CRAS Student Selected for the Sennheiser Mentor Program

Posted on May 17, 2013 by CRAS

Congratulations to CRAS student Brad Bacon for being selected for the Sennheiser Mentor Program. Sennheiser will fly Brad to Charlotte, NC where he’ll spend the weekend observing the audio production process involved in broadcasting NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600. Brad will be shadowing Fox Sports Sr. Audio Mixer Fred Aldous, who just won his 20th Sports Emmy award. Fred, who happens to live in the Phoenix area where CRAS is located, dropped by the school and was able to meet Brad before his trip. He spent time going over the track and production compound layouts to give Brad some sense of what he’ll see during his trip later this May.

This marks the second student from CRAS to be accepted into the mentorship program. Last year Shawn Brewer was also selected to shadow Fred.

“He asked if things ever go wrong, and I said, no, nothing that you can’t handle as long as you’ve done all of your prep work correctly and anticipated where problems can arise,” Fred says. “He understands that broadcast is a situation where you get one chance to get it right the first time, and he appreciated that.”

Aldous, an Emmy Award winner for his mixing work, toured Brewer through Game Creek’s four-truck compound, including the FX A unit, the main production truck where Aldous operated from a Calrec Alpha with Bluefin; FX D and its Calrec Sigma used for the track-effects submix; and FX D, where a Yamaha M7CL console handled audio for the wireless in-car and other race comms.

Music Theory for People Who Can’t Read Music

Posted on May 6, 2013 by CRAS

“Do I need to know how to read music to work in the music industry?” This is a question that comes up a lot, and it is actually a very legitimate question. There are a lot of people who want to get into the audio recording world, but are afraid that they will fail because they don’t have a fundamental base in music theory.

What is music theory?

At the core, music theory is a conglomeration of knowledge gathered over centuries as to how music can be made the “correct” way. By looking at patterns various composers and artists use, we’ve developed “theories” as to how one can scientifically and efficiently write music in a way that is sonically pleasing to the ears.

That being said, music theory is just that – a theory. It’s not called “music science” or “music truth”. While understanding music theory can be very beneficial, and you should definitely learn the theory, it doesn’t make or break you as an audio engineer, or as a musician for that matter. Musically speaking, one of the introductory rules of music theory is that, in a composition, changes between chords should not have parallel movements, and should not use parallel octaves. But, take into consideration most modern rock music – the power chord contains a root note, a note a fifth interval above the root, and often a parallel octave of the root. Most song progressions just take this same chord structure and move up and down a scale, which produces a ton of parallel movements that are “in theory” incorrect. However, that doesn’t mean rock music is bad music. It is just a different style than what was classically deemed to be “correct”.

However, music theory can help quite a bit in the audio recording world. Having an understanding of how music works, why some chords elicit certain feelings, what makes two notes sound dissonant, and how song structure can be formed and manipulated, are all things that can be gained by having a fundamental understanding of music theory. Aside from that, if you are working with a band trying to hash out good takes, it can definitely expedite the recording process if you are familiar with the terms they will be using – chorus, pre-chorus, first movement, second movement, etc. If you can clearly understand their music terminology, and explain what you are hearing in their terms as well, you can make the entire process a lot easier, as well as gaining some “studio cred” for yourself, earning some respect.

Daniel Griffing has made a nice intro to music theory for people who can’t read music. It contains exercises and clear images of what he is talking about, in a way that can be used and applied in most modern DAWs, so you can practice at home if you want as well. You can check out his first line of tutorials here – Music Theory and Composition for the Musically Illiterate.

Grad Spotlight: Eddie Mapp

Posted on May 2, 2013 by CRAS

Conservatory graduate Eddie Mapp has done a ton of work in the past 15 years since he finished the program. Spending a lot of time both in the studio as well as doing live sound, his credit list continues to expand. From being a studio engineer and co-producer for Black Label Society, to running live sound as the FOH mixer for Evanescence, he has fully immersed himself in the audio industry.

In 2011, he wrote a premier article for Mix Magazine, outlining his techniques on how to be mic and mix vocal performances. Clearly his training, as well as his massive experience in the industry, has led him to becoming one of the most sought after engineers, especially in the live sound arena.

