MED 2023 AUDIO PRODUCTION

1. INTRODUCTION

The Importance of Sound

Sound is arguably on equivalence with visual (video/films) as the most important element to be
able to manipulate and control during production and post production. Too often filmmakers
focus all of their attention on visual and ignore the quality of their sound. Interestingly enough,
audiences seem to be more annoyed by poor sound quality than by poor cinematography.

• Mediated sound is a whole different being from the visual media experience.
Images whether still or moving, produced chemically or electronically are
dependent upon light and our sense of vision. Our aural sense engage a different
part of our brain and is not trigger by light waves but by vibration of the air.

• Audio media such as radio and audio CDs can stand alone or be combined with
visuals in movies, television, websites and other interactive media, changing and
enriching the experience of visual alone.

• Sound by itself encourages us to imagine visual in our minds, creating a unique

experience for each listener.

• Audio is sometimes the "ignored child" of a media production and theory. movie
or television program without sound is only half experience at best.

• The dialogue or narration of most movies is crucial to understanding the story. It is

much easier to understand what's happening on television when you're only
hearing it than when you 're only seeing it.

• Sound allows us to hear what people are talking about and hearing their voices as
opposed to reading their words can give us information about their attitude,
mood, geography origin and age.

• The same words can mean different things when shouted and whispered. A slight
inflection or emphasis can imply sarcasm or doubt that are not evident in the
printed word.
 • Environmental sound can set location, time of day or year and give information
about who or what is present.
• The sound of a shot fire off screen can be an important but unseen aspect of the
story.
• Music create an emotional impact by itself or underscoring other sounds or
images.
• At the same time our understanding of sound is similar to light, which is the basis
of reproducing images. Sound is energy that travels in waves, like light. Sound
has both technical aesthetic roles in making media and can be describe in terms
of quantity, quality and direction just like light.
• Conclusion : Sound is a powerful tool of expression both alone and in combination
with images.

The Films Sound Track

Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to
underestimate the importance of film sound. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated
as the image on the screen. The entire sound track is comprised of three essential ingredients:

• the human voice

• sound effects
• music

These three tracks must be recorded, edited, and mixed to produce the necessary effects.

The Human Voice

Dialogue authenticates the speaker as an individual or a real person rather than the imaginary
creation of a story teller. As is the case with stage drama, dialogue serves to tell the story and
expresses feelings and motivations of characters as well. Often with film characterization the
audience perceives little or no difference between the character and the actor.
Sound Effects
• Synchronous sounds are those sounds which are synchronized or matched with
what is viewed. For example: If the film portrays a character playing the piano,
the sounds of the piano are projected.
• Asynchronous sound effects are not matched with a visible source of the sound on
screen. Such sounds are included so as to provide an appropriate emotional
nuance, and they may also add to the realism of the film. For example: A film
maker might opt to include the background sound of an ambulance's siren while
the foreground sound and image portrays an arguing couple. T

Music
Background music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a film. Usually not meant to be
noticeable, it often provides a tone or an emotional attitude toward the story and/or the
characters epicted. In addition, background music often foreshadows a change in mood. For
example, dissonant music may be used in film to indicate an approaching (but not yet visible)
menace or disaster.

Background music may aid viewer understanding by linking scenes. For example, a particular
musical theme associated with an individual character or situation may be repeated at various
points in a film in order to remind the audience of salient motifs or ideas.

Film sound is comprised of conventions and innovations. We have come to expect an

acceleration of music during car chases and creaky doors in horror films. Yet, it is important to
note as well that sound is often brilliantly conceived. The effects of sound are often largely
subtle and often are noted by only our subconscious minds. Yet, it behooves us to foster an
awareness of film sound as well as film space so as to truly appreciate a twentieth century art
form, the modern film.
Studio Acoustics
What is acoustic?
The science of sound both physical and psychophysical.
• Physical – sound as a disturbance in the air.
• Phychophysical – the way our ears percieve the sound.
Why we use acoustic foam for controlling studio acoustics?
The goal of acoustical treatment is to eliminate problems created by
parallel hard
surfaces that reflect sound waves. Although architectural solutions such as
concave or angled walls can help in reducing acoustical problems, a more
practical and cost-effective solution is to treat existing room surfaces with
sound absorbing materials, such as acoustica foam.

In what problem areas is acoustic foam effective?

Acoustic foams offer sound absorption, room reinforcement, noise reduction
solutions for home theaters, recording studios, listening rooms and more. After
installing acoustic foam you will experience the following benefits:

1. Reduction of slap echo

2. Lowering of noise levels
3. Elimination of standing waves
4. Reduction of near-field reflections
5. Smoothing of frequency response

Audio production Chain

The system is designed to amplify the voice of three panelist. The system
can be conceptually analyzed as having three sections:

a) Iput transducers
b) Signal processing
c) Output transducers
Input transducer - The three microphones convert the sound they pickup
from the panelist into audio signal s that travel down the cables to the signal
processing equipment.
Signal processing - The three microphones are connected to individual input
on the mixing console. These console serves the following functions:

1) Preamplification – The console’s microphone input section amplifies

the level of audio signal from each microphone, bringing it up to line
level.

2) Equalization – The console provides the means to adjust the tonal

balance of each microphone individually. This allows the console
operator to achieve a more pleasing or more intelligible sound quality.

3) Mixing – The console adds the equalized signals of the microphones

together to produce a single line-level output signal.
The output of the console is connected to a power amplifier. The power
amplifier boost the console line level (0.1 to 100 miliwatts) output signal
to a level suitable to drive the loudspeaker (0.5 to 500 watts)

Output tranducer – The loudspeaker converts the power amplifier output

signal back into sound, the level of the sound is much higher than that of the
three panelist speaking unaided.

