I recorded a dyson vacuum...and made a sound library with it + 🎶 FREE Sound Pack!

Hi there! If you want to learn how to create sound effects, you are in the right place. Today, I’ll show you how I took a regular Dyson vacuum, recorded it, edited the sounds, and designed a sound pack from it. Best of all, this sound pack will be free!

Recording Setup

For this sound pack, I used three different microphones:

• Lom Geofon: Positioned on the near side of the roller with a suction cup.
• Cortado Mark III Contact Microphone: Attached with sticky tack on the other side of the roller.
• Sennheiser MKH 416: My main microphone, pointing down towards the rollers.

All microphones were connected to my Zoom F6, recording at 192 kHz and 32-bit to capture the best quality.

Once I recorded the files, I brought them into RX for editing. I attempted batch noise removal since I used the same microphones in the same environment. However, this removed some high frequencies, which I didn’t want. So, I decided to skip noise removal altogether.

Next, I imported the sounds into Reaper. I layered the three microphones together, organizing them by frequency:

• Top: Shotgun microphone (high frequencies)
• Middle: Contact microphone (mid frequencies)
• Bottom: Geophone (low frequencies)

While editing, I noticed many clicks from the contact microphone when turning the vacuum on and off. These clicks caused peaking in the sound levels, so I had to crossfade some sections and manually adjust the volume to control the peaks.

After organizing and editing the sounds, I exported both the mix and individual stems for the sound pack.

Chapter 2

Now, it was time for sound design! I created various sounds, including:

• A riser sound using FM synthesis and an LFO.
• Textures and alarms with unique effects.
• UI sounds from the Foley recordings of clicks and other vacuum sounds.

For example, I pitched down the vacuum sound and applied an LFO to create a sci-fi effect. I layered it with a resonator and frequency shifter to enhance the texture.

I also recorded various foley sounds, layering them with NVK_Create to create bubbly UI sounds.

Remember, the sound pack will be available for free! You can get it here.

FAQ

What equipment do you recommend for sound recording?

When starting use what you have. If you are looking for a budget setup, I would have a look at handheld records. If you want something professional grade, the Zoom F6 field recorder is a great budget option but you will need to purchase your own microphones to go with it.

Can I request specific sounds to be recorded?

Absolutely! If there’s a sound you need, let me know, and I might just record it for you.

Thanks for reading! I hope you find this process helpful and inspiring. Don’t forget to check out the sound pack!