Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500716
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 55 really had that approach as well. All of us have been working in this field for decades and decades, and our ears work in such a well-tuned way that, a lot of times, it's easy to lean into what we think it should sound like from an audio perspective and kind of get focused on that more than how it should feel and how the narrative is being built. One of the great things about working with Deb and working on this series was that it was all about the narrative, all about the character. You really covered a lot of ground in the Star Wars universe in these six episodes. One of the great things about finding the moments for music versus sound effects and making it all fit together smoothly for me, and what I heard from Deb, was really about rhythm. Being swept into the music through the perspective of the story, and whose perspective was being shot at that particular moment. And then using sound effects to break us out of that and back into reality. It's not so much about the practicality of what's happening on screen as it is the emotionality of what's being felt. It's always a pleasure when a filmmaker approaches sound from that angle and gives you freedom. All she worried about was the story and the character development. There wasn't a ton of micromanaging. She really trusted us to do justice to the canon, and to keep that in mind. I also want to second what Scott said to Doc, good ADR is a life-saver and oftentimes a job saver. We don't have time on these shows to get in the weeds with matching ADR. To have something that just drops in, same with music too, allows our focus to be on the bigger picture. DK: Thank you. I noticed this mix sounds good, not only in my office in LCR and on my system at home but on the iPad, too. The stereo imaging was incredible. Do you guys do a separate mix for the small stuff? SL: Yeah, they have a separate stereo spec versus the 5.1 spec. We have to hit those separately so it plays good on your phone. It's the world we're in, so we try to check it on as many speakers as we can before it goes out to the world. DD: We have to have two different mixes in mind. We're mixing it natively on a big dub stage theatrically, and our clients are hearing it in that way. It's not going to sound like a movie on a small screen if it doesn't also sound like a movie on a big screen. But there's so much that gets lost in your intention and the detail that goes away in the translation. You also need to be thinking while you're mixing downstream what you're going to do for the 2-track to preserve your intention there. It's juggling a lot of plates at once, and [requires] a lot of forethought past the creative aspect of it. BW: We have a lot of remote playbacks. So, from the get-go, you're dealing with a lot of different listening experiences. At the end of the mix, you give up control of the listening environment by sending it out into the world. We have to do that from day one now, with it having to sound good in different environments immediately. At a premiere facility like Skywalker Sound that is so well-treated acoustically, those environments must reveal everything. So, with these remote mixing avenues, how often does a client point something out and you are like, "Oh wow, I didn't hear that."? SL: There's so much psychology at play when it comes to sound and giving feedback. When they're giving us notes, whatever they say, I take that as "We need to act on that," because that's the feeling they're having. A lot of times, they'll be like, "I don't know if it's my headphones, but it sounds a little low." I'm like, "No, it's not your headphones. Let's do that note." I think it's just the subjective nature of audio. If it feels low to you, it's low. Let's turn it up. It's not about having the best speakers. What's perfect to one person may not be perfect to another. DD: I know this is mixing focused, but I think we should shout out our sound designer John Borland. He's amazing and he made our lives very easy when it could have been way harder. His stuff is incredible. SL: Also, Matt Wood, he's our sound supervisor on this. And I would also like to throw in, with this series, we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Films that defined "Sound Design" as a term. This is a great legacy that we are adding a slice of the pie to. All gratitude goes to those who came before us. Congratulations and thank you all for your insights and your time! Foley mixer Jason Butler