Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1316365
www.postmagazine.com 21 POST NOV/DEC 2020 AUDIO OUTLOOK O AUDIO W hen lockdown hit the entertain- ment industry, it became abun- dantly clear that traditional dubbing wasn't prepared to react. Content owners needed a solution that could offer flexibility, choice and, ultimately, business continuity. They still needed to be able to deliver technical and creative quality, but with the freedom to work outside the confines of a physical studio setting. TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS Building a technology platform that ensures creative performance, audio quality and security takes time, but we're convinced that the technology is where it needs to be to deliver the highest lev- els of dubbing production. For example, at Zoo, we've been working on technol- ogy for several years to bring together in-studio and remote recording. It's often hard to imagine how the qual- ity that comes with a studio set-up can be neatly packaged into a software platform, or how a home recording environment can reach the same levels as a studio. How can captured audio be monitored, assessed and treated in a way that delivers a high-quality product? And how can dubbing directors work closely with voice actors to deliver captivating performances while collaborat- ing from separate continents? Lockdown has been the prime opportu- nity to see all of this first-hand. For many, this technology has moved from a theoret- ical concept to the evolution of dubbing. We've heard it called everything from the "future of dubbing" to "witchcraft". However, not all technology is created equal. Some remote recording offerings are new-to-market pandemic responses, while others are more mature, offering highly-refined solutions for audio quality, collaboration and security. THE NEED FOR A RESILIENT DUBBING SUPPLY CHAIN Lockdown and a lack of business conti- nuity have demonstrated that the dub- bing supply chain is vulnerable. Most ser- vice providers own and operate studios around the world, and during lockdown, those studios were suddenly beyond reach. The shutdown of the traditional dubbing model has been a wake-up call for studios and content owners, but it's also acted as a catalyst for change. As more service providers look to remote recording studios, we're sitting in an industry limbo — one that understands and adopts the principals of remote recording but with wildly varying levels of capability. This is because many service providers are still looking at remote recording as a reactive and temporary business continuity solution. For many, it's more of a back-up plan, rather than a resilient and high-quality way of working long term. Now that productions are beginning to open again, we need to ensure that cloud dubbing doesn't take a backseat. In an industry that regularly alleviates risk by working with several vendors, this thought process should be applied to the means of dubbing production. A re- silient hybrid model must be proactively built into the dubbing supply chain as a long-term safety net — knowing that the quality and security is there now. WHAT'S NEXT FOR CLOUD DUBBING? Throughout lockdown, Zoo didn't skip a beat because everything we do operates in the cloud. Having access to a dis- persed, fully-equipped workforce and a resilient model is part of our norm, rather than a new benchmark to aim for. Content owners should no longer see platform-based cloud dubbing as a stopgap or quick fix. It's much more than that. It enables resilience, high quality, security and scale. It's the future of media localization. LOCKDOWN ACCELERATES CHANGE IN DUBBING BY GORDON DORAN CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER & PRESIDENT ZOO DIGITAL EL SEGUNDO, CA ZOODIGITAL.COM W ith many individuals still working remotely due to COVID-19, we have seen a significant increase in the use of home-based audio production and post production equipment, as well as a massive surge in home studio builds. KRK has experienced its largest historic sales figures in the months of September and October of this year, which we attribute partially to the increasing need for home-based work solutions. Even amidst a pandemic, there's work that needs to be done, and people are getting creative. Audio engineers are modifying their approaches and com- pleting as much work as possible from the safety of their homes. Music and soundtrack production have been hap- pening in home studio environments for many years now, and we don't see that trend changing. In fact, the demand for content creation is booming — not only for TV and film productions, but for vid- eo games, digitally-served internet ads, live streaming, podcasts and more. We foresee commercial studios and professionally-staffed facilities continuing to produce the most polished content. However, there has been a democrati- zation of production tools due to wider availability and affordability, allowing more people to become involved in content creation and editing. As more and more manufacturers produce bud- get-friendly, high-quality tools, everyone from seasoned professionals to neo- phytes has access to the essential gear needed to mix audio from home. While not everyone has the space or resources to add a fully equipped Foley stage to their home studio, many other aspects of post production can be handled in a home studio environment. This includes ADR (automated dialogue replacement), sound design, mixing and audio cleanup, and editing. For KRK, we have seen a heightened demand for our studio monitors, headphones and subwoofers, and we have several exciting new products in the works. When this global health crisis is behind us, we are excited for the film industry to assemble and interact in person again, which will facilitate a return to some of the production methods and workflows implemented prior to the COVID outbreak. However, the advantag- es of working from home will not disappear along with the pandemic. We expect to see continued use of home- based facilities as the convenience and comfort of working from home just cannot be beaten. THE RISE OF THE HOME STUDIO BY PHIL O'KEEFE SENIOR EDITOR GIBSON BRANDS NASHVILLE, TN WWW.KRKMUSIC.COM