Machine Guns HD Pro

Product Description

Presenting Machine Guns HD Pro Sound Effects Library. This 24-Bit / 96 kHz collection features four full automatic weapons.

As you may already know, fully automatic weapons are heavily restricted and regulated in the United States as in many other parts of the world. Getting access to record these weapons can be very difficult and expensive. I was fortunate enough to be granted access to record four automatic weapons. So on a brisk North Idaho afternoon I set up just about all the gear I have and proceeded to capture the incredible sound of these guns at a wonderful location in the mountains. The guns I recorded were a Heckler & Koch MP5, Valmet M62 (AK-47), and two Bushmaster M4 type Carbines, one with a 11.5 inch barrel and the other with a 7 inch barrel. Each one of these guns has a very distinct sound with the M4 Carbines being very similar but still unique because of the barrel length.

Four Sound Devices 702 recorders and a Sony PCM-D1 w/XLR1 Preamp were used along with a bunch of Sennheiser, Sanken and Audio Technica microphones. Four channels were recorded of the close in microphones and 3 stereo pairs were recorded with near and far perspectives both front and back. The close in microphones include two aimed at the muzzle of the gun and two towards the rear angled inward toward the center of the gun. The microphone pair on the right side were closer to the gun than the pair on the left. The microphones were set up in such a way that it is possible to use the tracks in a 5.1 surround setting.

This gun library is organized into 3 sections: designed, processed and original source files.

1. The designed sounds are specially processed and combined versions derived from the original 10 source tracks. They are over the top, larger than life and can be dropped in a production quickly with little fuss. Some contain all 10 microphone channels but most feature 4 to 6 microphone tracks mixed together in stereo. If you prefer to make your own combinations you can use the processed versions to mix and mangle for whatever your requirements happen to be.

2. The processed files are amped up with transient enhancers, compression, EQ and Limiting. This category is organized in the same fashion as the raw source material and match the original microphone layout, just a little louder and meaner. There is no sub sonic enhancement on any of the processed files. The MKH-8040 pair have exceptional low end characteristics that were brought to life with a vengeance using transient and limiting processes.

3. The original source files are the basic tracks organized and level matched so you can design your own guns with a process you see fit. They have been level matched and edited very carefully to not harm the original recording. Some faint shell casings can be heard in some of the tracks. I tried to minimize this as much as possible while recording but as you might guess, with machine guns there are loads of shell casings flying everywhere while shooting.

The Weapons:
Heckler & Koch MP5 – 9mm submachine gun
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer. The MP5 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world, having been adopted by 40 nations and numerous military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security organizations.

Valmet M62 – 7.62x39mm NATO
The Valmet M76 is a gas operated assault rifle of Finnish origin, which was also made in semi-automatic version for civilian market. It is a modified AK-47 based on the Rk 62 design and uses 7.62x39mm M43 ammunition. The gun was in production from 1976 to 1986. Its receiver is made from stamped and riveted sheet metal, instead of Rk 62’s milled receiver.

(2) Bushmaster M4 Type Carbine – 5.56x45mm NATO, .223 Remington (7 inch & 11.5 inch barrel)
The M4 Type Carbine is a reproduction of the Colt M4 Carbine, but is usually only semi-automatic for legality within the U.S. civilian market. However, it can be ordered by military or law enforcement organizations with three-round burst or fully automatic capability. The rifle accepts both .223 Remington and 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges, and the barrel is hard chrome lined in both the bore and chamber.

Equipment Used:
(4) Sound Devices 702 – (2) Sennheiser MKH-8040 – (1) Sennheiser MKH-8040ST – Sennheiser MKH-8060 – Sennheiser MKH-416 – Sanken CSS-5 – Audio Technica AT-835ST – Sony PCM-D1 w/XLR1

Sennheiser MKH-416: 1.5 meters on the right side just behind the muzzle.
Sennheiser MKH-8060: 1.5 meters on the left side just behind the gun pointed slightly inward.
Sennheiser MKH-8040A: 3 meters on the left side pointed at the muzzle.
Sennheiser MKH-8040B: 3 meters on the right side at the shooter pointed at the ejection port.
Sennheiser MKH-8040ST: 10 meters just behind the shooter, center POV.
Audio Technica AT-835ST: 75 meters in front the shooter slightly on the right, pointed inward.
Sanken CSS-5: 50 meters behind the shooter slightly to the right, pointed inward.

TECH SPECS

Files	176
Sounds	1800+
Library Size	3.5GB
Format	Stereo/Mono BWAV – 24bit, 96kHz | Mac-Windows
Metadata	Soundminer, BWAV
Available As	Download Only
PDF Sound List	XLS Sound List

5.1 SURROUND SOUND
There is also the option of using these sounds in 5.1 surround creating a huge sense of space from the reverb tail outs along with a “close up an personal” perspective from the close in microphones. Below is a screen grab I made while testing the files in surround. You can follow this template and adjust to your own needs. It’s possible to use other microphone combinations for the LFE, center and L-R. I chose the MKH-8060 because it had a certain ‘Oomph” to it’s sound.

Click the image to see larger version

Videos And Blogs

All Images and Sounds Copyright 2013 Frank Bry – Creative Sound Design, LLC. All Rights Reserved.