stosht
 
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Siren Sound Effects Recording

Tue Nov 13, 2018 4:42 am

Hello everyone,

My name is Stosh, I'm a sound designer in Chicago. If you don't know what that is, I won't go into all of the specifics of the job, but at the most basic level I record and create sound effects for films, tv shows, games, etc.

One thing I've recently became fascinated with is tornado sirens. From all of the youtube videos I came across I eventually found this wonderful community. I had no clue there was such a large group of people who were so fascinated!

I've decided to try and record various sirens with my microphones and recorders to come up with a nice library of unique sirens. I'm using some real high quality gear to capture these sounds, and so far in my testing I'm super happy with the results. I've uploaded a rough (unlisted) video of a test recording to youtube here so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. Here's an ACA P50 in Morrison, IL.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc3rnuC82Yw

Notes:
A bit of silence in the beginning
Microphones - 2x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (xy)
Recorder - Sound Devices 744t
Recorded July 3rd, 2018


Through a bunch of research I've found various maps of sirens in my area and marked ones I'd like to record. It's far too many to list here, and I likely won't get the chance to record them all. Part of the problem is so many sirens go off on weekdays for tests and I'm (mostly) restricted to weekend recording. Also the fact that most only test once a month means the process of capturing all of the ones I want is going to be a long term project. On top of that, I'd prefer to record most of them in the cold months as there's a lot less birds out making noise that make the recordings less desirable.

Anyways, I'm hoping some of you here might have some suggestions of unique/rare/cool sirens to record. Like I mentioned, I'm in Chicago, but I've got a budget to work with so really if the siren is cool enough I'd totally be willing to travel pretty much anywhere in the country. Are there any sirens you'd love to see/hear recorded? Very rare ones? Unique ones? Ones that are kind of broken and sound strange? Ones that test with more than the typical 'alert' and instead 'attack' or something else? Really any suggestions you might have will be very much appreciated. I'm new to this passion so I figured chatting with you all would be a great start!

Also, I'm very new to this, so apologies if any of my terminology/siren names are incorrect!

Cheers! :D

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Synther
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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:03 am

There is an Allertronic in Ringwood, IL that no one has recorded.
5005 Barnard Mill Rd, Ringwood, IL 60072
State of Utah siren map - My channel
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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:55 pm

That P50 is reverse wired, that wind down and thin sounding tone gives it away. A correctly wired P50 will be MUCH louder and will distort your vision at that close distance.
I love Yamaha Music Sirens.
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stosht
 
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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:45 pm

Synther wrote:
Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:03 am
There is an Allertronic in Ringwood, IL that no one has recorded.
5005 Barnard Mill Rd, Ringwood, IL 60072
Nice, thanks for the tip!

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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:46 pm

Jake_7367 wrote:
Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:55 pm
That P50 is reverse wired, that wind down and thin sounding tone gives it away. A correctly wired P50 will be MUCH louder and will distort your vision at that close distance.
Wow, really?! I can't imagine it being much louder than what it was. Glad I had hearing protection.

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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Fri Nov 16, 2018 4:16 am

Speaking of Alertronics, there is one left still in Rolling Meadows, IL with a rather unique tone. Check out the video below!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFxTKEOEMNY
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stosht
 
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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Sat Nov 17, 2018 1:28 am

Thanks for sharing, Connor! That does sound unique. Looks like I'm going to have to take the first tuesday in December off!

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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:07 am

stosht wrote:
Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:46 pm
Jake_7367 wrote:
Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:55 pm
That P50 is reverse wired, that wind down and thin sounding tone gives it away. A correctly wired P50 will be MUCH louder and will distort your vision at that close distance.
Wow, really?! I can't imagine it being much louder than what it was. Glad I had hearing protection.
Yes it is reverse wired. There are videos of correctly wired P-50s on YouTube that are a good example of their loudness. Wisconsin has a lot of them.
I love Yamaha Music Sirens.
Twitter: Yamaha and Matsush¡ta Enthusiast (@Matsush¡taMan) (replace ¡ with i)

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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:04 am

I second the motion of Alertronic!

While there are plenty of good recordings, the siren in itself is a rather rare breed that seems to be dying quickly. It would be, to say the least, amazing to have it's sound immortalized in super high definition. Rolling Meadows is definitely a good one. As for the one located at the DOW chemical facility in Ringwood, I would give them a call to see when it's tested- it might not go with the rest of the state. If you're ever in Wisconsin, I reccomend Rock Springs, or for a more interesting experience Arpin or Wittenburg. Granted, those last two seem to be a bit finnicky when it comes to testing. A few other enthusiasts have tried but failed to catch them. Then there's Oak Ridge, but that's down in Tennessee. Quite a ways away! Lastly, there are a few in Iowa- first off, Iowa City, which consists of a bunch of AL-6000's that haven't been recorded. Then there's Ogden, where what could be the last four throat rotational Alertronic resides.

But hey, I'm a little biased. :lol:
Christian Bricking, living in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area.
Owner of a WPS-2804, Model L, and B9.
Certified Skywarn spotter since April 5, 2016.
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Re: Siren Sound Effects Recording

Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:08 am

^I second this (again)
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