Client Monitoring and sound editing.

Question

Hi guys,

Had a strange problem with my sound files on a recent shoot.

Basically it was a big hall and a talking head-static not moving. For recording I used a 702, a Sennheisser G3 E100 kit with the supplied lav- and a Rode NTG-3 on Boom.

The only way to avoid reverb really was to concentrate on getting a quality lav recording which sounded great in the cans and back at home on a Genelec 8030 :)

However when I chatted to the editor of the shoot they said the client had said the lav was sounding squeaky and high pitched(and unacceptable). They were monitoring in a big editing office, glass table with the bass and treble controls altered on these(http://www.roland.com/products/en/MA-15D/) even plugging the headphones through these to monitor.

Listening to the them the recordings really did sound odd-even to the point where I doubted myself!

It's a tough situation because if it sounds awkward to them-it's my fault and the lack of audio editing skills-eq, compression etc are missed from this kind of project.

Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? Is it just a case of sitting with the editor and working through it with them after the shoot?

Cheers,

Answer 1

I'm not really sure if I understand correct. But in this case it's a kind of trouble-shooting and I would suggest:

1. Playback your original files at home. Two options: If the files sounds good, your record is not the problem. If your record sounds bad, something was wrong with the mic, the recorder or something else. -> This is bad for you, you should have noticed that through the shot, but if I understand you correct, your playback is fine.

2. If your original record is good, something happend in the editing room. Picture editors are not often very skilled in sound editing and strange things can ocure. Talk to the editor and ask what he did. Als here is the way to find the mistake: Playback the files directly out of the system, how does it sound? Bypass all plugins, all EQ's, check what happend and exclude on this way errors. If it sounds ok in the computer, something is wrong with the monitoring, if it sounds bad from the computer, it's in the system. Open the file with a simple playback-player like quicktime and check how it sounds.

If everything's not helps give your original file again to the editors. If your original file is fine, it's not that bad and 'only' editorial work and should be done by the person who spoil them. Just give the original files and someone need to edit the sound again.

Make sure that you are not responsible for the mistake an tell this.

I hope, this helps. Let me know what it was.

Best

Guido

Answer 2

Sounds like the lav and the boom tracks have been mono summed and phase cancellation has occurred. Try and get hold of the tracks and flip the phase on the boom mic track, if bass suddenly appears then it's a phase issue.

Answer 3

Liam, I think you got it right. I've been screwed by editors that don't know how to handle sound so many times that I stopped offering up split track options, and unless I'm posting the project, I record single tracks only - No shotgun on channel 1 with lav back-up on channel 2. Many don't seem to understand the summing issue.

I find getting it right in the field with the mindset of - the post audio editor is the director cutting the show on his or her laptop on the plane with a set of iPod headphones keeps my recordings simple. KISS (keep it simple stupid) and stupid is referring to the those capable people handling your sound.