I have a confession: deep down I'm a wanna-be Italian. From the food and music, to the geography and architecture, one of my life's dreams is to take a 2-3 week trip to Italy with my wife. It will happen some day I'm sure. Until then, I can kick back in the studio and soak in some of its aural essences captured in the Venice Sound Effects Library. From the shore to the gondolas, churches, and the marketplace, this library is Venice.
Ease of Use
The effects were very easy to access. I simply did a copy and paste of all the folders contained on the two DVD set onto my SFX hard drive and was listening within minutes (with the exception of one folder that contained a slash in the name, which caused it not to open). The audio files are in 24bit/48kHz .WAV format and are ready for immediate use (perhaps only following a quick conversion if you need AIFF files). Organized into 18 folders, they are named according to where they were recorded, or by a general category.
A very helpful master index document, also included, contains a nice description of what is in every file, along with an explanation of the code at the end of the file names and how some files go together in sets. Be aware that although the categories listed in this document are in the same order as the folders, they do not always have the same names. This is fine, once you know the issue exists.
I have only two problems with this library. First, many files contain multiple elements, which at times can make it difficult to isolate what you want. In some cases, these extraneous elements are loud enough not to be considered ambience, and therefore these files must be extensively edited or omitted from the bed entirely – unless an actor’s actions happen to align with the sounds, in which case you can count yourself lucky. One element that is present in almost every file is the real-life chatter of the people surrounding the engineer. This is a very sticky issue in the audio recording world – the fundamental choice between recording something completely natural, as it occurs in life or choosing to isolate elements to be mixed or manipulated at will. I struggle with my own opinion on this because, on the one hand, these ambiences sound very real and, on the other hand, it can become unwieldy when trying to layer your own elements from the library, together. Another thing to consider is that the language of the people goes a long way to give this library its authentic feel. I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself, based on how you want to work.
Second, the volume and frequency content of the background noise. In many cases it sounds like self-induced equipment noise, not part of the ambient bed. Therefore, the background noise in the recordings varies greatly, occasionally making it difficult to splice files from different field recordings. Certain files could use a bass roll-off filter, while others need full-on broadband noise reduction. (See some of the Noise Reduction software packages we've reviewed on that front in our Software Reviews section.)
I cannot imagine how it would be at all possible to put together a collection of sounds, in a way where all files would be useful to everyone. Obviously, it is extremely difficult to maintain objectivity and consistency in regards to background noise. I guess it just surprised me that a library at this price point would have these issues, to this degree. Overall though, I found the VSFXL to be very useful.
Variety
All said, there are over 400 ambiences and sound effects, recorded in several locations throughout Venice. I suspect the fundamental goal of this collection was to capture primarily outdoor sounds that are unique to the area, not duplicate the generic impacts, etc. found in many other libraries. Considering that rather strict limitation, I am of the opinion that this library offers a good amount of variety of au naturale SFX.
Quality
How well recorded or created are the effects? Are they available in different quality types, for different types of films? How discrete are they?
Overall, I found the files to be very natural, unprocessed, real-world recordings. On the one hand, this leaves all options open to the audio engineer, who knows how to edit and process them correctly, to get what he or she wants. On the other hand, the video-only type person may have to settle for recordings with some noise, or unwanted low rumble of a boat motor, that they may not even hear on their computer speakers, etc. In my opinion, at this price point, perhaps a little more care should have been taken to ensure a greater level of consistency and lower noise levels. Again, overall, I really enjoyed what I heard and the authenticity is undeniable – I even tasted olive oil in my mouth at one point, as I sat there and imagined myself at a Venetian market!
Value
This product seems to be aimed at a niche market. If a person is setting a film in Venice, needs some authentic ambiences, multiple elements, and real-world feel, then this library is invaluable and less expensive than plane tickets and the services of a professional engineer. This product could also be valuable in a situation where background chatter in Italian (or similar language) is desired. The price is still on the steep side, with the noise levels as they are, but would probably be worth it to those in this market.
The library will probably not be worth the money for the average videographer or audio post-engineer, who simply wants to expand their SFX collection and thinks some ambiences from Italy would be cool to have.
Final Comments
Overall, I really enjoyed this library! In spite of the price tag and the noise levels, Venetian ambience abounds and some of the clips practically transport you there with their authenticity! Viva Italia!
