Hal Knapp, HSK Productions/Z-100, New York: I AM A SFX JUNKIE! In my home studio, I have over 30 different libraries, comprising of 215+ CDs with over 50,000 effects. I have sampled almost every sound effect product currently available (and bought many of them). There are a few libraries that stand out more than others, but it really depends on what I need because each library has strengths over the others.
The Sound Ideas General 6000 (with the extension) seems to be the series that I grab the most for everyday sounds. It's the most complete, with 60 CDs and just about every sound imaginable. The General is also very well recorded by some of the best SFX recordists in the business.
Sound Ideas has really grown their company in the last year by offering many third-party effects libraries. They also have a free computer search engine that helps me find the right sound effect from several libraries without juggling different books from each library creator.
My next favorite effects come from Digiffects. Power Pack has great processed SFX with some sweep effects thrown in. KlickShop has some great short switches, beeps, servos, and other "technology" sounds. Another great library with switches, gunshots, metal hits, and other impacts is Digiffects' "J" series.
Hollywood Edge's Super Singles are a great price and are loaded with everyday effects. Their free demo is also loaded with some great everyday needed effects (I carry one in my briefcase--remember I'm a junkie).
Many of my libraries are on CD-ROM. I use them with my sampler or load .WAV or AIFF files to my computer. I've got some great commercial CD-ROMs that are jam packed with effects for under $100. My favorite CD-ROM set is Hanna Barbera's, just because I love loading a bank of comedy sounds into my sampler and playing them for no reason at all. It's great for laughs and breaks the stress. (I also do use the effects in my work.)
Finally, I also record my own sound effects. For the XFX library, I needed some different phone rings including fax machines to include on the package. The environments that I recorded the phones weren't that ideal. One had an old refrigerator in the background. I used Digidesign's plug-in DINR and eliminated the noise just to get the pure old-fashioned phone ring/bell. I did the same thing to eliminate the office AC with the fax machine ring. These phone rings also made it into the Aural Impact library in the contest bed. I laid all the phone rings out on the sampler's keyboard and played away.
For recording sound effects in the field I use a Tascam DA-P1 or Denon DTR-80P portable DAT with a fishpole and mics ranging from a shotgun Sennheiser 416T to a pair of AKG C3000s mounted X-Y for stereo (all depends on what I'm recording).
Gerry O'Donnell; Production Manager, TIPP FM Radio, Clonmel, Ireland: I use 4 different sound effects libraries for commercial production, the BBC Sound Effects Library, Digiffects, DeWolfe, and a small 5 CD library called The FX Collection. Generally I can find what I'm looking for somewhere in these libraries. The BBC Sound Effects library is great for atmospheres and backgrounds while the FX Collection is more designed for spot effects.
If there is an effect that I can't find, it's back to basics i.e. make it yourself--effects like the definitive biting into an apple, opening a Coke can etc. (though it's difficult to convince the boss that you had to buy 5 cans of Coke to make a single effect).
One thing to remember, just because it says for example "Air Conditioner" effect on the inlay card, doesn't mean it sounds like an air conditioner. It's all down to interpretation. Don't take it for granted the listener will know what it is. Sometimes you really need to exaggerate the effect to make it sound right "on air."
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