Freesound Forums
Need Help with a School Project
Started April 12th, 2022 · 6 replies · Latest reply by PatriciaLin 2 years ago
I'm working on a school project and need help figuring out how to make the sound of blowing a tire. I was thinking of popping a thick balloon, but not sure if that would be an organic enough sound for a thick rubber tire. Any ideas?
MatacusArilus wrote:
I'm working on a school project and need help figuring out how to make the sound of blowing a tire. I was thinking of popping a thick balloon, but not sure if that would be an organic enough sound for a thick rubber tire. Any ideas?
Maybe you have solved the problem already... But here's an idea.
I have only heard a tyre burst once, long ago when I was a kid. Was a loud bang.
You are right that a balloon popping is probably the closest and the easiest way of trying to replicate the sound.
Two things to watch out for and try to avoid / correct:
1) Getting any "room sound" will probably spoil the effect and make any further processing of the sound difficult. So, try to record in a small carpeted room. Place the recorder as close as possible (but make sure you do not saturate / clip the input). You may need to make several attempts to get it right, so make sure you have plenty of balloons!
2) A balloon popping is going to be a more feeble sound. It will be softer and have less bass and more treble frequencies. Treble frequencies are also more likely to reverberate in the room which is also a problem (See point 1).
I suggest wrapping the balloon in a cloth or small towel (best size and thickness will depend on the size of your balloon). A large balloon and a bath towel probably will work best.
After wrapping the balloon in the towel, try bursting it by sitting on it. The towel, carpeted floor and bursting by muffled compression rather than popping it with a needle should all produce a deeper sound with more bass and less treble.
From here you can process it further after recording. Start with EQ if you need to remove treble / reinforce the bass.
Playing the sound slower (try 80%-50% speed) will also possibly help. You could also try an Octaver or pitch shift effect lower the sound by 1 octave.
Good luck!