Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1014407
58 CINEMONTAGE / Q3 2018 FIRST PASS DURING RE-RECORDING Whenever Earle does an initial dialogue pass, he always listens for a common timbre in the voices. "I then proceed to pre-dub the dialogue, choosing to match timbre and level first," he says. "Consistency and clarity between lines is far more important than whether or not the take is dirty or clean. I then wait and let Doug fill up the scene with backgrounds and hard effects." As Earle works through a scene, Megregian will listen to areas with which the dialogue/music mixer may be struggling and can make adjustments as he works. "Usually, by the time I'm finished with a scene," Earle adds, "Gary has already fixed the sync issue or the down-cut word and the tick at the end of a line. We simply swap out his fix, and the scene plays flawlessly." "After Joe has taken his dialogue and music pass at an act, I'll have a level to mix against," Andham follows. "Then I'll take an effects pass and pre-dub against his work, listening to each of my sounds, equalizing and doing whatever panning is necessary. I like to mix the backgrounds first in solo so that I hear what I have, and then play it against Joe's dialogue to help create the sound of the world where his dialogue will live. Next, I work on the hard effects against the backgrounds, dialogue and music so that we can be close to what we want to present. I add the Foley last, using it to supplement and enhance the production sound and hard effects." Picture and story always inform their mixing choices, Andham emphasizes. "Our shows definitely have their own sound, but we tend to find those organically with each series," he adds. "Gary and his team of editors do a great job of giving many different options with ambiences and backgrounds, along with multiple kinds of spotted sound effects that I can spread around the room or used to help flesh out the world with movement and life." STREAMLINING THE MIX PROCESS Andham has a sound effects template that he uses for every show. "It is built in such a way as to allow us some flexibility when moving between different series," he explains. "We need to work very fast and be flexible, so Gary and his team use my template to build each show. There are defined tracks for backgrounds, sound effects and Foley, which are routed to channels on the console that I already have bussed to the various stems I am creating. The sound editors try to cut the sounds we use often on the same tracks — doors are usually on the first three channels, for example. Depending on what the picture requires, they cut multiple options for some sounds, such as gunshots and fight sounds with different frequency characteristics, which allows me to mix them as I see fit, maybe adding some low end to the sub." Andham will inform Megregian how certain sound effects are working to help him determine whether some should be replaced or enhanced. "Gary will also cut things for me on the stage as needed," the effects mixer relates. "For track processing, I have a Digidesign D-verb plug-in set to a very small room, an Audio Ease Altiverb set to a small room, another Altiverb set to a medium room and a large room, for which I go between a TL Space plug- in and another Altiverb; I will switch between them. I make as many stems as I need, so that when it gets to be time to mix the music and effects, whoever mixes it will have some flexibility." Earle prefers to keep his dialogue choices to a minimum. "Since we must move so quickly, I ask my editors to fit principal dialogue into six tracks and an Ex track," he explains. "I will carry up to 16 ADR channels and 16 group channels. Of course, my template is expandable, but by staying tight I make them pick the best-recorded takes. As far as track count goes, more doesn't always mean better; pick the best gunshot. Give it a sweetener and move on." The collective awards and nominations these three post sound professionals have amassed are testament to their collaborative process.