Description
Presenting Helicopters 1 HD Professional Sound Effects Library. The helicopter sound effects in this collection were recorded at the local county airport and from random fly-bys over Idaho. Others are from airshows in the area and from pre-arranged recording sessions which I was able to get up close with the microphone to the aircraft.
This diverse collection recorded over 10+ years includes close-up, medium and distant fly bys along with a engine starts, shut downs and pre-flight hovering. The helicopters in this collection were recorded arriving and departing the airport along with performing routine FAA re-certification maneuvers.
As a special bonus, a few select UH-60A Blackhawk sounds are included. Check out “THE HAWK” Blackhawk sound effects Library which has been utilized in many well known TV shows and films for more.
HELICOPTERS
KAMAN K-1200 “K-MAX” HEAVY LIFT HELICOPTER • AEROSPATIALE AS350B2 • AGUSTAWESTLAND 119KX “KOALA” • EUROCOPTER AS350 B3 • EUROCOPTER EC120 • BELL UH-1H “HUEY” • BELL 212 “TWIN HUEY” • BELL HH-1K • SIKORSKY UH-60A BLACKHAWK • BELL 407 • SCHWEIZER 269C • SCHWEIZER 300CB
Kaman K-1200 Helicopter: On July 5, 2016 I was able to record the sound of a Kaman K-1200 Helicopter up close and personal with my Sennheiser MKH-8040ST Microphone system. I started 75ft away and then worked my way closer and then eventually positioned myself just under the rotors and then the turbine engine. The start up is from a medium distant perpective and the power down is very close up and may be reversed for a start up type sound. Extremely close up rotor “blade thwops” are included along with the turbine whining away at full throttle. A Bell 212 Twin Huey pass by and more AgustaWestland 119Kx sound goodness has been added also.
Bell UH-1N Iroquois (Twin Huey) Helicopter:
On March 17, 2017 two UH-1N Iroquois helicopters flew over my house and were flying around the area so I hustled to the local airport and there they were, parked on the tarmac. I spoke with one of the crew members from the 36th Rescue Squadron (36th RQS) at Fairchild AFB Washington. He was left behind while the others were out flying around and he informed me they were conducting “over water” search and rescue training on the lake. They would be flying in and out all day. As soon as I heard him get the call they were on their way back I prepped the SoundField ST450 MKII Ambisonic Microphone for recording. The SoundField ST450 MKII has internal heaters and they can take a few minutes to warm the capsules so the humidity doesn’t effect them. Once I had the microphone on a boom pole I was ready to step outside onto the cold, windy runway.
Only one Huey flew in to swap crew members and then it was off to the lake. A short time later they both flew in and landed for a lunch break. I patiently waited for the Huey crews to return so I could record them starting up.
It takes them quite a while to prepare and safety check the helicopters for departure so I had plenty of time to set up the SoundField ST450 and have my Schoeps MK4/MK8 MS rig on the boom pole. I placed the SoundField ST450 approximately 150 feet in front of the helicopters. My goal was to get a nice balanced Ambisonic recording so I used a microphone stand and the SoundField ST450 was centered between Hueys. I had the Schoeps MK4/MK8 MS microphone in my left hand using a boom pole and in my right hand was my iPhone to record the video. It was so cold my iPhone ran out of power and shut down right after the helicopters started their departure from the middle of the runway.
Included are 4 channel SoundField B-Format files. The ST450 MKII microphone generates audio in any format including mono, stereo, M/S, 5.1 surround and beyond.
Schweizer 300CB Helicopter:
Starts, stops, auto rotations and general flying are included from both interior and exterior perspectives. Multiple distances were also captured to give you a wide set of perspectives to use in your sound design.
The exterior perspectives were recorded with a XY stereo MKH-8040 and Schoeps MS set. Since I do not have three hands I could only use one microphone at a time, the other hand held the video camera. I would switch between the two microphones during a break in the action. And I needed a break every now and then since I was chasing the helicopter all over the airport.
I was able to place a Sony PCM D-100 inside the helicopter on one of the training flights. Placed between the seats exactly in the middle of the Schweizer with the microphone capsules set wide, you get a nice stereo cabin perspective.
Equipment Used:
Sound Devices Scorpio • Sound Devices 688 • Sound Devices 702 • ZOOM F3 • Sennheiser MKH-8040-8030 MS Stereo • Sennheiser MKH-8040ST XY/ORTF • Schoeps MK4-MK8 MS Stereo • Schoeps MK4 ORTF • Audio Technica AT-835ST • Sanken CSS-5 • Sony PCM-D100 • Sony PCM-D50 • Soundfield ST-450 MKII
TECH SPECS
| Files | 114 |
| Sounds | 114 |
| Library Size | 12.39GB |
| Format | Stereo • Mono • Ambisonic BWAV – 24bit, 96kHz • Mac-Windows |
| Metadata | Soundminer, BWAV |
| Available As | Download Only |
 |
 |
Special Thanks to Brian & Ammy from Timberline Helicopters – Sandpoint, Idaho.
All Images and Sounds Copyright 2016-2025 Frank Bry – Creative Sound Design, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.