ESSENTIALS OF A STUDIO

MOVIE STUDIO
POST PRODUCTION STUDIO
SCORING STUDIO
MASTERING STUDIO
FOLEY STUDIO
ANIMATION STUDIO
STOP MOTION ANIMATION
2-D ANIMATION STUDIO
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
MODELLING STUDIO
TELEVISION STUDIO
RADIO STUDIO
MOBILE STUDIO
DANCE STUDIO
ACTING STUDIO
ART STUDIO
RECORDING STUDIO
ORFIELD LAB
1.Movie studio / Film production studio: Controlled environment for filmmaking. These include
space to shoot films and also studios for post-production
2.Post production studio: These focus only on post-production activities such as video-editing,
colour-correction/grading, etc.
3.Animation studio: Like movie studios, these studios (Disney, Pixar) produce animation movies,
including anime.
4.Music recording studio: This is the place where you do sound recording, music recording,
dubbing, mastering – everything related to recording music & sound
5.Mastering studio: Some studios focus only on Mastering, the process of preparing the final
audio mix, from which all copies will be produced (using various methods for duplication or
replication).
6.Acting Studio: Workspace where actors rehearse and refine their craft
7.Dance studio: workspace where dancers rehearse and refine their moves
8. Art Studio (Artist’s studio): Its a place/workspace where artists make art. Its a term used by
artists (and their assistants/employees) for the place where they work.
9. Photographic studio: This is the workspace to take photos, and to process, develop & print
photographs. Some studios also do photo & video editing in their studios.
10. Television Studio: This is where television or video productions take place, either for live
television, or to capture raw footage for post-production.
11. Radio production studio: Room where a radio program/show is produced, either for live
broadcast or recorded for a later broadcast.
12. Comics studio: Small studio where artists work together to produce comics – comic strip,
comic book or graphic novel.
13. Foley studio: Place where everyday sound effects are added to film / video / other media
14. Educational / Instructional Studio: Place where students learn skills related to design.
 REQUIREMENTS

1. Clients
2. Analyse other studios
3. 5 year plan
4. Income growth
5. Speciality of studio
6. Own qualification
7. Budget
8. Equipment selection
9. Personnel salary
10. Licences and legal details
11. Site selection (commercial neighbours) (who do not make noise and are tolerant to noise)
12. Acoustics consideration
13. Temperature, humidity, (72° Fahrenheit with 50% relative humidity), air conditioning system
 REQUIREMENTS

 It has long been the dream of many an engineer to build and operate a studio. Too often, the
dream gets ahead of sensible financial planning, and the studio, whether built from the
ground up or acquired through other channels, runs into trouble.
 The biggest pitfall here is investing too much money and real estate in a large studio space,
overlooking the income possibilities of more, and smaller, work spaces. A conservative
business plan is essential.
 Basically, a business plan is an outline of income potential less the cost of getting into, and
staying in, business. The first thing to do is determine what the income potential really is
questions such as these need to be answered:
a. Are there enough clients in the community to adequately "load" the facility at its breakeven
point? It is important to be conservative in these estimates. Take note of how other studios in
the area have fared. In particular, analyse those that have failed, and determine why. Likewise,
analyse those that have succeeded, and determine why.
 REQUIREMENTS

b. What is the income growth potential for the studio? For example, if the intended specialty
of the studio is advertising or video-related work, find out what the long-range growth
potential is in your community. Any responsible lending institution will expect an analysis
prepared by a financial analyst who understands the field.
c. What are your own qualifications for specifying, building, and operating a studio? A
realistic appraisal is essential here. Identify those specialists in studio design and construction
who can help you
 REQUIREMENTS

