CAS Quarterly

C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 31 confident in taking risks. Mank (also a nominee at the CAS Awards), for instance, was a radical departure and, though initially intimidating, an incredibly rewarding journey. It's those 'journeys' that keep us coming back, in some ways like confidence, etc. I think we're just getting started. This work and award are Trent's as much as mine," shares Atticus. "We always work at the same time in the same room. The only time it changed was during the pandemic." They have a discipline of working every day and creating, even when there is no specific project, which allows them to experiment, to keep learning, and to maintain the same level of enthusiasm toward the process that they enjoyed 20 years ago. One particular piece of music that had additional work was the Epiphany cue. With this cue, Joe is sitting at his piano at home and places on the music stand the things 22 has collected during her initial 'earth' experience. The cue was written by Trent and Atticus, but we first hear it played by Jon (Joe) before transitioning smoothly into Trent and Atticus's score. Ren's role was pivotal in the cohesion between live performance and the body of the cue. This is the only scene in the film where Joe is not playing jazz music. In essence, the montage plays as the emotional climax of the film: Joe's Epiphany. This is the only track that Jon, Atticus, and Trent recorded together. They went to Capitol to record Jon's intro piano and the solo that ends the piece as Joe is transported to the Astral Plane. There was constant communication between Jon, Atticus, and Trent regarding the music for the transitions and handoffs; it had to feel organic for the score to work. Trent and Atticus even ended up doing the music for the classic chase scene that emerges as jazz, but transforms into "Terry's World" as Joe and 22 are sucked back to face the consequences of their actions. Ross is humble, stating, "We needed to deliver an important moment. Unfortunately, the initial recording didn't provide the required energy. No big deal. At minimum, we had weekly turnovers and I believe Jon's music was a fixed date recording. Picture changes as do the musical needs, and we were able to cover that spot." That said, they stayed true to the voice of 'earth' and it would be difficult for any viewer to imagine this piece as an outlier. "Every movie is a collaboration. However creative one can be, the contribution is still a cog in the machine of service to a greater master; the film and its emotional journey. "The way we work means the stage is clear on how the music should sound. It's meticulously constructed, but we understand this as a moment of letting go. It's simultaneously exciting and terrifying. Will it deliver or be undermined? Luckily, with people like Ren at the helm, one can be assured of option #1." Ross continues, "Delivery is traditionally stereo stems into the hands of Ren or someone of his capabilities; masters in multichannel and spatial sound." Atticus & Trent usually attend and get involved during the mixing sessions, but with Soul, due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was impossible, and communication was limited to notes via email. Dialogue Original dialogue mixer Vince Caro CAS was responsible for recording most of the dialogue for the film. He is from New York and recalls childhood memories of listening to Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Duke Ellington on his dad's stereo. He began playing guitar and bass in grammar school and started experimenting with sound equipment and electronics during his teenage years—even building his own guitar amp. He later graduated from Berklee College of Music where he majored in music production & engineering. In the late 1980s while on staff at RCA/BMG Studios in New York, Vince began working for Disney on the original 2D-animated Beauty and the Beast and later, subsequent Disney animated features. In 1992, he got the call to work on Pixar's Toy Story, and has worked on every Pixar animated film since. In 2005, Vince moved to the Bay Area and is the chief recording engineer at Pixar. He works on the films from the beginning. From table readings, ideas, scratch audio, all the way to the final production dialogue—which is usually a four-to-six-year process. On the East Coast, ADR mixer Bobby Johanson CAS was responsible for the dialogue recordings in New York. Bobby got into the business like most of us, coming from a passion for music. Since he was a kid, he wanted to work in music. In his teenage years, he got a job at a local recording studio in Long Island doing pre- production recordings for some of the big local bands in the '80s. The active pace of the recording studio life had Bobby thinking about his future, as he wanted to pursue his dream but with a more balanced life. His father was in the business as a colorist in Manhattan, so he had connections and knew one of the big mixers at the historical Sound One. There, he got hired as a messenger and worked his way to the position that he wanted. "At that time, as long as you put your foot at the door, it was up to you. I was running film reels around, and a new ADR studio was opening up and they needed somebody to work the machine room in the back with the dubbers. I ended up getting in this machine room for ADR and sitting in the studio during sessions. I found it related to what I wanted to do by having the artists in the studio, in a controlled environment." He usually works with recordist Mike Rivera during the sessions so they can focus on all aspects of the recording sessions, from technical, artistic, and personalities. When asked about the setup, Vince and Bobby mentioned that for these animated films, they usually place a large diaphragm microphone (normally a Neumann U87) set back a little bit which provides a more consistent sound than ADR. Another microphone is used for backup while sometimes an additional mic may be needed based on the production. "There is a common setup for recording throughout the last few films, not much has changed," Vince shares. They often face the challenge when working on a project that is

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