The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects Review

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Review by: Sable Jak
This is not a book to simply glance through and then put on your shelf and pull out now and then. If you're involved in sound at all, I doubt you could do that. This is a book to carry with you in the field, have next to your computer, in your editing suite and taped to your cereal box so you can read it while you have breakfast.
There is so much information in this thing I don't even know where to begin, so I'll tell you a little set-up information first:
I recorded my own audio drama serial last year (2008) and I wish I'd had this before I started. It sure would have helped stop a lot of stumbling and fumbling around. At the same time, it's more than a little nice now and then to find a piece of information in it that lets me know I did something right... on occasion.
Viers knows his business. He's worked in film, radio, television and video games for years. According to his bio he's one of the world's largest independent providers of sound effects, with over 150,000 sounds and 150 sound libraries. He's also created sound libraries for large companies.
He's taken all that experience and crammed it into 326 fully-loaded pages. He starts out by explaining what sound effects are, from natural to manufactured to designed. Why start with such a basic? Because he's all about understanding what you're doing. So, if the chapter on the science of sound may seem like it's reiterating an old science class, remember; who among us can't benefit from a refresher course?
Not being mechanically/technically inclined I appreciated his information on microphones and their accessories, and even how to put together a portable recording package. In addition to helping you build your own Foley stage (complete with pictures, yippee) he covers studio equipment, recording in the field, recording Foley and working with a database. There's so much information it's hard to absorb it all. I'd like to say it's best taken in small increments, and for someone who works best by doing, it is, but at the same time, there's so much here you want to keep reading in case the next page contains something vital to your current project. However, keep in mind the book is laid out so you can quick reference specific needs without having to wade through unrelated information.
I have to say, some of the hard core technical information is a little hard for me to understand, even though it's written very clearly. But the more I read, the more I work on projects and the more I use this book, the more I will, and do, understand. I say this because to me it seems that Viers knows that having a good reference guide at hand is always a help, no matter how much you do or don't know.
In short, I highly recommend this book.
Sable Jak
Author: Writing the Fantasy Film


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The Sound Effects Bible is a complete guide to recording and editing sound effects. The book covers topics such as microphone selection, field recorders, the ABCs of digital audio, understanding Digital Audio Workstations, building your own Foley stage, designing your own editing studio, and more.

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Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm surprised I've been a Star Wars fan for so long and had never bothered to listen to this. It's actually a great way to relive the movie. It's quite different from the actual film script and includes expanded and deleted scenes. For me, the best part was the beginning, with Luke's friends at Tosche Station. It has such a 1970s flavor and would have started the movie off really differently (although nothing beats the actual opening space battle).
Overall, the case works well. Mark Hamil actually plays Luke Skywalker and does a great job of it. Likewise, Anthony Daniels plays C-3P0. Most of the other characters come off at least similar to their on-screen counterparts. Han is appropriately cocky, although he's also more selfish than portrayed in the films. Leia has a good amount of spunk. Unfortunately, the series didn't quite get Darth Vader right. The torture scene with Leia - not in the movie for good reason - was particularly onerous and Vader sounds more like a shrink than a Sith Lord.
One other thing tat bugged me is the episode breaks. Originally, when this aired as a radio show, it was broadcast as 13 episodes, and each time there was an introductory narration and credits. Unfortunately, these remain on the audiobook version. Thus, every 15 minutes or so you hear another listing of credits, then another introduction. I hope future versions eliminate this and allow listeners to hear just one uninterrupted book.
The ESB episode wasn't quite as strong. Luke, Han, and Leia are all well done. However, Vader comes off as corny and Yoda just doesn't have the majesty he demands. Also, it doesn't have many deleted scenes, aside from the Battle of Derra at the beginning. It's about an hour shorter than the ANH radio show.
The ROTJ broadcast is pretty much like the movie - of course, without the space battles and with audio depictions of the land battles. It's actually fairly short - about 2 hours shorter than the ANH radio show. There aren't really any important deleted scenes, except the beginning when Luke is building his lightsaber. Still, it's well done and faithful to the movie. The Ewoks do get a bit more respect than they usually do.
One other thing that bugged me is the episode breaks. Originally, when this aired as a radio show, it was broadcast as 10 episodes, and each time there was an introductory narration and credits. Unfortunately, these remain on the audiobook version. Thus, every 15 minutes or so you hear another listing of credits, then another introduction. I hope future versions eliminate this and allow listeners to hear just one uninterrupted book.
Overall, this is a great set to listen to during commutes, even if you've watch the movie dozens of times already. Fans will appreciate deleted scenes.