The next step is to outline the initial and ongoing costs of being in business:
a. Outline in detail the costs of leasehold or property development for the studio, and note the
time required for this work.
b. Identify the equipment that must be purchased outright as opposed to equipment that
may be leased against eventual purchase option.
c. Outline all personnel salary and benefit requirements for running the studio, as well as all
items of overhead. (Incentives are a common thing in hiring competent recording engineers,
and commissions are routinely paid for work that experienced engineers can bring to the
studio. Deal with this openly and professionally.)
d. Take note of building codes, licenses, and other legal details.
e. Identify legal and financial counsel who have experience in this or in related fields.
 REQUIREMENTS

 In most locations, studios are considered commercial enterprises and must be located in
areas zoned for such purposes. Many small studios exist in residential locations only
because they do not create a noise or traffic nuisance to such an extent that neighbours have
complained.
 In picking a site for a studio, take careful note of who your commercial neighbours will be
and what their business hours are. It is expensive to acoustically isolate a studio, and the
ideal situation is to have neighbours who do not make noise and who themselves are
tolerant of moderate noise levels.
 Avoid proximity to busy thoroughfares and approach is to airports. A little homework is
advised in checking out future state and federal plans for a given site. For example, a
freeway passing near the site could profoundly influence prospects, and not always for the
better.
 REQUIREMENTS

 Ensure that the neighbourhood is stable by checking with those businesses already in place.
The ready availability of space in high industrial parks attracts many in the studio business.
 Landlords are quite willing to make changes, but the major problem is likely to be a
problem with an insufficient total floor-to-roof distance.
 It is best to make such arrangements when such a facility is in the design stages. Another
concern here is parking; make certain that there is enough space for your purposes.
 The essential advice here is to engage a qualified acoustical consultant at the outset of the
project. Pick one who has a good track record and good references. The acoustician can be
of great help in laying out the basic floor plan for the facility, and with proper care at this
stage many potential acoustical problems can be avoided entirely.
 REQUIREMENTS

 Allow for final space requirements in choosing a site. An undeveloped space may seem quite
large at the outset, but it will be much smaller after all aspects of isolation and acoustical
treatment have been dealt with. Dropped ceilings and air conditioning duct work can also take
up much space. As a general rule no undeveloped space with a ceiling height less than 4.5 m
(15 feet) should be considered for first-rate studio design. Where existing sites are being
considered for conversion to studio use, existing air conditioning systems should be carefully
assessed in the following regards:
a. Is the cooling effort equal to the maximum anticipated load?
b. Does the noise level of the system meet studio requirements?
c. Does the ductwork provide sufficient sound isolation between the studio and adjacent work
areas? This question needs to be answered in terms of possible interference in either direction.
 REQUIREMENTS

 Avoid making the studio look clinical and institutional. The feeling should be one of
warmth so that the artists will be at ease. Selection of colours and textures should be
made early, preferably with the help of a studio designer, so that those choices can
satisfy both aesthetic and utilitarian needs.
 At the same time, the control room must convey the presence of technology, not in the
sense of wires, switches, and meters, but in the form of new equipment.
 Lighting is an important element in creating the right atmosphere. Provision should be
made for high illumination when needed.
 REQUIREMENTS

 Rapid changes in technology make it difficult for a studio owner to remain competitive
for long without constant attention to upgrading facilities and acquiring new
equipment.
 The disturbing thing here is that equipment must often be replaced-even while it is still
capable of doing a superlative job! Few studios can afford the luxury of outright
purchase of expensive equipment, and leasing is the rule.
 Very often, the equipment is "obsolete" by the time the lease has expired, so the leasing
terms should take this into account. The extent of advice that can be offered here is to
outline the major equipment areas in terms of their general directions and pace of
development. From this discussion it will become clear which areas will require
accelerated upgrading and which are relatively stable
GENERAL LAYOUT
 LAYOUT FOR AUDIO STUDIO

 Control Room / Production control room (PCR) / Studio control room (SCR)

