[OM] Re: OT Sound effects, was Ran into a photographer

[AG Schnozz]

> I'm intrigued -- is this an actual limitation of the
> recording-reproduction chain? Or is some psychoacoustic effect
> involved? And what about those cannon shots in the 1812 score? -

The actual sound of a gun firing (or even a canon) is remarkably
short.  Think about it.  Those grains all ignite in just a few
milliseconds.  The gun itself is an acoustical device with some
resonance, but it is pretty short.  The muzzle-flash is where much of
the actual sound concussion originates.

Most of the sound you here from a gun shot or a canon (1812 overture)
is reflections and reverb in the acoustical space (room) where the
listener/listening device is located.

Another example is lightening/thunder.  When the strike is REALLY
close, all you hear is a "crack".  But then you start to hear rumbles
and booms from it. The rumbles and booms are sound reflections off of
buildings, hills, and even thermal layers in the air.

To make any gunshot sound "bigger" and more "natural" you need to
fire it in a room that will allow the sound to decay slower than it
would in open free space.

AG

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