User justin pearson - Social Sound Design

Answer by Justin Pearson for Examples of non-overt mixes

2012-02-02T17:41:11Z

Once Upon a Time in the West
PlayTime
North By Northwest
The Black Stallion
The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
2001
Das Boot
Master and Commander
Toy Story
A River Runs Through It
The English Patient
Ratatouille
No Country For Old Men
The King's Speech
The Hurt Locker

To name a few. All superb sound jobs, where the sound work/sonic choices/mix support the narrative.

Answer by Justin Pearson for REQUEST: WWII Airplane Bys

2012-02-02T00:56:29Z

This boutique library from John Leonard called "sounds of flight" might do the trick. The price is certainly right...

Washington Post covers sound design in film:

2010-10-25T05:06:26Z

There's a nice piece by Ann Hornaday with a video in today's Washington Post here.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Physically small omni condensers?

2012-01-26T20:40:48Z

DPA lavs are the way to go. The cables may be fragile, but that's what gaff tape is for. They sound excellent on cars. Here's an example.

Answer by Justin Pearson for What is the future of recording technologies?

2012-01-24T21:33:22Z

Woody Norris is doing some amazing things with directional sound. Yes it is a playback technology, but I imagine the same principles could be applied to hyper-directional recording.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Your favourite MS mic setup?

2012-01-17T17:40:34Z

From my observations, these are the most used MS pairs in field recording:

Sennheiser MKH 40 or 50 (or 8040 or 8050) paired with an MKH 30 or MKH 800
Schoeps CMC bodies with MK4 or MK41 capsules paired with an MK8
Schoeps CCM4 or CCM41 paired with a CCM8
Neumann KM100 bodies with AK40 or AK50 capsules paired with an AK20

There are also single stereo MS mics like the Sanken CSS5, Sennheiser MKH418, or the Neumann RSM 191i

I personally own a Schoeps pair and love the sound of them.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Best Condenser for <$100?

2012-01-12T17:19:49Z

I also asked this question once here with some great suggestions. I have to say at $59, an MXL 990 is a mic I wouldn't flinch at putting in harms way. I don't know how they manage to manufacture a large diaphragm mic at that price.

Answer by Justin Pearson for water resistant mic and recorder

2012-01-10T17:22:51Z

Good responses so far. I've done some boat recording and I found two things very useful:

1) Plumbers Tape-- rubberized tape used to seal pipes and other stuff. It's has all of the uses of gaff tape, plus it can make objects/seals water tight.

2) Dry bags--Used for diving etc., (usually found in places like REI) keep a recorder in there, sealed with plumbers tape.

PS: Be careful when using phantom power in the water, since the XLR is conducting current.

Answer by Justin Pearson for REQUEST: European BGz variety - birds, animals

2012-01-10T00:24:32Z

The McCauley library won't be cheap, but they'll have what you need for sure.

Outside of finding a generous nature recordist in the UK, your best luck is indeed in the BBC library. Lots of properly labeled, well recorded UK bird sounds in there. The general BBC library (not just the nature specific one) also has a lot of birds. I know it's a bummer buying specific sounds, then purchasing them as part of a set later.

I'd also suggest asking this question on the Yahoo Nature Recordist group.

Good luck.

Answer by Justin Pearson for REQUEST: Archival recordings of metropolitan cities and traffic

2012-01-03T18:25:56Z

Perhaps you could investigate vintage newsreels at Archive.org, specifically the movies in the Prelinger Collection, which are public domain. Here's one about New York in 1941. I'm guessing that they'll mostly be music, but you might find some city recordings in the clear.

You may also have some luck investigating the BBC archives. Or taking a trip to a vintage auto show, there's a great one in Monterey every year.

Answer by Justin Pearson for How can a sound designer best use it's knowledge in the preproduction?

2011-12-16T18:52:36Z

A thoughtful essay that answers this very question here.

Answer by Justin Pearson for prepping tracks for international release (M&E)

2011-12-05T20:09:01Z

"what's done about this in a big budget situation and what's the low budget trying to be as efficient as possible approach?"

From my experience, these events are always covered in foley for the M&E, even if the pfx sound great. Most foley supervisors will spot a majority of the props/feet they see on screen just to cover their bases. If foley feet are used for a character in a scene, they will cover all of the feet in that scene for consistency and let the mixer decide whether to kill them. Often a cloth pass is done and never used in the mix with the production sound, only in the M&E to give the dubbing a less canned feel with some movement and life.

"One more example. A guy is running through the forest breathing heavily. Once again the production recordings sound awesome and everyone loves them. For M&E purposes do you put this on a PFX track or a dialog track? Or does it need to be recreated even though everyone loves it so all the elements can be dealt with separately?"

