User colin hart - Social Sound Design

Where are you from and what do you do?

2010-07-21T21:32:00Z

So, I've gotten to know quite a few of you at this point, and I know where a good few of you work from. Luckily I've been able to meet up with a few people for lunches and all. Every time I'm glad I met the person.

So, in order to continue building this network, I propose we map out where everyone is from and what you do. Sort of like our own little sound professional directory.

I'm a sound recordist and sound editor, and I live in Orlando, Florida.

Furthest Distance You've Successfully Used a Dynamic Mic From?

2011-11-05T04:16:25Z

Have a fun SFX recording session going down Sunday - Source is going to be about 140 - 150db, about 100m from me.

Definitely bringing some high SPL shotguns, but was considering using a dynamic. The thing about dynamics is that their frequency response tends to get a little wonky after a distance, but the level of the sound tends to "extend" their reach.

What's the furthest you've ever successfully (as in got a good sound out of) used a dynamic mic?

For me, I think it was about 10m, while recording gun shots.

Who's going to AES in October?

2011-09-23T01:09:28Z

Wanted to started a group to see who will be at AES in NYC this October.

I'll be there from Oct 19 - Oct 24.

I'm presenting "Techniques in Field Recording" in the Game Audio track on the morning of the 21st.

I'd love to get together with some of you - both those I've met and those I haven't!

Hope to see some of you there!

Indie Feature Production and Post Production Audio Budgets

2010-05-01T02:21:37Z

If you were asked to work post audio on a film, one man band style, and you knew the budget was $150,000, what would you think a fair price would be? This is just for your services. No dolby stuff or anything fancy, no music licensing, etc..., just your editing and mix.

On a similar note, what would you want to get paid for production audio? My normal rate is $250 / day just for me to mix, plus $150 for the boom op, but I've had a ton of people with a $150k - $200k budget baulk at that. Big production guys in the industry charge up to $1500 a day to mix (including gear) plus anywhere from $200 - $500 / day for the boom op, and $200 for an A2.

Just thinking about this for a project I have coming up, and this stuff was on my mind, having recently read that article that's been floating around on working for free. Link anybody?

Thoughts?

Really weird DIY shotgun mic (old, yes, but I just found it again...)

2010-03-11T05:05:57Z

Anyone ever seen one of these or played with one before? Its been floating around for quite some time now. I found it a few years ago and just stumbled upon it a few days ago. I'd imagine if you took one of these in a public area you'd probably get some funny looks and perhaps a bit of trouble...

The physics behind how it works is awesome.

The PDF gives cross sections and rough instructions on how to build one. I'd love to hear one sometime, but it looks like quite the project to build one.

Download the pdf here

You might be a sound recordist if...

2010-05-27T01:30:15Z

You are recording yourself typing right now.

You've just destroyed an expensive piece of equipment during a session, but your ok with that because it sounded cool.

You accidentally dropped a bottle of something and it broke, smashing everywhere, and the first thought through your head was "Man, I wish I had recorded that..."

These are just a few off the top of my head... Let's start an amazing list!!!

Answer by Colin Hart for The Boring Stuff - Bookkeeping: Do you do it? Which program do you use?

2011-11-14T17:47:47Z

I agree with Sonsey, hiring an accountant can save you a ton of time and money.

If you decide to go at it yourself, I'm a bit fan of the Quicken line. They have software that starts at $29 and up. I use Quicken Deluxe, which is just $60. Does really well for me. I also keep track of my expenses for tax write offs in an Excel doc, then I just give all the files to an accountant at the end of the tax year to file my returns, which only ends up costing me about $200 since I've kept track of everything.

Obviously, keep your receipts too. I keep them categorized in envelopes in a binder, and in my Excel doc, I keep Amount, Date, Location, Who it was with (lunches, etc...) and Why it was a business expense.

Answer by Colin Hart for Glitchy sound design how-to? Example inside

2011-10-29T22:25:49Z

Also, Izotope Stutter Edit has a lot of these types of effects. They can very easily be mapped to any midi keyboard and "performed" in realtime if you need as well.

They advertise it for music, but it is very useful for SD too.

http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/stutteredit/

Getting past your sound design "writing blocks"

2010-03-07T00:26:16Z

I'm usually pretty good at imagining what I want something to sound like. I helps that I don't do a whole lot of work that require any fancy sound design, so most of my sound design so far is for my own edification.

