What kind of sound does a 1,500-sound-effect donation make?

Sound recorder Greg Smith catalogued his recordings as part of a master’s thesis. “It was a tedious process,” Smith says. “After I finished this project, I thought, ‘It doesn’t make sense to me to return it to a shelf. . . . A sound effect is a living thing. It runs, pops, squeaks, rumbles, roars. For it to sit on a shelf in CDs and collect dust doesn’t make sense.’ ”

The Washington Post published a great piece about Greg Smith and the donation of his sound effects collection to the American University Library. The article even includes cool sample clips of a jack hammer, panda cub, Nascar race, buffalo, and a toucan.

Here's a taste of the Washington Post article:

Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection

A baby panda in the wild sounds like the high-pitched bark of “Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua.”

Humpback whales mating off the coast of Maui moan amidst the distinct sounds of air bubbles popping underwater.

The futuristic grunts of aliens you might have heard in "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" were not created in the studio but were actually made by buffalo grazing in South Dakota.
These sound clips and more than 1,500 others were donated last week to the library at American University by sound producer Greg Smith, who spent more than 30 years traveling the world for film and radio, working for major production companies including NPR, National Geographic and Imax.

The collection includes Smith’s best hits and are immediately accessible to film students, other aspiring filmmakers and “anybody with access to the library,” says Robin Chin Roemer, communications librarian at American. “We are really happy to have this collection. Not all of us are jumping outside to record sounds around us, but Greg did.” Read more of the Washington Post article here.

Read more about the Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection and check out the

Greg Smith SFX Collection Index by category.

Sound notes taken in the field by Greg Smith who has worked for more than 30 years recording sound effects for film.

Check out some more background about Greg and his production company.

Here's a link to Greg Smith's personal site.

With Logic Pro X on the way, Apple works to avoid Final Cut Pro X backlash

Apple is reportedly finishing an update to Logic Pro 9, its professional digital audio and music sequencing program, taking care not to rile existing users with significant changes.

The new update is reportedly called Logic Pro X to maintain the same branding as Apple's recent Final Cut X. However, according to a report by Japanese blog Macotakara, Apple's Logic team is making great efforts to stress that it will not shift toward a GarageBand interface, heading off fears that Logic Pro might lose its professional edge. Read more at AppleInsider.

Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection Presentation & Reception Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 2:35–3:15 PM in Ward 2

Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection Presentation & Reception

Hosted by: University Library & School of Communication
September 15, 2011, 2:35–3:15 PM
Ward 2

On Thursday, September 15, the Library and SOC will come together to introduce and celebrate the Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection, a resource comprised of 1450 sound effect tracks recorded by SOC adjunct professor Greg Smith over the course of his career in film and television.

Greg Smith has over 25 years of experience making films, and has traveled the world extensively as a location sound recordist, among other roles. While working on set for major studios such as Lucasfilm, he eventually amassed a large private library of sound effects, which he later used as part of his thesis project as an MFA student at AU.

The Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection is derived from the highlights of this thesis project, and includes unique sound effects of wildlife, vehicles, ambiences, and a wide variety of other things that go “bump” in both the day and night.

In providing this collection to the University Library, Smith has requested that his sound effects be shared openly for the benefit of filmmakers and video and audio producers around the world.

For more information about the Greg Smith Sound Effects Collection and to access its tracks, please visit the Media Services webpage.

Join members of the SOC's Film and Media Arts division for the formal presentation of faculty member Greg Smith's sound effects collection to the University Library. The presentation will include a sampling of key sound effects from the collection and a short Q&A session with Professor Smith. Refreshments provided.

Here's some more background about Greg and his production company.

Here’s a link to Greg Smith’s personal site.

This image of recording a mountain lion can be found on his website.