Creating Simple Cinematic Impacts : Thinking Outside The Box

Just by thinking outside the box you can create huge “booms” recording inside a box… a cardboard box.  By placing a large cardboard box directly over a large diaphragm condenser mic – you can create some huge low rumbling impacts.  Place a large cardboard box over a mic set on a floor stand.  Then lightly tap the sides of the box with your fingers. You not only capture the sound of the cardboard itself but also the effect of the air pressure on the microphone's diaphragm that the air movement creates inside the box. 

Once you've recorded a few taps, drop the pitch of the file down an octave and you’ve got some big sounding impacts.

Experiment by hitting in different areas of the box and with varying degrees of force. In the following sound file (Boom 2), the sound of the cardboard flaps scraping when tapped creates a great texture when it is dropped an octave.