Reproducing the human voice in a concert situation can range from extremely easy (throw up the fader and go) to quite complex, depending on a number of situations surrounding the vocal. Are you mixing a soft-spoken singer, an aggressive rock group with multiple lead vocalists, or a pop artist whose crowd comprises 20,000 young teenage girls screaming at SPL levels higher than anything you’d ever want to compete with mixing-wise? In all of these environments, getting the vocal out there and on top is key to your mix.

In addition to bleed between other onstage instruments, fighting feedback can be a challenge depending on your singer and his/her position onstage. During the 2008 Stone Temple Pilots reunion tour, lead singer Scott Weiland was very energetic—many times climbing up the P.A. or stage trussing, as well as standing in front of the main P.A. for entire songs. This made it extremely difficult to keep his vocal on top of the mix while battling feedback from the main system, and I took many different directions before finding a solution. Using a combination of channel EQ, dynamic EQ, graphic EQ and even a Sabine feedback suppressor, I was able to maintain a reasonably consistent vocal with minimal feedback.

As a mixing engineer, it is your job to be attentive and deliver the best and most consistent show night after night, and this means paying close attention to the artist. Your knowledge of the artist and your ability to make split-second decisions cannot be replicated.

Recently Director of Education Mike Jones and educational assistant Matt Luckett had a chance to catch Eddie doing his thing live for Paramore when they hit up Comerica Theater here in Phoenix.

In Memoriam: Brooke’s Light Shines On

Posted on May 1, 2013 by CRAS

In 2009, Brooke Engstrand graduated from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Previous to coming to the Conservatory, she had spent over two years being the head of the sound department at her high school, and was also involved in an intership with Brazen Promotions booking bands, promoting shows and doing recordings.

After lighting many classrooms and warming countless hearts here, she moved out to California to do her internship at Mi Casa Media in Hollywood. After successfully finishing her internship, she managed to land a huge gig working for Blue Microphones. She worked in the Production department alongside fellow CRAS grad Maggie O’Brien.

Brooke never lost touch with her beloved friends and instructors, and was always willing to help out with anything that she could. Tragically, she recently passed away, leaving an emptiness where her huge heart had previously occupied so much space in so many people’s lives.

In tribute, Blue Mics have started a fundraiser. We can’t think of a better way to honor Brooke than by helping a student attend the school that helped her kick start it all, The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Brooke’s light, laughter and ever-positive attitude touched the lives of all who had the honor of meeting her. She came to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the audio industry, which is how many of us were introduced to her.

How it will work: The CRAS admissions team will identify a few star candidates that are ambitious and full of potential but need financial assistance to be able to attend the school. The candidates will then submit a letter to us explaining why they should be the recipient. At that time, we will award the strongest candidate the funds.

Check out their page and help donate to this incredibly generous charity. Hopefully some lucky student out there can follow her path in Brooke’s good graces.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by CRAS

Culled from numerous responses, here is a small collection of some of the best tips to improve your audio engineering skills:

It’s all about mic placement. If you want the best sound, start off with a good quality source. Spending a few extra minutes getting every set up correctly will save you time in the editing and mix down process later.
Never say “we’ll fix it in the mix”.
Work smart, not hard. Use technology to your benefit. By creating a session template that is configured with empty tracks, commonly used plug ins and routing already in place, you can save yourself set up time and you won’t lose your creative flow setting up the necessary elements.
Critically listen to your work. Recording and mixing are audio arts, so try giving them a pure listen once in a while. Just like blind people have other heightened senses, shut off some of yours to focus on what’s important – close your eyes and really listen.
A good mix will sound good whether it’s quiet or loud. Turning down the volume can help prevent ear fatigue, and it also makes certain elements stand out. Maybe at lower volumes the high hat will be more apparent, but you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed since the louder sounds mask it at higher volumes.
Spectrum analyzers – Putting one on your master output can help you see what frequencies aren’t represented, and you can see if your mix is bass heavy without having to depend on your room/speaker set up to tell you.
EQ is great but don’t overuse it. Boosting a lot of frequencies on various tracks can lead to congestion and conflicts. Instead of boosting some frequencies, think about cutting something else to avoid clutter. This can free up the aural space and give more room to the elements you want to stand out.
Take a break! Your ears get tired, just like everything else. Make sure to chill out every hour or two during a project. Your ears will be refreshed, you’ll get a new perspective on your mix when you come back, and you might even be able to think of other techniques to implement since you’re not distracted with the task at hand.
A good performance makes the track – not a technically skilled rehearsed rendition. That’s not to say that having skills is a bad thing, but when an artist plays the same performance over and over, sometimes it gets to a point where they are just going through the motions instead of giving a good feel. This ties into an earlier tip – by having templates and everything preconfigured you can get straight to recording without losing the vibe.
Low frequencies fill the audio spectrum and have more power than higher frequencies. Use high-pass filters on tracks that don’t have a lot of low frequency content to free up room. Even some bass elements – kick, guitar, low tom – can be improved through the use of a high pass filter by cutting out the muddy, super low frequencies.

