Last updated: July 8, 2023
BIRDS CHIRPING:
Twist a little bird call. (Not too often, though). Available
at camping outfitters.
BLACKJACK:
Plastic club hits once on wooden walk board. (Large “Flintstone”
toy clubs)
BLOWGUN:
Blowing through a cardboard tube, then slapping the tube.
BODY DROPS TO GROUND:
Plastic clubs beating on cardboard box.
BODY DROPS:
Two plastic clubs fall on cardboard box.
BREAKING THINGS. (FURNITURE, BOXES):
Manipulate a crash box. (A giant potato chip/pretzel can filled
with glass, wood, metal and stones)
BUBBLING VAT:
Blow bubbles into large drinking cup. Close to mic.
CABIN DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING:
WINDOW SHUTTERS CRASHING:
CAR CRASH:
Crash box.
LAMP CRASHES:
FURNITURE BREAKING:
Shake the crash box.
CAR DRIVES OFF:
CAR DRIVING:
Electric car driving toy.
CHAINS RATTLING:
Drop chains in wooden wagon. (a wooden box using old roller skate
wheels)
COOKIE TIMER RINGS:
Triangle and striker. (one time) “Ding!”
COOKIE TRAY DROPPED:
Drop metal tray with coasters on walk-board.
COWBOY BOOTS WALKING ON DIRT:
FOOTSTEPS RUNNING ON A DIRT FLOOR:
FOOTSTEPS ON UNDERBRUSH:
MEN DISMOUNTING FROM HORSES. (JANGLING SPURS, FOOTFALLS):
Use wooden “feet” in the hoof box. (A wooden box 14 x 18 x 4
filled with gravel.)
CRAWLING IN UNDERBRUSH:
Crinkle large plastic bag.
CUTTING NOISE. (“A KNIFE CUTTING A SILVER BULLET”):
Scrape butter knife against some metal.
DOG BARKS:
Vocalize it. “Rarf Rarf Rarf!”
DOOR KNOB JIGGLED AND DOOR OPENS:
DOOR SLAMS:
DOOR OPENS:
Small 18" x 15" wooden door on hinges in a 2x4 frame with a door
knob.
DOORBELL CHIME:
Doorbell SFX device. (a wooden box with a doorbell and buzzer
installed)
FACE BEING SLAPPED:
Slapping hands together
FACE SLAP:
Slap stick. (two 15" x 3" boards connected by a spring loaded
hinge)
FIGHT BELL RINGS:
Large bell SFX device. (An old school bell--about 15 inch diameter)
FIGHT:
BODY FALLS TO THE GROUND:
MEN STRUGGLING DURING A FIGHT:
PUNCH:
Whack two plastic clubs together or on a leg. Grunt.
FIRE BELLS:
Triangle and striker.
FIRE:
Repeatedly crinkle a stiff plastic bag.
FOOTSTEPS on UNDERBRUSH:
Twist straw (hay) or a broom's brush..
FOOTSTEPS:
Shoes on wooden walk-board. (walk-board is 2'x3' doubled 3/4
plywood)
GIFT WRAPPING PAPER CRINKLING:
Crinkle a stiff plastic bag.
GLASS DROPS:
Knock drinking glass on table. (So it does NOT break!)
GLASSES CLINKING:
Drinking glasses clinking.
GUNSHOTS:
Clip board snaps. The pros used guns firing blanks and later
electronic sound devices. We've found the clip boards to be safe and reliable. Cap guns don't sound good over a microphone.
HAND CLAPS:
Clap hands three times.
HAND PICKS UP PHONE:
HANG UP PHONE:
Rattle phone receiver (handset) on phone.
HANDCUFFS LOCKING:
Handcuffs locking, first one then the other.
HORSES GALLOPING, TROTTING, WALKING:
Use coconut shells in gravel hoof box.
