Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/908245
cleanest and warmest recordings he could, which did help with matching between vocals during the mix. GF: Our shooting schedule for Sunny is fast; 3-4 cameras, with not a lot of wiggle room. So your plan of attack and audio decisions better be clear. My decision from the get-go was to try to capture all on-set performances as they were, providing exceptional in-ear monitoring for music playback and reaching into the bag of audio tricks for overhead mic placement with some warmth. My mics of choice for Sunny are the Sennheiser MKH 50's (interiors) and DPA 4017b's (exteriors). The body lavs used were Sanken Cos11's and DPA 4071's. There were a few instances where I was able to run the MKH 50's into my Manley Dual Mono Tube preamplifier for the singing/vocal parts. As many of we audio people know, condenser microphones paired with high-end preamps are good ingredients to start with before baking! Even before shooting commenced, with all the upcoming dancing, dialogue-singing-dialogue-singing directives, I knew that for the singing parts themselves, we were going to do a combination of overhead microphones and body lavalieres, as well as utilize the studio prerecordings for the actors to sing/lip sync to. While I did not have an opportunity to visit the recording John-Thomas Graves and Jon Greasley on the dub stage at King Soundworks sessions due to our shooting schedule, and therefore, did not get to talk to the recording engineer about mics and matching, getting the music and vocal tracks early enough (this episode was the last episode to be shot) gave my music playback operator, Daniel Quintana, and I enough time to formulate a strategy. Music playback can get very demanding with routing and distribution, yet, I am always aware that the more technical aspects I can absorb and get on the ready, the smoother the creative process will be on the set. Daniel preferred to use Apple Logic Pro X and we used Phonak Invisity in-ear monitors and the Phonak Roger in-ear monitor system. The music and vocal tracks were sent simultaneously to the actors' ears and my Sound Devices 688 timecode recorder. This way, the live performances would be in exact time with the prerecorded vocals and music mix and the instrumental interludes. Daniel also was the constant thread in the process of this episode, in that he also traveled to Philadelphia to work with our Philly sound mixer, Chris Kellett, to shoot the final big number. All in all, the ability to move according to circumstances and working toward a common goal of the story first (and, in this case, the lyrics), made for a successful outcome. Our cast knows what it wants and needs after helming It's Always Sunny for 12 seasons. Yet, having a strong bedrock of prerecorded material gave the on-set performances a bump. POST