Live Fire Recordings

[Last Southron]

I remember years ago someone (I believe at Winchester-N-SSA) had recorded the sound iive minee balls made as they whized past. Several older reenactors reemeber but no one knows where to locate a copy. There many sound effects that just does not happen to be amomg them, does anyone know where a copy can be located? Thank you for your time.

[Tom Craig]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

It's not too much help, but I used to have a record from the Centennial (I think) that had all sorts of cool music on it, bugle calls and such. On the reverse side it had the narrated story of Pickett's Charge with "authentic battle sounds" in the background. According to the info on the record label they went through great length to record a wide range of actual musketry and cannons etc being fired with live rounds. It sounded pretty cool, and I have not ever heard its equal. Sadly the thing got destroyed in a house fire at my parents, but I am sure one of the "old hands" on here has run across it and could better identify it.

Take care,
Tom Craig

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Tom refers to the ever-appealing "Frederick Fennell" album, which exists on CD, and is absolutely necessary to listen to. My favorite part is Fremantle's anecdote about a CS band playing during July 2nd cannonade...it's recreated on this disc, in amazing stereo.

http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Its-Music-Sounds/dp/B0000057L2

[Last Southron]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Thank you, I have heard that really interested in this, ran down a film maker who had a hand in it as did NSSA it appears they put microphones out there during live fire. They had planned on selling it to the rash of war movies but don't know where it has gone. If you hear of anything let me know I'll do the same. Regards

[Hank Trent]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Out of curiosity, for those who've heard the recordings, is the sound significantly different than a modern rifle bullet? In other words, if you've heard an average modern civilian rifle bullet being shot past you, can that be used to imagine the sound of a minie ball, or how would it be different?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[1st Maine Trooper]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Hank,
The sound is dramatically different from modern rifle sounds. Modern weapons when fired produce a much sharper report and the bullets crack as they go down range due to the fact they are supersonic. the sounds from CW era weapons produce more of a thump when fired and the bullets for the most part whistle as they fly down range.
Dave Myrick

[Hank Trent]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Hank,
The sound is dramatically different from modern rifle sounds. Modern weapons when fired produce a much sharper report and the bullets crack as they go down range due to the fact they are supersonic. the sounds from CW era weapons produce more of a thump when fired and the bullets for the most part whistle as they fly down range.
Dave Myrick

Huh. For what it's worth, on the two occasions that I recall, there was definitely a singing or whining sound. I wonder what kind of modern rifle would produce that?

Is the sound different if the bullet is traveling away from you or toward you? These were coming toward me/us.

Edited to add, I do agree with the difference in the sound of the firing, a sharper report vs. a thump. I can definitely hear the difference in that.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Last Southron]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

That is exactly what people who remember it says, louder, "like angry bees". Thanks

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Hallo!

In the Way Back Daze of the 1970's, I recall a number of lads who placed tape recorders by the N-SSA target backers to capture the sound of Minies. I have listened to tham, but do not have any to share.
Also, a few of us experimented in the late 1980's to compare tape recordings with the live sound by lying below ground level at a police range while Minie rounds were fired over head.
Yes, the large mass, bullet shape/profile, and really low velocity subsonic, barely sonic (roughly 700-900ish fps) moving through the air produces sounds perhaps best described as "low buzzes and buzzy hums, and lower "z" sounding "zips."
It has been a while since anyone has shot at me, but...
On the other hand, modern bullets sound like "zings," "zangs," higher "zaps," "zips," and "sips," and hard to describe whiny, singy sounds.

Oh, every once in a while a Minie "whistles" or "shreiks." (Caused by a blown skirt that actual creates a whistle structure/mechanism that the bullet moving through the air turnes into a whistle).

Yes, at the other end, "blanks" sound differently than actual live rounds.

And then there is the sound of shrapnel or shell fragments with their odd shapes and different velocities...

Curt

(N-SSA "skirmishes" are the best way to hear numbers of men shooting. However, there is some give-and-take as many Skirmishers use light or lighter "target loads" rather than the full miitary cartridges of the CW.)

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Some friends and I were talking about this over the weekend, and didn't someone press an album back in the 1960s with rifle and artillery sounds? I can't find anything on the internet, but I remember something like a Library of Congress album with these sounds, something like "Track 1 - .58 rifle", etc, etc. Maybe I'm mistaking this with a WWII album with the same type of tracks that my father had. Now where's my turntable?

[Hank Trent]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Yes, the large mass, bullet shape/profile, and really low velocity subsonic, barely sonic (roughly 700-900ish fps) moving through the air produces sounds perhaps best described as "low buzzes and buzzy hums, and lower "z" sounding "zips."
It has been a while since anyone has shot at me, but...
On the other hand, modern bullets sound like "zings," "zangs," higher "zaps," "zips," and "sips," and hard to describe whiny, singy sounds.

Okay, that makes sense. The "whiny, singy sounds" fits, and I can picture that minie balls would have a lower-pitched, more buzzy sound.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Tom refers to the ever-appealing "Frederick Fennell" album, which exists on CD, and is absolutely necessary to listen to. My favorite part is Fremantle's anecdote about a CS band playing during July 2nd cannonade...it's recreated on this disc, in amazing stereo.

http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Its-.../dp/B0000057L2

Marc,
Thanks for posting the link for the Fennell CD. Seeing the cover reminded me of playing the LP version during the centennial, when I was a kid. Bit of a 'blast from the past', so to speak.
Regards,

[tinman1863]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

Back in the day, about mid '90s, there was a CD of various weapon sounds ie; musket, canister, and such. I think Lee White had a copy of said CD so you might want to send him a pm. Or maybe it was Joe Blunt?

Kristoffer Tinney

[Last Southron]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

As I mentioned and have been able to track down they did it for the group of Civil War movies thinking they would use it, I don't think they did except "Glory". The first "Hardcores" used tree blasts and were talking about adding of all things sound effects, this was around 1986 from what I am being told! Appreciate the input.

[Horace]

Re: Live Fire Recordings

There's this: http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/...1858musket.wav