Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

For all of you animators out there, I was wondering how you add music and sound effects to an animation using 3dsmax. I've searched through the help files but it doesn't give me precisely what to do to add a sound file. Thanks for the help.

External Editing
 

Theyre is no realy good way to do it in Max.

I suggest using a post-render editing studio thingie. I prefer Sonic Foundry's Vegas Video, Adobe Premiere, Avid X-Press, and a few others.

Re: External Editing
 

Here is what i found on the help file for playing a basic track (source: User Reference on 3ds max 5)

However like magna said, the best and most recomended thing, is to use a differant program. You'll be able to do a whole lot more with your sound option this way.

or if you are tight on money- use NanDub or Cinelerra...

I discovered Adobe Premiere this year, and will probably make music in Acid and edit it in Premiere.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

Heh, and of course, I also have to mention my favorite program, blender. Which is actually an animation program, but unlike MAX also includes tools for post-processing with completely functional sound and video editors. So you can also edit your sound not just add it to the video output.

Cinelerra and VirtualDub are also good tools. In terms of sound editing, audacity and ardour might be good ideas.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

Yeah, I do have Audacity and I find it very useful also. Thanks for all the info anyways. I'll look into the programs all of you mentioned.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

The only way to edit sound within the 3ds max environment is through a plugin.

the main reason you would want sound in 3ds max would be to animate to the beat of the music. It really isn't for producing final audio for production.

Pro Tools is another audio editor.
http://www.digidesign.com/ptfree/

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

I went to the website you specified and they don't have a version for Windows XP. Also, is there a program that you suggest as far as adding sound effects?

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

Blender is awesome!, but in 3dsmax, to add sound you can only add one track, and it starts at frame 0, so if you want pauses there has to be silences in the .wav file, so it gets annoying trying to time it correctly.

I strongly recommend Adobe Premiere(sp) if you can get your hands on it

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

i have to say...the simplest easiest way of doing it is just doing it in premiere...

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

Oh, if you were refferring to ardour and cinelerra they're both linux based and not ported to windows. Nor will they likely ever be... ALSA and JACK support holds back ardour, cinelerra won't because they won't likely feel like it...

As for adding sound effects... I'd use audacity or ardour (which ties into quite a few plugin architectures...). That doesn't help you much, but if you browse around sf.net a bit I'm sure you could find something, I was looking at csound earlier... maybe that would help?

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

premier is the most simple thing you can do, although personally I like working with soundforge... or if you have pro tools thats even better, albeit sorta overkill

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

We use Adobe Premiere for editing sound effects (found easily online) and music is made by Acid Express which you can get for free. The kids just love it. It's so fun.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

How would you know if you? I doubt you've tried every tool. Never say most until you have.

Besides, simple is different for every person. I find switching into one another window in blender and adding the sound file to my animation in a few clicks quite simple myself...

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

There's no need to defend your use of Blender here. Simplicity isn't defined as how easy it is to put a file into something, but programs like Premier and Acid give you easy editability. That's why he's saying it's simple.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

My point was not to defend my choice of program, that is uneccessary. I was simply making the point that calling something the most simple possible may be an oversight when you take into account that different people function in different ways and I strongly doubt that he has tried every sound editor.

For me, a commandline based sound editor may be very simple and perfect for my usage. (Yes, including editablity.) In reality for editability it's actually audacity, but that's another story. The point is, different people think different things are simple. One should be extremely careful when making rash statements like so:
It may be true that premire is the most simple thing that bainbane has come accross for his own uses, this does not mean it is the most simple thing you can do. That's all I was trying to say. If you want to see someone who takes this topic much too seriously then you might find a reading of Matt's collection of Windows rants interesting: http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/rants/ Don't be turned off by the titles, they're actually fairly well thought out.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

He asked for opinions, brainbane gave his.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

Sorry about that. I did not mean that what I use is the best thing period. I have found soundforge to be the best option in my experience, obviously everyone's tastes and techniques are different. I did not mean to say that other methods and programs are in any way inferior. The reason I said premier was the most simple is on my team, we export our animation into premier to render it to the file type we want and add sound there. Assuming you are already doing that, premier is the most simple thing because you are already using the program. However, there are many other methods of getting the same quality result that are just as good, and I in no way ment to degrade their reputations. Nor do I now. There.

My experience is sort of limited in the field of sound production. I have been trying to teach myself the rudements and stuff for about a year now. I'm really sorry if I offended anyone.

Re: Adding Sound Effects and Music to an Animation
 

I'm just getting cranky about the wording again, I'll retreat back to my corner now, just wanted to clarify. We can return to topic too if it isn't already throughly beaten to death by now. :)