 Live room / Studio floor / Production floor

 Isolation booth

 Machine room
 The live room of the studio where the vocalists sing and instrumentalists play their
instruments, with their singing and playing picked up by microphones and, for
electric and electronic instruments, by connecting the instruments' outputs or DI
unit outputs to the mixing board (or by miking the speaker cabinets for bass and
electric guitar);
 The control room, where the audio engineers and record producers mix the mic and
instrument signals with a mixing console, record the singing and playing onto tape or
hard disc and listen to the recordings and tracks with monitor speakers or headphones
and manipulate the tracks by adjusting the mixing console settings and by
using effects units
 Isolation booths or vocal booths. Isolation booths are small sound-insulated rooms
with doors, designed for instrumentalists (or their loud speaker stacks). Vocal booths
are similarly designed rooms for singers. In both types of rooms, there are typically
windows so the performers can see other band members and the audio
engineer/record producer, as singers, bandleaders and musicians often give or
receive visual cues
 The machine room, where noisier equipment, such as racks of fan-cooled power
amplifiers, are kept. This equipment may make noise which could interfere with the
recording process.
LIVE ROOM
CONTROL ROOM
ISOLATION BOOTH
 STUDIO OPERATIONS

1. Editing
1. Choice of acoustics 2. Playing in recordings
2. Microphone balance 3. Feeding output
3. Equalization
4. Feeding in material from the other places
5. Mixing
6. Control 4. Documentation
7. Creating sound effects 5. Storage
8. Recording
 STUDIO OPERATIONS

Choice of acoustics: selecting, creating or modifying the audio environment.

Microphone: selecting suitable type of microphone and placing them to pick up a
combination of direct and reflected sound from various sources.
Equalization: Adjusting the frequency content.
Feeding in material from other places.
Mixing: Combining the output from microphones, replay equipment, devices that add
artificial reverberation and other effects, remote sources etc. , at artistically satisfying
levels.
Control: Ensuring that the program level (i.e. in relation to the noise and distortion levels
of the equipment used) is not too high and uses the medium – recording or broadcast
efficiently.
 STUDIO OPERATIONS

Creating sound effects ( variously called foley, hand or spot effects) in the studio.
Recording: using tape / hard disk (including editing systems and back up media) to lay
down one, two or more tracks.
Editing: tidying up small errors in recordings, reordering or compiling material,
introducing internal fades and effects.
Playing in recordings: this including recorded effects, interviews reports, pre-recorded
and edited sequences etc
 Feeding output: ensuring that the resultant mixed sound is made available to its
audience or to be inscribed upon a recording medium with no significant loss of quality.
 Documentation: Keeping a history of the origins, modification and use of all material.
Storage: ensuring the safety and accessibility of material in use and archiving or
disposing of it after use.
 COMPONENTS OF STUDIO CHAIN

1. Source
2. Direct and indirect sound 1. External line source
paths 2. Mixer
3. Noise 3. Meter
4. Microphone 4. Recorder
5. Preamplifier 5. Loudspeaker (Monitors)
6. Equalizer 6. Studio output
7. Reverberation
8. Tape head
 COMPONENTS OF STUDIO CHAIN

 The nerve centre of almost any broadcast or recording is the control console also known
as desk, board or mixer. Here all the different sound sources are modified and mixed. In
a live broadcast it is here that the final sound is put together; and it is responsibility of the
sound supervisor to ensure that no further adjustments are necessary before the signal
leaves the transmitter.
 The console, in most studios the most obvious and impressive capital item , often presents
a vast array of faders, switchers and indicators. Essentially it consists of a number of
individual channels, each associated with a particular microphone or some other source.
These are all pre-set so that their output may be combined into a small number of group
controls that can be operated by a single pair of hands. The group then pass through a
main control become the studio output. That vast array plainly offers many opportunities
to do different things with sound.
 COMPONENTS OF STUDIO CHAIN

 Preamplifiers are used to convert a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong
enough to be noise tolerant and strong enough for further processing or for sending to a
power amplifier and loud speaker. Without this, the final signal would be noisy or
distorted.

