Tim Duck The Nap Nap Swamp is a wetlands that is part of a floodplain area in south-western NSW that has had some acoustic monitoring going on thanks to ecologists from Charles Sturt University and The Australian National University. Thankfully the ecologists share some of the details and sounds from their work on the following website, which … Read more The Sound of Water
Something that has been bothering me lately is the variable playback loudness in cinemas, with most cinemas playing back well below the Dolby Reference standard level of 7 (or calibrated to 85dB SPL), but seemingly there pretty much being no standard anymore. Unfortunately films being mixed at lower levels, to make for louder mixes, which … Read more Sound Levels in Cinemas
The slashfilm.com website has posted up an article discussing some of the reasons why it has often become more difficult to understand the dialogue in films these days. There are a number of points that cover creative choices such as Christopher Nolan’s approach in various films and mixing with theatrical dynamics that doesn’t necessarily translate … Read more Intelligibility in Films
A couple of months ago The Feed on SBS did a piece about Foley which a couple of people suggested I check out. I finally got around to watching it and it turns out it is a really good profile of Footsteps Foley studio in Canada, where they have a fantastic custom “Foley House” set … Read more Footsteps Foley on The Feed
Behind the Sound Cart: A Veteran’s Guide to Sound on the Set is a welcome addition to the small number of books available about production sound recording for screen productions, and it is the only book that I am aware of that focuses on the Sound Utility / Utility Sound Technician (UST) role specifically. This … Read more Book Review – Behind the Sound Cart by Patrushkha Mierzwa
DPA have some fantastic information in their Mic University and their page discussing microphone set-ups for surround sound and immersive audio formats is a really great primer covering some of the common approaches: https://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-university/immersive-sound-object-based-audio-and-microphones I’ve recorded using various multi-channel/surround techniques, but my most common approach for ambiences is using an IRT Cross. Although the technique … Read more Immersive Microphone Set-ups
Music Tech Explained have produced a neat explainer video giving a rundown on Dolby Atmos, and importantly, the current state of affairs with regards to some things to keep in mind about mixing with it and how Apple Music handles it downstream. A great introduction to these aspects in this video:
The AES have released a new/revised recommendation concerning loudness for internet audio streaming and on-demand application. There are no real surprises in there, with a -18 LKFS/LUFS (+/- 2 LU) integrated loudness for assorted content where the dialogue is not directly measurable on its own, which is in line with previous recommendations, as posted about … Read more AES Loudness for Internet Audio
Dom Morley from Mix Consultancy, has written some tips for boosting creativity in the studio for the Production Expert website, which are actually just simple tips for creativity generally no matter whether it is in the studio or other types of creative pursuits. Here they are: https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/5-tips-to-boost-creativity-in-the-studio
Simon Hayes has written another great article for the IATSE 695 journal, this time focusing on his team’s work undertaking the production sound recording for the latest James Bind film, No Time to Die. Simon is an engaging writer, and obviously passionate about his work and sharing knowledge. I love that he gets to work … Read more Production Sound for James Bond