Airborne Sound is very pleased to finally release a new military sound clip collection: Battlefield Howitzers (239 sounds, 4.89 gigabytes, $74 on sale for $37).
I mention “finally” because this sound library is the result of more than a half decade of recording, mastering, and curation. I’m excited to release it today.
This post will introduce the new sound effects library, describe the clips included in the package, and how they can help you. At the end of the post, I’ll share a promo code for 50% off the sound library, good for the next 48 hours.
3 Howitzer Models
The Battlefield Howitzers sound library features shots from three artillery pieces:
- C3 105 mm howitzer.
- C1 105 mm howitzer.
- Ordnance QF 25-pounder 88 mm howitzer.
The C1 and C3 produce a jarring crack followed immediately by a rolling boom. These pieces are versions of the classic WWII M101A1 105 mm American howitzer. They were modified by the Canadian army with a longer barrel, muzzle brake, and other enhancements.
The 25-pounder is a British field piece designed in the 1930s with a beefy, snappier blast and a faster rate of fire.
Each shot’s sound clip is labelled by howitzer type, distance, and is given a characteristic description: no two shots sound the same. The package also includes “sweetener” shots meant to boost other clips.
Recreating the Battlefield
Many weapon libraries focus on a detailed deconstruction of gun sound elements with Foley performances and multi-channel shots. The Battlefield Howitzer collection takes a different approach. What’s new?
Well, the sound library focuses on the atmosphere of howitzers to capture the feeling of being under a barrage of artillery fire. So, the howitzers were recorded at medium and far distances complete with spacious blasts, encompassing booms, and cascading reflections.
Together, the 70 individual artillery shots are designed to recreate the sense of a war-torn battlefield.
Designed for Power
As you would expect, explosive sounds are incredibly loud. Recording them is tricky. Often source recordings produce just a short pop. Post-processing is essential to transform the clip into a more usable “Hollywood-style” blast.
The Battlefield Howitzers collection is the same. The field pieces are specially processed to add power and bring emotion out from the source recordings. Every blast blends the sharp snap of the howitzer report with the rolling thunder of the shockwave boom reflecting amongst the battlefield.
So, the howitzer clips are mastered for sound design. They’re processed sound effects meant to slip right into your game audio projects and post-production reels without further work.
The howitzer shots have a crisp blast followed by a rippling boom. For those that prefer less punch with their artillery bombardments, the package also provides an extra 70 matched shots with a softer attack.
“Battlefield Barrage” Montage Tracks
In addition to the 70 individual artillery shots, the Battlefield Howitzers sound library also includes bonus “battlefield barrage” montage tracks designed to recreate the ambience of war.
These are compositions that arrange the individual shots into an atmosphere of many howitzers firing. They are edited and spaced to create light, medium, and heavy activity. Each atmosphere is loopable, so you can repeat it seamlessly beneath your battle scenes without going through the hassle of cutting in each howitzer shot one-by-one yourself.
Every one of these atmospheres is available in stereo, stereo panned, and designed surround sound versions so you have flexibility laying the tracks into your mix.
Warfare in New Spaces
Finally, we placed the battlefield barrage montage tracks in new spaces. Using the pristine convolution reverb of the Altiverb plug-in, the Battlefield Howitzers loops are additionally processed to sound as if they battle in four new locations:
- Interior bunker. The atmospheres are treated to convey the sound of a barrage from the perspective of being inside a military bunker.
- Military testing range. Ambiences take on a spacious, open sound from a military testing field.
- Urban warfare: downtown core. The battle montages are processed as if being fired within the dense towers of an urban core.
- Urban warfare: open city streets. As above, but with a more spacious feel and fewer echoes and reflections.
Battlefield Howitzers Sound Library
The Battlefield Howitzers sound clip bundle is available today.
- 239 sound clips.
- 4.89 gigabytes.
- 96 kHz, 24-bit WAV files (stereo and designed 5.1).
- Includes 18 fields of Soundminer metadata.
$74, $37 for the next 48 hours.
The package also includes bonus bundle files, including a spec sheet with details about the artillery, a recording shoot map, and many photos.
Listen to the Battlefield Howitzer audio preview below. Crank it up to feel the full power, but watch your ears!
And here’s a sample of the loopable “battlefield barrage” compositions with various shots, and also placed at a military testing range, in an “urban warfare” location, and from an interior bunker perspective.
Read more and download the Battlefield Howitzers sound fx library, or add it to your cart by clicking the button below.
50% Sound Library Discount
Use the code HOWITZERBLAST to save 50% off the Battlefield Howitzers sound library. That’s $37 off the full price of $74. The promo coupon is good for the next 48 hours.
Read more about using a promo code.
Visit the Battlefield Howitzer sound fx library page.
Thank you for your interest in the sound library. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
– Paul Virostek
Learn More
Read about the how the howitzer sound library was created on my field recording blog.
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