However, I'm just about to start work on a horror / ghost film, and I expect to run into a few problems. The whole "sound design writer's block" is sometimes hard to get by. I've run into a few of these in the past. I've always found a way around them, but it can be especially difficult if you're under a tight deadline. There have been times where I've delivered a project that I wasn't pleased with because my "writer's block" left me scrambling for second best, only to think of the perfect solution a day or two after delivery.

What do you do inspire yourself when you hit your mental blocks? What do you do when you need a quick fix so you can hit a deadline?

Answer by Colin Hart for Does the use of ADR result in loss of characterisation?

2011-10-01T16:47:51Z

ADR is a tricky thing to get right. While on set, an actor focuses purely on their performance, but once they get into the ADR booth, a lot of their focus has to go into the timing, because they have to match an already finished performance. It locks out a lot of the potential emotion. On set, an actor has emotional freedom (well, depends on the director, but for the most part he does). An actor can add a pause between words, switch up some timing etc... and is fully able to express emotion that way. But in the ADR booth, it's sort of like saying, "I want to you act as though you have complete emotional freedom, like you did the first time, except that I need you to do it exactly like this, and match your original emotion perfectly, even if you aren't feeling that emotion any more." It makes it very difficult to express real emotion when you have such a large constraint. Some actors are very good at it though (like Brando and Crowe), and can make you believe in it easily.

Then on the technical side of things, there can be a few factors. It is important to try to match the type of mic used for the line on set, match (roughly) the distance from the mic to the talent, etc... especially if you are only replacing a single line or a word. Reason being that it is very difficult to eq a sound to match another one perfectly. There will always be a slight difference, and you can minimize the difference by trying to match the original setup as much as possible. Maybe only 1% of your audience can identify the difference, but more than that might feel it. If you are replacing a whole scene, the technical side (matching the mic) doesn't matter as much.

Last thing I'll mention is the room tone. When you record on set, you are picking up a slight (hopefully) amount of room tone in the mic. When you record ADR, you are in a "dead" booth, with no (again, hopefully) room tone. In order for the ADR to fit, you have to lay room tone (often called a "glue track") under the ADR to make it sound like the rest of the dialogue. This is assuming the sound mixer was even afforded the opportunity to record room tone (which often doesn't happen anymore, especially in faster moving productions). Even with the "glue track," it doesn't ever quite sound 100% right. It's something that you have to hide, or "burry" in the mix. This is something that almost nobody can pick up on unless you are trained to hear it, but subconsciously, your brain will tell you something isn't quite right.

Hope this helps a bit?

Answer by Colin Hart for Share your audio jokes.

2011-09-27T01:19:21Z

Here's a few I remember:

What do you get when you drop a piano down a mineshaft?

A Flat Miner!

Why do sound guys say "Check, One Two, One Two"

Because on three, you have to lift!

How many freelance sound recordists does it take to change a light bulb?

Six. One to change it, and five to stand around saying "I was offered that job."

How many sound mixers does it take to change a light bulb?

One, but only after the airplane is gone.

How tall is a sound mixer?

I don't know, I've never seen one stand up!

Difference between a toilet and a sound mixer?

A toilet only has to take crap from one a$$hole at a time!

What is the difference between a producer and a chimpanzee?

It's scientifically proven that chimpanzees are able to communicate with humans!

Why is a concert grand better than a studio upright?

It makes a bigger kaboom! when dropped off a cliff!

Answer by Colin Hart for Logic Pro sound effects library license

2011-09-10T01:22:43Z

It's all royalty free.

See the document here. Look under Section 2 (Permitted License Uses and Restrictions) part C

Answer by Colin Hart for Anyone knows what kind of clip mic cover this is?

2011-09-03T23:04:46Z

Its the Sanken RM-11 rubber mount. It is not adhesive itself, but we use topstick to make it adhesive.

You can get them in a few different colors, also there is an RM-11C version that has a built in clip.

I have a bunch of them and love them!

Answer by Colin Hart for Is a 744t supposed to get very hot when charging the battery?

2011-09-03T17:04:21Z

I have 14 744Ts. They all get hot. Depending on how you use them, they can all get VERY hot. You know that cheat sheet that you can put on top of them (plastic sleeve)? They make those things start shriveling up from the heat.

So yes, it is perfectly normal for this to happen. As @Sean said, they are notorious for doing this, especially when in a bag.