5 Minutes to a Better Mix: Steal This Mix

Posted on April 29, 2013 by CRAS

Listen to mix techniques of some of your favorite records and figure out what you like about the mix sonically. Then, take those ideas and apply them to your own mixes!

The John Lennon Tour Bus

Posted on April 18, 2013 by CRAS

Today CRAS will be hosting a special guest – the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus! The bus is a three studio engineering dream on wheels, funded by a non-profit organization designed to encourage the youth of America to follow their musical and video dreams. The bus is a full fledged production suite – containing three separable studios focusing on video, music and production arts. Full of gear from Avid, Apple, Apogee, Audio-Technica, Neutrik, Genelec and SSL!

If you can’t make it down to our Gilbert campus between 10:30am and 5:30pm today, you can certainly check out this video walkthrough of the bus:

The Tour Bus is funded by donations, and you can donate directly to them through their YouTube channel here.

Brian Armstrong AMA Part 2

Posted on April 12, 2013 by CRAS

Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are some more great answers from Brian Armstrong’s reddit AMA regarding his work on the new A&E show Bates Motel.

How did you get the gig for finishing audio?

I’m not sure what you mean by finishing audio, but I worked with one of the post production supervisors awhile back on HBO’s digital series “The Boring Life of Jacqueline”. When she started this show, I just happened to have sent her an email saying I was approaching the end of a gig and looking for another.

Typical, “who you know” story in Hollywood.

How long have you been in the industry? I just started in high school and I love it! Granted its just for the local animation class and some school commercials, but still enjoy it!

I joined the union in 2007 to work on the film Seven Pounds with Will Smith, but have played around with audio since I was helping with sound design for my community theater in middle school (early 90s).

I’m envious that you’ve figured out this is what you want to do so early. You’ll have twice the amount of credits I do in about half the time I’m sure.

My husband is currently enrolled at CRAS here in Phoenix and will be doing an internship in L A for three months this summer. Any advice for him?

Stay humble, but not to the point of degradation.

I’m graduating in a month from a audio post program up here in Canada. Is interning in a production house a viable route to go through? I’m always a little wary about interning at standard recording studios because so much of the jobs have dried up in music and I hear a lot about interns being exploited. What would be some good advice about obtaining a good internship at the right place?

Are you going to be looking for an intership in post production or the music industry? The best thing you should look for in your internship is hands on experience. Internships are rarely paid, so no matter how you look it, there’s some sort of exploitation going on. May as well make the best of it. I would say aim as high as you can when applying for internships. Also, don’t limit yourself to official internship programs. Many larger studios don’t even offer them or they’re extremely difficult to get into. Find some studios you like as well as people (mixers/editors) and contact them directly saying you’re very interested in learning about the business and getting some first hand experience, even if it means sitting quietly out of the way and observing for awhile.

Be persistent, but not obnoxious. A genuine desire to help out and learn is easily detectable and is great to have around.

A lot of people will tell you you should be prepared to empty the trash and clean toilets in your internship and I suppose they’re right to an extent. But I don’t 100% believe that. I wouldn’t rule it out, but there are people out there who love what they do enough to share it with others who are passionate about the same thing.

Good luck!

How much, on average, of the dialogue in a finished episode is location sound, and how much of it is ADR?

For this show there is very little ADR. I think the most lines I’ve had to edit around in any given episode is maybe… 10-15 total? The production sound crew did a great job.

How do you have your Kensington keys setup? Do you use QuicKeys? I love QuicKeys.

My mouse is pretty much standard. I’m so used to quick keys that I can’t think of what I would actually use the mouse keys for as a shortcut. I’ve tried various things, but its never stuck.

QuickKeys are where its at!

