Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546135
52 FA L L 2 0 2 6 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y wasn't quite that. I used the reverse rendering on an AudioSuite reverb plugin—combined with layered pitch shifting and regular reverb on all layers. Sometimes it takes a while to get that. Other times it's easier, but you can usually get it close. And the audience—I don't think they say, 'Aha! You used a different reverb, and it sounds different in this language.' It doesn't have to be precisely imitated—it has to be believable. So even in the rare occasion when I get mix notes, I'm using my ears, skills, and experience." At Scale: 47 Languages!!! When we think about the whole process of dubbing a show or movie into another language, it already involves a comprehensive group of people and a good amount of time, resources, and effort to make it right. What happens when, instead of a handful of languages, a production needs to be localized and dubbed into 47 languages—on top of that, with tight deadlines for worldwide releases? Things escalate quickly, and a system must be in place to ensure that it is done the right way: technically, artistically, and with cultural and language accuracy. That is the case with most major studios, and in the case of animation, we talked to David Fluhr who is clearly aware of the responsibility he has on his hands—and ears—to ensure that the brand and the productions, animated feature films, are held to the highest standards. "We must protect the brand. The genesis was about that: people around the world can enjoy this," informs David, who has seen the evolution of the process—from something done on a per-availability basis many years ago, to a well-structured and supervised production of all foreign languages, with currently between 45 and 50 languages per production. According to David, that is almost double the number used for live-action features on average. David explains how the whole process works for his team, worldwide, for Disney Animation features: "The way it works is we have territories, and we have directors in each of the territories, and each one might be responsible for six, seven, or more languages. Some of the Slavic countries would have one central point. The Scandinavians and Italy, they're by themselves; the larger territories are sort of by themselves. Spain would handle Castilian Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese, while Latin American Spanish is treated as separate, along with Brazilian Portuguese. The turning point was Frozen (2013)—and that was our first native Atmos mix. "The post executives running the studio at the time sat me down and said I need you to go to Shepperton Studios in England and make sure all the languages are reflecting the creative intent of the domestic mix. It's very centralized in terms of the control. All the territories are all going through a central place so that their recordings get then Nicholas and David at Dubbing Brothers