Freesound Forums

There are a lot of ways to simulate gun sounds, but not all of them are created equal.
It's not something I have done much but now that I've tried and enjoyed it, I probably will experiment more with simulating these. So, might as well make another thread and put together another little knowledge base.

Sound pack: Simulated Firearms

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METHOD 1: Hit a big metal object, reverb the resulting hits, blend both the wet and dry signal, then do a fast fade or a moderate gate.
This is what I did for the first 16 sounds in the above pack. At the time of this writing, it's only the 16 in there.
This method has mixed results. I thought the handguns sounded good, but the rifle bursts are far better.
I used a 55-gallon drum, but sheet metal, filing cabinets, metal desks, metal trash cans/lids, etc. should all work in at least some situations. Even an old PC case could work, if it has a big panel you can remove, and there's no sound-deadening material (adhesive, foam, gaskets, etc.) stuck to it.

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Any broad-spectrum atonal noise with a fast transient should work. The more indistinct the pitches, the better, but only to an extent. Some guns do produce distinct fundamental notes.
Bass drums, floor toms, timpani, etc. should also work to add thump to the sounds or even simulate more distant gunfire.

When simulating, we should try to remember that these sounds aren't just explosions - everything about bullets, powder, gun part dimensions, etc. is standardized. In general, the more consistent the sound, the more precision-made the gun. Applying this principle lets us make both "mass-produced" and "homemade" gun sounds, so we can simulate soldiers, guerillas, police, hunters, criminals, whoever needs to be making a gun sound in our projects.

Well, that's all I got for now. Have you had success simulating gun sounds before? Feel free to share methods.

It seems that practically any gunfire which happens outside of an anechoic chamber will have noticeable reverb. Even on a featureless open plain, air and ground will carry the sound out for long enough to create reverb.

This accompanying reverb seems pretty integral to the gun sounds, but not nearly as much so as the transients themselves.