My Kensington is always setup like this, for Pro Tools:

Bottom left button: Normal mouse click

Bottom Right Button: F6 (Trim tool)

Top Left Button: F7 (I-beam/selection tool)

Top Right Button: F8 (hand/grabber tool)

Once you get used to it, it is insanely fast to edit with.

I’m a smart tool editor. Otherwise I can see how those would be ideal. I’ll have to try it. Give the other mouse keys some attention.

It may be different for someone mainly doing dialogue editing – but I cannot STAND the smart tool. I have waaaay too many tracks to want to deal with mousing to the precise location that a tool becomes available. Having the three main tools on the mouse keys just ends up being a thousand times faster. I’ll admit, it can take some getting used to, but on the odd day that I have an intern looking over my shoulder, I have to forcefully slow down so that they can tell what I’m doing.

It’s the difference between say, .6 seconds and .3 seconds, but .3 seconds adds up FAST when it’s basically all you’re doing all day.

This gave me the idea that maybe I’ll try using them to switch between grid and slip mode. I have no need to toggle thru SPOT (I have shuffle locked… ain’t nobody got time fo dat.)

This reminds me of a story from school. When I was learning Pro Tools, some idiot from another class said he could do ANYTHING in Pro Tools with a mouse faster than any of us could with quick keys.

I don’t even think I acknowledged his mouth moving because he was so full of s***. ANYTHING?! What a d***.

I was wondering how you split your lines across dialog tracks for the mixer? Do you try to keep one character to a set of tracks, or do you try to consolidate for space so the mixer doesn’t have upwards of 12 tracks?

And if you edit between a boom to a lav then back to the boom, where the lav has little to no room tone and the boom has a steady room tone; you’ll do a bridge for the room tone. Where is an appropriate place to put this?

Also, when you use audio suite plugins, are you keeping your initial edits somewhere on an alternate track?

I explained it in one of my other answers, but how I edit my dialogue differs from mixer to mixer. They are the ultimate end point for everything I do, so if I like to keep working, I need to make sure they get what they want. So the rest of this response will be made with a big “GENERALLY SPEAKING” in front of it all. Good communication is what makes a project run smoothly and the dialogue editor and the mixer NEED TO COMMUNICATE… clearly and often. Every episode, I’ll send either the mixer or the supervisor a text just to make sure everything is running smoothly. If it’s not, I want to know why and figure out how I can avoid it again.

I have never carried more than 8 dialogue tracks in a session. I think it definitely gets too wide if you go beyond that. Mainly because these 8 do not include a few FUTZ tracks (for dialogue coming thru a phone, tv, radio, etc.), a few PFX tracks and as many X tracks as I need. X tracks are either muted or inactivated tracks where all the original edits go before I Audiosuite them as well as original takes if I replace any lines with ALTs. I try to keep the alts in the top tracks and the original edits that have been Audiosuited in the bottom.

In general, I don’t split tracks for characters unless there’s a dramatic volume change between them. Keep in mind, your job as a dialogue editor is to make the mixer’s job as easy as possible. Quick, dramatic volume changes are not easy and they’re not a clean way to get from line to line so its rare a mixer will prefer to have to do that. I do split for dramatic perspective changes. Wide shots to close ups… indoors to outdoors, etc. I will also split for each new take. If the first line is from take 3 and the next line is from take 4, I will split them and create enough fill to fade in and out of each line smoothly. I spend 90% of my time editing creating fill. It’s annoying but its what makes the dialogue world go round. By the time I’m done, my session looks like a bunch of staircases.

Same goes for switching from mic to mic. Definitely bridge the lines with clean fill and if its from the same take (which ideally it should be), keep it in the same track.

I also do this when using two iso mics… if, for instance, I hear Norma in Norman’s lav, I’ll cover that bleed with clean fill from Norman’s side and vice versa. FILL FILL FILL. Or as I call it… Phil.

Organization and technobable, two of my favorite parts!

I think I misunderstood your response about the bridged fill. How do you keep that on the same track if the lav is taking that real estate? Are you doing a print of the two tracks together?

Lets say you have the boom mic on DIAL_A and the iso mic on DIAL_B….

