Realistic and Non-Realistic Sound Effects

Most sounds in film and television are not real sounds.

A punch in a movie sounds "heavier" than in reality, a lock being picked sounds "crisper" than in reality, and the sound of a blade being drawn is almost inaudible in real life—but on screen, it has to be heard. These sounds are "made," not simply "recorded."

Understanding this is crucial: the goal of sound effects is not to reproduce reality, but to convey a feeling. And these two things often require different approaches.

1. Why "real" does not mean "right"

First, consider an intuitive question: if the aim is to record reality, why not use real sounds?

There are several reasons.

1. Real sounds are not clear enough. Many sounds in real life are extremely subtle, such as a key entering a lock or a cuff rubbing against fabric. If the real recording is used directly, the audience may not hear it at all—even though the action may be important to the narrative.
2. Real sounds are not distinct enough. In real environments, many sounds are mixed together and are hard to separate by ear. Film and television need every action to be recognizable.
3. Real sounds do not always "match expectations." Audiences have psychological expectations for certain sounds, such as the weight of a punch landing, and those expectations often differ from physical reality. If the sound is treated realistically, the audience may feel that it "doesn't sound right."

So the first principle of sound-effect treatment is: sounding right is more important than sounding real.

2. Realistic and non-realistic sound effects

By approach, sound effects can be divided into two categories.

Realistic sound effects

Sounds that stay as close as possible to reality. Their role is to maintain credibility.

Typical scenarios:

• Ambient sound, such as wind, rain, crowds, and indoor room tone
• Everyday actions, such as footsteps, opening doors, and putting down a cup
• Sounds with a clear physical source

The key to realistic sound effects is that they "do not draw attention." They exist to make the audience believe the scene is real, so the more they are "noticed," the more likely something is wrong, such as footsteps being out of sync with the image.

Non-realistic sound effects

Sounds that are processed or created for expressive effect.

Typical scenarios:

• Strengthening actions, such as hits, explosions, and impacts
• Externalizing emotions, such as heartbeats, tinnitus, and amplified breathing
• Emphatic sounds, such as key reveals and turning points
• Atmospheric treatment, such as low-frequency pressure and sharp high frequencies

These kinds of sounds do not need to have a real source. Their purpose is to convey a feeling.

3. How the two divide the work

Once you understand the division of labor, you know when to use which one.

The realistic part is responsible for "establishing." It builds the foundation of realism for the scene—the audience believes what kind of space this is and what kind of moment it is.

The non-realistic part is responsible for "emphasis." It applies influence at key points so the audience feels that "this is important," "this is uncomfortable," or "this is dangerous."

A reasonable ratio is: most sounds are realistic, with non-realistic treatment used in a few key places.

• The reason is that if non-realistic treatment is used too much, the audience's perception becomes dulled—if everything is emphasized, then nothing is emphasized. Excessive non-realism can also make the work feel "fake," because it lacks a realistic foundation.

4. Several common techniques

1. Amplifying small sounds

Amplify sounds that should be very quiet until they are audible: heartbeats, breathing, ticking hands, fabric rubbing.

This technique is often used to express a character's subjective state—because when attention is highly focused, people really do "hear" sounds they usually ignore.

2. Replacement and reinforcement

Use another sound to replace the real sound, or layer multiple sounds together.

Impact sounds are the most typical example: real impact sounds are often not "heavy" enough, so other materials are layered in, such as the sound of hitting leather or breaking a wooden stick, to create a sense of weight.

3. Removing sound

At moments that need emphasis, remove the ambient sound and keep only one single sound—or complete silence.

This is a kind of "reverse" treatment: creating attention by reducing sound.

4. Spatializing sound

Add reverb, distance attenuation, and frequency changes to a sound to simulate how it behaves in a given space.

This kind of treatment sits between realism and non-realism—it may not match a real recording, but it matches the audience's listening experience.

5. How to handle it in production

In NadouPro, producing and integrating sound assets involves several stages.

• Atmosphere and music are produced through accompaniment and BGM generation—generated according to style, mood, or scene description. These sounds serve as the "base color" and belong to a mixed layer of realism and atmosphere. Automatic music matching can match music based on video content, for situations where the music needs to follow the visuals.
• The integration of sound effects and other assets can be completed through multi-reference video generation—it can generate video by combining multiple reference assets such as images, videos, or audio. When sound effects need to align precisely with the picture, such as synchronizing action and sound, this approach can handle both within the same workflow.
• The final adjustments to layering and timing are completed in the editing stage. The editing node carries out editing operations such as integrating, cutting, and editing image, video, and audio assets—the entry and exit points of sounds, their layering relationships, and volume treatment all happen at this step. This is also where the final ratio between the "realistic layer" and the "non-realistic layer" is determined.

6. Several common misconceptions

Misconception 1: pursuing complete realism. The result is sound that is unclear and lacks distinction.

Misconception 2: emphasizing everything. The audience's perception becomes dulled, and emphasis stops working.

Misconception 3: the realistic layer is not done well. If the foundation is weak, non-realistic treatment will feel ungrounded.

Misconception 4: non-realistic treatment does not match the content. Using excessive sound design in everyday scenes can feel forced.

Misconception 5: only focusing on "adding" sound. Removing sound is also an effective method.

Misconception 6: ignoring synchronization. If realistic sound effects are out of sync with the image, credibility is immediately broken.

7. A self-checklist

1. Is the realistic layer solid? Do the sounds of the environment and everyday actions hold up?

2. Is there non-realistic treatment at key points? Are there places that should be emphasized?

3. Is there too much non-realistic treatment? Could it dull perception?

4. Is the synchronization accurate? Are key motion effects aligned?

5. Is there any "subtractive" treatment? Has sound removal been used?

6. Does the sound match the content? Does the intensity of treatment fit the nature of the scene?

Finally

The freedom in sound-effect treatment is actually much greater than many people think.

Once you accept that "sounding right is more important than sounding real," you will find that you can do many things for effect—amplify, replace, layer, remove. The purpose of these treatments is not to deceive the audience, but to make them feel what they are supposed to feel.

The audience's ears do not pursue physical accuracy; they pursue what is "right." And what is "right" is determined by experience and psychological expectation—that is what sound-effect design truly needs to study.

Contains AI-generated information that may be incorrect. Please verify independently.