Sound Design Foley and Field Recording 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'hydrophone' used for in sound design?
- Recording sounds in outer space environments
- Recording underwater sounds (Correct answer)
- Measuring humidity levels in a recording studio
- A type of field recorder
Correct answer: Recording underwater sounds
A hydrophone is a specialized microphone designed to be submerged in water, capturing sounds that propagate through liquid — used for field recording, film sound design, and scientific research.
Question 2: What technique do Foley artists use to record clothing movement sounds?
- They use electronic samples triggered by MIDI
- They physically wear and manipulate garments in sync with on-screen character movement (Correct answer)
- They record actors on set
- They synthesize cloth sounds with noise filters
Correct answer: They physically wear and manipulate garments in sync with on-screen character movement
Foley artists wear or handle garments matching those on screen and move in sync with the picture, capturing realistic cloth rustle and movement sounds that dialogue microphones miss on set.
Question 3: What is 'wild sound' in field recording terminology?
- Sound recorded without reference to picture (Correct answer)
- Extremely loud recordings
- Distorted synthesized effects
- Animal sound effects
Correct answer: Sound recorded without reference to picture
Wild sound (also called 'wild track') refers to audio recorded independently without sync to picture — such as ambient atmospheres, background sounds, or effects — for later use in editing.
Question 4: Which recording technique uses two microphones in an X/Y configuration?
- Mid-side (M/S) stereo
- X/Y coincident stereo (Correct answer)
- A/B spaced pair
- ORTF stereo
Correct answer: X/Y coincident stereo
X/Y coincident stereo places two cardioid microphones at the same point (coincident) angled between 90°–135° apart, capturing a stable stereo image with good mono compatibility.
Question 5: What is 'contact microphone' recording used for in sound design?
- Recording room acoustics
- Capturing vibrations directly through solid objects by physical contact (Correct answer)
- Wireless lavalier recording
- Recording with no microphone stand
Correct answer: Capturing vibrations directly through solid objects by physical contact
Contact microphones (transducers) pick up vibrations conducted through solid materials rather than air, enabling unique sound capture from surfaces like wood, metal, glass, and ice.
Question 6: In field recording, what is 'self-noise' of a microphone?
- Interference from radio signals
- The inherent electronic noise generated by the microphone itself (Correct answer)
- Reflections from nearby walls
- Handling noise from touching the mic
Correct answer: The inherent electronic noise generated by the microphone itself
Self-noise is the equivalent noise level a microphone produces internally due to thermal and electronic factors, expressed in dB(A) — lower values indicate a quieter microphone better suited for quiet recordings.
Sound Design Foley and Field Recording 2
What is a 'hydrophone' used for in sound design?