Video summary

Audio Post 205: Pro Tools SFX Editing - Foley and Other SFX

Main summary

Key takeaways

Art and Creativity

Summary of the video (subtitle-based)

The creator demonstrates how they edit and organize sound effects using an Avid Pro Tools workflow—focusing on foley-style footsteps editing for an animated/edited short that already contains dialogue and other sound categories.

They note that “foley” traditionally means sounds recorded to picture, but in this workflow they construct foley from libraries (optionally supplementing with MIDI/virtual instruments).

Key demonstrations

  • Building a Pro Tools session template with routed track folders for:

    • dialogue
    • fight SFX
    • vehicles
    • backgrounds
    • additional Foley / “heart effects” / incidental SFX

  • Footstep spotting by aligning sounds to:

    • production audio references (when available)
    • visual cues (e.g., shadows and body movement)
    • precise timing beats

  • Hand-cutting footsteps from library recordings to match:

    • frame-accurate timing
    • animation beats (including scuffs, heel/toe separation, jumps/landings)

  • Maintaining consistency by:

    • keeping each character’s footsteps on dedicated tracks
    • avoiding pitch shifting for footsteps
    • instead using timing tools such as nudge, slide, split, and crossfade

  • Switching ground materials (e.g., gravel/asphalt/concrete/grass/pine needles) by selecting clips that match:

    • the surface
    • the character’s motion (walk vs run vs creeping)

  • Adding fight-related impacts (e.g., scrapes near steps, chops, nutshot squeaks, scrapes/trips) and prop/gun handling details (e.g., holster pulls, slide checks, discharge-adjacent handling, weapon movement stingers)

  • Adding incidental Foley, including:

    • phone haptics/ringtones/unlocks/swipes
    • box opening/hinge squeaks and rattles
    • lighter/smoke-related clicks and crackle
    • helmet shield clicks
    • twig breaks

  • Mentioning a cloth Foley technique (record cloth movement to picture using a mono mic), though they don’t fully apply it live due to tedium.

  • Preparing edited layers for a future mixing workflow/contest, by exporting or making stems/layers available via their website.

Artistic techniques / creative processes shown

Pro Tools track organization & bus routing

  • Creating color-coded folders for Foley and incidental SFX (“heart effects”)
  • Using separate footstep tracks per character and dedicated tracks for props (object interactions)

Frame-by-frame foley spotting

  • Using shadow position and shoulder/body motion to place heel/toe landings
  • Marking timing with reference to:
    • gaps in motion
    • animation beats
    • (example: 21-frame spacing for slow steps)

Library-based foley construction (no traditional recording-to-picture session)

  • Selecting library sounds close to the performance pace, then hand-editing:
    • splitting clips into individual steps
    • sliding/syncing to picture
    • adding scuffs at transitions (settling, interruptions)
    • using fades to prevent ticks/pops while protecting transients
  • Avoiding pitch shifting; correcting timing instead.

Material realism via layering/selection

  • Choosing ground textures appropriate to the scene:
    • gravel, asphalt, concrete, grass, pine needles, sand, metal
  • Using variation (different clips/timing) instead of looping a perfect take
  • Layering in transitions when needed (e.g., gravel under grass movement)

Micro-SFX alignment (“ear candy”)

  • Phone UI sounds: haptic taps, unlock, typing/clicks, notification beeps
  • Lighter “Zippo”-style clicks (and substitutions when library materials differ)
  • Cigarette crackle synced to inhale/visual cherry glow
  • Hinges squeaks + chain/rattle synced to box motion
  • Helmet shield/plastic click synced to on-screen touch

“Mickey-mousing” cloth performance (conceptual technique)

  • Recording cloth movement live to picture on a single mono track
  • Manipulating clothing per head turn and each step

Incidental sound design motivated by visuals

  • Gun handling actions even without shots (e.g., slide checks, lifts, wrist-flick reminders)
  • Twig breaks tied to implied on/off-screen actions

Steps / workflow details

Session setup

  • Create folders:
    • dialogue
    • fight SFX
    • vehicles
    • backgrounds
  • Add two more folders:
    • Foley
    • incidental/other SFX (“heart effects”)
  • Create enough tracks for the shot (multiple footstep and prop tracks; possibly cloth/hand concepts)
  • Route tracks to appropriate outputs/buses and color-code tracks

Footstep editing

  • Locate entry/step moments using:
    • visual cues (shadows, body/shoulders movement)
    • production audio references (if available)
  • Mark transients/step timing to establish a consistent pace
  • Choose library clips based on:
    • pace similarity (slow/medium/fast)
    • surface type match (gravel, asphalt, concrete, grass, metal, etc.)
    • footwear type (boots vs sneakers)
  • Edit by:
    • splitting audio into individual steps
    • placing each step/scuff/jump/landing to exact frames
    • syncing via timing (not pitch shifting)
    • adding fades to avoid ticks/pops without flattening transients
    • adjusting when sync is “bad” (sometimes double-step vs slight slowdown)

Fight and prop Foley

  • Place impacts around action beats:
    • Step → emphasize punch timing (turn down less important layers)
    • Scrapes/chops/trips aligned to movement
  • For guns:
    • pull from holster/handle movement/slide check/drop points
    • keep movement stingers light but present where visual motion implies them

Incidental Foley

  • Phone sounds workflow:
    • phone draw → unlock → typing/haptic UI → ringtone/vibrate → swipe/cancel behaviors
  • Object interactions:
    • box open/close (hinge squeak, rattle, chain detail)
    • lighter clicks/spark/crackle synced to visual moments
    • helmet shield clicks, twig snaps, and cigarette/cellophane-style crackle

Preparing for mixing

  • Plan to make edited layers available for a future mixing stage/contest
  • Intend to do a separate live stream focused on mixing later

Mentioned creators / contributors

  • Marvel Studios — referenced in chat/attribution (“Good morning Marvel Studios…”), not as an SFX editor involved in the workflow
  • Dell — mentioned as a host of a prior live stream collaboration
  • Hy and Lou — chat members/viewers
  • Edward Foley / Edward Ultimate Suite — referenced as a Foley instrument plugin/developer/product name (not necessarily a person)
  • Gabriel, Thomas — chat viewers
  • Kyle — credited for the music portion of the project
  • Joe Bob sand, Paul, Mike wax, Hyen L, Paul Cruz — appear in chat; hypothetical contest entrants are also discussed
  • Koto Studio — footsteps library mention
  • Krotos — referenced via “Weaponizer by Krotos”

Original video