 Equalization is used to improve an instrument's sound or make certain instruments and

sounds more prominent. For example, a recording engineer may use an equalizer to make
some high-pitches in a vocal part louder while making low-pitches in a drum part quieter.
Equalization is commonly used to increase the depth of a mix, creating the impression that
some sounds in a mono or stereo mix are farther or closer than others, relatively.
 COMPONENTS OF STUDIO CHAIN

 An outboard or effect unit is used in studio to create effects such as delay, echo,
reverberation, pitch shifters. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound or signal
is reflected causing a large number of reflections to build up and then decay as the sound
is absorbed by the surfaces of objects in the space. Reverberation occurs naturally when a
person sings, talks, or plays an instrument acoustically in a hall or performance space with
sound-reflective surfaces. The sound of reverberation is often electronically added to
the vocals of singers and to musical instruments. This is done in both live sound
systems and sound recordings by using effects units.
 COMPONENTS OF STUDIO CHAIN

 An Studio monitors are high quality speakers designed for a recording studio. The main
difference between a monitor and another speaker is the attention to precision. When
recording engineer listens to a mix, he/she needs to know exactly what is there or the mix
will not work well. A bad mix might play nice on one system, but on the next, it might
sound horrible. It is absolutely critical that engineer hears it correctly while he/she is
mixing. A studio monitor can be near field or far field. A near field monitor is designed to
be placed within a few feet of the listener. Far-field monitors, these speakers should be
placed 10 feet from the listener and used in studios that have been treated with acoustic
material. These monitors are designed to withstand higher volumes.
 Meters are used to show the signal’s strength. Meters can be found on in DAWs (Digital
Audio Workstation), outboard unit or mixing board. It also helps to judge the frequency
content of the mix. 
VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Television studios are special rooms or spaces in which programs are produced
for broadcasting. Studios at local stations, network centers, or production centers
vary considerably in size and overall capabilities, but most are based on the same
principles.
Television Station can be divided into 2 major sections :
1. Studio Floor
2. Production control rooms
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Studio Floor:-
The studio floor is the actual stage on which the actions that will be recorded take place.  
Studios may range in size from small rooms, with one or two cameras for simple presentations,
big production studios of 10,000 square feet or more, with many cameras and space for
complex shows.
The larger studios are usually associated with production centers, where they are sometimes
referred to as soundstages, from the term used in the film industry for a studio where movies
with sound are shot. 
Local television station usually has a midsize studio for live news and weather presentations,
and may also have other studios for recording special productions or commercials.
Often, one studio may be arranged with several sets in different areas, which can be used for
different parts of a program, or even for different programs.
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Studio Floor:-
Unlike radio, the on-air control point for television broadcasting, whether at a network
release center or a local station, is not associated with a studio but is a separate master
control room or area.
A television studio has to be large enough to accommodate all the talent and the set (or sets)
—the area with furniture and a backdrop where the action takes place. 
They are fitted with acoustic treatment to control the amount of reverberation of sound 
Soundproof doors provide access for talent and production staff. very large soundproof
scenery doors are provided to allow scenery and sets to be brought in and out from adjacent
storage and construction areas. 
Unlike Radio studio, the floor on a television studio has to be hard and flat, to allow
cameras mounted on pedestals to be moved smoothly.
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

A studio floor has the following characteristics and installations:

1. Decoration and/or sets
2. Professional video camera (sometimes one, usually several) on pedestals
3. Microphones
4. The lighting grid, from which the light fittings are suspended, must be high
enough to stay out of view of the cameras, perhaps up to 30 feet or more from the
floor in a large studio, so high ceilings are necessary.
5. Special lighting fittings, known as luminaires, are suspended from an overhead
lighting grid. Some lights may also be mounted on tripods
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

6. A light colored background, known as a cyclorama Which is either a curtain or a

hard surface, may be provided with special lighting, so decorative colored
backgrounds can be produced by selecting suitable light settings.
7. The studio has extra height above the lighting grid to accommodate large air-
conditioning ducts, which bring in cold air and remove the heat produced by the
studio lighting.
8. They have to be large so that the air passing through the vents can be kept at low
velocity, thus avoiding the sound of rushing air being picked up by microphones.
9. This type of low-noise air-conditioning is also needed in radio studios, but is much
easier to achieve there, because the lighting heat loads are far lower and less cold air
is needed
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

