Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/51295
Bits & Pieces IDEAS Orlando builds new space, expands mix capability O RLANDO — For two decades, IDEAS Orlan- do performed its mix work successfully in their south Orlando studios. But while mix technologies changed over that time, the physical limi- tations of its 1980' s space did not, and in 2009, IDEAS (www.IDEASorlando.com) moved into new space in downtown Orlando. Just recently they completed Audio A, a new mix studio built for 7.1 mixing as opposed to just 5.1. "Sound quality was our first prior- ity," says John Lux, IDEAS president. "Acoustical designer Bob Alach from Alactronics worked closely with our senior audio mixer Rob Hill and gen- eral contractor Collage Companies to create this studio. Alach conduct- ed exhaustive tests before, during and after construction to get a clear understanding of how any sound would react in the completed space. Alach also did the final tuning and balancing of the room. "During construction," says Lux, "Bob made sure that any design changes that were suggested would not negatively affect the room's acoustics. He was absolutely fierce about the acoustics." Equipment for the studio was chosen carefully with IDEAS' work- load and existing equipment in mind. "We do jobs of all sizes, from small mixes to major mixes to large ADR to Foley to simple VO recording," points out Hill. "Choosing a console that worked seamlessly with Pro Tools was top priority, so we chose the ICON." IDEAS also wanted the console to be comfortable for freelance mixers to use, so Hill added familiar outboard equipment, including Focus- rite Red 7, John Hardy and Studer D19 mic preamps, LA-4 compressors and George Massenberg EQs. On the recommendation of Alach, the bass man- agement system features five Bag End subwoofers. Each channel (left, center, right and the two rear sur- round channels) has its own bass extension systems. This represents the low section of the high perfor- mance full range monitor system where it extends from approximately 95 hertz down to 8 hertz. The left, center and right bass systems include dual 18-inch drivers while the rear subs are dual 12s, with both systems powered by the Minima One 1000 watt power amplifier. 6 Post • January 2012 Dual 18s are only 11-inches deep so they could be built into the walls to address space considerations and as well as acoustical performance. "In the new studio," says Lux, "we have completed Foley for an independent feature film and ADR for series airing on ABC and Disney Channel, along with ADR for the film Dolphin Tale and films for Universal and 20th Century Fox. So far, we have not had a single person enter the room and not be [impressed] by the quality of the sound." "The low-end is especially surprising," adds Hill. "Even I wasn't prepared; I can hear sub-sonic rumbles clearly. These are sounds that very few people would even know were there." www.postmagazine.com Alach had Bag End adapt the X6 input section from the Infra-Pro series into this system to allow two indi- vidual inputs. Each channel receives bass frequencies from both its channel and the .1 or LFE program. The LFE is split and distributed into all five bass systems, then adjusted for the correct LFE mixing level. Com- bining all five bass systems into the LFE maintains the accuracy with greatly increased SPL capabilities. The Picture Head posts Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom H OLLYWOOD — Picture Head (www.pic- turehead.com) provided round-the-clock post services for the independent film The Tsu- nami and the Cherry Blossom in order for it to make its debut at the Toronto Film Festival. Documentarian Lucy Walker had just com- The newly-designed IDEAS studio features Avid Pro Tools, an ICON board and Bag End subwoofers. pleted principal photography in Japan when she received an invitation to debut her film at the festival. Her production company, Supply & Demand Integrated, called on Picture Head to provide DI color grading, finishing and sound mixing services so that the film could be fin- ished in just a month's time. The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom chroni- cles of the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last April. The film shows how survivors in the country's hardest hit areas drew the courage to rebuild by the arrival of cherry blossom season. The film fea- tures an original soundtrack by Moby. Upon Walker's return to Los Angeles, a post team was quickly assembled. Japanese-born edi- tor Aki Mizutani of Cutters, Los Angeles, was selected to cut the film. Final post work began at Picture Head, barely a week before the film was due to be delivered to Toronto. Matthew Flint, Picture Head's VP, quickly assembled a complete post team to simultaneously begin the tasks of sound design, sound mixing, graph- ics production, conforming final picture and final DI color grading. Color grading was performed in the facility's DI theatre by veteran DI colorist Phil Azenzer on a Filmlight Baselight system. Sound design- er/re-recording mixer Mark Herscovitz mixed the film in 5.1 surround sound on an Avid ICON D-Control console and a Pro Tools|3 workstation. Picture Head's graphics depart- ment, meanwhile, created the main title and end credits using After Effects. Conforming was done through a hybrid approach. According to Flint, the film was shot with a Canon 5D, which lacks timecode. Picture Head first conformed the film using Final Cut Pro and then passed it on to the Baselight for finishing. The final delivery was on DVD.