ADR in PT with scrolling text or just beeps?

[Loudigi]

Hey there,

I was wondering what other post engineers are doing for ADR these days? Are you solely using beeps in PT with guide audio, or are you using PT in conjunction with external software in order to have scrolling dialog on screen and beeps?

If you're doing the latter, I'm hoping to find out a low cost, reliable, easy to use piece of software.

Thanks in advance!

Lou

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by Loudigi

Are you solely using beeps in PT with guide audio

Yes.

Originally Posted by Loudigi

or are you using PT in conjunction with external software in order to have scrolling dialog on screen and beeps?

No.

[tonepad]

+1 for beeps and guide track with actor variations/prefs. Some don't want the guide where the replaced line goes and we have a custom set of beeps for one of our stars...but the basics are the same. Though I like streamers, they've never caught on in HW for ADR. Fine... less special software to buy!

[Vedat]

Some people swear by Voice Q, but it may not be cost effective for one of sessions. Only makes sense for on going series.

[Loudigi]

Thanks for the info folks. I've been testing out Voice Q, and it's nice....when it works. Crashing all over the place though. The price is very high for that software too. I've always done ADR by pre-placing my beeps based on the cue sheets given to me and it's always worked great. I'm still interested in a low cost and easy to do solution for getting the text to be on screen. I'm thinking it must be much better for an actor to read the text across the screen rather than look down and up and down. I can also see where an actor may be distracted by the scrolling on screen text. Either way, I think it would be good to at least have both options available.

Thanks again!

[SDDP]

Originally Posted by Loudigi

Thanks for the info folks. I've been testing out Voice Q, and it's nice....when it works. Crashing all over the place though. The price is very high for that software too. I've always done ADR by pre-placing my beeps based on the cue sheets given to me and it's always worked great. I'm still interested in a low cost and easy to do solution for getting the text to be on screen. I'm thinking it must be much better for an actor to read the text across the screen rather than look down and up and down. I can also see where an actor may be distracted by the scrolling on screen text. Either way, I think it would be good to at least have both options available.

Thanks again!

Here's my experience and why I only use beeps. One, after watching/hearing the line to be replaced with beeps as how ever many times they need to get the timing and feel of it, most will just go with the beeps as their cue. The text accross screen I feel would be useless in most cases because a LOT of times, they might change words/lines (producers or talents call) and it takes less time to just pencil that in. Sometimes actors make little notes for themlseves so having paper for that helps. And a lot of cases (mostly for the talent who are not pro's at adr) I might end up going old school and looping the good old fashion way. with the beeps and putting PT in Loop Record and letting it go over and over till I got a few very tight reads.

[Vedat]

Plus, actors shouldn't "read", but perform their lines.

[TAFF]

We have to post synch a lot of dialogue on Doctor Who because of the special fx scenes that have wind or rain machines over it. We use streamers here (Colin Broad boxes) and to a fashion they work great. I'm not a fan of beeps as occasionally I've had sessions back from studios where the headphone bleed of the beeps has virtually ruined the takes. A pain when you want to do more than one loop in a run. That said it does work , so horses for courses I suppose.

Has anybody used "Streamers" a neat bit of software that works with QT. The new version will do beeps, wipes and scrolling text as well. I haven't tried it with the scrolling option but will let you know the results

Paul McFadden
Supervising Sound Editor
Doctor Who
www.bangpostproduction.com

[TAFF]

http://figure53.com/streamers/

Just for people to know what i'm on about

Paul

[Ray JB]

Yes we use Streamers. It's great. I vote for a beep free world too. Drives me crazy when recording ADR in the States that I get a blank stare from some ADR Mixers when I ask for beeps out of cans only rather than thru the loudspeaker in the room. "Why" they ask? "So I can use the breaths before the cued line", I say... Oh we don't do it like that here.... "OK, Have you got a Colin Broad box or the program "Streamers" I say? Most haven't heard of either.

Spread the good word.

Ray