10. Back Drops - A high-level track is usually provided around the edge of the studio to
hang large curtains as backdrops for sets.
11. Several video monitors for visual feedback from the production control room (PCR)
12. A small public address system for communication- wireless communication or
Megaphones
13. A glass window between PCR and studio floor for direct visual contact is usually
desired, but not always possible
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

People who work on studio floor are.

1. Talent (hosts, actors, any guests - the subjects of the television show.)
2. A floor manager, who has overall charge of the studio area stage management, and
who relays timing and other information from the television director.
3. One or more camera operators who operate the professional video cameras, though
in some instances these can also be operated from the PCR using remotely controlled
robotic pan tilt zoom camera (PTZ) heads.
4. possibly a teleprompter operator, especially if this is a live television, news
broadcast.
5. Director
6. Technical Crew
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Production control Rooms:-

oThe studio control room (SCR) also called as production control room/ studio control
room/ control room
oIt is the place in a television studio in which the composition of the outgoing program
takes place.
oThe Technical operators, production staff, and some of the technical equipment are
located in this room.
oThis room sometimes has a glass window for the crew to see the happenings on the
studio floor.
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Production control Rooms:-

studio control rooms house staff and equipment for the following:
oLighting control:-
The lighting control area houses the lighting console with memories for different settings
of light intensities, cross-fades, and so on. The lighting director uses the lighting console
to remotely control each lamp in the studio to achieve the desired effect.
oVision (camera) control:-
The studio action is viewed on picture monitors in the control room, showing the output
of each camera. The vision engineer also looks at the picture monitors and the waveform
monitors for each camera, and adjusts remote camera controls to produce good-looking
pictures that are also technically correct. 
 VIDEO STUDIO LAYOUT

Production control Rooms:-

oSound control:-
The audio control room or area has an audio mixing console and associated equipment, where
the sound supervisor is responsible for producing the audio mix from the studio microphones
and other sound sources.
oProduction control:-
Production control contains one or more desks with control panels for the video switcher,
operated by the technical director, and other equipment such as a character generator and
graphics system. This is also where the producer and other production staff sit. A bank of
picture monitors, often mounted in a monitor wall, shows the output of each studio camera
and other video sources, with two larger monitors for the Program and Preview outputs.
Most other equipment related to the studio is usually mounted in equipment racks in an
apparatus room or central technical area. 
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO LAYOUT
 Radio Studio

1. Live room
2. Lobby
3. Glass window
4. Monitors
5. Producer’s position
Types of studios
 There are several varieties, depending on the type of programming and whether they are
primarily for on-air use or for recording.
 A major distinction is whether the studio has :
1. A separate control room.
2. Combined, combo, studio and control room.
Types of operations

Traditional
 a radio station produces on-air programs with one or more live presenters and
guests in a studio at the station, playing music and other program segments
from various devices, and taking phone calls on the air.

Automation
 Material is stored as audio files on a hard disk recorder and can be played back
under the control of a program automation system.
Types of operations
Live Assist
 Even when the program format, or station preferences, requires the presenter to talk
live on-air (e.g., for phone-in shows), the computer can still handle the play out of all
the other program segments. This mode is called live assist.

