Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1543070
34 S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y CAS Vice President Amanda Beggs CAS opened the panel by discussing the industry's shift from relying on pre- recorded songs for lip sync to capturing high-quality recordings live on set. Chris Welcker CAS emphasized that it begins with the actors and creating solutions that allow them to deliver their best performances, with the goal of designing flexible systems in pre-production that can adapt to each musical situation. Jeff Zimmerman added that extensive preparation goes into understanding the script and planning performances, stressing on clear communication with the director and team to determine the most efficient approach. Chris cited the recent Spinal Tap II: The End Continues as an example where heavy improvisation required solutions like high track count recorders, tools like SpectraLayers for creating stem separation in critical situations, and network-based audio technologies like Dante. b y C A S A s s o c i a t e K a r t h i k M o h a n M P S E Panel L-R: Amanda Beggs CAS, Jeff Zimmerman, Chris Welcker CAS, and Fei Yu. Music editor Fei Yu makes it a point to be on set, writing cue sheet notes for each take to ensure enough usable material for post and keeping Pro Tools sessions available to accommodate last-minute requests. She acts as a key communicator between the director, composer, and the post team while adapting to constant challenges. Amanda noted that communication between production and post is significantly greater on musical projects. Chris referenced Sinners, where the post team was on board before he came on, allowing for extensive top-down communication. The challenge was to capture performances live while keeping pre-records usable. Chris recorded impulse responses at each club location and had the composer additionally use the same mics used on set for pre-records, which music editor Felipe Pacheco later worldized, providing greater flexibility in post. The panel acknowledged that such collaboration is rare, with many lessons coming from "horror stories," including ripping tracks from YouTube to meet specific director requests. Fei recalled a project where licensing a Pink Floyd song took over a year and pushed dangerously close to release. The conversation then shifted to teamwork. Chris explained that tailoring systems to each crew member's equipment allows for quick adaptation on set. His longtime collaborator Ryan Farris shifted between boom operator and playback operator roles with equipment pre-wired to allow seamless role changes and flexibility. Asked about career paths, Jeff shared that he entered the industry as a boom operator and recommends joining the Making Music Sing On Set