Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1351516
be pretty specific about what I want to put in the objects. I just drop things down to the object tracks and put them wherever. What things do you need to watch out for? I don't like taking things, especially dialogue (whether it's Atmos or not), and having it go too far dynamically because then you take the focus away from the storytelling and it's not cohesive. It's not sitting in the soup. I always say, "I want the alphabet sitting in the soup." So, on dialogue, you don't want it to be too specific with the objects so it blends. Talk about your broadcast Atmos workflow. In broadcast, you have to work efficiently. Your template needs to be efficient. Your plugins need to be efficient. Your whole workflow needs to be efficient because you've only got so much time. Maybe you've only got a couple of days to mix so you have to be efficient. As a music mixer in Atmos, it's important to be consistent with the music stems that you're given. The instruments need to be on the same tracks for every cue. I will put most of my music in the 7.1 music bed. But I want to decide which instruments I place outside of the bed. I want those instrument tracks to be consistent. That way, I can be efficient with my template and my setup. So, the question of Atmos slowing you down no longer exists because I've planned for that. Do you use the size capabilities when working in Atmos? With music, you don't want to get so specific with the objects that something sticks out and catches your attention. You want to make sure that it blends. I widen out the objects so that it blends. What do you think are the most important things a mixer needs to know when beginning to mix in Atmos? Every second that I mix I'm thinking, "What's my opportunity? Where's my opportunity? Should I take this opportunity?" It's all about opportunities. I can make statements. If you're mixing a crash, maybe we can hit the crash hard and back off the crash for the reaction. Some mixers aren't using a mixer, they're using a mouse and the track just sits there. They're not grabbing opportunities between the dialogue. When a guy says, "I love you" and moves in for the kiss, there's no more dialogue going on! Go for it with the music! That's your opportunity! However, just because I've got a lot of bells and whistles, it doesn't mean I have to use all of them. If I lay out a big spread for dinner, I'm not going to eat everything that's on the table. The guests are going to pick and choose. MATT WATERS CAS How do you approach a broadcast mix in Atmos? In the TV world, it's all about speed and time, so I mix it as if it's going to a 7.1 bed and then move certain elements to object tracks. That lets me place a sound in a certain space and it gets it out of that 7.1 bed How do you set up your objects? I'll create 16 object tracks for FX and 16 object tracks for BG's. For speed, I duplicate my FX tracks to make my object tracks. That way, they've all got the same plugins and sends so when I pull something down to an object track, it brings my whole mix (panning, processing, and sends). Do you use surround or immersive reverbs? I'll use 7.1 reverbs for music. But I find on FX, because I'm panning and maneuvering stuff, it slows my process down to have 7.1 reverbs. I'll pan my reverb returns. Sometimes I'll want more reverb in the surrounds and it's time-consuming to get into the plugin interface and raise the surrounds from there. I spend half of my life in the surrounds, so I'm not messing around with what a 7.1 reverb wants to do. Sometimes I'll do a reverb in the front and a reverb in the back if I'm feeling funky. Do you use the size capabilities when working in Atmos? I do use them but I'm hesitant because that's just more time. So, if I'm on a feature film with a decent schedule, definitely I'll have fun with that. If I'm mixing something in three days, the size is the last thing I think about. Is there consistency between the streaming channels regarding Atmos? I get them on all sorts of budgets. Some streaming services don't stream in Atmos, but they still want it mixed in Atmos. Other streaming services are dead-set on 5.1.