Question | Answer |
History of Sound Design: What was performed by hired musicians and recordings. | Musical Effects. Crash cymbals used to represent hits and objects colliding. Slides and whistles for body falls. Record scratches for rapid stops. |
Early sound designers ________ _______ from wood, metal, and rubber tubing. | Constructed sounds |
History of Sound Design: Why did specialized props have to be built in a sound stage? | Recorders were not yet small enough to be portable. |
This _____ ,finally allowed the sound designer freedom to get out and record Mono, Stereo, and MultiTrack mic recording options. | Portable Recorders |
There is no substitute for recording the real effects of? | Guns, Cars, Trains, Ships, or Ambience, etc. Great for authenticity of nostalgia. |
Historic Sound Cliches: This was a frequently over-abused sound used in countless movies. Sound was originally recorded for a movies in 1951 "Distant Drums." Used again for "The Charge at Feather River" | Wilhelm Scream |
Sound Effect Cliches: Used often for desert or isolation scenes. | Red-Tailed Hawk |
Sound Effect Cliches: Used often on highways or car scenes. | Doppler Tone (Honk) |
Sound Effect Cliches: Animals are never ____. All bikes have ____. Bombs always ____, in slow motion. Car tires always _____. Microphones always _____. Every button on a computer always ______. Doors always _____. | Silent, Bells, Explode, Screech on dirt on dirt roads, Feedback, Makes beeping sounds, Squeak. |
Sound Design Principles: Ways of breaking down a sound? | How many movements does it make?
What is the order of the movement?
What is the object made of?
What environment is the object in? |
Sound Design Principles: The same sound will sound very different with change in _____. Sound will have different elements even though the base sounds may be the same. | Change in Perspective |
Sound Design Principles: Layering is important because? | No one sound is ever enough. Gives depth, and individuality to the sound. Gives Re-Recording Mixer choices later on. |
Sound Design Principles: Tonal Layer? | Best to layer sound in high, mid, to low element frequency ranges. Each layer reinforces one another. |
Sound Design Principles: Multiple Instances? | Where pictures shows multiples instances of the same action. Try not to copy/ paste a group of sounds. If so, try to remove or pitch shift some elements. |
SFX Categories: SMFX | Genreal "low-key" effects cut by an Editor: slamming doors, screeching tires, bouncing ball, car key, knife swoosh, gunshot. |
SFX Categories: LGFX | Larger than life sounds cut by an Editor: explosions, helicopter, building collapse, cannon fire, Titanic hitting iceberg. |
SFX Categories: BG Backgrounds | Ambient soundscapes cut by an Editor: busy city streets, wind in trees, quiet suburbia, prison, golf course, office |
SFX Categories: Specialized | Sounds created by the Sound Designer that the Director wants to pay special attention to: Creature Design, Aliens, Spaceships, Unique Weapons, Specialized Characters. |
Sound Editing: "Sound Effects Pulling" | The act of SEARCHING for the right sound effects for the project AND IMPORTING those effects in to the project session folder. |
Sound Effects Spot Log | Used to log time code values to address areas needing sound effects. Intended sound "Wish-list" |
Sound Effects Search Log | Used to log sound effects used in the session. For SMFX, LGFX, & BG Supervisors. |
Track Naming & Color | SMFX_1 mono (red)/LGFX_1 mono and stereo (orange) |
Pro Tools Plug In Types: 1.Mono? 2.Mono/Stereo? 3.Multichannel? 4.Multi Mono? | 1.Used on mono track only
2.Used on mono track, affects L/R sep. Plugins after this type must be stereo
3.Stereo plugin avail only on stereo track, affects L/R equally
4.Uses" one processing engine"/channel, chans must be unlink to show independence |
Plug In Settings: Save Settings | Saves the current plug-in setting or will overwrite an existing one. Can be save in two main folders: Session os Root Settings Folder |
Plug In Settings: Save Settings As | Saves current settings as a new preset under a different name |
Plug In Settings: Import Settings | Imports a plug-in settings file (.tfx) from another location other than root settings or session folder |
Plug In Settings: Set As User Default | Defines current preset as the user default for the selected plug-in. Keeps fav. preset avail. when the plug-in is launched. |
Plug In Settings: Save Plug-In Settings To, Session Settings Folder | A plug-in settings folder is created. Once created, any other settings made will be saved in it. Folders are categorized by the type of plug-in. |