The first line happens on the boom, the second line happens on the iso and the third line is back on the boom (all from same take)…

I’d keep the first and third lines (boom) on DIAL_A, put the 2nd line (iso) on DIAL_B and create a piece of fill from the boom to bridge the first and third lines on DIAL_A. This way that noise from the boom carries over the ISO and will hide the fact that they’re two different sources.

What advice would you give to filmmakers who either don’t have the budget or technical know-how to improve their audio editing/dialogue editing?

For example, I hate Pro Tools and generally any audio editing program, my brain can’t process that kind of information. What can I do just in Final Cut/Premiere?

That’s a tough question. Once it hits Final Cut, its too late for this, but I cannot stress enough the importance of quality production recording. Its the golden rule… s*** in = s*** out… you can’t polish a turd.

If you know you don’t have the budget for a proper sound edit (or any edit for that matter) GET . A . GOOD . PRODUCTION . RECORDING!!

Unfortunately, I know nothing about Final Cut/Premiere/Avid or any of those picture editing suites. Even within Pro Tools, each show I work, hell… each EPISODE I work on presents new challenges and dynamics. I guess you just have to trust your ears. If it sounds good, if you can hear everything people are saying… hopefully the details are, at the very least, forgivable.

What do you do when there’s an awful lot of noise and background sounds, but there’s no way to ADR or get audio from a different take?

Also, what movie file formats do you prefer working with?

What do you monitor on?

Do you use PT just because it’s the standard or do you enjoy working on it? Do you use any other DAWs?

As far as background sounds and other noise, if I can at least understand what the characters are saying, I’ll build as long of a fill track as I can into and out of the line in hopes that the mixer can do something better than I can. Again, as long as the characters can be understood, the only way those background noises will jump out and be a nuisance is if they suddenly start or suddenly stop. If its consistently shitty, its at least less noticeable. If they can’t be understood, its a problem no one can fix really. There are some really amazing audio restoration tools, but I am a master of none of them and even with thousands of dollars of plug ins at one’s disposal… sometimes it just can’t be salvaged.

I have a spec sheet I send out when I’m doing independent features, but here’s the full list:

SPECS FOR DV QTs

• Channel 1 – Production

• Channel 2–MX&FX

• Time code window burned in

• upper left hand corner.

o Reel = Hour

o Start mark at HR:00:00:00 (first fr of action @ HR:00:08:00)

• Feet and Frame Window Burn

• upper right corner.

o Start mark at 0000+00 (first fr of action @ 12ft)

• Video Scene & Take Burn on bottom of frame

QUICKTIME PIX FILE SHOULD BE DV (720×480, 23.98 or 29.97) and should include audio tracks (ch1. DIAL ch2. FX/MX)

I’m not really a video guy, so I stole those specs from another company and use them because they always worked there.

I work mostly in headphones for dialogue editing. Occasionally I’ll listen in whatever speakers are hooked up to my system (varies from studio to studio, room to room) to give my ears a break and hear the whole show/reel/whatever differently.

PT is a standard and because of this, its what I’m most fluent in. I get frustrated when in other DAWs because the keyboard shortcuts are all different. I can slowly make my way thru other systems, but PT is my choice 100% of the time.

I wanted to ask about revisions when working freelance. Do you still work freelance on the side? How many revisions would you do for a client before telling them to “pick one”?

Yes, I still do freelance stuff on the side when the project is right and when it fits in with my work/home schedule. (I have two kids, the oldest isn’t even 3 yet…)

As far as revisions go… that’s a tough one. Just depends on what the revisions are and what’s involved in the mixing process.

Generally, I think its best to set a day or two aside where you can go through the movie with whoever has deciding power and suss all those things out. Include those two days in the budget breakdown so if they come back to you after then, you have every right to say, “well, this is now going outside the budget, so lets talk about how much this is going to cost.” They usually become quite happy with the mix at that point.

I did a movie a few years ago and the director got in touch recently and wanted to switch out “one or two music cues” because they couldn’t get clearance. Turned out we had to replace every single music cue but because I didn’t have access to the stage where we mixed the movie, we were limited to using just the stems. Still took an entire day plus a day of my own prepping everything which the director paid for.

ALWAYS include an end date and time for yourself when agreeing to do freelance shows. I also would steer clear from anything they can approve when you’re not there watching it with them.

Congrats on your success Brian! Thanks for all the great responses and kind words of advice you passed along. You can browse through the thread, read other responses or post your own at the original post found here.

