What Are Sound Effects?

Learn the ins and outs of using a sound effect to polish your presentation or podcast.

What Is A Sound Effect?

A sound effect is a ready-made sound for podcasters or producers. Typically, podcasters need to only incorporate the sound into their production for instant success. This can be done with various editors running in a very short amount of time. Sound Effects make the creation of a podcast easier and professional. Sound effects are usually easy to edit and customize using any sound editor, occasionally more sophisticated sound require precise tuning.

Examples of sound effects can be found at Digital Sound Effects - http://www.digital-sound-effects.com

How Much Do Sound Effects Cost?

It depends on many variables. Sound effects can range from $ .99 for a single effect to hundreds of dollars for a custom created sound. The price varies, depending on the complexity and length of the sound. The licensing can also influence the pricing structure. Most sound effects are available for non-exclusive use, and exclusive effects tend to be much more expensive.

If A Sound Effect is Purchased, Can I Edit It With Another Audio Editor?

In most cases a sound effect can be edited with another audio editor, but it is best to read the licensing agreement from the company you purchased the sound effect from. This will give you a clearer understanding of how the file can be utilized and manipulated.

What Is An Audio Editor?

An audio editor is piece of software or equipment that allows you to modify or enhance a recording.

Do You Have To Be a Sound Engineer to Use Sound Effects?

The proper use of sound effects, while sometimes complex, can be done by amateur podcasters and presenters to enhance their podcasts and presentations. Sound effects make the resulting show or presentation much more professional and credible.

Are there any size limitations to sound effects?

There are no maximums or minimums when it comes to sound effects. Obviously, the larger files might make your file size grow and intimidate listeners with a slow connection. Balance the file size and the quality of the effect to determine what will best meet your needs.

What are ID3 Tags?

ID3 tags consist of meta data that describe the contents of the audio file (typically ID3 tags relate to MP3 files). ID3 tags generally contain information related to the audio file, including things like the title of the audio file, the artist, album, or any other relevant information. There is speculation that in the future podcasting search engines and directories will use the information contained in the ID3 tags to categorize, search, and group podcasts. What file formats are acceptable for sound effects? It really depends on your needs, and many sound libraries now offer effects in a wide variety of formats.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.