Adding sound effects to your audio story will really bring it to life. It’s great fun to make your own. Here’s how…
You will need:
- A recording device (most mobile phones have these).
- A computer and access to the internet. Why not ask a teacher if you can do the project at school?
- Your imagination!
Step 1: Think about what sound effects you would like to make. An elephant falling into a bowl of custard? A genie getting shrunk back into a lamp?
Step 2: Have a look around your house or school (with permission of course) for objects that make interesting noises. Which ones make the kind of sounds you’re looking for?
Some great ideas to try are:
- Tapping empty coconut shells together for the sound of horses hooves.
- Snapping a celery stick for the sound of a breaking bone..
- Waving a bamboo cane through the air (careful not to hit anyone) for a ‘swoosh’ sound.
- Rubbing damp fingers on a balloon for squeaky sounds (if you can bear it!).
Step 3: Record your sound. Try to make sure you’re somewhere that doesn’t have any background noises.
Step 4: Transfer the audio file to a computer and make sure the filename will help you remember which effect it is.
Step 5: (Optional). You could use some free audio editing software like Audacity or Ocenaudio to add special effects to your sound. For example, you could make it sound echoey or higher or lower pitched. Enjoy playing with it!
