Sound Design, Music, and RecordingCS 5964No one will listen to a bad recording, no matter how pretty the pictures.A bad soundtrack is #1 reason most student films fail in festivals.Wednesday, February 25, 2009Sound Philosophy•Sound affects everything, changes the viewing experience•The other half (the better half?); Some say sound is 60% of the experience •Another dimension and aspect of storytelling (The Wrestler)•Sets emotional tone•Sound designer or director of sound (DS) positionWednesday, February 25, 20092 Philosophies•Aims for realism•Music fits the mood--Star Wars, Gone With the Wind, Top Gun, Gladiator--Howard Shore, John Williams; Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries” in Apocalypse Now•Sound effects reflect the ‘reality’ of the film•We hear what we expect... more emotional, more comfortable?1.) Complimentary/ReinforcesWednesday, February 25, 20092 Philosophies2.) Impressionistic/Ironic/Contrasts•More expressionistic•Music works in counterpoint (contrapuntal) to the image, adding another dimension: Dr. Strangelove (opening and closing sequences), Beethoven’s funeral march rather than Brahms’ wedding to actual wedding scene•Sound effects vary from perceived reality--exaggerate or replace the actual sound (Moulin Rouge, cartoons--Mickey Mousing)•We are ‘unsettled’ by the conflict of sound and image... more intellectual, stimulating?Wednesday, February 25, 2009Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic•Diegetic is sound that is motivated by and exists within the scene; source is visible•Dialogue of characters; Sound of objects in scene; Music from band or radio•Ex.--Apocalypse Now: radio starts as diegetic source and gradually switches to non-diegetic•Broken Flowers•Non-Diegetic does not exist within the scene and is not visible•Voice-Over/Narration•Sound effects added for dramatic effect•Music•Most music is non-diegeticWednesday, February 25, 2009Elements of a Soundtrack•Dialog•Interview•Narration (voice-over)1.) VoiceWednesday, February 25, 2009Live Sound Only (recorded on set)Wednesday, February 25, 2009Elements of a Soundtrack•Live recording on set•Foley in studio (also known as men in tights)•Lots of free SFX/music online:•www.soundsnap.com•www.sonomic.com2.) Sound Effects (SFX)Wednesday, February 25, 2009Live Sound & Sound FXWednesday, February 25, 2009Elements of a Soundtrack•Music for movie vs. Movie for music (music video)•Iconic music (well-known tunes hazardous and can take over your piece)•Pre-Recorded: Classical, Jazz, Rock/Pop; Regional, etc...•Composed (specifically for film)• Lots of free SFX/music online:•www.jamendo.com3.) MusicWednesday, February 25, 2009Complete Soundtrack with MusicWednesday, February 25, 2009CHARACTERISTICS•Amplitude or loudness•Wavelength--distance from one crest to another•Frequency--rate at which the waves pass a given point•Pitch--the higher the frequency becomes, the higher the pitch we hearWednesday, February 25, 2009CHARACTERISTICS•Human ear can normally hear sounds in the 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) range•20 Hz--lowest hum or rumble our ears can detect•20 kHz--highest pitch perfectly good ears can hearWednesday, February 25, 2009Sound Recording Equipment•Most microphones you will encounter are omni-directional•Omni-directional •pick up sound equally from all directions•designed to be used in close range•don’t pick up too much background noiseWednesday, February 25, 2009Sound Recording Equipment•Other mic optionsWednesday, February 25, 2009Sound Recording Equipment•From analog tape to digital recorders•Tapes have an inherent ‘sound’ that came with the material•Digital tends to be quieter and cleaner (though some prefer analog)Wednesday, February 25, 2009Recording Sound•Signal to noise ratio•Distant from mic vs. close to mic audio waveform patterns•Ambient noise patterns•3 ways to get better sound•Move mic closer to source (45˚ angle to avoid pop)•Record in a quiet place, or a place appropriate for the sound•Record ambient Sound and lay it on a separate trackThinGoodThickWednesday, February 25, 2009Recording Sound•Stop and listen to your environment•Every place has it’s own ambient sound, or background noise•Try to eliminate ‘noise’ from things like heating/cooling systems, computers, refrigerators, the television in the next room, traffic, etc...•Record all dialog in the same place so ambient is the same•Record at least 30 sec. of ambient that can be looped•Wear headphones to hear what’s recorded!!!Wednesday, February 25, 2009Live “Recording” – 30 secs. of room toneWhy they say “quiet on the set”Wednesday, February 25, 2009Recording Sound•Watch your meters to be sure your level is not too high or too low•Get a nice solid level so you don’t have to amplify in the software•Good levels top around the -12 (green) to -6 (yellow) on a peak meter•Peaking in the red should be avoidedPeak meter(for digital)VU Meter(for analog)Wednesday, February 25, 2009Manipulation & Post•Built-in effects•EQ•Reverb•Speed changes•Chip and Dale•Slow mo•Adjust levels for voice•Mixing sound•Last thing you do for a film, is watch the metersPeak meter(for digital)Wednesday, February 25, 2009Organizing TracksV1A1A2A3A4A5A6VideoDialogue--1st characterDialogue--2nd characterSound FXSound FXAmbientMusicDip levels for music during dialogWednesday, February 25, 2009CLOSING WORDS•Microphones don’t have a brain; you have to do the thinking for them•Sound is a completely different storytelling device; use it to tell your story•Don’t just throw Top Gun music to every jet plane scene you have, or the latest pop ballad to every love scene; think about what the music does for the pieceWednesday, February 25,