Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1316380
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 55 their relations with their scoring mixers and directors, and what challenges these celebrated composers faced during the shutdown and what has and hasn't changed in their processes throughout. At past SFF&TV events, manufacturers have capitalized on the unique opportunity that the event offers by capturing the attention of the highly specialized craftspeople in attendance by highlighting their offerings or debuting new products. Even though virtual, this year was no different, with many of the manufacturers and sponsors offering discussions on how their products integrate into a professional work from home environment. Loudspeaker manufacturer PMC sponsored Referencing Sound for TV and Film in 2020 where panelists Larry Benjamin CAS, Scott Kramer, Phil McGowan, and Dennis Sands CAS discussed the importance of truth, balance, and honesty in your B-chain when making critical judgments in mixing and distribution methods. According to scoring mixer Phil McGowan, now more than ever, "having communication back-and-forth to the stage is key in making sure that what you're doing is translating properly." How a crew decides to collaborate and listen during the review process is an important decision to make. Scott Kramer, manager of the Infrastructure Sound Technology team at Netflix, concedes to his showrunners, producers, and directors that due to an inability to control the individual acoustic environments and equipment used for remote playbacks, quality headphones are a good way to evaluate their creative mix decisions. While Larry Benjamin, re-recording mixer at Formosa Group, has found that though clients are still providing notes on balance and story, ultimately, they are trusting the judgment of the mixers on the dub stage. "[Our clients] trust what we're hearing on the stage as the benchmark. We won't make our critical decisions based on the secondary systems." When having to go between scoring mixes in Dolby Atmos all the way to the 2-track downmix that is headed to the retail soundtrack, scoring mixer Dennis Sands recommends using speaker systems that are specific to the purpose. And when choosing your monitors, Sands implores that you not rely on product reviews, "always go to a place that has an array of speakers and listen to all of them. Buy the one that sounds the best to you." Meyer Sound, Grace Designs, and Genelec focused on the monitoring needs of creative talent, presenting a panel discussion titled Accurate Listening: Maintaining a Reference Monitor Standard Across Multiple Locations providing a forum to discuss the importance of accurate listening environments when editing and mixing. As many sound professionals move to improvised offices and studios at home, Will Eggleston of Genelec reminded us that "some of the biggest problems often occur below 200Hz" which can prove difficult to tame. Products like Genelec's Smart Active Monitor (SAM) that automatically adapt to the acoustic environments and correct for levels, delays, and other room anomalies allow for a flexible and reliable monitoring system. While Grace Design's m908 allows monitor control over existing monitoring systems from stereo to Dolby Atmos 22.2 while offering the ability to have full control of parameters such as crossover frequency and sub delay in order to allow your currently installed speaker array to sound its best in the room you have set up.