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Allies (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi) Review

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(More customer reviews)fotj:allies is a story with a great deal of potential that is unfortunately undone with very sloppy execution. other reviewers have had some impolite things to say about the author, but i'm not going to go that far, as i'm sure the editorial process is just as much as fault. i venture into spoiler territory a bit, so consider yourself warned.
even if you're not a hardcore fan, the book can be difficult to read at times. there are jumps from one character's perspective to another's that are rather jarring, and characters behave inconsistently, sometimes from one page to the next. too many chapters begin with recaps of what happened a few pages before, as if you hadn't just read it for yourself, or needed help understanding. and then some events seem to happen completely out of sequence- for example, at one point the skywalkers are waiting for a rendez-vous with lando. luke decides to speed up the timetable (because "things have changed," he explains, though at no point is the book clear on what's supposed to have changed), and arranges for lando to meet him on the way. 14 pages later, lando arrives at the site of the initially-planned meeting, and is absolutely shocked that luke is no longer there. what? later on, vestara is asking dyon questions about ship that dyon clearly comprehends, even though it isn't until a few paragraphs later that she explains to him what ship is.
if you are a hardcore fan, it gets even worse. there's far too much character deconstruction in this book. where ben is steady and mature beyond his years coming into this story, here he's a hapless hormonal sap. where vestara had been ambitious, cunning, and ruthless (ship's favorite among the entire tribe), here she's an ineffective, shallow, hormonal sap. where jaina had been tempered through the tragedy of having to kill her brother, here she announces herself almost proudly on multiple occasions as 'sword of the jedi', as if violence is something she suddenly thinks should be embraced. and the one big question that is never answered ties into the most significant deconstruction of all, that of the sith. why exactly is there any kind of alliance at all? that simple question is never answered. it's almost like the jedi and sith are reduced here to political parties simply as a plot device to get ben and vestara into the same room. why would the sith want to confront or destroy a powerful dark-side user in the first place? the book never explains. why would the sith think they need the skywalkers - or anyone else in the galaxy - to help them do it? the book never explains. why would a tribe of thousands, bred for thousands of years to be certain of their superiority, ever think that they would need the help of two good guys to take on a fellow bad guy, for whatever unexplained reason it is that they're choosing to take on a fellow bad guy? sorry, don't know.
i spoke of potential, and the book starts with a great deal. since they were introduced, it was clear that these sith were different than others that had been written. their origins predated both the bane-era self-destructive infighting and the post-bane highlander mentality with one always succeeding the one before. their introduction earlier in the series made explicit their inherent ruthless and merciless capacity. the eventual confrontation between the skywalkers and these sith could have been something really spectacular. instead, the lost tribe here is just another posturing and largely toothless foe. even more potential is lost with the constant return to politics, by far the most boring element of the star wars universe. think back to episode 4, when the extent of the politics is tarkin announcing to the room that the emperor has disbanded the senate. now think back to episode 1, with all that exciting footage of the senate in session. there's far too much episode 1 in this book, and the entire series for that matter.
there were a few years where star wars books had grown predictable. the bad guy or the superweapon du jour, followed by the happy ending. they've become predictable again on a larger scale, with entire sequences of books devoted to dark side macguffins and the republic being transformed from within.

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