Remote Voice-Tracking
 A presenter or DJ at a remote location (maybe his or her home) records all of the
voice segments that link a program together, and stores them as audio files on an
audio workstation or computer.
 These files are then transferred to the hard drive storage at the local station. The
segments are identified in the automation playlist and are played out on-air
seamlessly
Types of operations

Ingest
 This involves receiving program material from outside sources and preparing it for
use by the station. Feeds from networks frequently come in on satellite links, and
live feeds may be fed to the on-air mixing console. Other material may be fed to a
recording device, which these days is usually a hard disk recorder associated with
an audio workstation, for integrating into later programs.
 Program segments may be produced at a different geographic location and
transferred to the station over the internet.
Types of equipment's :

 Audio Mixing Consoles/ mixing Board/control board/ a mixer/ board Monitoring –

The central machine which is used to control various microphones and digital input from the
computer.
 Monitoring
Audio monitoring may be on high-quality loudspeakers in the control room, but, if the control
room is also the studio in a combo arrangement, headphones are used to prevent interference
with live microphones.
 Effects and Processing Unit
Audio consoles used for production and recording often have additional features, either built-
in or as outboard devices, that provide effects such as echo and reverberation, or pitch change
Types of equipment's :
 Computers: They contain software which help the presenter find songs and control the
program.

 Microphones: The presenter uses the microphone to broadcast his/her or the guest’s
voice on air.

 Headphones :Used by the presenter to listen and monitor his own voice or voice of the
talent.

 Hard disk: Storage system, used to store program content.

Types of equipment's :

 Digital Audio Workstations

Digital audio workstations is the primary software used to record, edit, and mix music on
your computer with additional functions, such as automatic ingest of audio Material,
editing of content, file conversion, file management, as well as basic record and replay.

 Intercom
ESSENTIALS OF A STUDIO
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

 Sequencer
 Sampler
 Synthesizer
 Drum machine
 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
 Microphones
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

Here are some of the advantages of using a virtual recording studio that could be set up at
home or at work.
1. Convenience
In this time and age of fast-paced life, it is important that you are able to make the most of
what you have got. One such benefit of setting up a virtual studio in the comfort of your home
is that you will not have to step out of to work. This would allow your creative juices to flow
to the maximum level while being able to make the most of it rather than having to wait until
you get into the studio.
2. Flexibility
A melody or a tune can come to an artist at any time without any sort of warning. In most
cases, people tend to forget the tune by the time they go to the studio. Having the flexibility to
simply walk a few steps and go to the studio set up at home would help the artist to make beats
and tunes instantly without having to wait.
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

3. Budget-friendly
Traditionally, if an artist wanted to record something, they would book a session at the studio
for a pre-decided time period where all of the people involved would gather and they would
get together and record. This was not very creatively fulfilling as you had a couple of hours
where you had to perform your best. Although for a one-time investment, it might be a big
chunk of money. But, you would be able to record whenever you wanted to without having to
wait for your time in the studio to come.

4. Smart thinking
Although the amount of money might be a little bit out of your budget. You could always make
some tweaks and drop certain equipment’s or get a cheaper model for it to fit in your budget.
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

5. Better quality
Some people argue that setting up a recording studio at your home can be fun but, it couldn’t
compete with a professional setup. A lot of the known artists these days record songs and tunes
while they are on tour in their hotel rooms and release the same version to their audience.
To a normal person, there won’t be much of a difference in the quality. Being able to record
from the comfort of where you are and when you feel like recording helps to make the quality
ten folds better than what it would sound like a studio.

6. Skills
When you book a session at the studio, you get a limited amount of time there. You have to do
as much as you can in that amount of time while trying to reach perfection each time as well.
You don’t get much time to practice your skills. If you set up a virtual music studio at your
house then you could practice for long hours without having any interruption.
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

Equipment you will need

If you have decided to set up a virtual studio at home then you must be wondering about all the
different equipment that you need.
 Computer
If there is one place where you could invest more money, it is in getting yourself a laptop or a
desktop with the highest specs that you could go for. Even if some of your other equipment are
not as good as you would like it to be, you could make the changes in after-production in your
computer so it wouldn’t be a problem for you.
 Audio interface combo
You need software that would help you to mix, edit, and even record music on the computer.
There are a lot of options available on the market for this. Similarly, there are a lot of options
available for separate instruments as well, like the guitar and the best virtual piano software.
 THE VIRTUAL STUDIO

