Product Description
Presenting Thunderstorm III HD Professional Sound Effects Collection. The perfect storm is here! This sound effects library is a unprecedented audio love-fest of extremely close up dry lightning strikes and massive thunder claps only North Idaho can produce. With much help from the thunder gods over the last 3 1/2 years, this collection of mother nature’s power and fury is finally complete. The library contains 118 24-Bit 96kHz Broadcast WAV files ranging from powerful lightning strikes less than 1000 feet away to deep, booming thunder claps over 20 miles way. Also included are long takes of soothing rain with dynamic close, medium and distant perpective thunder tracks recorded in normal XY and wide ORTF stereo formats with MKH-8040 microphones and a cool little dude called the Sony PCM D-100.
Some tidbits:
Three years ago I started recording all new thunder and lightning sounds for this new collection. As you might guess you cannot call up the thunder gods and schedule a recording session or two. Strange I know but that’s the way they work. So, I’ve been slowly and patiently waiting, recording, waiting, recording, editing, waiting, recording, etc during this time and recorded quite a bit of source material. I spent years perfecting the art of “waiting” and now after many, many hours of editing and mastering the wait is over… For now.
Until this summer the storms have been few and far between so the library has been delayed. This summer there have been many amazing storms here in North Idaho, and now that I’m in a different location I have been recording some of the best thunder and lightning strikes ever. The weather forecasts for the rest of the summer look promising, and I’m always ready to record when the storms head my way. I have been using a couple of lightning tracker Apps to get a better idea when the storms are coming and from what direction. This has worked out extremely well, but as you all know, recording thunder is very difficult and potentially dangerous. It’s still a game of cat and mouse with these storms. Sometimes you get some great sounds and sometimes you do not.
The best thunder sounds come from when there is little to no wind or rain. We get that kind here but not that often. This year has been the exception as most of the storms, averaging one per week, have been relatively artifact free as they come in and as they exit. This gets me very excited as the editing and cleaning up process is minimal.
Equipment Used:
(2) Sound Devices 702 – Sennheiser MKH-8040ST XY – Sennheiser MKH-8040 ORTF – Sony PCM D-100
2023 Update: UCS Categories added, metadata refined.
TECH SPECS
Files |
118 |
Sounds |
118 |
Download Size |
3.38GB (Library: 4.04GB)/td> |
Format |
Stereo BWAV – 24bit, 96kHz | Mac-Windows |
Metadata |
Soundminer, BWAV |
Available As |
Download Only |
PDF Sound List |
XLS Sound List |
 |
 |
All Images and Sounds Copyright 2014 Frank Bry – Creative Sound Design, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Complete PDF Sound description list: Sound File List PDF
Complete XLS Sound description list: Sound File List XLS
Highlights:
• Thunder: Large Clap: Heavy Rumble Medium Distant 01 MKH8040ST XY
• Thunder: Large Clap: Massive Heavy Rumble MKH8040ST ORTF
• Thunder: Large Clap: Medium Distant Clap Dry 01 MKH8040ST XY
• Thunder: Large Clap: Ripping Sky Distant 01 MKH8040ST XY
• Thunder: Lightning Strike: CU Dry Strong Heavy Bolt Rumble 01 MKH8040ST ORTF
• Thunder: Lightning Strike: CU Dry Strong Intense Bolt 01 MKH8040ST ORTF
• Thunder: Lightning Strike: Dry Distant Rumble Heavy 01 MKH8040ST XY
• Thunder: Lightning Strike: Medium Distant Clap 01 MKH8040ST ORTF
• Thunder: Lightning Strike: Ripping Sky Medium Distant 01 MKH8040ST XY
Some footage from a severe thunderstorm that roared in on 8-2-14 in North Idaho. The audio in the video is from the actual storm. Recorded with a pair of Sennheiser MKH-8040 stereo rigs. ORTF and XY were used along with a Sony PCM D-100 recorder that was setup in the front of the house with a Hero 2 camera. This storm produced extermely strong winds and knocked out power to 50,000+ people here.
