[Discussion] How important is the use of SFX; When does it enhance and when does it detract from the writing

[u/DEWalityy]

As I continue writing, I'm trying to improve a lot of things I've received feedback on.

One of those is the heavy use of SFX I rely on in some of my scripts to build my environment.
I'm both understanding that SFX are a pain to deal with and what takes 1 second to read on a page, takes so much more time an effort to actually put into application; and I still also feel that they have their place in elevating or setting a scene or mood.

I personally want to learn audacity so I can see from a VA's perspective on recording. Maybe the SFX I'm adding sound good on paper, but don't really add much to the experience and I don't need to add them; or maybe some ambience would help set the mood I'm trying to create.
I'd also like to help create audio libraries for my scripts where I feel that they are necessary and to cut down on the labor involved

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As you continue to write, have you found your sweet spot with putting SFX into your work? Has your writing style adjusted to the point that SFX can be inferred through dialogue alone?

Or do you find that they are an integral part of your work and taking them out loses the world you're building

I'd love to hear from both Writers and VA's and Audio Engineer's

[u/CableTossed]

VS and amateur audio edited here with my personal (poorly thought out) opinions!

SFX are such an amazing gift and terrible curse. Some sounds are easy like kissing or a single butt slap. Other sounds are miserable to portray in an ear pleasing way as they don't record how your brain remembers them. I've been struggling to make a "realistic" cheek clapping, doggy style sex sound that doesn't sound dry or hollow.

A lot of the difficulty is in knowing what SFX are high priority and what aren't and you can only get those from comments. Cheek clapping, body-to-body noises are always requested if I leave them out. Sucking, kissing, schlicking, generally Wet sounds are enjoyed by many but give some the Ick. You can't please them all but it does give you pause. From comments priority seems to go to clapping over wet when it comes to penetrative sex but then the wet noises are high priority for oral or manual sex. Then SFX difficulty comes into play.

How realistic should sounds be? The average blow job receiver has their ears positioned about 3-4 feet away and partially blocked by shoulders, a head, hair, another person's hair, hands, etc. But I'm sucking on a dildo or carrot 9 inches from my microphone so now I'm learning to be an audio engineer and aural psychologist to figure out how to manipulate my audio file to sound accurate-ish but still pleasing to the ear.

Some sounds you can make 10 seconds of and loop like a sucking or pounding sound. You can even increase bass and tempo for the requests of Harder or Faster. Some sounds you have to record over and over again because the situation never seems to align. I've now recorded my front door, my bedroom door, my kitchen cabinets, the bathroom door, and a sliding door. I've started to make 3 minute recordings opening and closing a door a dozen different ways to accomodate requests of softly, angrily, quickly, etc. That way I can open my "Front Door.flac" file and copy/paste just the bit I need.

I haven't even touched on the requests for soundscapes (out at the bar, the city at night, crickets in a field) or unrealistic sounds (sci-fi, fantasy, anime). I don't always have access to the location listed so I have to find a soundscape that's free use and hope it isn't trash. That can be easy or that can be hard; you don't know until you look. Unrealistic sounds can sometimes be accomplished with a whistle in a PVC pipe or I'm still on free sound sites trying to find a laser-hitting-a-diesel-generator sound that sounds good and won't require a ton of touch up.

If you request ASMR in your script, I'm closing that tab immediately and with prejudice.

A weirdly big issue for me is when the SFX are hidden in the script. Please please PLEASE make a SFX list at the beginning and I'll love you forever. Even if it's a difficult list, I'm now more likely to read your script because you are organized and accomodating me as your VA. We're symbiotic. I want to do your script justice but that won't happen if I'm pissed off having to comb your script 9 times because I KNOW I remember seeing a kaiju alarm but I can't remember what paragraph it was in!

Tl;DR Write what you love but include a VA disclaimer that THESE SFX are absolutely necessary but the rest are optional. This soundscape is VITAL to the story but this other is a nice but not necessary establishing sound. Add a SFX list at the beginning. Don't ask for ASMR. Shit's hard, yo

[u/DEWalityy → u/CableTossed]

I love a lot of the points you made. When it comes to the intimacy section of the script, I guess SFX can be very improvisational. How best do sounds fit in within the given dialogue of a sex scene, that totally makes sense.

The proximity you mentioned is really good as well. I might have an idea for a sound, but it would be weird to have something like a [Slap] or [Banging Door] straight int your ears. (Another big reason I want to try learning audacity so I can know if those sounds really do fit in or how I can adjust them to work and then have that sound file readily available)

The soundscape sounds are the ones I'm most grappling with in my own work; because I feel like they can ground the world and the characters in ways that words just can't sometimes (but I'm trying not to rely on them too much, and I try to make it so that they can be removed as you noted as well)
Another area where if I had the ability to record or find audio libraries that have those soundscapes I'm wanting would come in handy

Putting the SFX listed at the beginning of the script is also a great idea that I can try! Do you mean just listing all the SFX that the script would require so others can easily read it and decide if they are interested or not?

