A COLLABORATIVE POST BY SAM BUSEKRUS
ASSISTANT EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST
In 2016, we did two very popular “Glossary of Sound Effects” posts. Learning keywords to use for your library can save you a ton of time. I thought it would be helpful to do a third post with a ton of new terms!
Whinny: The sound of a horse Neigh, usually high in pitch. Also look up: search neigh.
Pat: The sound of a hand coming into contact with a surface, such as cloth, skin, wood, etc. Also look up: grab, touch, clasp, skin touch.
Gallop: A fast walk cycle of a horse or other four legged creature, usually with 3-4 audible steps. Also look up: trot, canter, horse walk.
Rise: A cinematic musical or tonal element ascending in pitch, usually for the purpose of creating suspense. Also look up: riser, suspense, suction.
Guts: Squishy, slimy, movement or impacts that are typically wet and gross sounding. Also look up: gore, flesh, blood spill.
Scuff: To walk without lifting ones foot. Dragging one's foot across a surface of dirt, cement, grass, snow, etc. Also look up: scuffle, foot drag.
Flap: The sound of a material moving in the wind, such as a cape, parachute, or flag. Also the sound a bird's wings make whilst flying. Also look up: cloth move, cloth buffet.
Wronk: The sound of ripping/scraping metal. Also look up: metal creak, metal scrape, dry ice
Ringout: Describes a high pitched sound with a long decay. Usually a metal/sword hit with a long tail.
Peel: Sound of a tire squeal as it accelerates away (vs. a “skid” or a “chirp” for a tire squeal on a brake)
Shing: A sharp metal scrape indicating movement, usually for a sword. Also look up: unsheath, ring out, sword scrape
Flap: A good term for erratic fast movement. Great as a descriptor for cloth movement. Also look up: shake, movement
Bell Tree: The sound of chimes that usually ascend or descend in pitch. Also look up: gliss, wind chime
Screamer: Another term for a firework whistle
Goo: The sound of a sticky and slimey substance. Also look up: Slime, guts and squish
Gore: The general sound of blood, guts or violence. Also look up: blood, stab, splatter
Ronk: stress movement of a certain material. Great less transient alternative for Hits or Impacts. Also look up: stretch, stress, expand.
Parking Lot Maneuver: useful int/ext vehicle SFX for piecing together vehicle scenes where a car is doing different moves
Body Fall: The sound of bodyweight hitting the floor. Usually on multiple surfaces. Also look up: Body Impact, Body Roll
Trill: A musical ornamentation consisting of rapid alternation between two notes. Great for toony twinkling. Also look up: Tremelo
Sail Zip: A long trailing whistle. Great for something being thrown. Also look up: Zip
Jaw Harp: An instrument placed in one's mouth used to make twangy boings. Also look up: Jews Harp
Multi Whoosh: Very fast repetitive whooshes or swishes. Great for spinning. Also look up: Multi Swish
Squish: to make a gushing or splash sound. Also look up: mud, gore, blood
Dust: earth or other matter in fine, dry particles. Also look up: sand, small rock, pebble