This is more of a legal/SAG union question. It depends on the agreement/contract between the actor and the producers. Often all breaths are done again in dubbing to keep this issue cut and dry. Of course, many of the breaths you hear in films are actually the breaths of the dialog editor or some group ADR actor, which is a whole other story.

Foreign versions are definitely remixed, as the dialog in other languages may need to be rebalanced over music and effects.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Recording in heavy rain & protecting your mics

2011-12-02T17:29:58Z

A Rainman would be a good start. Condoms work great on SM57 and other dynamics as hydrophones, but I'd be concerned that any sort of condenser in one would loose high end frequency response (which is pretty important if you're recording rain).

My suggestion would be to build some sort of tarp/structure out of soft rubber packing foam like this. Perhaps cut it in a round shape that will cover the top of an umbrella? Kind of a poor man's Rainman. This sort of material should work pretty well at absorbing the drops without a ton of sound.

Good luck.

Answer by Justin Pearson for ADR in a documentary

2011-11-21T18:18:13Z

Do you have a field recording kit, or some sort of field recorder? You could loop the interview somewhere (preferably quiet) outside. It will probably match production better than a super clean studio recording anyway. I wouldn't try this in a live, non-treated room. The human ear is super sensitive to early reflections, and it will be pretty obvious that the line is looped.

A good idea when looping is to play the offending interview back in headphones (line by line if you can), so the subject can get an idea of the rhythm and tone of what they said, and mimic it back to you. Even if you think they nailed it, you'll probably have a bunch of editing to do to get it to sync up later.

Looping is done all the time in documentaries, I wouldn't sweat it.

Answer by Justin Pearson for How many people use recordings from their Zoom or Handheld recorder?

2011-11-16T21:11:33Z

I like to use a simple analogy to professional photographers. My Sound Devices and Schoeps MS kit is my Hasselblad, studio-grade camera. My Sony PCM D-1 is my point and shoot camera (albeit a nice point and shoot).

Ansel Adams lugged a heavy camera rig around (with the help of an assistant) and captured some brilliant and detailed images, often by waiting hours just for the right light. Diane Arbus carried a small Leica point and shoot with her, and was able to spontaneously capture insightful images of urban life by being in the right place at the right time with a camera handy. Her pictures might not have had the clarity and sharpness of Adams, but they were of the moment. Both tools have their uses.

I love both of my recorders, but probably end up using the Sony more, simply due to portability, stealth, and ease of set-up. Just ran outside last night with it to capture a news helicopter circling overhead. I wouldn't have been able to capture that moment if I had to wire up XLR cables.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Mic pops with movement, consonants

2011-11-14T23:43:34Z

What Lavs are you using? I have a pair of DPA 4060s that will pop/clip on loud material (such as an actor yelling) simply because they can't handle the SPL.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Stereo bar 40 cm or 70 cm?

2011-11-11T17:58:54Z

I recommend reading this article before making your decision. A lot of useful info about AB mic placement etc..

I think you'd be fine with 40cm unless you want a wide AB image from a pair of omnis. I'd also consider the Grace Design Spacebar as well as the Rycote.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Egg Hatching Sound.

2011-11-05T18:21:29Z

How about some eggs from the grocery store?

Or watch this:

[youtube]Dp7aJ6zoLXY[/youtube]

Answer by Justin Pearson for Poly .wav picture editorial <-> sound dept workflow questions

2011-10-24T17:35:09Z

It is fairly common for a production mixer to deliver a mono mixdown of tracks to the editor as a temp guide track for picture cutting purposes. Especially if you're recording say more than 4 channels of production sound on set. Multiple channel production sound can easily become unwieldy in the Avid, and some picture editors (depending on working style) don't like to deal with 8 tracks of dialog in their timeline (which can easily become 16 if they like to overlap dialog). This method of workflow is usually determined on a show to show basis.

The sound department receives the multichannel files and conforms them to the mono mixdown cut by the picture department using tools such as Conformalizer, Virtual Katy, or Titan. Sometimes even just by hand syncing (which I've done and is a total pain). This requires an EDL from the picture department and proper timecode stamps from the production mixer to work. Then the dialog editors can work their magic using split tracks.

This process can be easily messed up if the tracks aren't properly labeled, timestamped, or imported incorrectly; so it's very important to run a test between the picture and sound department with one scene early in the process to make sure everything is working correctly.

Answer by Justin Pearson for plane crash sound effect, how to record a powerful crash?

2011-10-24T16:49:12Z

From my observations (since I've haven't had the opportunity to design a plane crash yet), a plane crash or other large scale impact is designed with a ton of carefully layered sounds/events. I've always liked this one. Which is less about the impact and more about the aftermath. Really nice use of metal, water in this sequence to elevate the danger.

Real world props.