The Making Of Thunderstorm 3 SFX Library Part 1
In this article I will reveal my secrets and techniques to recording decent thunder and lightning. Many, many years and sleepless nights have gone into perfecting the art of recording the thunderstorm and I will finally share. But first, I want to share a little history and tell you how I developed these secrets and techniques.
The Making Of Thunderstorm 3 Part 2
In this second and final article I will discuss microphone patterns, recording device pre amp settings, editing and the final mastering phase of this collection. Before I dive into all the technical mumbo jumbo I want to express that when I’m setting up and actually recording thunder and lightning I get quite excited.
Thunderstorm III HD Pro SFX library Update
Three years ago I started recording all new thunder and lightning sounds for this new collection. As you might guess you cannot call up the thunder gods and schedule a recording session or two. Strange I know but that’s the way they work. So, I’ve been slowly and patiently waiting, recording, waiting, recording, editing, waiting, recording, etc during this time and have recorded quite a bit of material.
A STORY: August 20, 2014 – The day will be forever imprinted in my memory banks. I recorded more clean thunder and dry lightning strikes in one day than I recorded in all of the last two years.
It all started in the early afternoon on August 20, 2014, and I had just checked the weather patterns for the day and decided I had a little more time to get some other work done on a video game project before I have to set up the recording gear. Soon after I began working I heard a very nice medium distant thunder clap (oops… missed that one). It sounded very impressive and I was baffled because it was sunny outside with just a few clouds in the distance. I figured there may be a chance more thunder claps would occur so I set up a Sony PCM D-100 in the front yard facing North. I then began to gather the other recording gear to place in the back yard in my special “thunder paradise” location under some trees with moving blankets suspended on the branches to protect the microphones.
Every time I suspect there might be some weather action I set up two Sennheiser MKH-8040ST microphone sets, one XY and the other ORTF. I place them about three meters apart under the trees with each microphone rig pointed in a different direction based on what my weather tracking Apps indicate the direct of the storm will come from. Here in North Idaho we get some wild storms from all directions. Some storms even collide over the lake for no reason unless the thunder gods say so.
This is when I get totally bummed out… Just as I was bringing all the gear out on to the deck and preparing the recorders, my phone rang and I answered it. Then, out of nowhere, “FLASH – CRACK” and the closest lightning strike I have ever witnessed ripped through the sky. I only saw a flash, no bolt because it was on the other side of the house. I told the caller I needed to get back to them later. It was LOUD to say the least. From what I heard the lightning that day was not single bolts but more like a spider legged alien reaching down from the clouds. I was very excited but totally bummed out that I did not have the other microphones running but… To save the day, the Sony PCM D-100 recorded it and it’s in the video.
The whole day was spent recording this crazy thunderstorm. There was very little wind and rain the whole day, and I now have a TON of dry thunder and lightning to edit. Life is great!
It was quite a day! Here is the video footage of the storm rolling in and swirling around the house. Needless to say, I was tired and totally jazzed with the sounds I recorded with three microphones and recorders placed in the yard. Enjoy! -Frank
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This work is made and sold under license. By accepting this work, you agree to the following terms and conditions. Your use of this work is limited and restricted solely for the purpose of synchronizing recordings there from in timed relation with films, training or marketing presentations, radio and television presentations or commercials, and any other multimedia, audiovisual or computer generated displays, programs or presentations. Neither you nor anyone else may make any copies of any of the recordings on this work, except as may be designated to a single stand alone workstation for the purpose of specific audio and/or visual synchronization at your own facility. Transfer, copying or duplication of the work in whole or in part for any other purpose is expressly prohibited unless specifically authorized in writing by The Recordist. Transfer of one or more sounds to any format allowing network or remote access by two or more end users requires a Multi-user License. Contact The Recordist for details. In the event of a breach of these terms, action may be taken against you directly by Creative Sound Design, LLC., the owner of the copyright. v4.5 11-23-22
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