11
I've taken a few days to think of the best answer for this question, and the best I've come up with is there really is no "right or wrong" here, only "quicker or longer".
But first, lets take a walk into the past.
Back in the "old" days, the division between editor and re-recording mixer was very defined. With the sound for film originally being edited on ...
11
I find the fear of missing a deadline is a great motivator. If you're in not danger of that, take a break. I realize this isn't very helpful. When I full on hit the wall under deadline here's what I do.
Have a meltdown. This usually happens at about 3am with a 9am deadline usually after several late nights, and I'm no longer able to produce anything ...
9
Initially its good practice just to have your body tuned and working well as often as you can.
this means sleeping and eating well when you're not crunching at the end of a project. Proactively taking care of one's self helps tremendously with endurance and focus.
when you're there at the wall though, I think you've already gotten some very good advice.
...
9
The great science fiction master Robert Heinlein once said, "Specialization is for insects." :-) But clearly there are pros and cons to specialization and generalism alike, and I for one don't believe the two are completely mutually exclusive.
Generalism tends to be part of how many schools train you, since it's pretty much up to the student where their own ...
8
Speaking specifically of NatGeo, yes, they are concerned with all audio (LtRt, LoRo, Dolby E) meeting spec.
Audio should be mixed such that average loudness (using LKFS) of the
LtRt mix shall be equivalent to the
measured average loudness (using LKFS)
of the 5.1 mix, within, ±1dB
~Universal Tech Specs for NatGeo
Channels & Nat Geo Wild
...
6
I heart soundminer.
My general sm workflows:
create an "import" database that you use for tagging sounds with metadata before adding them to your libraries. Quarantining new sounds and manipulating them outside of your massive databases is quicker and cleaner than putting them into your big database and adding metadata there. The reason is because ...
6
Noise Reduction always makes things sound different, not necessarily better. Not everything needs to be pristine.
5
Here in Dallas its exactly the same way.
I asked a similar question about a year ago and got some interesting responses
For my gig I've had to learn:
sfx editing and sound design,
adr spotting cutting and editing,
dialogue edit and cleanup,
mixing,
field recording,
foley cutting and performance,
vo cutting and editing,
databasing and cataloguing
etc
...
5
Yes, this is my experience in LA too - we're all "guns for hire" and W2/1099s are a way of life in my experience and of those around me. Sometimes it can be complex when loan-outs are involved, where you're contracting for one studio but loaned out to a larger studio to work under their contract (while the studio whose doing the loaning is the only actually ...
5
My approach is that on my main FX tracks, there's never an RTAS running at all. Stages don't take well to this stuff usually., especially when they realize a bunch of your plugins won't necessarily load or load correctly.
That said, I build in layers (where appropriate, of course) and try my best to region group parts of a sound catorgically (e.g. for a ...
5
how about: don't use bright mics on bright sources
also, headphone gain affects an actor's read.
edited to add: don't eq things when they're soloed out - eq relies on context
5
I've seen people use Live in so many different ways. That's one of my favourite things about it, it allows you approach things in new ways. I used to use session view mainly when I started out with it, but these days I use the arrangement window more. It really depends on what I'm trying to achieve. I've found the session view useful for a number of things, ...
4
I'd recommend some books such as John Purcell's on Dialogue Editing for Motion Picture or David Yewdalls Motion Picture Sound book for reference.
Think there may be similar threads on here if you do a quick search too.
In general the bigger budget shows will capture sound separately to video/film. This dual system allows more flexibility and general ...
4
Where a rerecording mixer is involved, i'll try to balance things as well as i can before i hand it over.
I'll cut dialogue, using fill to smooth the edits. If it's very noisy, i'll hard process with some NR, but i'll leave the original region muted on a worktrack below.
I'll balance level on the FX and whatnot. Maybe i'll do some complex volume or pan ...
4
Happened to me just yesterday: Last minute crunch, no time, and a sub-par library of effects available. I had about a 10 minute window to design a sound, so the only thing to do was summon all my strengths and power through it. I think you also have to put some of your 'perfectionist' tendencies aside in times like that because it's unlikely you will be able ...
4
I actually often design sounds in 5 channels, in rare cases 5.1, but you must be absolutely positively certain why when doing it. Most sounds I actually do in mono, and others in stereo, always adapted to what works best for the project, both in style and, for exaple if there are to be any reverb or general processing.
How I do it depends on the sound. Say ...
4
A gem from Randy Thom: An omnidirectional mic placed close enough to a sound source becomes effectively directional. It's all about S:N! :-)
4
Spend more time watching the video and less time with your eyes glued to Pro Tools. This is something I try to keep in mind because it can be so easy to get sucked into the computer screen.
Automation Preview mode is also a god send.
4
When designing a layered effect, mute layers/regions once in a while-
What can't be heard/felt is only clogging up your signal path
Low frequency energy adds up really quickly
3
Broad strokes first, refine later if there's time left over. Work in multiple passes to get something at least barely passable first, so if you run out of time at least you have something that's completely mediocre, instead of partially excellent and partially horrible.
Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick two. This is physics. If you're going really really fast to beat ...
3
you can do basic bookkeeping in excel, if you already have ms office. just a matter of cashflow layout
3
Some of these are more relevant if you're regularly involved with a show and not so much if you're a contracted remote studio, but here goes:
Consider the nature of the show and decide whether a round-table approach is better than one actor at a time. It presents greater technical problems but can lead to more natural dialogue and some great moments of ...
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