Dialogue Editor Brian Armstrong Answers Questions About New Show Bates Motel

Posted on April 11, 2013 by CRAS

The television channel A&E has recently launched a critically acclaimed show entitled Bates Motel. Based off the classic horror movie Psycho, this show takes a look at the more formative years of Norman Bates. CRAS Grad Brian Armstrong, sound and dialogue editor, was kind enough to host an open forum on reddit.com and answer as many questions as he could about his role in the show.

If you weren’t doing audio work for television/film, what would your dream job be? Audio related or not.

I really love my job. I am working on getting some credits to work my way up the ladder to supervise movies/television shows as well as produce them.

What inspired you to become a sound editor?

Music, oddly enough.

When I was in college, my roommate had a guitar and I had never played an instrument before in my life. Whenever he was gone, I would pick it up and mess around with it. It inspired me to listen to a bunch of different types of music and that’s when I decided I wanted to do something in that world. I went to The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences after college and learned the “brains on” approach to making music. They had a Post Production class that felt a bit like an afterthought, but it got me very interested in the movies and TV world. I did an internship in Burbank at a post production facility doing a bunch of reality TV shows and promos for big movies. Eventually I decided to pursue bigger projects and haven’t looked back since.

I do not like a lot of TV shows, and I have never seen or heard of your show. I typically watch shows like Bob’s Burgers, That 70s show, and a couple of crime shows like Criminal Minds. Why should I or someone like me watch your show? If I shouldn’t even watch it then who is your target audience?

I think Bates Motel is pretty unique in that it’s a modern twist on a very classic story. As I typed that, I guess its not SO unique of an idea, but given the fact that Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is such a cult classic, making a “prequel” to it that takes place in today’s society (albeit a small town) is pretty ballsy. When I think of Psycho, I immediately am in another place and time. Admittedly, it took a leap of faith on my part to accept what the creators are doing, but it pays off.

I can’t speak directly on behalf of A&E as to their target audience, but Norman Bates is an awkward 17 year old high school student struggling with fitting in, making friends, and dealing with his controlling mom. I’d venture to say the target audience is definitely a younger (early 20s – mid 30s) crowd. Having said that, its not ignoring the “older” folks who perhaps saw and loved Psycho when it first came out.

Thanks for your answer. I will give episode 1 season 1 a shot this weekend. I’ve been trying to think of sound-related questions and realized I know absolutely nothing so here goes: How much work do you put in per episode? What takes up most of your time? Do you sometimes have to get actors to come back in to record they part again? Also how do you manage to make it sound like they are at that one location in the episode and not in a noiseless studio?

Awesome questions for someone who doesn’t know anything!

I have five days to edit the dialogue for a 42 minute episode. YouTube and FaceBook take up most of my time.

Yes, actors do come in and re-record some of their lines. Its called ADR. Reasons for this could vary. A line might be added to clarify a plot point. The performance might not be as good as the director or editor want it to be. There could be an sound on the track that there’s no way for me to remove (cell phone interference, planes flying over head, cars passing, etc.)

Once I do my “magic” on the show, I hand it off to the re-recording mixers to do the final work on balancing all the elements of the show (sound effects, dialogue, and music). The dialogue mixer is the guy who finesses the ADR and EQ’s and adds reverb to it so it sounds like its not recorded on a sound stage.

I’m an audio engineer interested in getting into this kind of editing work. I’ve always done music, but I’ve also worked with licensing music for film and TV, which is what sparked my interest in post production audio for film or TV. What advice would you have for someone like me?

Music editors have a great gig. I went to school to learn live sound but quickly realized that wasn’t my scene and interned at a post production facility in Burbank. The first step, I would say is to just familiarize yourself with all the different aspects of post production audio and finding someone/somewhere that will let you get your hands on some stuff and just go for it. There’s a lot of debate about whether you should focus on one thing or be open to any opportunities that come up. I think you should do both. Be open to opportunities but promote yourself as one thing you are really good at. For example, I promote myself as a dialogue editor, but I certainly wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to be a music editor or a sound effects editor if the right show came along.

Good luck and maybe we’ll share a stage someday!

I noticed from your workstation photo that you like the equal gain crossfade, as opposed to the equal power. Any particular reason? I tend to lean towards equal power.

First of all… how did you notice that from looking at my Pro Tools session?

