Radio Production Tip: The Matrix Transition FX

Sound Designer W. Brent Latta discussed about the two types of sound design for media at AudioTuts.com. These two types are diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sound design refers to the music or sound that takes place within the story, for example a piano playing on the background, or a sound speaker playing a dance beat.

Non-diegetic sound on the contrary does not take place in the story. It is perceived only by the audience. This knowledge is an interesting tool that any radio producer can use in his project. Mostly, the sound effects that we sprinkle on promos and spots are non-diegetic, which does not happen in the story. Whooshes, swipes, blips, scratches, and so on, are SFX elements that the characters do not interact with.

Using diegetic sound design on your production will add more texture, depth, and realistic output. A good example is when you are producing a spot for a dance club with no characters involved, just plainly a voiceover reading a pamphlet. Now, if done wrong, your production could sound dry and 2D. To make it 3D, try to make the VO guy sound like he was talking, or reading his script, inside an actual dance club. You can do this by adding effects on the music bed. Instead of simply throwing an electronic track on the background, tweak it by adjusting the echo, delay, and decay.

Most radio producers are big fans of diegetic sound effects. So why not turn a sound design element into both a diegetic and non-diegetic. Yes, it can be achieved. Using Logic Pro tools, W. Brent Latta shows us how to turn a simple chime sound design element into a chilling transition effect that sounds like it’s happening both in and outside the story.

How To Create a “The Matrix” type of Transition FX
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Read the complete tutorial on How to Create a Mysterious The Matrix Style Transition FX on AudioTuts.com