All Things Audio -- topics from 2002 thru 2004

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

For those in the ACID world, or just wanting to get started making their own custom songs, ACID 5 has arrived.
The sweetest new feature is the Media Manager, but some other trick components are:

• Groove Mapping Quantization
  ReWire Mixer and Device Support
  VST Effects Support
  Multiport VSTi Soft Synth Support
  MIDI Editing Enhancements
  Tempo-based DirectX Effects
  Plug-in Manager
  Bypass All Effects

[Graham Bernard]

Very very tasty indeed - Groove Mapping? - Genius! . .The GUI looks stunning.

G

[Alessandro Machi]

How many actors, how many mikes, how many tracks will you need to keep the audio tracks iso'd while shooting?

If the actors talk over each others lines you will be forced to mix different ambient backgrounds and have to deal with the various mikes picking up the other actors at a lower but annoying enough level.

So if you do decide to try your idea don't ever have the actors talk over each others lines. You'll be better off in the $500.00 dollar range for you wireless mikes.

[Carl Walters]

Does anyone know the title song used for the Old Spice aftershave commercial, the one that sounds like it should be in a horror movie, in fact I think it may have been in The Omen or something similar; bom bom bom bom... if that helps?

[Evan Fisher]

I've got my camera (Canon XL2), Shotgun mic and the mic that came with the camera and now I'm getting ready to purchase a wireless mic & receiver, boom pole, etc. All of the threads I have read on here have been extremely helpful. Before I make my final decision I will definitely speak to someone who specifically deals in audio gear.

Would anyone care to share what they have in their time-tested/proven EFP kit? (particularly the not-so-obvious)

Thanks in advance,

Evan

[Rob Kroeger]

Sorry for the double-post guys, My browser sent the post 2 times and I cant delete the second post.

[Bruce S. Yarock]

Evan,
I just got my xl2 ( had been using a GL1). I bought an AT 897 which I'm happy with. I also got the Sennheiser G2 with the xtra mic plug. It seems to work well and sounds good, but I haven't had the opportunity to put much time on it.
Bruce yarock

[Gustavo Godinho]

The sound will have the same quality? Can I mount the mic on a boom and use long XLR cables?

[Mike Rehmus]

<<<-- Originally posted by Gustavo Godinho : The sound will have the same quality?

Yes but you have to have an adapter from the 3.5mm plug to the XLR connector. Easy to do.


Can I mount the mic on a boom and use long XLR cables?

Probably not without some interference.

-->>>

[Jose di Cani]

HI

I will start with mine. You will only be able to make the dialogue better whilst also affecting the stereo final mix, that means all ambient & source sound that was picked up whilst filming. THis may not be too much of a problem, unless the recorded material you have to work with is actually distorted.
Before I start giving you my tips, you can LEARN everything from editing audio, making your own music with midi and vst synths, clean recording at : http://www.futureproducers.com

the futurproducers forum is the best audio forum online. It is like dvinfo being the best in dv information.

http://www.kvr-vst.com/get.php

1) You can't record everyhting with your shotgun mic. Sometimes you need to fix things in post production. The best way is to use a secuencer (cubase, sonar, logic, pro tools). This gives you a visual representation of the tracks. YOu can also add VST-plugins. With VST you can edit everything your heart desires. I MEAN EVRYTHING! You can create profesional effects and mixing.

A nice link that shows the different types of effects you could use in your spielberg movies is: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep0...2c9b9084b94698

If you are rich, you can use hardware effects machines, but we live in a digital era and thanks to the internet you can use freeware fx plugins. You don't need to spend anything in your audio arsenal.

The best free FX/synth/vokator/EQ/rerverb/ditortion vst/direct x plugins can be found on the KVR-VST site here:
http://www.kvr-vst.com/get.php

2) I love reverb. Use reverb in the most important scenes. Escpecially in moments of death/sex scenes/action etc. Also use reverb in scenes like slomotions, flashbacks and if you want to acentuate a mood like for instance ' screaming for help' or ' crying' or ' killing someone with a gun'. Rerverb can also be used to have a nicer transition from one scene to a totally different scene. Look at the french amelie movie . They used it tons of times in scenes like ' the blinkin of a eye' , ' closing a door', opening a door, flashbacks etc. Silence is another nice thing you can use in movies. USE silence to create more depth in your scene.



