Shortwave Radio effect

[tattooyu]

How can you mimic the sound of the distortions that happen on shortwave radio?

Example: Empire Strikes Back

From IMDB.com

About twenty minutes into the movie there is a shot in the Hoth base control room in which we hear Han's voice over radio describing what's left of the probe droid. One of the background sound effects in this shot was taken from the Canadian shortwave time signal station CHU, which can be heard at 3330 and 7335 MHz.

If you are familiar with that scene, you will know what I'm talking about. Since I don't have a shortwave radio, how could I simulate that? Would that be some sort of ring modulation with distortion and flanging/phasing?

Thanks!

 

[TexRoadkill]

If you are familiar with that scene, you will know what I'm talking about. Since I don't have a shortwave radio, how could I simulate that? Would that be some sort of ring modulation with distortion and flanging/phasing?

Thanks!

It sounds like there might be some harmonizer effect also. You can make some cool radio distortion type of effects using gates on copies of the track that are going to different effects. That way different noises can come in when the volume gets louder.

 

[TimOBrien]

Since I don't have a shortwave radio...

Radio Shack has a Grundig shortwave for $30. It also runs on hand-crank power for emergencies (I got hit by 3 hurricanes last year here in Florida...)

Not only a handy thing to have around, but fun to play with and usefull for little fx. Why try to "emulate" when you can do the real thing????

 

[gecko zzed]

The way I have done this before is to:

1 apply a parametric eq to the recorded vocal track, accenting 1khz (or in that region) and taking everything else out.

2 apply a flanger to the results, using a very slow flange.

3 add in assorted radio noises (just record an am radio band that's not on the station) to taste. Crossfade vocal track with noise track.