Secondly, my crossfades are actually all equal power when they’re used within a region. If its within a region and I use equal gain, I hear a dip in the fill I can’t hear when I use equal power.

For fades in and fade outs, I create a long enough fill to fade out with any type of fade (as long as its straight). Its just sort of how I adapted to dialogue. I’ve found that seeing fades that aren’t a straight line makes some mixers a little nervous.

Bottom line, if it sounds good, it is good.

That’s interesting what you mentioned about using equal gain/straight line fades, and some mixers getting nervous about non-linear ones. Obviously, equal power is almost always the way to go within a region. But for ins and outs, that actually kind of makes sense, if the mixer is planning on riding each line in and out a bit. Easier to anticipate the linear fades.

I’ve never had the opportunity to watch a seasoned re-recording mixer working with dialogue in its early stages, so I’m pretty curious about that aspect. From my own perspective, I’ve noticed that if I use equal power fades, hidden under “mods”, I don’t have to ride each and every line’s in and out point.

Truth be told, I don’t know the fundamental difference between equal power and equal gain fades. All I know is what I hear. And yes, I think you’re right… it’s a mixer seeing something out of his/her control that makes him/her nervous.

Equal power retains the relative volume of the fade in and out clips, if you’re fading clips with different sound characteristics. Equal gain prevents the selection from summing and overloading, if your clips have the same relative volume. Source: just got a Pro Tools cert, working on my post production certs and chops now. There’s also a “none” setting, which keeps the fades independent of each other.

Hey there. I’m a SFX and music editor from Vancouver, BC. I was wondering what mix stage your show mixes at, how many days do they get to mix, and is there a predub? You say you get 5 days to cut, is that the same amount the other editors get? Are you freelance or affiliated with a certain studio or company?

Bates Motel mixes on Stage B at Bluwave on the Universal lot. FX mixer Alan Decker and dialogue mixer Nello Torri are the driving forces behind the mix. I believe the other editors get five days as well (there’s only one other). Its a two day mix and no, there is no predub.

I am a contract hire (IATSE Local 700), so I guess that’s freelance. I don’t really know what to call it. I’m working for Atomic Sound right now on Bates.

I’m studying post sound in Vancouver right now and graduate in a few months. Is it necessary to be in the union to work on shows in LA?

It is necessary if you want to work on union shows. The first two or three years I made a living doing non-union work (mostly reality) but I’ve loved being a part of the Local 700. Met some really cool people and worked on some really cool projects.

The great thing about the union is you can technically be “on the roster” once you have met the requirements and then pay your initiation dues once you land your first union gig.

Here’s the union website for more information: www.editorsguild.com.

I see you’re using Izotope Decrackler. Are you using it to clean up some lavs or what? I don’t end up using Decrackle so much as Declicker and Denoiser.

The setting I have on the Decrackler is GREAT for removing mouth noises and certain types of clicks and pops. Its really a tool I’ve grown probably too reliant upon. Its always open (along with reverse and my color palette)

Honestly, I haven’t played around much with Declicker. Denoiser I don’t mess with because the dialogue mixer I’m working with likes to do all that. I get his hesitation. A lot of times dialogue editors will use it too heavy handed and end up with a phasey track. The only time I’ll ever use Denoiser (on this show anyway) is to identify a specific frequency that is persistent in the whole take and can be seamlessly removed.

I do post for a lot of independent stuff, and as such, I do everything in the sound process – from dialogue edit to mix and everything in between. Because of that, I can’t say that I actually know where the dialogue editor job ends. I’d love to understand as I would like to be able to get hired for these kinds of jobs and not scrounge around independently. When you say you’ll use Denoise to identify a frequency, does that mean you’re just doing it to find out if it is removable and you don’t need to tag that region for ADR? Or are you actually going through and EQ’ing the dialogue as you go? If so, are you putting a channel strip plugin in, or are you doing it in Audiosuite?

I’m very familiar with the world of “independent” work. I started in a small post production facility that did it all and in very unrealistic turn around times. Your questions target the exact problems I’m still overcoming working with mixers.

