Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/256240
www.postmagazine.com Post • February 2014 33 Wabi Sabi Sound's Andrew Lackey relies on Steinberg's Nuendo 6. everything with the new loudness spec in mind. The LM6 helps us keep track of how loud everything is. It's a fundamental tool that we use all the time." Since all loudness meters come up with the same numbers, Sloan feels the interface on the LM5 is what originally sold them on the plug-in. "It's easy to look at," he says. "The radar looks really cool. Sometimes it's just about flashy lights, because the numbers are all the same." Since the LM5 was working out so well, Digital One upgraded to the LM6 when it became available, as opposed to choosing a new loudness meter from a different com- pany. "I saw Waves just came out with a really good loudness meter," he notes. "I'm sure it's pretty nice, but we like this one." The TC Electronic LM6 Loudness Meter plug-in helps users comply with broadcast standards for loudness, whether it's the ATSC A/85 standard in the US, the EBU R128 for European broadcasts, or any other international broadcast standard. There are several options to choose from. The LM6 features a Loudness Radar Meter that instantly communicates a projects Loudness History, Momentary Loudness, True-Peak Level, Program Loudness, and Loudness Range (LRA). Looking at the radar, you'll see program loudness displayed within five con- centric circles. The boldest circle is the ideal target for program loudness, which is -24 LKFS for US broadcasts. Audio that peaks above that line is colored orange, and every- thing below that line turns from green at the ideal loudness, to more bluish as the levels get 'colder.' You can set the display to your program length, from one minute, up to 24 hours, so that the loudness history, or loudness over the entire project, is easily perceived. There is also an outer ring that displays Momentary Loudness. That's the loudness of the program as it's happening in realtime. When set for ATSC A/85, -24 LKFS is located at the 12 o'clock position, so it's easy to see when program levels peak above that. Another thing to notice on the interface is the all- important Program Loudness. This is clearly displayed in the bottom left corner of the plug-in window. TC Electronic designed the LM6 to run all the time without eating up precious CPU. It's available in Audio Units, VST, AAX, AudioSu- ite, and RTAS plug-in formats. According to the TC Electronic Website, you can use the LM6 with Media Composer, Final Cut Pro X, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Nuendo, and other pro- grams, both on a Mac or PC. It works for projects that are in mono, stereo, or 5.1. The Native plug-in is available through TC Elec- tronic's Web store for $450. To find out more, check out the TC Electronic site (www.tcelectronic.com/lm6-plug-in/). Sloan recently used the LM6 on a shor t film he mixed for Kamp Grizzly, a production company in Por tland, OR. The three-minute film, titled Massan Barrage Cargo, is for Chrome Industries, makers of "useful and durable gear for professional messengers, fixed freestyle riders, and urban commuters," according to Chrome. The film is currently on Vimeo. "It's an interesting documentar y-like piece and I have a feeling it's going to end up somewhere else, possibly in a theater," says Sloan. "Using the LM6 meter on that project allows me to know that the mix I did could easily be made to fit broadcast spec." Since Sloan mixed the film for the Web, he made a final gain adjustment to raise the level overall before outputting the file. This way, if the film does go to broadcast, or theaters, he can simply go back to the origi- nal mix and set the output gain at an appropriate level for those deliveries. He says, "It tends to save work down the line when the client needs a new version to go to a new place. It helps you be prepared for that. It's a necessity to be able to do things quickly. Anything we can do to help the world move as fast as it needs to, and help people meet those quick dead- lines, the better we are. That's kind of our mission, to set everything up to be as flexible as we can, as long as we can, before we're locked into a mix." WABI SABI SOUND Five years ago, Andrew Lackey started Wabi Sabi Sound in Berkeley, CA (www. wabisabisound.com). He's been a sound designer for the past 15 years. After interning for the great supervising sound editor/sound designer Dane Davis (The Matrix trilogy, The Twilight Saga, Ender's Game), Lackey spent several years doing sound effects design, editing, field recordings, and supervising Foley. He worked at Skywalker Sound and Elec- tronic Arts before starting Wabi Sabi Sound. Wabi Sabi Sound is a boutique audio post house that delivers extensive experi- ence in film, games and adver tising to their clients using a creative and refreshing approach. They offer Foley, sound design, voice acting, field recording, mixing, and other audio post services, but they don't separate these services during the audio post process. Lackey explains that on a cur- rent game project for Number None, Inc., called The Witness (an upcoming explora- tion-puzzle game that takes place on an uninhabited island), they were unhappy with traditional Foley footsteps. "We decided to shoot them on exterior organic surfaces, where we were also recording all of our ambiences, on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Since they blended naturally, we didn't have to worry about getting the footsteps super clean. The depth of texture in organic footsteps is tre- mendous. By having the process fit the proj- ect, we're able to create these win/win sce- narios all the time." Lackey's audio post experience is mostly split between the film and game industries. He's worked on films like The Matrix trilogy, 8 Mile and Treasure Planet. His game credits include The Dead Space trilogy, Spore, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, BioShock 2, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Last year, Wabi Sabi Sound worked on two major game projects, two indie short films, three trailers, and four art pieces for a theater lobby in Dubai. They also work with advertising clients. Working with such a large variety of cli- ents, on projects ranging from art installa-