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LATE TO THE PARTY -
This advice will be feature film-centric.
I'll start by telling you that I don't know a single person who got a gig because of a degree ... twenty weeks of Junior College here buddy. It's about your creativity.
I started at 30 and have been doing it for close to thirty years now with some success.
When I started I was a film geek and ...
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5 ways a newbie can be more professional:
1) Don't mess with the levels while the recording is in process as this changes the signal to noise ratio enough to make the track sound wonky.
Set your levels before you punch the record button, I generally run as many takes as needed to set the peak load.
2) Don't expect everything is in tune.
Make double sure ...
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You need two components - metal clangs for gear hitting gear and grinding sound for the shaft rotating. Record lots of metal clangs - you need many variations and often finding the sound that matches perfectly takes some time. Experiment with samplerate of existing sounds. Grinding sound should match to material shaft is connected to, but if it's unknown ...
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Speaking of Star Wars, there is a great book out that goes through the sound effects (comes with a little audio player attached). Naturally called "the sounds of star wars", it talks about either how the sound was created or a little interesting story about the sound. And its always fun to listen to the sound effects in a raw sense (not as they are mixed ...
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Sauli's way sounds spot on! I've never done a gear sound effect before myself but if you had to record it yourself, maybe space some bricks out and use a shovel and drag it along so it hits each brick in succession. Random idea I just thought of and may or may not work at all.
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The remaining 40ish years of your working life is a long time to be wishing you'd taken that other fork in the road.
My boss got into sound post something like 10 years ago, after 30ish years in the music industry.
My dad was a photographer for more than 30 years before getting into web design.
My girlfriend is, in her late 20s, embarking on a degree ...
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Don't delay it more please! I completed my BA on Linguistics and Literature, but sound has been in my mind for about 9 years. First I didn't have the money and social environment to develop skills, then started working, I had the money but no time, then by the time I was 25, 26, I had some money and time but thought I was old for it and lots of discouraging ...
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A copy of the original Star Wars should do the trick. If it doesn't, have him watch WALL-E, Poltergeist, and Once Upon A Time in the West. All in one night. With a notepad.
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kid needs a mic or a synth IMO. :)
edit: pocketsynth!
alt text http://images.junostatic.com/full/IS316391-01-01-BIG.jpg
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Try deactivating all tracks. Option+right-click a track name and select deactivate. all the tracks should be grayed out. save, then reactivate them all. That will sometimes clear out the whatever issue is going on.
Something else you could try is to create a new project, then import the session data (option+shift+I) from the original project.
See if either ...
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Here are some popular and recommendable books regarding the topic:
General/informative:
M. Chion: Audio-Vision. On the analytical and "academic" side of sound's role in a visual medium (film). Very informative and interesting read.
D. Sonnenschein: Sound Design. Has a more practical approach to the topic as it's written by a (film) sound designer himself.
...
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He should definitely check out some of the Soundworks videos, and if he doesn't already have one, a portable recorder like a Zoom H4n would be a good investment. Also, remember you don't have to choose between being a sound designer and a musician - it's all sound. You can be both.
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No, unless you plan on programming DAW software, Computer Science is of almost no benefit at all. They are not even remotely similar fields. I say this as someone who studied Computer Science and Electronic Media, Arts and Communications as a dual major in college. One major was all my math and science courses, the other was all my humanities and social ...
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I would add, for grinding to a halt: the shaft component of the sound might screech, groan, shudder, go down in pitch, or otherwise respond to the changing force, while the clanks of the teeth will slow down and stop.
Are the gears visible on stage? This is something you'll want to set aside tech time to practice the sync if so.
Good luck, sounds like ...
1
Sticking to what you know versus experimenting in new methods in music
Often times I find myself working in the same chords and instruments because I am comfortable with them. Don't be afraid to try new things. You may be surprised at what other stuff is out there!
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Not Leaving Headroom
Unless you are pushing to analog tape, you don't need to pin the meters just below the redline. Processing through plug ins will add amplitude, so you need to leave room. The best practice of pushing levels is antiquated in this world of virtual instruments and very quiet mixers.
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Find a book by Bob Katz called, "Mastering Audio".
"Master Handbook of Acoustics" is another great resource though longer.
You get through both of those and you'll have a head full of science.
http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tutorials/34579-master-handbook-of-acoustics.html
Go to the download via novafile, do the 'slow' free download - they almost hide the ...
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I think I got rid of that issue. I just uninstalled and reinstalled PT again on my laptop. Its working all right now.
Thank you.
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I think it's a fantastic idea to rebuild the sound design of an established movie scene. Copyright isn't an issue if there's no performance involved. As long as you are upfront with your prospective employer about what it is and what you did.
ALSO if you own a smartphone you can make your own footage; If you don't want to create a drama scene, you can just ...
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Don't rework audio from an exiting film. Agree with previous responses...
A suggestion: Contact your local graduate programs in Film/Video (MFA tracks), and offer your sound design work up for free (just a few for free, for now... Build your reel!). You will find many that will need your services. As you already have some experience with audio, you can ...
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Hey Larissa,
In my last semester at USC (grad program), I did an internship at Danetracks, Dane Davis' sound company (Supervising Sound Editor on The Matrix trilogy, Ghost Rider, and Riding Giants amongst others). It was definitely an interesting and fun experience and you can learn a lot there. If you go to Danetracks' website, there's a link to the ...
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The best online resource for learning synths = http://synth.tk/
Also maybe check out audio.tutsplus.com for more software-based tutorials.
There is an epic free online sound fundamentals website, but I lost the link...
Hope that helps!
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What I suggest is to head over to Designing Sound website and start reading the articles from sound designers and some of the SFX Lab posts for ideas/inspiration. Also the sister site Designing Sound TV has lots of great interviews and tutorials.
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My advice would be: estimate how much time you'll need to do this and think accordingly. Here's a little check list I always have in mind:
Ask how many words (or lines?) you have to edit.
What kind of game is it ? Editing VO from a RPG is more complex than a RTS or a game with shorter lines.
Do you have to apply some post-process or do a batch ? SFX ? RMS ?...
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I was just reading a thread that mentioned a reasonable per/line price of $.75 or $.85. It shows the client it's worth your while personally to have a quick turn-around while also giving a realistic rate that scales with the project.
Also note that they were speaking just about editing, normalizing and renaming files. No eq or other mastering.
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