Before adding effects:
a) I edit my main tracks recorded with the cam's mic or the shotgun mic. I delete everything that doesnt belong in a movie : ' rumble' , distorted recordings, sound of the cam's tape transport, footsteps of the camera man, details such as humms, crackles and other things. PUT YOUR HEADPHONE ON , otherwise you won't hear the details. Buy good nearfield monitors for your studio.
Check this intersing link on nearfield monitors http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jun0...s/monitors.asp
I bought mine behringer truths for 260 euros each. They sound flat and not-boosted!!

b) Often I do a rough production of the scenes without audio, render it and import it abck into my sequencer. I then start cutting and pasting the audio there. I try to do lots of transitions and fading stuff at the end of words. There is nothing worse to hear audio being cut out too obviously.
c) Every little detail is important.
- The dB scale can get very technical but in digital the absolute rule of thumb is to keep everything below 0 dB or else you will get digital clipping.
- add sparkle to your upper frequency range of the vocals. It is in this range (3000-12000 hz)here that people think that the quality is profesional. Watch out with the ' sss'. Watcho ut with the frequency around 3500hz. This area is the most delicate freq. spot. Too much here and it people will get ired.

eq tips:

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness
50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom end
100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area
800-1kHz ~ Adds beef to small speakers
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8kHz ~ Adds high-end presence
8-12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Apply either cut or boost around 300hz, depending on the mic and song.Apply a very small boost around 6kHz to add some clarity.

100-250Hz ~ Adds 'up-frontness'; watch out with the freq specs of your cam mic or shotgun. Don't add EQ if there is nothing to be added. DO a frequency plot to see what frequencies the vocals are made of. Soundforge has one. SO has Cubase, logic and sonar, adobe premier.

200 hz: 1. Increase to add fullness to vocals; Reduce to decrease muddiness of vocals

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area

1-6kHz ~ Adds presence; 5. Reduce to increase breathy, soft sound on background vocals.

6-8kHz ~ Adds sibilance and clarity

8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness; Increase to brighten vocals

15 hz and above; 15KHz; Increase to brighten vocals (breath sound).

Good EQ plugs are: http://www.waves.com


- check your VOLUMES. Do volume riding with automation first! Record your movements. Check for overall volume consistancy. IF you prefer to use a vst/direct x plugin for compression, watch out cause you might bring up the noise levels as well. A little bit of compression gives the conversation a better flow. Add a tube emulator plugin to your mastering and you are the man! Add warmth to your vocals in the lower frequency range

PSP vintage warmer and PSP saturator are GOOD! http://www.pspaudioware.com/

- Look at the room you recorded in. Does it have lots of wood but the sound you have is too flat? Fix it with a little bit of EQ. Add extra effects in the most important scenes. Turn up the volume, adding a little bit of reverb and echo. Watch out with your zooms and camera views. There has to be a constistency in there. As soon as an actor changes from one room to another (entering a kitchen for instance), try to figure out if the audio flow is correct. Does it sound good? Does the ambience sound correct and continious (traffic noise, television noise, birds, noise from closing/opening doors ?)
- Do a retake of your audio in post production if you are not satisfied. All mayor hollywood movies do that. Recreate the ambient noise & room sounds etc
- good actors produce great sounds. Articulation is the key. Let the conversation be normal and real.
- telephone FX tricks are easy. Take the sample , put it in a audio editor, and cutt everything below 800 hz and above 3000hz.
- Add comentary/voice overs to your movies, recorded with a different mic (condensor) so that you can hear it harder and deeper than the conversations. Add extra bass and a push-up in the 3000-5000 hz area to get the attention of your viewer.
click here for an article on recording voice overs:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997...pokenword.html