I have been in the field in the middle of summer where the thing got so hot that it hurt to touch and I had to operate it with a pencil instead of my finger. Little champ pulled through it like it was nothing.

If you're just charging the battery, I'd do what Tim said and get a separate charger for it anyways. If you can't do that, don't worry - there is nothing wrong with the unit.

The things are really built like tanks. As long as you treat them right, they'll last for a VERY long time. As I said before, I have many of them - all under VERY heavy use (80+ hours each/month) - and they rarely have any problems. The most common problem is that the soft keys on the front panel get brittle and need to be replaced after 3 - 4 years of heavy use.

Answer by Colin Hart for Best Comprehensive Location Equipment for £5000?

2011-09-03T16:54:04Z

Are you looking to just record everything separately or actually record a mix as well?

If you want to do both, you could go with the 744T (wonderful device!) and a mixer like the PSC Promix 6, which has not only 2 sets of XLR outputs (you can go to recorder and camera, or two camera, etc...), but also has Direct Outputs on each channel. It would allow you to do a mono mix and Isos for up to 3 channels (when paired with the 744T). More if you get a fancier recorder (ie - if you got an 8 channel Deva, SD, Nagra, or Tascam (another) field recorder, you could do a stereo mix + 6 Iso channels).

If you want to just plug everything in and not mix, I'd just go with the 744T. Keep in mind that there are only 2 preamps on it. You'll need to go line in to the other two inputs (using TA3-F adapters). This works fine with most wireless, but if you have a mic level, you'll have to get a pre in front of it (mixer, mixpre, etc...)

If you want an all-in-one solution, you can go with the 788T (awesome), or the Zaxcom Nomad (also awesome). Both can multitrack as well as mix within the unit.

Nice thing about the 788T is that you can get two different control surfaces for it, as well as the CL-x accessories.

Nice thing about the Nomad is that it already has a decent control surface on the front panel, and it's dirt cheap for what you're getting!

As far as where to buy?

I buy most of my stuff from B&H or Coffey Sound. There is also TAI, Markertek and Trew. These are all in the USA though. Not sure about overseas.

Ebay works well too :-)

Happy hunting! Let me know if I can clarify or expand on anything for you.

Answer by Colin Hart for Recorder/Mixer Bag

2011-09-03T16:31:59Z

I would definitely go with Petrol over portabrace. Biggest problem with Portabrace bags is how loud they are! They also aren't the easiest to configure. They like to be stubborn.

Petrol bags are awesome, and cheaper. Which PSC do you have?

If you have the DV mix 3, you can probably get away with the smallest bag (here), which is only $140. The next steps up aren't that much more expensive either.

Then again, if you aren't needed it to be wearable / accessible at the same time (ie just for transportation), you can always go this route: Part 1, Part 2

Happy Recording!

Answer by Colin Hart for Misinterpreting sounds

2011-09-03T07:28:05Z

Generally, I am fairly good at identifying most sounds, but it does happen to me on occasion in the car - something is rattling, and I can't figure out what. I try to make educated decisions based on matching the frequency of the rattle to the size of what it might be, but that often gets me so far - I'll often spend 15 minutes trying to figure out what it is or it will drive me crazy!

Also happens every once in a while at work as well - when something happens from a different room or down the hall that sounds really cool, and I have to investigate to try to find it.

Generally it turns out to be an object that was manipulated in a way that isn't common, or some strange acoustic or psychoacoustic effect...

Fascinating question!

Answer by Colin Hart for Backgrounds for Interiors

2011-09-02T02:31:56Z

I very much agree with @Stavrosound.

To add a little to it:

It all depends on what mood you're trying to set and what scene you're trying to sell. If the girl is in a bad neighborhood, you might want to use some sounds that you'd hear in a bad place - maybe a slow car by with a sub rattle, a Harley pulling away in the distance, the hum of sodium vapor lamps, a distant dog barking, if it's during the day, maybe a distant basketball. All mentioned in Stavro's post.

If you are in a nice neighborhood, you might want to add distant lawn mower, sprinkler, happy dog barking, maybe a pool party (obviously depends on season - if it was winter with snow on the ground, all you'd hear is an occasional car by, maybe a snow plow, wind,etc...)

As for the mix of it - obviously all of the sounds would have a quite attenuated high end in the final mix. Also, you can play with the levels and amount of high frequency cut-off. If you're in a really nice house, you will have thick, insulated walls, and you'll have a fairly extreme high end roll-off, as well as lower overall levels. A cheap apartment or very old house would have thin walls with little insulation, so you'd have to adjust accordingly.