Plug In Settings: Save Plug-In Settings To, Root Settings Folder | Preset will be saved into relevant plug-in folder. Every plug-in your system will have, has its own folder here. |
Plug In Settings: Root Settings Folder Hierarchy (Mac, PC) | Mac: Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-In settings
PC: Program Files/Common Files/Digidesign/DAE/Plug-In Settings |
Sound Design w/ Plug-Ins: Flattening | Involves re-recording the effected track to a new track. Allows you to commit an effect. Signal flow routing basics. |
What are Backgrounds? | Sounds that create ambient atmosphere to picture, immediate and distant surroundings. Storytelling sounds that reinforce believability, authenticity, or nostalgia. |
Sub-concious Sounds (Backgrounds) | Providing the foundation for the soundtrack, establishing environment and location. Providing mood that may not be immediately apparent. |
Why are layers created? | To give Director/Producer or Re-Recording Mixer a choice. To Provide sonic depth, sounds that are unique and interesting. |
When is a background not a background? | When something is drawn attention to on screen. When something is constantly evolving on screen, involving many short detailed actions. |
Foreground | Most Immediate sounds surrounding the camera, ex: office reception, telephones ringing, office machines, water cooler |
Air | Sub-Category of Foreground AKA, but not restricted to Room Tone. Ex: Office Reception, Empty room w/ A/C Noise, Empty room w/ fluorescent lightning. |
Background | Ambient sound filling out the picture on and off-screen. Ex; Office Reception, General office murmur, Distant traffic through open window, voices/Noises coming from corridor or next door. |
Walla | Small crowd or group sounds, performed by specialized people because stand-ins are not stand-ins when they talk on screen. Good way to make a natural scene. |
Walla is technically _____ _______ material. | Split out to dialogue tracks for a movie destined for foreign release, kept in backgrounds for most domestic indie films. |
Music is not a ________ ________. | Not a background category, Is often heard in background, but is technically a futzed music track, ex: in elevators, portable, mall or restaurant music. |
Background Principles: Using TV Walla | When using this, be careful to make it indistinguishable, so audience cannot recognize the program or really tell if its in English. Because if it’s a foreign release, program rights need to be cleared. |
Surround Projects: Special Background track is assigned to ________ ________. | Assigned to Center Channel, matches as close to production tone as possible. Reinforces and smoothes out any minor glitches. Ex: Air, or room tone sound. Production dialogue tone is not used, to avoid phasing. |
Masking | Using sound to disguise or change another sound. Diverting the listener’s attention: to smooth out production dialogue, to create certain atmospheric feeling, to enhance certain frequency content. |
Skeleton Tracks | Tracks specifically designed to hold “Ghost Regions.” Ghost regions cut to perspective and scene changes. Skeleton_A, Skeleton_B. |
Skeleton__A | Place cursor 1 frame before FFOA, select up to 1 frame over into next scene, consolidate, Name GB_Name_of_scene. |
Skeleton__B | Place cursor 1 frame before first scene change, select up to 1 frame over into next scene, consolidate, Name: GB_Name_of_scene. Background editing: Back to Skeleton__A, move cursor back onto this track, repeat A/B process up to end of reel/clip |
Creating Tracks | 6 Stereo Tracks, Naming: BG_1-6, Color blue |
Checker-Boarding | Creating “off-setting” tracks (to match Skeleton Tracks) Ex: BG_1-4 (A-Side) BG_5-8 (B-Side) |
Tracks Deep VS. Tracks Wide | Tracks per each side and Tracks in total, determines how much space is needed on console. |
Overlapping | Purposely leaving edited background regions overlapping A-Side, to B-Side. Leaves space for fades on overlaps. |
Perspective Change Fade | 1 frame fade per change |
Scene Change Fades | 2 frame fade per change |
Specialized Fades | Fades that last the entire transition effect in picture |
Repeat Paste to Fill Selection | CNTRL + OPT + V: Auto-duplicates copied regions out to fill selection. Copy desired region (Edit-Copy) Select area to paste to (Edit-paste, Special-repeat to fill selection). If pasting into large area, batch fade dialog box appears. |
Replace Region | Used to replace single or multiple instance of an audio region in a playlist with another region. Mac: SHFT+CMND+Click+Drag. PC: SHFT+CNTRL+Click+Drag. |