What does determination sound like? The challenges in recording sports sound effects
When the Artlist team decided to record Paralympic athletes as they trained, they didn’t know what to expect. This project was uncharted territory, and recording the best athletes in the world while they trained without getting in their way was a new experience for everyone.
Never ones to shy away from a challenge, a team of five Artlist sound designers, audio engineers, and producers attended training sessions in field tennis, kayaking, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, and hand bike, and came up with innovative ways to capture the sound of these world-class athletes as they give everything to their sport – while trying not to bother them too much.
Nadav Elovic was the content lead on this project and can attest firsthand to the lengths Artlist will go to record and source authentic SFX for our community.
“We aimed to convey the unbreakable spirit of these athletes”
– Nadav Elovic, Artlist
“The purpose of this project was to capture the authentic sounds of Paralympic athletes during their most intense moments of training and competition,” he says. “We aimed to convey the determination, resilience, and extraordinary spirit of these athletes, while also providing unique and inspiring sound assets for filmmakers and content creators.”
By sharing these stories, Artlist hopes to empower filmmakers worldwide to push boundaries and be fearless in their craft. Just as these athletes defied the odds to push their limits, “Sounds of Determination” encourages creators to embrace the limitless potential of their own artistic vision.
Getting to know the athletes
The SFX collection includes audio from Nico Dreimüller and Thomas Böhme, who are competing in Germany’s Chair Basketball Paralympic team. Both born with disabilities, the pair fell in love with the sport as kids, and always dreamt of competing in the Paralympics. As team-mates and best friends, they understand their role models for the next generation, and hope to encourage kids with disabilities to push the limits of what is considered possible. “I know how they feel because I also was that kid who was looking up to the athletes,” says Thomas.
This is exactly the essence Nadav hoped to capture with these sound effects. “When you’re armed with determination and an unbreakable drive for excellence, the only limits are the ones you set for yourself,” he says. “This is not a project about disabilities, it’s a project about the power of will. Our key message is: “In the world of filmmaking, be the Olympic athlete of your craft — approach your filmmaking with the same bold, fearless mindset to create without limits and leave a lasting impact.”
Caroline Tabib is competing for Israel’s Paralympic Table Tennis team. She was born with partial disability and has never walked before. She built up strength when she started swimming as a child, and then tried basketball and hand tennis. But it was only when she discovered table tennis that she knew she’d found her sporting home. Now, she’s won three National Championships and this will be her third and last Paralympic event.
Talia Eilat, the 2023 European Championship Bronze Medalist in Kayaking, is also featured, together with Road Cyclist Amit Hasdai and Tennis player Maayan Zikri.
You can check out a small sample of the authentic sound effects here, or listen to the full collection in the Artlist catalog.
The unique challenges of recording athletes in action
Avishai Karawan was on the team of sound designers who recorded the athletes. He says it was one of the most challenging projects he’d worked on because there were so many variables that were out of his control – but it was also one of the most rewarding.
“I was in charge of recording all the sound effects, so putting the microphones on them and documenting their effort sounds,” Avishai says. “They’re athletes, not actors, so they’re not accustomed to being recorded with gear. They were training intensely for the Paralympics, and some of the sports were more difficult to record than others.”
To record the kayak, Avishai and the team had to follow the athlete around on a motorboat, which was loud and impacted the quality of the recording. They attached the microphone to her hair so it could be directed at her mouth from the edge of forehead, and then had to make sure they stayed in range to capture the sound of her training. “So keeping all these things in check and getting a versatile and clean recording was not easy,” he says.
To record the athletes, Avishai used Lavalier microphones, usually used on TV and hidden away inside a shirt or blouse. “The hand bike athlete was wearing a helmet, so I had to improvise and attach the mic to the helmet instead of his hair. I couldn’t keep up with his speed, so we had to put the receiver and recording device in a backpack and give it to his trainer to ride alongside him,” Avishai says.
“Sometimes it was windy, sometimes the athletes didn’t make any relevant sounds, so there were a lot of different variables,” Avishai says. “Every session was its own quick-learn, quick-adapt situation with its own challenges.”
The effects were recorded over three days, and each sport took between one and four hours to record. Artlist recorded video footage, while Avishai recorded audio, to create a behind-the-scenes documentary of the project which has been released alongside the sound effects.
Avishai says the editing process was easier than recording. “I had over an hour and a half of material just for one sport, and we decided to produce just 12 or 13 sound effects from that,” Avishai explains. “We had to pick out the interesting sounds, so that was challenging because there was a lot of material. But it ended up turning into a cool collection of samples.”
Feeling inspired to reach every goal
Despite its challenges, this project was hugely rewarding, and both Nadav and Avishai walked away feeling inspired. “Just being in their presence was inspiring,” says Avishai. “The amount of work they put in is insane. It’s such a high level of athleticism, it’s incredible to witness, so I felt humbled and honored to document the amount of effort they put into what they do.”
“Just being in their presence was inspiring”
– Avishai Karawan, Artlist
When Nadav was shooting in Frankfurt, he remembers asking why wheelchair basketball player Nico was running late. “His teammate said he was late because he’s in court,” Nadav says. “So I asked what happened to him, and his teammate said, ‘No, no — he’s in court representing a client. The trial is just running a bit late.’ And that’s when I discovered that Nico is not just a 4-time Paralympic athlete, but he’s also a lawyer.”
Nadav says this truly embodies the spirit of these athletes. “Not only are they incredibly ambitious in their sport, but incredibly ambitious in every aspect of their lives. They truly live by the motto ‘nothing is unattainable.’”
After spending many hours with nearly a dozen paralympic athletes, Nadav noticed they all share an almost euphoric joy of life. “They’re so happy doing what they love, and they never question if a goal is unreachable,” he says.
“For many Paralympic athletes, their sporting careers began as an unexpected outcome of their rehabilitation journey. These individuals often started their physical therapy or medical treatments as a necessary step in recovering from injuries or managing physical disorders.
“What makes their stories particularly inspiring to me is how they’ve transformed these circumstances into springboards for greatness. Starting from what might be considered a disadvantage, these athletes pushed themselves to extraordinary heights, making the absolute best of their situations.”
Now, the Artlist community can listen to the sounds of these athletes competing at their best, ahead of one of the most exciting tournaments on the planet: the Paralympics. We hope these sounds inspire creativity in unexpected ways, and become the backdrop to a scene about perseverance in a completely new context.
“Moreover, we want the Artlist community to gain a deeper appreciation for the Paralympic athletes and their journeys,” Nadav says. “Each sound effect carries with it a story of incredible determination and resilience. We hope this understanding translates into more inclusive and diverse storytelling across all types of creative projects.”
Download authentic sports sound effects for your videos
Check out the Sounds of Determination collection on Artlist to add high-quality sports sound effects to your videos.
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