 Microphone
Since all the sounds that you will record will go through the microphone, you will need a good
one. But, there are a lot of options available on the market that you don’t have to worry about.
The microphone you choose will depend on the instruments that you will record
 Studio monitors
Now, mixing is often done on headphones. But, traditionally it has always been done on
speakers. It is better if you play it on speakers as it will help you to understand the sounds and
the whole vibe that it gives much better.
 You will need a lot of other small but important products like pro filters, a mic stand, XLR
cables, among many other things
MIDI is an acronym that stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s a way to
connect devices that make and control sound — such as synthesizers, samplers, and
computers — so that they can communicate with each other, using MIDI messages. This
lets one keyboard trigger sounds on another synthesizer, and it makes it possible to record
music in a form that allows for easy note editing, flexible orchestration, and song
arrangement. Virtual instruments — computer programs that simulate hardware
synthesizers and samplers — also communicate with computer sequencing software
running on the same computer using MIDI messages.
 Basic MIDI Hardware Setup:
Present day software is capable of performing the sound-making function formerly available
only in external hardware-based synthesizers. It’s just as likely now to see, connected to a
computer, a keyboard that can’t make any sound at all. Its function is to trigger and control, via
MIDI messages, sounds made by the computer. But the sound-making part of the computer
software still communicates with the sequencing part using the MIDI protocol.
There are still plenty of MIDI setups that work in the traditional way, with the computer just
recording and playing MIDI messages, and the sound created by an external synthesizer. These
are especially useful in live setups, where the reliability and faster response of hardware
synthesizers are distinct advantages. In such a system, you use MIDI cables to connect the
synthesizer to a MIDI interface, which then connects to the computer with the same sort of
USB cable you use to connect a printer.
 MIDI cables are unidirectional — they transport messages in only one direction. So you
need two MIDI cables. USB is bidirectional. The sound made by the synthesizer goes to a
mixer, which then feeds an amplifier and speakers.

 Connecting Multiple MIDI Devices:

What if you have more than one external synthesizer? Your MIDI interface might have more
than one set of IN and OUT ports. Then you can connect your two synthesizers separately. But
if you have a single-port interface, you must make use of the THRU port found on many
synthesizers to create a “daisy-chain” (series) connection of devices. When the computer plays
a sequence, the MIDI messages go first to the keyboard synthesizer, which makes sound in
response. The keyboard sends a copy of the incoming messages out its THRU port, and these
enter the drum machine on its IN port. The same thing happens again between the drum
machine and synthesizer, which is the end of the chain. This is a handy way to connect devices
 Current Trends:
For simpler setups, it’s more common today to find keyboards with a USB port that
allows for direct connection to a computer, bypassing the MIDI interface. The keyboard
in the picture below has both USB (circled) and traditional MIDI ports (to the right).
 VIRTUAL VIDEO STUDIO

 The use of virtual sets continues to grow. This sophisticated type of Chroma key is
changing the way sets are designed in many studios. Although in the beginning the cost
can be quite significant to set up a virtual set system integrated with cameras, the cost
of quickly changing to many different kinds of sets can pay for itself in the long run.
 Studio space requirements and construction times are reduced with the use of these sets.
Virtual sets use a blue or green seamless background and Chroma-key the computer-
generated set into the scene. Most virtual sets employ sophisticated tracking computer
software that monitors the camera’s movements so that as it zooms, tilts, pans, or
moves in any other way, the background moves in a corresponding way. This system
automatically adjusts the background with each shot change, changing the background
size and angle to simulate a real set.
 BLUE & GREEN SCREEN

 Chroma-keying is used extensively to create backgrounds and is based on a simple

principle. Wherever a chosen keying colour (usually blue or green) appears in the on air
shot, it is possible to insert a second source (the background). Chroma-key replaces the
blue or green area (determined by the user) with the corresponding section of the second
source. This keying technique can be created by using a production switcher in a multi
camera production or with a nonlinear editing system equipped with the appropriate
software.
 Chroma-key is probably the most used technique to give the illusion that a person is
standing in front of a real location such as a castle, a field, the seashore, or a town square
—all done at the press of a button. If done well, this technique can be convincing and
effective with the audience
 WHEN TO USE GREEN SCREEN