I'd suggest finding a large metal dumpster or shipping container to start. They can sound huge if recorded in the right way.

It's not always necessary to pitch elements down to sound big if you record them with some proximity effect. Or the opposite, use acoustics to your advantage and record with some distance to capture some nice big reverb/slap. Contact mics are also your friend, especially with metal. And don't forget about the subwoofer, a key tool in designing these large scale events. A little 60kHz rumble can go a long way in selling size.

Have you looked at library recordings of trains (rumble, wheel screeches), or car crashes? Building demolition? Those could make for nice material as well.

Good luck.

Answer by Justin Pearson for POV Bicycle Recording?

2011-10-14T20:18:37Z

I've tried this with a Sony PCM D-1 gaffer taped to my bike a couple times, recording my commute to work. Sony recorders will hiccup if they're jostled too much. I lost the take the first time I tried this. After some experimenting I got a nice bike onboard.

Some suggestions:

I'd recommend doing anything to decouple the recorder from the bike frame. A Gorilla pod just won't cut it IMHO. I'd suggest using a nice thick, firm piece of packing foam and gaff taping your recorder to it. Then gaff the foam to the bike, a poor man's shockmount. There's really nothing that you can't do with a ton of gaff tape.
Face the recorder backwards and mount it behind you on the bike. On the underside of the seat worked best for me. Of course, I wanted to pick up some of the tire and chain noise. That way your body acts as a windbreak, the recorder sits in the slipstream, the mics aren't facing into the wind, and you won't record yourself breathing.

Good luck.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Sound Art/Installation

2011-10-12T21:19:15Z

Well...we're all sound artists in some sense. I highly recommend this site if you're into installations. Inspiring stuff up there.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Has anyone tried the same Schoeps capsule on both a digital and analog amplifier?

2011-10-08T16:49:50Z

I haven't tried it yet, but I've been very interested in going digital with my Schoeps mics. Sennheiser has also released digital bodies for their mkh8000 line. The practical problem with AES-42 mic bodies in the field is that you have to find a recorder that accepts AES 42 inputs and provides clocking. At this point the Sound Devices 788T is the only recorder to my knowledge (perhaps Nagra and other super-high end recorders) that does this. Otherwise you have to use a breakout box, like the DMI boxes built by Neumann. Too bulky for me and the 788T is out of my budget.

I have recorded for a year now in a studio with a digital Neumann Solution D (owned by my work) and it sounds very nice, and gives you extended frequency response and a ton of clean gain. Although with sound effects, sometimes it's overkill. I'm pretty happy with a decent analog mic when recording car hood impacts...

Answer by Justin Pearson for Stereo ambience - microphone selection

2011-10-05T16:59:14Z

Plus one for getting the 8040 over the mkh40. Still waiting for Sennheiser to release an 8030 for the ultimate tiny MS pair.

I'd also suggest looking at a Schoeps MS pair as well. An MK41 or MK4 paired with an MK8. They may have a bit more self-noise than the Sennheisers and cost a bit more, but they sound amazing (less clinical and smoother than the mkh mics imho) and would be my desert island MS pair...and I've recorded with both. Schoeps also has a rep of being bad in humidity, but I've used mine in humid areas (even in the rain) without problems.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Recording sfx during sprinkle (rain)

2011-10-04T06:39:30Z

Record with a zepplin wrapped in a Rainman

Answer by Justin Pearson for VM sound library

2011-09-27T21:48:43Z

I'm guessing that it's the Valentino Music sfx library. I think it's more popular in the radio world. Definitely discontinued although someone out there owns the copyright.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Foley: Dog Feet

2011-09-20T22:57:16Z

Leather work gloves with Lee Press On Nails glued to them.

Good luck.

Answer by Justin Pearson for Films with "POV" Audio

2011-09-16T18:03:46Z

Jaws (Speilberg does this very well in many of his films)
The Pianist (the audience actually goes temporarily deaf in one ear)
Memento (other Nolan films)
The Graduate (we hear Ben's POV from time to time)
Vertigo (Hitchcock clued in to using sound quite earlier in his career)
One Upon a Time in the West
Black Swan (really all of Aronofsky's films)
The Hurt Locker
Any David Lynch film

Anybody else waiting anxiously for the Sennheiser 8030?

2011-09-01T18:38:31Z

Last year I bought a Sennheiser 8050 hypercardiod to complement my mic collection, which is mostly Schoeps and DPA stuff. I love the extended frequency response of this mic, it's super quiet, small, and the super tight pickup pattern has really come in handy.

