Music, Sound, and Audio Technology

Bryant Falk has been a producer and engineer for over 12 years working with such clients as The Ricki Lake Show, Coca-Cola, Sports Illustrated, Valley National Bank, and MTV�s The Shop. His company Abacus Audio (www.abacusaudio.com) handles many aspects of the audio production field from creative and production to mixing and final output.

Audio mixing, a process that used to be the sole job of the audio mixer is seeing a change. As editing systems get more sophisticated, the task of fixing and mixing audio has been given to the editor at least in some part. And as these editing systems have grown more prevalent, I�ve been asked to clean up a mix that resides on a Final Cut system or even an Avid. Although I do prefer outputting an OMF and working in Pro-Tools, when time is short and resources are limited, I will jump in and work with what I have. Here are a few basic pointers for editors who�d like to improve their own mixes.

Audio Quality
The most important thing when mixing is trying to use the best audio quality you can for the clips you are working with. Since video is the priority when editing, audio is usually brought in at a low resolution. If this is what you have to work with, problems can arise as you add effects, EQ, compression, and more. The low res files don�t hold up well. It�s like trying to print a 20x30 image using a low res 4x6 jpeg.

Frequency Mapping
We can hear audio from 20Hz to 20Khz. What goes on and how much are a key factors in creating a good mix. For example, a jackhammer uses up a lot of our frequency range. Trying to overlay a conversation over this sound effect can be a problem. See how many other sounds also sit in the same range as your dialogue. Create a �Map� of the frequencies being used, and see where things can be opened up. Just lowering an effect may rob it of its intended effect. That is when we head down to EQ Carving.

EQ Carving
Most people�s impulse when using EQ is to boost a frequency range. Although hard to believe, cutting an unwanted frequency can usually be much more effective. Imagine trying to stand a book on edge using the top of a table stacked with hundreds of checkers. You could add more checkers to level off the table. This may leave you with a huge stack of checkers before you even start to balance your book! Another option would be to clean off all the checkers and find that smooth table underneath in which to balance. For our jackhammer, try carving out space in the jackhammer frequencies to allow the dialogue to be heard. This will still maintain the jackhammer�s energy while allowing for your dialogue.

As for overall EQ, try and achieve a balance. I look at mixing like checking an orchestra. Too many flutes, (for those mixing audio that translates into squeeky brakes, sibilant �s� sounds, and birds) and the top end will be too overwhelming. Use that EQ and notch out some of that high end. Same goes for the Bass and Cellos, (for those mixing audio that might be the sound of a large truck stopping, earthquakes, fire, or a James Earl Jones voiceover). Try to get them to balance proportionally in your mix.

Leveling & Limiting
When preparing a mix for broadcast, there are some hard and fast rules as to how loud your mix is allowed to be. A spec sheet should be available telling you how loud a program is supposed to be, as well as the additional output mixes or splits that will be required on delivery. These levels can vary from �11db to �20db. When mixing for the internet, these rules can change as everyone and their neighbor is posting videos these days. People are used to very loud mixes when viewing from the internet. I typically mix at �2db to keep the level up but not distorted on various computer systems. Also make sure to get your audio as even as possible. Nothing pulls someone out of suspended disbelief faster than an audio mix that keeps going up and down in levels! Humans are very good at perceiving level changes. You typically only need a third of gain (volume) change in production gain to achieve a similar effect in real life.

Splits
Splits allow for additional changes down the road without the need to return to the original material. One example is if your project is going international. If you had a narrator in your project, he would need to be replaced with the corresponding language of the country. A typical split layout would be the following.

Track 1&2 ------------Music
Track 3 ---------------- Dialogue/Narrator
Track 4 ---------------- SFX

If the Narrator is talking over your dialogue track then you will need to split out the Narrator either by combining music and Effects or dropping to an 8 track recording system. With the above in mind, you will be on your way to a stronger audio mix. EQ itself is a powerful tool that if used properly can really make a difference in a project. Level or volume alone can take upwards of 2 days for me to complete on a 5 minute short! Focus on the details, it makes a big difference.


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Check out this article in the July 2007 print edition of StudentFilmmakers magazine, page 32.