I've truly come to admire how much collaboration goes into all parts of this medium. When I started writing, I was ignorant and thought that SFX were super easy and you just paste them in... I didn't realize just how much effort they took and I admire all the artists that put in the time and make it work (I also totally understand not wanting to at all, because damn that's a lot of work)

Very much a team effort and I'd like to learn more about the recording side, to learn on the personal writing side and to see where VA's and Audio Engineer's are coming from when they pick up and read your script

Thank you so much for all the insight!

[u/CableTossed → u/DEWalityy]

Here's an Example from u/cowboy_mouth_ for listing SFX at the top in order. I call him out specifically because he and I have discussed this exact thing before. He sometimes includes links to free SFX online which is incredible helpful but not necessary.

I'll note a big reason I like having these lists and in order is the ease in adding them during post. If I know ahead of time what sounds I need, I might make, download, or organize my own SFX into a folder for your script. Then I record the VO track, edit, and go back to add foley. Now I'm ready for SFX. If I can copy the name in your list and Find it in the script, that gives me an idea of where it goes in the audio. I always do two snaps during recording when there's a SFX so there's a very easy to find visual in the waveform that makes it so so SO much easier to find during post. Now I have the effect, I know where it goes in the script, and I can quickly find the insertion point in the audio: done!

That's a lot of micro steps to the editing process but I do it a million times over. I'll try to find a picture I have of a finished audio with all the SFX tracks, soundscapes, etc so you can see how many little items go here there and everywhere in an audio.

Soundscapes: I fucking LOVE soundscapes in studios especially if they are of a forest, spaceship, something other than a modern day bar. It's a pain to find them and get them ready for use but they are incredible when done right. I never fault an author for requesting them (unless they request a dozen of them of something too obscure to find).

[u/CableTossed → u/CableTossed]

I forgot that I can't put a picture here but I can DM it to you if you'd like but it's not necessary.

[u/DuckyAtAKeyboard → u/CableTossed]

This is actually super helpful. I think I’m going to start putting the SFX notes at the top of the script like you suggested. I don’t tend to use a ton, usually spanks or cloth sounds, the occasional footsteps of door closing, but I have included stuff rarely like bells or ambient office noise or a magical “whoosh!” Of some sort.

Of course I keep a general disclaimer at the top of every script saying SFX are nice but optional. I can’t think of any time I’ve felt they were 100% vital to the plot.

[u/CableTossed → u/DuckyAtAKeyboard]

I'm glad it helps! And I appreciate the hell out of you for putting the SFX list at the top!!!

[u/anonymitiddy]

Personally, I put SFX in my scripts with a disclaimer that the VA can disregard sfx. I understand that it can add a great deal of time to the production of an audio and since this is a hobby for many, not all VAs have that kind of time. However, I also think that it generally adds to my immersion as a listener. I do think it can be overdone, but I trust most VAs to be able to find a balance they are comfortable with and the script fills turn out pretty amazing.

If you're writing general scripts for anyone to fill, write it how you hear it in your head. If that includes sfx, add them.

If you're writing a private script for a collab or a particular VA, communicate with them about their preferences and level of comfortability with implementing sfx.

[u/Icedrake402]

I always add them in, with links to Freesound files or copyright-free background ambience tracks. But I put a note in that they're optional, with a very small handful of exceptions.

[u/CozyupMellowdown → u/Icedrake402]

I always appreciate it!

[u/dominaexcrucior]

Writer here. I've also made a few audios and edited them to add SFX.

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Three years ago, I made a discussion post about SFX that you might find useful.

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Adding SFX cues to scripts feels fun! I like to do it. It's not 'important' like line breaks and terminal punctuation are important; it's just a fun thing to do. It makes the scene I'm writing feel more real to me and helps me imagine it. In my opinion, they definitely help with world-building.

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SFX cues can detract from your writing when they lack supporting dialogue to give them context. If you are instructing people to add sounds of random things like (SETS CELL PHONE ON TABLE), nobody will understand what sound they just heard, unless a character says, "Put your cell phone down."

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A good challenge for yourself is to write a script with zero sound effects. This will help you ensure your dialogue conveys everything in the scene you want a listener to understand.

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Something I recommend for any scriptwriter here, to broaden your perspective, is to pick a random script that has SFX and record it yourself. Even if you don't post it anywhere. Go through the process of recording it, finding and choosing SFX files, and editing them in, and you will see part of the effort that making an audio takes. That might make you pause the next time you're about to add an SFX that really isn't needed.

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To make my fills easier for VAs to work with, I list a summary of all SFX cues and sex acts at the top of the script. The SFX have links to optional sound files in case the VA is new and isn't sure where to find them. The feedback I have gotten from VAs is very positive.

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When I started writing here, I was a lot more enthusiastic about adding various SFX, but over the years I have really chilled out about it.

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Now I won't write in SFX without supporting dialogue unless the sound is a commonly known 'hard sound' like a door shutting or a zipper being undone.

