Producing Great Sound for Film and Video » (3rd Edition)

Clio-and Emmy-award-winning sound engineer Jay Rose is creative director of the Digital Playroom. Specializing in post-production audio, his clients include PBS, Buena Vista Home Video, and Turner Network Television. Rose has written about audio for Videography, Recording, and Premiere Full Motion magazines.

Make your film or video project sound as good as it looks with this complete training course by audio guru Jay Rose. You get hundreds of professional, real-world techniques that you can employ from preproduction through the final mix. This is a solution-oriented guide with FAQs, how-tos, tips, and time savers.

You'll get a primer on how sound and digital audio work as well as technical setups, guidelines, and real solutions for:
* budgeting, scheduling, and preproduction planning
* microphones and room acoustics
* recording dialog, voice-overs, ADR, and effects
* postproduction hardware
* levels and digitizing
* working with music and sound effects
* producing the final mix

New to this edition:
* information on the latest cameras and field recorders
* choices between single- and double-system, and digital workflows
* the differences between traditional video soundtracks and dialog-driven storytelling.

Please visit the author's website for additional resources: www.dplay.com/book/pgs3e

* Having trouble with the sound on your video project? Find the solution in this best-selling guide.
* Includes time-tested guidelines and recommendations that work no matter what hardware or software package you use
* The audio CD includes diagnostics, demos, and tutorial tracks to hone your skills.

Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     xiii
About This Book and Audio Postproduction     xvii
How to Create a Great Soundtrack (in a Quarter of a Page)     xix
Audio Basics     1
How Sound Works     3
Music-Sicle?     3
The Life of a Sound     4
Fast Pressure Changes are Heard as Sounds     5
Somewhat Slower Pressure Changes are Heard as Envelopes     9
Slow Changes of Pressure are Loudness     11
Echoes in Small Rooms     15
Very Slow Changes of Pressure are Weather     19
How Digital Audio Works     20
Why Digital?     20
Turning Analog to Digital     23
Audio Data Reduction     36
Audio on a Wire     41
Analog Wiring     41
Digital Wiring     54
Planning and Prepro     59
Planning for Sound     61
The Need for Sound     61
Think About The Overall Track     65
Elements of the Soundtrack     72
Spoken Words     72
Music     77
Sound Effects     80
Special Effects and Processing     81
TheLayers of a Track     82
Budgeting, Scheduling, and Preproduction     83
Budgeting for Sound     84
Allow Time for Sound     90
Checking Locations     95
Production Sound     103
Microphones and Room Acoustics     105
About Microphones     106
Rooms and Recording     125
Production Mic Technique     128
What Kind of Mic to Use?     129
Using Boom Mics     130
Using Lavalieres     140
Controlling Wind Noise     146
Using Wireless     147
Room Tone     156
Production Recording     157
Getting Audio Into a Recorder     157
Camera Settings     164
Double System     172
Mixers and Preamps     177
Connecting to the Recorder     179
Adjusting the Volume     181
Recording Voice-Overs, ADR, and Effects     184
Engineering a Voice Recording     185
Directing The Voice-over     195
Recording Sound Effects     206
Postproduction     215
Postproduction Workflow     217
Linear and Nonlinear Editing      217
Postproduction Hardware     232
Monitoring     232
Computer Input/Output     243
The Mixer     244
Moving Signals Around the Editing Suite     254
Wiring The Postproduction Suite     256
Mixing -10 Dbv and +4 Dbu Equipment     259
Levels and Digitizing     263
Digital Audio Transfers     264
Digitizing Analog Signals     271
Metering and Lineup Tones     278
Synchronization     283
Editing Voices     293
The Right Tools for Editing Voice     294
Cutting in Silences     296
Sounds with Hard Attacks     297
Hearing Phonemes     300
Theatrical Film Dialog     305
The Tricks     308
Keeping Track of Sync     309
A Final Exercise     313
Working with Music     314
Deciding What Music You'll Need     315
Sources of Music     317
Selecting Music from a Library     328
Music Editing     330
Sound Effects     339
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Reality     339
Sources for Sound Effects      341
Choosing Effects     344
Placing Sound Effects     345
Processing     352
How any Effect can Wreck a Sound     353
When to Apply Processing     354
Equalizers     356
Compressors     363
Reverberation     369
Noise Reduction     375
Combining Effects     378
Learning More     379
The Mix     380
Setting up for the Mix     381
Preparing for Someone Else to Mix     395
After the Mix     397
The Last Thing You Should Do     398
"Help! It Doesn't Sound Right!"     399
Problems With On-Camera Dialog     399
Too Many Background Noises     401
Dialog Problems Introduced by the Recorder     402
Postproduction Audio Issues     403
Narration Problems     406
Computer Doesn't Play Audio Well     406
Editing Problems     407
Mix Problems     408
The Mix Sounded Great on the Desktop or Mixing Studio, but Bad on the Air or in the Conference Room     408
The Mix Proportions Were Right, but It Was Too Soft/Loud/Distorted on the Air     408
Some Elements Sound Fine in Stereo, but Disappear when the Tape Is Broadcast, Played on VHS, or Seen on the Web     409
Other Common Questions     410
Glossary     412
Resources     418
Organizations     420
CD Contents     422
Index     429