Raw foley work

Video: Raw Foley Work By Eddie Masters And Dave McMillan

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Ever wondered how they get the crystal clear sound in those raw MTB videos? Microphones? Nah. A few shotgun and lapel mics would be way too simple. The fact is, most pro mountain bikers are also expert foley artists in their spare time, because it really makes the difference when sponsorship season comes round. Dave McMillan and Eddie Masters demonstrate in their latest video:


(No video? Try this link).

“What does it take to make the sound of speed? The latest clip in our popular series sees Eddie Masters and Dave McMillan try their hands as Foley Artists.

Raw mountain bike videos are rightfully all the rage these days. The unadulterated action is complemented by some glorious sounds of soft rubber tearing through the earth and unfettered by any kind of soundtrack.

Those aurally exquisite sound effects aren’t captured easily, so we decided to give you an exclusive insight into the ‘sound design’ process behind our latest Sound Of Speed video with Eddie Masters and Dave McMillan (aka The Foley Artists).”

Raw foley work
Not Eddie Masters’ usual headwear.
Raw foley work
Fact: it’s impossible to work with real grass in a studio setting.
Raw foley work
The purity of a high five, with none of the ambient noise pollution.
Raw foley work
At this point, the eagle-brained among you might be getting some clues as to whether this video is being totally honest or not.

(p.s. The last time I had anything to do with foley work, it was for a videogame involving melee weapons. To this day, I still can’t eat watermelon).

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David started mountain biking in the 90’s, by which he means “Ineptly jumping a Saracen Kili Racer off anything available in a nearby industrial estate”. After growing up and living in some extremely flat places, David moved to Yorkshire specifically for the mountain biking. This felt like a horrible mistake at first, because the hills are so steep, but you get used to them pretty quickly. Previously, David trifled with road and BMX, but mountain bikes always won. He’s most at peace battering down a rough trail, quietly fixing everything that does to a bike, or trying to figure out if that one click of compression damping has made things marginally better or worse. The inept jumping continues to this day.

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