Why Choose a Professional Quality Record Scratch Sound Effect?

Sound effects are artificially-produced sounds used to enhance the artistic aspect of films, television shows, songs, video games or live performances. They usually help to emphasize a point without using additional dialogue or music. Record scratch sound effects are most commonly used in popular music, live performances and television.

Record Scratch Sound in Modern Music

Record scratching originated as a technique used by disk jockeys. It was created by moving a vinyl record back and forth whilst it plays on a turntable, causing the needle to scratch the vinyl surface. While it is most commonly associated with hip hop music, it has been used in various forms of pop music since the 1970s. Early DJs of hip hop developed the method from using the breaks of funk songs as loops. The break, featuring the percussion, was isolated and repeated to facilitate the progression of night-long dance parties. Within hip hop culture, a DJ's ability to scratch is a measure of his skills.

In recorded songs, scratched choruses often use samples from other hip hop songs. The scratch sound itself is heard before the initial sample or before each repeated segment. As a component of hip hop, record scratching created the idea of using this sound as an essential part of music rather than an uncontrolled effect.

Challenges of Producing High Quality Sound Effects

The first challenge for an amateur using sound effects is to find access to recordings. Some may need to simply tweak previously recorded samples while others need to create new recordings altogether. When recording new samples many aspects must be taken into consideration. If recording on location, the wrong gear may lead to poor quality sounds. There may also be wind, people, vehicle traffic or animal noises that interfere with a recording. An amateur may not have the tools to overcome such problems.

Some noises cannot be recorded in a studio, such as explosions or airplanes. These effects can only be properly recorded by an expert sound effects editor or professional sound effects recorder. For these jobs, the recorder requires the expertise of demolition experts. Professionals are more likely to keep contacts in these areas, or to be taken seriously when contacted for a project. Other sounds must be recorded on a quiet set. This may be difficult to achieve without specialized equipment and a professional studio.

Characteristics of Quality Sound Effects

Quality sound effects produce audio that is superior in quality to that available on CDs or from stock audio. Top quality sound effects are much more crisp and complete. Professional quality audio can be altered without degrading the value of the sound. With these sound effects, the possibility of distortion is not as troublesome as it would be with audio of a lower quality.

Professional effects are versatile. Recorders provide variations of a sound to fit the needs of the creator. Amateur recorders may not appreciate the angles from which a sound is produced, and may only record one way. Experts, on the other hand, recognize that sounds may be affected by their surroundings. They may bounce off of nearby surfaces, resonate better from one side or produce louder effects depending on the area from which they are recorded.

Experts also make sure to grab specific sounds. Those without experience may find it acceptable to record general effects of a sound. Professionals recognize how important it is to record a specific type of car or a certain component of a car for a defined sound. An exhaust may provide more ominous sounds while an engine may produce a feeling of exhilaration and speed in the listener.

Characteristics of Sound Effects of Poor Quality

For the content creator it is often simpler just to download free or inexpensive sounds created by someone else on the Internet. They are offered at such low cost because they are recorded by amateurs without professional equipment or expertise. While this may save one's budget, it often proves to be disastrous for the quality of the final product. Many times these effects may retain background noise or vocal samples over the audio. In a professional setting, multiple audio samples are collected at once, and then they are tested for quality. They are checked for background noise and other distractions which are removed through the process of equalization.

Poor quality audio effects are distinguishable in that they rarely provide versatility as professional sounds would. A stock sound effect may be too quiet, which prompts the recipient to alter it to fit his needs. When attempting to adjust the volume, however, he finds the sound has become distorted. This is a result of poor recording which creates a fuzzy effect known as "redlining" when the user attempts to play or reproduce the sound at a louder volume.

Importance of Using Professional Sounds

As a professional, it is an audio recorder's duty to ensure the reliability of every sample he provides. Expert recorders treat this task as an art. They have the passion and drive necessary to consider every aspect of a sound effect, from its origins to the feelings it will evoke in the listener.

Amateur recordings do not offer the same realism as those done by professionals. For example, an amateur may assume a sound effect can only be recorded from a true source, such as using real thunder or rain drops to produce their relative sounds. Often these real sources produce unidentifiable sounds. Professionals have the experience to understand Foley effects can sound better than real sources. A metal sheet can be used to produce thunder effects while rice running through bamboo can sound like rain. However, very few sounds can successfully imitate the distinctive noise of a turntable needle scratching the surface of a vinyl record!

With stock audio samples, the user runs the risk of having the same sound effects used by many others. With professionally engineered sounds, the cost for quality may deter others from purchasing the material, thus making the professional audio samples rare in comparison.

Record scratches are one of the hardest sounds to naturally duplicate. When used in a TV show or a movie, the needle scratch can indicate a sudden, sometimes comedic twist in the expected plot. In music, the record needle scratch grew as an art form in hip hop culture. Like any sound effect, it is always best to use record needle scratches created by professional audio engineers, for the best end results and a real sense of authenticity that cannot be achieved with low quality bitrate mp3 files that are generally laden with static and white noise.

Sound Effects Libraries on Tradebit

Tradebit is home to literally thousands of mp3 and wav sound effects and we have some of the highest quality record scratch sound effects, and similar, on offer for just a few cents. You can just type in the sound effect you are looking for into our site search and you'll see plenty of possibilities to choose from! Just locate the Search box in the top right corner of the page to get started. You can even pre view the song or sound effect in our preview player (the whole duration if it is a short file) before purchasing, so that you can check make absolutely sure it is what you are looking for before you part with any of your good money.

We have - and this is just a selection of what we have! - the latest horror sounds, sports sounds, alarm sounds, water sounds, video game and animation sounds, city sounds, male and female voice sounds - and much, much more.

All sound effects files on Tradebit are recorded by professionals using a high stereo bitrate / samplerate and to the highest possible standard, so you can buy with confidence knowing that you're downloading the best there is. You do not need to sign up for or log in to a members account to download files from Tradebit.

Another great thing about buying on Tradebit is there is no need to worry about copyright, license or piracy concerns. Whenever you download a so-called free sound effect from a forum or blog, you never really know who the copyright holder is, and this can cause real legal problems later on - especially if your production reaches the view of a wide audience.

Tradebit is the missing link for audio, radio, video, film and video game producers who are looking to build up a high quality sound effects library to complement their media production.