, Fireplace and Stove Play Track 54 sounds included $14.90

54 sounds on fire! Another indispensable toolkit of fire, wood burning, flames and different fire ambiences that were recorded indoors and outdoors. Find the true sound of it with Vadi Sound Library.

About Campfire, Fireplace and Stove

From loopable fire, wood burning, fireplace and flames, bonfire, stove and campfire, this 96 kHz – 24bit collection has both organic Foley and sound design usability in stereo and mono format.

You will get lots of organic firewood crackles, sizzles, hisses, whooshes and campfire ambiences of the forest, sometimes with owls hooting, dogs barking and the crickets. Fire bursts and igniting with spray and flamethrower, matches, magneto lighters, closing and opening of metal lids are included too.

These 54 immersive sounds are windy, wild, fast or calm and peaceful and were recorded at different seasons, at night and day, indoors and outdoors and all fire burning sounds are loopable. You will get intuitive, detailed naming, UCS compatibility and the usual Vadi Sound craft and attention to detail.

Keywords:

Fire, fireplace, stove, campfire, bonfire, flame, burn, burst, crackle, sizzle, hiss, gas, ignite, forest, night, day, indoor, outdoor, match, lighter, whoosh, air, brush, debris.

What else you may need

You may want to check out Drag and Slide Pack for 477 sounds of dragging, sliding, scraping and friction sounds of different objects made of wood, plastic, metal on various surfaces.

Lots Of Chains is another option with 450+ sounds that capture pretty much every material and action of the chain.

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Sci-Fi Sound Effects Sci-fi Shooter Game – Sound Design Starter Kit Play Track 1173 sounds included, 78 mins total $69
Blast off into a dark sci-fi world teeming with creatures and unknown wonders. Introducing the heart-pounding warfare and general FPS & Sci-fi game audio SFX pack filled with the intensity you need to start your first-person shooter game. Welcome to “Sci-Fi Shooter Game” – a game audio sound effects library featuring over 1100+ designed SFX, tailored specifically for game developers and sound designers seeking a solid foundation for their game audio. Build alien atmospheres, futuristic battlefields, UI sequences, gizmos, gadgets, doors, mechs, robots & more. Sci-fi Shooter Game covers almost all your needs, whether it’s a dark synth-wave loading screen music loop, the realistic clanks of robotic mechanical footsteps, the futuristic hum of UI elements, or the thunderous blast of weapons; every sound is expertly crafted for maximum impact and intensity. With over 78 minutes of finely tuned audio and a solid foundation of almost everything needed to complete a sci-fi shooter game, you’re in for an action-packed adventure.
- 1173 files / 484 glued files
- 6.69 GB of game audio assets
- All in 96k 24bit .wav
- Includes over 78 minutes of audio
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Bundles Illumination Designed Bundle Vol. 1 Play Track 67 sounds included $62

Illumination Designed Bundle Vol. 1 features an experimental collection of sounds crafted from the electromagnetic signals of various light source.

This bundle offers a variety of sci-fi inspired sounds, including cinematic elemenets, drones/ambiences and explosions. Our Audio Craftsmen used a Lite2Sound photodiode amplifier to capture the electric signal lights emit. These were then meticulously edited and manipulated to create a series of unique sounds.

The 3.27GB collection includes three volumes:

Illumination Designed Vol. 1:

A series of unique cinematic elements that blend stingers, risers, impacts and low frequency rumbles.

Illumination Designed Vol. 2:

A series of unique ambiences and drones.

Illumination Designed Vol. 3:

A series of futuristic, hi-tech explosions.

This bundle is designed to enhance film, TV, and game productions or trailers with an experimental, cyberpunk, or abstract edge. The sounds are suitable for genres like sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy, adding mystery, eeriness, and tension to projects.

All sounds are delivered in a high-quality 24Bit 96kHz format, allowing for further sonic manipulation. They have been meticulously edited and tagged with extensive UCS compliant metadata for easy organization and use.

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Car Sound Effects 2000s Cars 3 Play Track 2376 sounds included, 287 mins total $200

Compilation of 10 different 2000s cars. Sounds are recorded with RØDE NTG1, RØDELink Lav, Line Audio Omni1, Shure KSM137, Shure VP88, Sonorous Objects SO.3, FEL Pluggy XLR EM272 and FEL Clippy XLR EM272 microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II and Zoom F3 and Zoom H4n recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

Models:

1. Fiat Bravo 2007 compact car

2. Ford C-Max 2003 MPV minivan multi purpose vehicle

3. Honda Civic Type S 2006 sport compact car

4. Land Rover Freelander 2003 compact crossover SUV sport utility vehicle

5. Mini Cooper 2006 subcompact supermini car

6. Opel Vectra C 2005 large family car

7. Renault Megane 2002 compact car

8. Skoda Fabia 2007 subcompact supermini car

9. Volkswagen Polo 2009 subcompact supermini car

10. Zastava Yugo Koral In 2002 subcompact supermini car

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Cold Weapon Sound Effects Sci-Fi Weapons Bullet Hell Sound Effects Pack Play Track 389 sounds included, 8 mins total $49

‘Shoot ‘em up’ has never been this exciting! From powerful laser and plasma blasts, to specialised sounds such as fire, rain and laser circles, Sci-Fi Weapons: Bullet Hell adds intensity to virtual battles. With our trusty Vaemi’s El-Ma electromagnetic field mic, we’ve captured some wild electronic shenanigans, blending them with our synthetic sounds to cook up weapon effects that’ll make your players go, “Whoa!”

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