You can also use plastic cups—the kind 7-11 sells Slurpees in. You can use them on a table or a book—or best of all—on top of some pea-sized gravel. You “gallop” with a cup in either hand using a triplet rhythm—think: gid-dy-UP, gid-dy-UP, gid-dy UP, gid-dy UP—which most people associate with a horse. However, that would be a THREE-legged horse. It’s wrong, of course, but people—and radio directors—prefer this triplet rhythm over the actual four-legged rhythm: gid-UP-gid-UP, gid-UP-gid-UP.
ICE CUBES IN A GLASS:
Drop Christmas tree light bulbs into a glass. (Carefully!)
INDIAN TOM TOM. (ONE-2-3-4, ONE-2-3-4 ETC.):
Use bongo drum with hand (or toy drum with beater).
INTERMISSION CHIME:
Doorbell SFX device. (one tone not the ding-dong of front doors)
JACKHAMMER:
Apply vibrating toy pen to 3 tiny plates on table.
MEN YELLING:
“Hey!” “Look out!” “Here they come!” “Get ‘em!”
NAIL PULLER:
Pull lid on nail puller SFX device. (a 2"x12" wooden box with
a flat wooden lid that is nailed on one end.
NIGHTCLUB WALLA WALLA:
Chatty mumbling, some laughter.
OFFICE BUZZER:
Electric buzzer SFX device. (like a door bell device but it produces
a "buzzzzzz" sound)
Open and close the small door.
OPEN/CLOSE DOOR:
CAR DOOR SLAMS:
Wooden door. [and old metal ice chest would be better]
OPEN/CLOSE WINDOW:
Roll wooden cart or old fashioned roller skate back and forth
on table.
OVEN DOOR OPENS:
Roll wooden wagon across table.
PHONE RINGS: (old fashioned Bell telephone style)
Phone bell SFX device. (a typical modern bell--similar to a door
bell device. Ring it 4 seconds on 2 seconds off)
POURING WATER:
Pour water from pitcher into a glass. Close to mic.
PRIZEFIGHT WALLA WALLA:
Boisterous voices. “Huh”, “Brother”, excited mumbling.
RAIN:
Shake a rain stick or bucket with BBs.
RAY GUN BLAST :
Toy light saber.
SAWING EARTH:
Vibro-pen toy on cardboard box.
SCREECHING AUTO BRAKES:
"Glass scratch" SFX device. A 7"x7" wooden box containing a thick
piece of glass that is scratched by several large nails operated by a crank. The sound is similar to fingernails on
a chalkboard, but less unpleasant.
SIREN:
Blow on siren whistle.
SLIDE WHISTLE DOWN:
Pull plunger on slide whistle. “Eee-yoooooop!”
SMALL CRASH:
Shake the crash box SFX device a little bit.
SWORD UNSHEATHED:
Scrap a metal cooking spoon against a large pancake flipper.
TAPPING ON WINDOW:
Tapping on glass sheet.
TELEPHONE RECEIVER PICKED UP:
TELEPHONE HANGS UP:
Rattle phone handset on cradle. (We bought an old Bell telephone
at flea market)
TELEPHONE RINGS:
Phone bell ringer SFX device. (Ring it 4 seconds on and 2 second
off)
THUNDER:
Shake a 3'x4' 1/8 inch thick Plexiglas sheet. Use the crash
box first for the thunder crack.
TRAIN BRAKES:
Glass scratch SFX device. A 7"x7" wooden box containing a thick
piece of glass that is scratched by several large nails operated by a crank. The sound is similar to fingernails on
a chalkboard, but less unpleasant.
TRAIN CHUGGING:
TRAIN SLOWING:
Drummer’s brush on an old fashioned wash-board. A metal pie tin
with holes punched it could substitute for the wash board.
TRAIN CRASH:
Crash box SFX device. Shaken a lot.
TRAIN STATION WALLA WALLA:
Quiet voices. “Where”, “OK”, mumbling.
TRAIN WHISTLE:
Wooden train whistle. "Whoo-whoo!"