Film Form – Sound Tutorial (Anne-Marie + Leo)
Film FormAs I have minimal experience within sound design and sound mixing, I thought it would be beneficial to attend the sound tutorial. I learnt so much within such a short period of time. Below are my notes and how I interpreted the sound-based concepts.
Facts about Sound
Sound is comprised of three elements – amplitude, frequency, and wavelength.
Sound travels faster in solids than in air.
There is a direct relationship between frequency, wavelength, and velocity.
Reverberations can be direct or indirect.
A subwoofer creates a lower frequency or bass.
Close perspective = high ratio of direct sound, ‘dry’.
Distant perspective = high ratio of indirect/reflected sound, ‘wet’ or ‘colouration’.
Signal chain = input to output.
There is a difference between recording (known as gain) vs. monitoring (volume).
Sound Recording Methods and Principles
Voltage is transferred via the XLR cable (this is also known as phantom power).
An overcharge of electricity affects signal if the sound equipment is dual-powered.
If one step in the signal chain (input–>output) fails, the rest also will. (Think of it like a series circuit, not a parallel circuit).
There is different polar patterns for microphone sound recording.
Mono = sound produced and recorded by one source.
Stereo = sound produced and recorded by 2+ sources.
There is no real ‘left’ and ‘right’ in sound recording, everything is technically mono.
Atmos = outside.
Room tone = inside.
Wildtrack = environment.
Record the room tone in the same exact conditions as during takes.
Record specific sounds in silence is not the same as room tone.
Noise floor – room tone can hide dialogue cuts.
Record dialogue as clean as possible.
Extras are not actually speaking during takes in films.