Location Sound for Surround mix, Zombie movie at DVinfo.net

Chris Sweet · September 2nd, 2008, 04:00 PM

So I got a gig next week as the sound guy working on my first feature.. (all previous experience is live events, short indie films, dj'ing, recording/mixing down bands etc)

This will be the first project geared towards surround I've done. There will be 2 main talents I was thinking about wiring, and the rest of the audio maybe with my Me66? (this is all the gear I have.. with an R4Pro) Is the surround mixdown usually done w/ panning tricks and effects in post?

Any suggestions on how surround is done on set would be much appreciated... thanks!

chris

Sacha Rosen · September 2nd, 2008, 04:11 PM

is this for dialogue?

Jon Fairhurst · September 2nd, 2008, 04:21 PM

Yes, surround is usually done in post.

The dialog is mainly centered, unless there is a conscious reason to pull the audience to one side or the other. The music is mostly stereo and wide, potentially with a small amount of reverb (or distant mic'ing) to the rear channels. The foley and sfx can go to any channel (including LFE) to create the overall space.

Even if you center all of the dialog, having separate channels is still nice. You can then easily EQ the voices and control their mix independently, without having to manually cut the track apart.

Gary Nattrass · September 2nd, 2008, 05:10 PM

MONO dialogue all the way on location and the surround will be sorted in post prod, stereo buzz or wild tracks of atmos are always helpful but I have always had my own preferences and favorites that work as room or atmos buzz in 5.1! They all tend to be recorded using an M/S mic but I have been spoiled using an AMS Neve DFC console most of my career so it is easy to pan and expand to 5.1 surround.

Note mono dialogue can also be best recorded as split twin track with boom on one channel and radio mics or spot/2nd boom mics on ch2.

Chris Sweet · September 2nd, 2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Nattrass

Note mono dialogue can also be best recorded as split twin track with boom on one channel and radio mics or spot/2nd boom mics on ch2.

.. Split twin track? Would that be mixing the wiremics on ch2 while booming the rest on ch1? or something else?
sry for my noob questions, lol. I appreciate all the advice.

I was planning on basically iso'ing ea track, (2x lavs on 2 main talents, and boom anyone/anything else) cause i'm a one man team.

Thanks again!

Cheers

Jeffery Magat · September 2nd, 2008, 07:45 PM

You're using a 4 track recorder.. put one mic on each track you have.

Surround is done in post.

John McClain · September 2nd, 2008, 08:06 PM

"You're using a 4 track recorder.. put one mic on each track you have.

Surround is done in post."

Exactly.

Sacha Rosen · September 2nd, 2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Sweet

.. Split twin track? Would that be mixing the wiremics on ch2 while booming the rest on ch1? or something else?
sry for my noob questions, lol. I appreciate all the advice.

I was planning on basically iso'ing ea track, (2x lavs on 2 main talents, and boom anyone/anything else) cause i'm a one man team.

Thanks again!

Cheers

One man team on a feature eh? Good luck!

Gary Nattrass · September 3rd, 2008, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffery Magat

You're using a 4 track recorder.. put one mic on each track you have.

Surround is done in post.

Yup split four track, boom and three radio mics

Chris Sweet · September 4th, 2008, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacha Rosen

One man team on a feature eh? Good luck!

I could bring a boom op I guess, I've done many shorts alone.. figured it be the same, w/ just more days involved.. was planning on putting a limiter on each lavs input, iso'ing ea track while booming...(unless i'm horibbly mistaken!)

anyways thnks for all the advice, cheers

chris

Chris Sweet · September 4th, 2008, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Nattrass

Yup split four track, boom and three radio mics

cool. I guess boom the talents without lavs and when there is none, boom the ones wearing lavs as backup tracks right?

Gary Nattrass · September 5th, 2008, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Sweet

cool. I guess boom the talents without lavs and when there is none, boom the ones wearing lavs as backup tracks right?

Yes pretty much covers it, just be prepared for some work in post sorting it all out, although this is a lot easier now with waveforms so you can see what is valid audio and what is silence.

Jeffery Magat · September 5th, 2008, 01:11 PM

Just out of curiousity.. you said that you've done plenty of shorts.

What kind of shorts have you been working on?

Chris Sweet · September 6th, 2008, 06:15 AM

I did sound for a highlander spoof comedy recently.. real funny, an anti-icbc documentary (car insurance in canada.. got a whistle-blower exploiting them on scandalous activity involved..) some dry drama about some kid who accidentally shoots his dad hunting, based on a true story... those are some I've worked on recently... right now I'm making my own 3d animated short based on a couple of pigs in love, living in a factory waiting for death..

September 2nd, 2008, 04:00 PM	#1
Chris Sweet Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 89	Location Sound for Surround mix, Zombie movie So I got a gig next week as the sound guy working on my first feature.. (all previous experience is live events, short indie films, dj'ing, recording/mixing down bands etc) This will be the first project geared towards surround I've done. There will be 2 main talents I was thinking about wiring, and the rest of the audio maybe with my Me66? (this is all the gear I have.. with an R4Pro) Is the surround mixdown usually done w/ panning tricks and effects in post? Any suggestions on how surround is done on set would be much appreciated... thanks! chris

September 2nd, 2008, 04:21 PM	#3
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Yes, surround is usually done in post. The dialog is mainly centered, unless there is a conscious reason to pull the audience to one side or the other. The music is mostly stereo and wide, potentially with a small amount of reverb (or distant mic'ing) to the rear channels. The foley and sfx can go to any channel (including LFE) to create the overall space. Even if you center all of the dialog, having separate channels is still nice. You can then easily EQ the voices and control their mix independently, without having to manually cut the track apart. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

September 2nd, 2008, 05:10 PM	#4
Gary Nattrass Trustee Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cornsay Durham UK Posts: 1,992	MONO dialogue all the way on location and the surround will be sorted in post prod, stereo buzz or wild tracks of atmos are always helpful but I have always had my own preferences and favorites that work as room or atmos buzz in 5.1! They all tend to be recorded using an M/S mic but I have been spoiled using an AMS Neve DFC console most of my career so it is easy to pan and expand to 5.1 surround. Note mono dialogue can also be best recorded as split twin track with boom on one channel and radio mics or spot/2nd boom mics on ch2. __________________ Over 15 minutes in Broadcast Film and TV production: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1044352/

September 2nd, 2008, 08:06 PM	#7
John McClain Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV USA Posts: 39	"You're using a 4 track recorder.. put one mic on each track you have. Surround is done in post." Exactly. __________________ The Dog and Pony Show. Sound Design, Mixing, Composing. www.dogandponystudios.net

September 2nd, 2008, 04:11 PM	#2
Sacha Rosen Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada Posts: 86	is this for dialogue?

September 2nd, 2008, 07:45 PM	#6
Jeffery Magat Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 186	You're using a 4 track recorder.. put one mic on each track you have. Surround is done in post.

September 5th, 2008, 01:11 PM	#13
Jeffery Magat Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 186	Just out of curiousity.. you said that you've done plenty of shorts. What kind of shorts have you been working on?

September 6th, 2008, 06:15 AM	#14
Chris Sweet Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver Canada Posts: 89	I did sound for a highlander spoof comedy recently.. real funny, an anti-icbc documentary (car insurance in canada.. got a whistle-blower exploiting them on scandalous activity involved..) some dry drama about some kid who accidentally shoots his dad hunting, based on a true story... those are some I've worked on recently... right now I'm making my own 3d animated short based on a couple of pigs in love, living in a factory waiting for death..