 With modern digital cameras, the green colour is processed the cleanest with the most
luminance. The result is that you’ll often be able to pull a clean key with the least amount
of noise, and often, without a complicated lighting setup. Conversely, because of green’s
brightness, it can also lead to more ‘spill,’ meaning the green colour may reflect and
bleed over on your on-screen talent.

 This can be a nightmare when keying out in post-production. To combat this, ensure that
there is sufficient distance between the talent and the green screen background.

 Green is also an ideal choice if you’re compositing in a ‘daytime’ background. Any
leftover green can blend better into daytime footage, while it’s more challenging to blend
green against a darker (or night-time) background.
 WHEN TO USE BLUE SCREEN

 Blue screen will require twice as much light as green screen, often a whole f-stop. But
because of this difference in luminosity, blue also results in less colour spill. Blue
screen is also ideal for replicating darker or night-time conditions.
 Often, colour correction against a blue screen is cleaner than its green counterpart. The
spill of green can result in some messy colour work in post that can eat up your time in
the edit bay.
 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GREEN
SCREEN AND A BLUE SCREEN

The colours green and blue are not present in human skin tones which makes them ideal for the
Chroma Key process as opposed to the colour red. Generally, the only difference between
using a green screen as a background and using a blue screen as a background is the colour
itself—but more filmmakers are moving from blue to green for other specific reasons:
1. The use of digital cameras. When using a digital camera instead of film, you obtain better
results from a green screen shoot because of the cleanness and luminescence of green over
blue. Using green instead of blue results in less noise when keying out the footage.
2. Colour spill. While the green or blue screens will be removed during editing, some colour
will “spill” onto the subjects, especially around the edges. This can create a thin line
around the person, or make areas like their hairline look odd. Depending on your shoot,
colour spill can be better or worse depending on the colour of your screen. Blue screen
tends to have less spill than green, and also happens to be easier to colour correct than
green. 
 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GREEN
SCREEN AND A BLUE SCREEN

3. The prevalence of blue. Subjects and objects are more likely to be blue than green.
For example, people are more likely to be wearing blue clothing than green clothing.
You get better results when the background colour is not heavily present in the
subject you are filming (which is why red screens and yellow screens don’t exist).
4. Lighting. Blue screens have a lower luminosity as compared to green screens. This
means they are better suited to low-light shoots, but also makes them trickier to
light.
 SETS

 Most studio sets are Represential-Supportive, which is a bit of scholarly and

probably unnecessary jargon for a set that represents the nature of the show and
supports. For example, a news set generally incorporates elements that in some way
suggests "news.“
 Often, the background and its elements are vital to the show. For example, the
contestant scoreboards, puzzle phrases, and spinning wheels, etc. used in game
shows are directly involved in the show.
 SETS

 Symbolic Sets are used to suggest a realistic background without having to include all of
the details. A shadow of bars projected behind a person suggests a jail cell, and a
background image of a stained-glass window suggests a church. A symbolic set is far less
costly than the next category.
 As the name suggests, Realistic or Replica Sets appear from the perspective of the multiple
camera angles to be authentic. The sets for dramas are normally of this type. Since they
involve considerable detail and a need to "hold up" from a variety of camera angles, they are
the most demanding and expensive to build Movie sets used to be almost all of this type.
Often, entire streets would be built for exterior scenes, or multiple rooms of a house would
be constructed. However, today, many films are shot on location using existing— although
generally somewhat modified— settings.
 SETS

 The final category is called Fantasy Sets. This type of set is abstract and
stylistic — sometimes a bizarre and deliberate distortion of reality. Today,
this type of set is often computer generated and ends up being a virtual set.