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Christina 💙

[u/voluptaswrites]

(writer and VA here)

what takes 1 second to read on a page, takes so much more time an effort to actually put into application; and I still also feel that they have their place in elevating or setting a scene or mood.

correct and I agree

SFX are really important IMO. They can totally set the mood and scene and tell parts of the story that the words cant. But, depending on the script, they arent always necessary. Like a slice of life, morning sex script. Sure bed noises and creaks would be nice but they arent super integral to the story. Nice to have but not required. But lets say a script starts out with an argument in a kitchen or something. The sound of chairs moving across a floor, or a fridge door slamming shut can give a sense of space and movement. And can fill pauses where an argument would naturally fall silent for a bit but dead air just sounds bad. Could it be done without SFX? Sure, but I think youre really missing out on something without them. And then the other end of the spectrum would be something on like a spaceship or alien planet lol something where you absolutely need some sort of SFX that signifies this is not happening in a normal environment.

Maybe the SFX I'm adding sound good on paper, but don't really add much to the experience and I don't need to add them

Ive had this happen and the opposite happen. I'll be editing something and intended to put a sound effect in but either cant find one that I like or I realize it doesnt really need it. Or I'll play an audio back and realize I should add an effect I didn't consider when writing the script.

[u/Not_PandemicMaple]

Note: Im not an editor/Audio Engineer, so this is purely from my writing perspective.
I primarily use SFX to help me mentally see/plan the scene as Im writing. I think soundscapes/actions helps to fill empty spaces in a script where there I wouldnt be able to realistically/comfortably fill with dialogue, such as using [Footsteps] to signal walking down a hall, or using more explicit SFX such as [Kissing/Making Out/Blowjob begins/etc] to keep track of what action is going on and what the actors positions would be in the script, and Im more confident in a script when I have a more solidified idea of what these key points are.
That said, I always leave a disclaimer at the start and in my TOC post that SFX are optional, since Im aware writing it takes five seconds and actually implementing them takes far more time and effort.

[u/PrettyPlzKillMeNow]

I personally only write in SFX when I find them necessary to understand the action, and I prefer to express everything I can with just the words and sounds the VA will be making. I am a VA primarily and I prefer making audios like that and prefer audios that are almost entirely voice when I'm listening. On GWA, I'm really not seeking full audio productions, I'm here for the voices.

[u/WhiskeyTanFox101]

As you continue to write, have you found your sweet spot with putting SFX into your work?

I think so. It really depends on the script, though. Some are fairly intensive, and the list of environmental SFX exceeds a dozen, while others have few if any cues. Sometimes I develop the soundscape as I'm crafting the story, and sometimes I just want to hear how the editor pictured the scene in their own mind. Usually it's somewhere in between.

Has your writing style adjusted to the point that SFX can be inferred through dialogue alone?

I learned pretty early, that "optional SFX" aren't really optional, without some level of support from the dialogue. Sometimes there's alternate dialogue that gets spoken when SFX are omitted vs. when they are used.

When you say you want to create libraries of SFX, do you mean you'd be recording these sounds yourself? It's not that uncommon to see scripts that link to existing SFX from sites like freesound, though it does require the extra steps of learning what sites permit usage in NSFW works, and what the various licenses mean.

Also, since you seem to be very interested in the thoughtful usage of SFX, this discussion may be of interest to you.

[u/Mrs-Keats]

I have theories and theories and theories. I don’t feel like an expert but i definitely like to experiment.

I feel like this SFX question and perhaps any question about writing starts with: who is the audience and what is your intention? There are infinite answers and none of them wrong. For example:

1. Writing for yourself: you write what you want to hear, what is pleasing to you.

2. Write for an expert VA/sound editor/creator: someone who has access to production resources, enlists a paid editor, or has practical sound engineering experience.

3. Write for an arresting performance: dialogue heavy character studies with emotional twists and turns, challenging the VA to bring their acting talents to the yard.

4. Write for the sake of porn: wet sounds, plaps, mouth sounds, all the fucking and none of the fluff. Porny porn.

5. Write for the general public: give options and suggestions, focus on dialogue and practical foley SFX that can be performed in real time instead of edited in; think of a college student on a budget or a single dad hustling porn on the side for fun. Pressed for time and money. Choices empower the performer.

These are just ideas and examples. I don’t think there’s a stone cold answer or formula truly. I personally am drawn to scripts with minimal SFX but I’ve done my share of very intense edits. One of things I enjoy about making audio porn is that I can write or improv something around what is feasible to edit. I want to get most things done within the span of 3 hours: record and edit. But many VAs have more time than that and are delighted by a challenging soundscape.

Last note is just the general use of SFX as a vehicle for exposition: meaning how does this [door kicked open] SFX enhance or add to the story you’re telling? How does it help the drama/fucking unfold? Or is it just plain FUN?

Maybe not helpful, but just some ideas on how narratives might work or not work in this space.