I’ll answer the Denoiser question first. Sometimes when I’m working on dialogue I’ll hear a constant tone. If it’s a VERY specific frequency, I’ll either bring up an Audiosuite EQ for the ol’ sweep and pull. If that’s not successful, I’ll bring in the Denoiser, let it “learn” an empty section of the region and it will show me what the exact frequency bell looks like. Then I’ll bring the EQ back and get rid of it that way. However, if it’s more of a hum or a broader frequency tone, I’ll leave it alone and let the mixer deal with it. Sounds mean, but that’s their job and that’s what they do best. What sounds good to me in my headphones will NOT sound the same on a stage with big speakers.

The line between mixer and editor is constantly moving with each new show I’m on. The best way to be a valuable dialogue editor is to first recognize that your job is simply to prepare your tracks for the mixer. Secondly, the communication HAS to be alive and well between you and the mixer as to what he or she wants and doesn’t want. They can be very specific so its good to make sure their expectations are crystal clear. You also want to be on the stage for the first mix, even if it means doing so on your own time. The BEST way to learn is to watch your tracks get manipulated on the stage. I guarantee you’ll more in one day on the stage with Kevin O’Connell or Nello Torri than you will in ten years working on your own.

NEVER use a channel strip plug in if you’re just editing. 10 times out of 10 the mixer will just import your tracks into a template they’ve created and are comfortable with. I ALWAYS use Audiosuite for destructive edits, and I ALWAYS make a copy before applying the effect and put it in the x tracks. I never leave mixers unable to undo anything I’ve done. Its way too egocentric for me to think I’ve solved all the problems on my own. Haha.

What show on TV currently does a very bad job at what you do?

I wouldn’t want to rat out anyone I might end up working with in the future, so I’ll openly admit to answering a completely different question while escaping yours.

If there’s one aspect of post production I really dislike its group ADR. Group ADR is basically getting a bunch of people in the recording studio and making them yell things specific to a scene. If its a bar scene, they’ll say things like, “yeah, I’ll take a beer” or “Over here, man!” and try and tie lines to specific actions people in the background are doing.

The show that the group stands out the most on, TO ME, is Boardwalk Empire. Quite often I will laugh my ass off at the things those actors come up with. Its no one’s fault. Group ADR is a very necessary evil… it just sometimes stands out to me way more than it probably should in that show specifically.

I just realized that pretty much every single reality show that involves talking head interviews is pretty bad when it comes to dialogue editing. They don’t have multiple takes to work with and (ideally) its non-scripted so editors have to work with what they have. Next time you watch a show with talking head interviews, listen ANYTIME they cut away from the person talking. I guarantee the reason they cut away is because they’re changing what the person originally said in one way or another.

Come back for part two of this AMA tomorrow!

5 Killer OS X Shortcuts for Audio Engineers

Posted on April 5, 2013 by CRAS

There is no doubt that Mac computers are found in staggering numbers within the music industry. While a common complaint about the Mac Operating System is that it is too “user friendly” and not “technical” enough, there are a lot of hidden tricks and shortcuts that can be phenomenally useful. Here are seven:

Change audio I/O from the menu bar – By holding the Option key and clicking on the speaker icon in the menu bar, you can access the same features found within the Sound System Preferences tab.
Adjust volume in smaller increments – By default there are 16 levels of volume. But sometimes there is too big of a jump from one click to the next. If you hold Shift+Option while changing the volume, you get much finer resolution – almost 4 levels within each click.
Adjust volume silently – Speaking of clicks, sometimes the volume change indicator “quack” can be annoying, and sometimes outright loud if you are working on lower volume material. Hold shift while you change the volume and the clicking sound goes away!

Take a perfect screenshot – Sometimes you want to admire your work. By pressing Shift+Command+3, you can take a snapshot of the entire screen. However that can be a little messy. If you press Shift+Command+4, you can make a selection of what you want to screenshot. But the best trick is when you press Shift+Command+4, then press Space. The mouse cursor turns into a camera icon and you will now be able to take a screenshot of just one window.
Quickly force quit Pro Tools – Pro Tools, as well as many other apps, have a tendency to crash and hang. If that happens, you can click and hold on the Pro Tools icon in the Dock, and select Force Quit. One step better, you can accomplish this without a mouse. By pressing Option+Command+Escape, you can bring up the Force Quit window. Press the Up or Down arrow on your keyboard until you select the problematic application and hit enter. You can then press Escape to close the Force Quit window.

CRAS BLOG

News From The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences

Category Archives: Career Advice