I'd like to turn this mic into an MS pair, and have considered matching it with an MKH-30. But I've heard unconfirmed rumors that Sennheiser is developing an 8030. Anybody else heard this? I asked a Sennheiser rep at AES and they were uncertain. I also contacted Sennheiser directly via email without a response. A Google search has provided me with folks confirming it's in development, and people saying this mic is not planned for release. If anyone can shed some light on this I'd be very grateful. In addition, has anybody matched this mic with another figure 8 in an MS pair?

Answer by Justin Pearson for cutting foley/footsteps through compression?

2011-09-09T20:07:41Z

Well I don't record much foley other than an add track or prop here and there, but I've certainly cut a bunch of it.

The decision to use compression IMHO should depend mostly on the tastes of the Sound/Foley Supervisor and for what medium (I.E. Film vs TV). I'd check with who is receiving/cutting/mixing the foley first.

Some supervisors/mixers will appreciate the compression to level out transient material a tad; especially if they're working on TV (something with a tight mix schedule and a medium with less available dynamic range). Film on the other hand, allows for more dynamics in something like FS, so a bunch of compression would probably be less desirable and best left to the re-recording mixer.

I say go for compression while tracking transient material, but only 2:1/3:1 with a gentle threshold to catch peaks etc.. That being said, props/bodyfalls/impacts etc can really benefit/beef up sometimes from heavy compression/limiting. I've heard some props that look ugly on the DAW (crushed like a Britney Spears track) but sound awesome, powerful, and cut through a dense track.

If you have a quiet, nice sounding room, I wouldn't be afraid to use the space even more to match perspective, further than 5 feet. The air in front of the mic also tends to level out the dynamics a bit. I've seen foley stages that blend a room mic 12 feet away from the artist. Andy Malcolm and his team are masters at this.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2012-02-02T17:31:09Z

One of my favorites too.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2012-01-18T00:38:14Z

I'm curious how you are mounting your Double MS set? Is it in a Rycote? If so what size, mounts etc.. I've tried a very similar setup with and MK41 in the front, MK8, and MK4 in the rear and I dig the sound.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2012-01-17T21:13:36Z

Yes, I'd agree with your observations about the 418. The side channel is pretty noisy. I've found that to be true with other single MS mics as well, with the exception of the RSM191. A pair is definitely the way to go.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-12-06T01:10:32Z

Yes, cloth is used often over ADR. Just to clarify, the M&E is usually done after the domestic mix and involves some tweaking/remixing. When prepping the M&E, yes the cloth track is often pulled up to help the dubbing. It is also common to do what is called a "flip and fill" where production sound room tone is added to the center channel of all scenes to help the dubbing not sound so canned. In some countries (German TV for instance) it is also essential that you remove all intelligible english words from the walla/group ADR tracks, editing and reversing walla is often done.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-12-05T20:23:30Z

Yes. Cloth is certainly used over production sound, but often the boom, and especially lavs, pick up enough cloth already. Technically the M&E is considered the international version, as the domestic typically gets broken out into separate mx, fx, and dx stems.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-11-13T16:40:28Z

It is more expensive, but it's a smartly thought out modular system, making it easy to expand your setup down the road into say an LCR setup or a Decca tree. Their stereo bar also tilts up or down. I am a big fan of Grace, having owned their portable Lunatec V3 for years. It's built like a tank.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-11-05T21:57:47Z

You are correct, printmasters are literally stitched together and consolidated into a single file. This is becoming more and more common in these days of Digital Cinema Package, or DCP deliveries.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-10-21T16:35:35Z

RE: 4 mic pres on the 744. I asked them this very question last year. The answer I got was that the price point didn't make sense for them. The price of adding 2 more pres to a 744 isn't that far off from making the 788t they said.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-10-18T18:22:12Z

Plus a thousand on that one. My MKH8040 is lonely.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-10-18T18:21:20Z

Plus one on that question. I've always wondered why Sound Devices has entered the hand held recorder game. They'd do it better than anybody.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-09-28T15:46:36Z

Can't think of a facility or designer with those initials, so you stumped me...

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-09-19T18:42:28Z

I'd suggest finding a freight elevator...much easier to gain access to than a prison. I recently recorded one and the doors/buzzers sounded very close to a modern prison. Especially distant perspectives. I'd trade; but since I was doing it for work, the sounds aren't mine to give away...

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-09-14T04:47:29Z

Decision that is...

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-09-14T04:47:08Z

Well I own both the Schoeps MK41 and the 8050 and both sound excellent, so I don't think you made a bad design. The Schoeps are warm, detailed, and are my favorite sounding mics. But the Sennheiser is super quiet, a tad more clinical, and works better on some material.

Comment by Justin Pearson

2011-09-09T21:19:22Z

Are you pairing a CCM8 with a Senn 8040/50? If so, how do they match up? I'm thinking about that route, but I'm imagining an 8030 would be more in the 1200 than 2000 dollar range.