Introduction to Sound Triggers

You know those photos where a bullet is slicing through a playing card or the wine glasses are caught just during the moment they’re breaking or a water balloon is exploding? Odds are, those and the many others like them are taken with a sound trigger.

So what’s a Sound Trigger?
A sound trigger is a very simple device that emits an electrical charge when it detects a loud noise. They’re also easy to modify, so you may see more advanced versions. Mine (pictured below) has an adjustable delay, adjustable sensitivity, and an off/off switch (which you’ll definitely want!)

How do you use it?
The sound trigger has a standard sync cable coming from it which you can use to set off your camera or to set off a remote flash (for images which require higher speeds to capture.) In general, the way to use it is to set up your shot and put the trigger near the object that’s going to make the noise (or turn up the sensitivity.) When the sound happens, the camera or flash is triggered. (My intention is to write some in-depth tutorials for the different ways to use a sound trigger, so check back.)

Where do you get one?
I found the plans online from HiViz and assembled one of the kits. If you’re interested in buying a kit, I’d highly recommend these guys. I had a bit of trouble with mine at first and one of the gents helped me troubleshoot it while he was on vacation in Asia. If you know your way around an electrical circuit, then check out their Make Your Own Trigger Circuits page for instructions and parts lists.