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  #1  
Old 10-30-2002, 09:45 AM
LATablette LATablette is offline
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Default Need advice for cleaning up sound...

I need some advice. I am involved in the production of a short which was nicely captured on film, but the sound is crap. Although I am responsible for the score, we all pitch in where possible on a project which has no more money--thus, the post sound has fallen in my lap as well. Now, I know nothing about post sound and am just trying to find my way through this. Here are my questions:

how much can be filtered out (ie room noise, etc) and how? There are takes where the room noise just gets horribly loud.

when dialogue takes are bad (movement away from mikes, etc) what kind of mics should I use to re-record new dialogue and how do I make it sound like it is in the same space that it was filmed in. I've tried recording dialogue the same way I capture vocals in a song, but it doesn't come out right--it's too clean or something.

Any advice on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
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  #2  
Old 10-30-2002, 11:04 AM
Noiz2 Noiz2 is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Unfortunatly there isn't a magic bulet for fixing those problems. Plugins like DINR or the Waves Restoration bundle can often help a lot. And they have a timed demo so you could probably get through this project on the demo. Generaly you would like to record the ADR with the same mic used to record production. On your buget you might be able to make life easier if you record in a space simular to the set (but quieter) but that may not be possable. You should also probably record farther away than you would for music to try and match the boom sound. Filling in with "air" or "room tone" will also help place the ADR in the same place. And cut in some backgrounds to help unify the place. When all else fails you might be able to put in some hard FX, ie a car by, to mask some particularly bad spot.
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  #3  
Old 10-30-2002, 11:17 AM
Boom Chic Boom Chic is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

If you need any help, I'd be glad to. I'm in LA and have worked on several projects recently like the one you describe. Post is very different than music.

The topic about sound editors has tons of great info and might help you get an idea of what's involved in post.

Talk to the production sound mixer and find out what mics were used on this project. Did they use a 416? lavs? etc.
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  #4  
Old 10-30-2002, 11:24 AM
mhvoiceuk mhvoiceuk is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

I would agree with Noiz2. If there isn't much of a budget for your film try to use the original mic. For interiors you should be OK just working in any quiet room. For exteriors, just go to a quiet park. Make sure that it is quiet or you'll wind up with the same problem that you had in the first place! If you can get your hands on a lap top with something like an MBox, you could record using QT movies for your loops. Save the clips that you need as seperate movies and play a loop to the actors
with the original audio a few times to let them get the rhythm, hit mute and then record onto another track.

Best wishes,

MHVoiceUK
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  #5  
Old 10-30-2002, 11:29 AM
LATablette LATablette is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Thanks guys. and thank you, Karen. I will indeed contact you, if for no other reason than to ask you some questions. very generous offer to help.
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  #6  
Old 10-30-2002, 07:43 PM
The Chinese The Chinese is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Go To Audio Rents and rent a Cedar Box-This will work absolute miracles on Prod. Audio. They rent for about 70/day, sop it's not too much of a stab....
-Todd A.
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  #7  
Old 10-30-2002, 10:25 PM
Boom Chic Boom Chic is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Um, I think I would have to disagree with the suggestions to record "outdoors" or in a room with similar ambience, that's not going to make your job any easier. I would find out from the production mixer, what mics were used, and use the same mic. Record it clean and then add backgrounds, room tone, birds, crickets, city sounds, etc. to tie the ADR with the production audio, and position your mic the way it would have been positioned on set for each shot. A wide shot would be boomed from farther away than a closeup of someone talking. If the production mixer did their job, you should have some "room tone" from each location. Also, remember that booms are held above the person talking and pointing down at their mouth, which is very different than recording someone singing in the studio when they are right in front of the mic. If there were lavs used, use a lav (same one) to match with the production sound.

Good luck! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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  #8  
Old 10-31-2002, 08:49 AM
Noiz2 Noiz2 is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Quote:
Originally posted by Boom Chic:
Um, I think I would have to disagree with the suggestions to record "outdoors" or in a room with similar ambience, that's not going to make your job any easier.
On a film with a budget I would agree, mostly because it's dificult to get video in the field big enough for the actors to work against. But in this case, and maybe I'm mistaken but, I don't think he's going into a ADR stage to do his loops, I think he's going to esentialy do it wild. In that case the disadvantage of doing it on location is diminished and the pluses grow. The big plus is that the ADR will sound like the cleaned up dialog. It is very dificult to record ADR with out having it sound "roomy" even in an ADR stage and near imposable in a music room.
Recording Foley and even ADR is done time to time on big buget films or "worldized" after the fact, so this isn't just a low budget technique. It is important to have quiet locations or you will get some of the problems you are now dealing with.

I totaly agree with boom chicks miking sugestion, the overhead mic is a very diferent sound than you would normaly record in the studio.

If you do have to do the loops in a music room for the out side sceens throw blankets on everything and make the room REALY dead. that should help get rid of the "interior" sound of the room.
good luck
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  #9  
Old 10-31-2002, 09:55 AM
Boom Chic Boom Chic is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

LaTablette,

Please tell me you are NOT planning on recording ADR wild! Yikes! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Definitely make your ADR studio as DEAD as possible as Noiz2 suggested, I take that for granted because my recording room is very dead.
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  #10  
Old 11-04-2002, 11:06 AM
LATablette LATablette is offline
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Default Re: Need advice for cleaning up sound...

Thanks for all the great suggetions.
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