- add extra effecs to your movie. You can't always record everything while you are recording your footage. Watch the profesional movies and check out the little details. YOu can record them yourself in a garage with a condenserr mic instead of using your shotgun. EFFECTS that are made in pro-production: footsteps, doors, pouring water/beer, stabs, punches( if you have meat at your house, cut a slice and give it some mike tyson punches), telephone sounds, crunching of floors (use cornflakes to make these sounds, invent something, evrything is posible) etc, outside ambience like traffic, nature. do You don't get a nice audio flow/consinstancy if you introduce cuts in ambience sounds. Watch out with traffic sound. DO not make them tooo loud. some downloadable fx sounds at: http://www.sounddogs.com/start.asp

- add background music to bring evrything together. Watch out with copyrighted material.MAke your own music easily with your pc. a good Midi-sequencer is the only thing you need. You can even make msuic with your mouse with programs such as reason 2.5 http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec0...2c9b9084b94698
and musicmaker. YOu have free sytnhs outthere online to add horror or dramatic effects to your movie. I use a synth called Absynth which was used for the the gladiotor movie. It is simple. Use a preset, tweak it and add it to your movie. You will be amazed what you can do with your pc and your mouse.
- be creative. use audio the same as video. HOw can you steel your viewer's attention? A nice effects was the ' PIANO' movie. Remeber the hard screaming sound you heard after the bomb had landed in one of the rooms? It grabbed my attention. Another way of learning to be creative is to look at movies, write down what you like and try to figure out how you can add your own tricks to your movies. You can also google for the oscars for best special effects. In braveheart for instance, the sound of the horses were made in post production. How? They used condensor mic, recorded the horses in a quiet enviromont and they added extra BASS and extra REVERB to grab your attention. Startrek monster effects are easily created with freeware and fullware. YOu only need a vokator plugin or program. a good one is orange vocator(used in cher's I believe) or Vokator from NI http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep0...2c9b9084b94698


How to make your own music with the pc: click here:

http://www.futureproducers.com/links.php/category/9

I hope I have given you some good info. The best thing you can do is study some audio forums. There is one forum which is the best out there. I learned everything from there.

Tricks for audio are online at the best forum for audio recording and editing:

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Thanks for the share there, Jose!
On the side of web-ettiquette, please do not post links to other forums when there is no specific subject on topic?

[Richard Maloney]

Just came across this, wondered what you thought of if it for mobile/backup recording.

http://www.neurosaudio.com/

[Giuseppe Vetro]

hi
I must direct a short film, so i've some questions:

1- i've a panasonic gs400 and a electret supercardioid microphone...i don't' know if buying a shotgun (at815b) or not.I'd like a clear sound for the dialogues and also for the background..

2- i've another camera, in which i could record the background audio...so, in this way, in the gs400 i connect the shotgun microphone via xlr-jack cable , and in the other camcorder i record the background in the same time with the super cardioid..is it right??but, i think , that also in the second camera voices would be recorded..how can i mix the two fonts??

3 have you any other solution to have a good audio without spending too much??i want a very good audio..
thanks....

[Giuseppe Vetro]

ops..i forgot to say that the supercardioid microphone i have is mon..it is another problem..can i record the background in mono??is it bad??the at815b shotgun is always mono, but is it ok for the dialogues...not?

[Glenn Chan]

The special thing about this mixer is that it has an effects unit built in.
PRO: One of the effects is a tone generator, which is handy for figuring out what your levels convert to after limiting and figuring out what your sound card does to your signal.
CON: This is the most confusing mixer I ever encounter. If you put the knobs in their detente/middle position, your sound will get routed to the effects unit and come back into your final mix with an effect. You need to turn aux send 2s off.
I'm not sure if any of the other effects are any good.

Other notes:
A- Ethical? Apparently Behringer stole/used Mackie's preamp design. They got into a lawsuit and settled out of court. Other Behringer products bear remarkable similarity to competitor's.
*Boycott probably won't work as Behringer will have no idea you didn't buy their product for this reason. It's probably a better idea to send them a letter? I don't even know.
B- Cheap. Mackie mixer is about 3X price.
C- Apparently the UB-series Behringer mixers have nice preamps (see A), but I have no way of testing.
D- The mixer has a second bus. There's main mix and "alt 3-4".
E- With the FX unit set to generate tone and the volume knob for effects turned all the way down, you can still very faintly hear tone on headphones. You could set the FX unit to a reverb and you won't hear anything.