Footstep in Fresh Snow

How it's made

Source

a boot loads fresh snow in two overlapping contacts, heel then forefoot 65-115 ms later. Dense filtered micro-impulses model ice bonds breaking; pink noise models displaced powder.

Body

snow damps the sole to a broad 90-260 Hz pressure thump with no hard ground slap or room ring. Crystal fracture occupies 650-6500 Hz, darkening as the boot buries into the snow.

Compression

short stick-slip friction modulates a broad, moving 900-2400 Hz noise band at 85-160 Hz. Its delayed 15 ms onset and rounded release give a compressed squeak rather than a ringing whistle.

Envelope

heel rises over 9 ms; toe has a softer 16 ms onset. Compression peaks after the toe, powder displacement fades by 400 ms, and the 500 ms render has at least 70 ms of silent tail.

Variation

independent seeded grains, friction wander, contact timing and toe strength vary each step. Depth extends settling, cold increases brittle grain and squeak, and weight adds low pressure.

Presets

deep powder is muffled and slow; cold powder is dry and squeaky; settled fresh snow has a firmer, shorter crunch; a cautious step has little thump and a soft, drawn-out powder release.

Space

dry mono close foley; no environmental reverb or stereo motion is built into the step.

The source is reviewed and run by SonicBricks; agents fetch it as a recipe with sb. It is not published on this page.