Studio Personnel
‘‘One of the most satisfying things about being in the professional audio [and music] industry is
that sense that you are part of a community.’’ –Frank Wells, editor, Pro Sound News. When you get
right down to the important stuff, the recording field is built around pools of talented individuals
and service industries who work together for a common goal—producing, selling and enjoying
music. As such, it’s the people in the recording industry who make the business of music happen.
Recording studios and other businesses in the industry aren’t only known for the equipment that
they have but are often judged by the quality, knowledge, vision, and personalities of their staff.
The following sections describe but a few of the ways in which a person can be involved in this
multifaceted industry.

The Producer
Beyond the scheduling and budgetary aspects of coordinating a recording project, it is the job of a
producer to help the artist and record company create the best possible recorded
performance and final product that reflect the artist’s vision. A producer can be
hired onto a project to fulfill a number of possible duties and may even be
given complete control over a project’s artistic, financial, and programmatic
content. More likely, however, a producer acts collaboratively with an artist or
group to guide them through the recording process. This type of producer will
often:
 • Assist in the selection of songs
• Help to focus the artistic goals and performance in a way that best conveys the
music to the targeted audience
• Help to translate that performance into a final, salable product (with the technical
and artistic help of an engineer and mastering engineer)

A producer can also be chosen for his/her ability to understand the process of creating a final
recorded project from several perspectives: business, musical performance, creative insight,
and mastery of the recording process. Because engineers spend much of their working time
with musicians and industry professionals with the intention of making their clients sound
good, it’s not uncommon for an engineer to take on the role of producer or co-producer (by
default or by mutual agreement). Conversely, as producers become increasingly more
knowledgeable about recording technology, it is also increasingly common to find them sitting
behind the controls of a console.

The Engineer
The job of an engineer can best be described as an interpreter in a techno-artistic
field. The engineer must be able to express the artist’s music and the producer’s
conceptsthrough the medium of recording technology. This job is actually best classified as an
art form, as both music and recording are subjective in nature and rely on the tastes and
experience of those involved. During a recording session, one or more engineers can be used on
a project to:
• Place the musicians in the desired studio positions.
• Choose and place the microphones.
• Set levels and balances on the recording console or DAW mixing interface.
• Record the performance onto tape or disk.
• Overdub additional musical parts into the session that might be needed at a later
time.
• Mix the project into a final master recording in any number of media and mono,
stereo, and/or surround-sound formats.

In short, engineers use their talent and artful knowledge of recording media technology
toconvey the best possible sound for the intended media and buying public.
Assistant Engineer
Many studios often train future engineers (or build up a low-wage staff ) by allowing them to
work as assistants to staff and freelance engineers. The assistant engineer often does
microphone and headphone setups, runs tape machines and or DAW setup, helps with session
documentation, does session breakdowns, and (in certain cases) performs rough mixes and
balance settings for the engineer on the console. With the proliferation of freelance engineers
(those not employed by the studio but are retained by the artist, producer, or record company to
work on a particular project), the role of the assistant engineer has become even more
important. It is often the assistant engineer’s role to guide freelance engineers through the
technical aspects and quirks which are peculiar to that studio.

Maintenance Engineer
The maintenance engineer’s job is to see that the equipment in the studio is maintained in top
condition, regularly aligned, and repaired when necessary. Larger organizations (those with
more than one studio) might employ a full-time staff maintenance engineer, while freelance
maintenance engineers and technical service companies are often called in to service smaller
studios and those in non-major markets.

Mastering Engineer
It’s not uncommon to have to tweak a final master recording in terms of overall and relative
level, equalization (EQ), and volume dynamics so as to present the final ‘‘master’’ recording in
the best possible sonic and marketable light. This job falls to a mastering engineer, who will
listen to and process the recording (often but not always in the digital domain) in a specialized,
fine-tuned monitoring environment.

The Artist
The strength of a recorded performance begins and ends with the artist. All the technology in
the world is of little use without the existence of the central ingredients of human creativity,
emotion, and technique. Just as the overall sonic quality of a recording is no better than its
weakest link, it’s the performer’s job to see that the foundation of all music—its inner soul—is
laid out for all to experience and hear. After this has been done, a carefully planned and well-
produced recording can act as a gilded framework for the music’s original drive, intention, and
emotion.
Studio Musicians and Arrangers
A project often requires additional musicians to add extra spice and depth to
the artist’s recorded performance. For example:
• A member of a group might not be available or might not be up to
the overall musical standards that are required by the project. In
such situations, it is not uncommon for a professional studio
musician to be called in.

• An entire group of studio musicians might be called on to provide

the best possiblemusical support for a high-profile artist or
vocalist.

• A project might require musical ensembles (such as a choir, string section, or

background vocals) for a particular part or to give a piece a fuller sound.

• If a large ensemble is required, it might be necessary to call in a professional

music contractor to coordinate all the musicians and make the financial
arrangements. The project might also require a music arranger, who can notate
and possibly conduct the various musical parts.

The Recording Process

The cost-effective environment of the project studio has brought music and audio production to
a much wider audience, thus making the process much more personal. The process of capturing
sound onto a recorded medium will generally occur in six distinct steps:
• Preparation
• Recording
• Overdubbing
• Mixdown
• Mastering
• Product manufacture

Works Cited
David Miles Huber; Robert E. Runstein. Modern Recording Techniques, Sixth
Edition. USA :Focal Press, 2005. Print.

Jan Roberts-Breslin. Making media: foundations of sound and image

production. USA: Focal Press, 2007. Print.

Jane Knowles Marshall. " An Introduction to Film Sound". filmsound.org.

Filmsound, n.d. Web 26 Jul 2010.