Sound design is a crucial element in enhancing the overall experience of your cinematic FPV drone videos. By adding depth, meaning, and emotion to the visuals, it helps your audience connect more effectively with the story. In this article, we’ll delve into various types of sounds, sound libraries, and post-production techniques to elevate your FPV drone videos.
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Table of Contents
Three Types of Sounds
Diegetic Sounds
Diegetic sounds are real audio elements based on the environment your drone is in, such as people chanting, birds singing, car engines, and ocean waves. Capturing clean diegetic sounds on set is nearly impossible due to drone noise, which is why we tend to add our own diegetic sounds using foley techniques or audio libraries.
Non-Diegetic Sounds
Non-diegetic sounds are off-screen sounds not related to the environment, but support and enhance the visual narration, such as soundtracks, sound effects, and voice commentary. Examples include people adding music to their freestyle videos and whooshes as they fly close to objects, which are common non-diegetic sound effects used in cinematic FPV to emphasize camera movements and transitions.
Foley
Foley is the practice of recreating or enhancing sounds in the studio, mimicking diegetic sounds to improve the overall audio experience with increased depth and detail.
Sound Libraries
Free Sound Effects Websites:
- YouTube Audio Library (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary): Offers a wide range of free content, but requires patience to navigate through the search GUI.
- Freesound (https://freesound.org): A community-based library with various sound effects.
Sound Design and Post-production
Identify the right sounds
- Diegetic sounds: Replicate sounds in the scene, such as wind, birds, or water.
- Non-diegetic sounds: Abstract and subjective sounds, like whooshes, that help the viewer follow the video flow.
Mixing
Edit volume and panning to create dimension and depth in your video. Mix mood music, ambient sounds, and sound effects organically to create a natural flow. Adjust the volume of non-diegetic sounds to make them just audible without being predominant.
Conclusion
Sound design is an essential aspect of creating captivating cinematic FPV drone videos. By understanding the different types of sounds, utilizing sound libraries, and employing effective post-production techniques, you can significantly improve the auditory experience of your FPV footage. So, dive into the world of sound design and elevate your FPV drone videos to the next level with increased depth and detail.