Last note about the mix. You're goal is to make the environment "breathe". You want to bring sounds in and out, and maybe back in again - it gives the environment a realistic dynamic. So instead of a solid room tone, you have a room tone that has some traffic drone, et al that moves in and out of the scene, etc...

Answer by Colin Hart for Sound Design Equipment

2011-05-07T15:25:58Z

Out of those recorders, I'd definitely go with the R-44. Heard lots of good things about it - I'd say it's the best bang for it's buck in that price range.

The RØDE NTG-1 is a decent mic to start with, but that would be one of the first things I'd upgrade once you get a bit more money. There is a very large price jump from low end shotguns to high end shot guns, so I realize it won't be able to happen right away - but again, the NTG-1 is a great mic to start with.

Love the RØDE blimp. Haven't seen the RØDE boom pole, but I'm sure it's fine. I like the fact that it has foam on the grip - will help with handling noise a lot.

If you are going to be using the boom pole indoors, I might consider getting another shock mount (in addition to the blimp) since the blimp is a little big and heavy to be used indoors, and your NTG-1 will only come with a simple mic clip. The NTG-1 is very susceptible to handling noise, so you will want to make sure it's properly shock mounted. You can usually find a decent shock mount for a boom pole for under $50

The only other thing I would really look at is the headphones. I would see if you can upgrade to the Sony MDR7506 headphones if you can - they are pretty much standard issue field phones.

One last question - why the wireless? Or is this gear for production audio as well? Remember that you'll need some sort of bag (pro or otherwise - pro is usually easier, but I've seen people make do with less) to do ENG work. In that price range, the Sennheiser Evo series is definitely the best, just realize that it doesn't have a very long range (safely). In a crowded room, I MIGHT give it 50' - 75' line of sight before I start worrying about hits and dropouts. If you are doing ENG and staying close range though, you'll have no problems.

Hope this helps!

Sony DRE-777 Sampling Reverb

2010-05-28T20:15:01Z

Hey There,

I have access to a Sony DRE-S777 Convolution Reverb, and we're trying to figure out how to sample for it. Does anyone know what format the samples need to be?

Do I need to to a sweep? How long? Speaker / Mic setup? File Format?

These guys are pretty rare, so I'd be surprised if anyone knows, but it's worth a shot!

P.S. I have both the user's manual and the quick start guide. Neither touch on the subject :-/

EDIT:

To clarify, I know that the machine has a sampling function in it, but the unit is built in to the stage I'm working on, and I can't bring it around with me to sample environments. I'd like to find a way to do the sample elsewhere, then bring it back to the machine later on.

Answer by Colin Hart for CEDARs on Dub Stages

2011-04-12T00:19:44Z

We use ours in a dialogue chain. All of the dialogue goes through it together (not separately per track). Also, using a Cedar is sort of like mixing. You often have to ride the faders on it to get what you want, and you often do it in real-time. You can get automation support for it as well, but they never use it here.

The thing works wonders. I would recommend it to anyone who can possibly get their hands on it.

What is your favorite scream?

2010-05-22T03:58:21Z

Hey guys, sorry for absence from the forum lately... crazy times...

I'd like to know what your favorite blood-curdling screams from film or television are.

And nobody better say the Wilhelm scream! I'm talking about bone chilling, brutal screams!

Answer by Colin Hart for Keeping track of hours.

2011-04-10T04:31:59Z

I work with a day / half-day rate system.

Anything that takes me up to 5 hours, I charge half-day. 6 - 10 hours, full day rate. After 10 hours, I sometimes charge a little extra, but not always - it depends on how intense those 12 hours will be...

Generally my half-day rate is somewhere around 3/4 of my full day. For instance, if my day rate was $1000, I might charge between $600 and $750 for a half-day - again, depending on my responsibilities on the project.

If a project comes my way that I know is only going to take an hour or two and will be really easy, I will occasionally negotiate a lower rate than my half-day, but not always. The reason being that if I take a 2 hour long project, chances are I won't be able to book another gig that day - maybe not even a half-day project, so I won't be able to make up the money elsewhere. Essentially, even though it's not taking up all that time, it's still "taking up" the time. A lot of that goes out the window if you're making up your own schedule and not working on a pre-planned production's schedule.

Again, I use discretion. If I know a project really has a tight budget and I want to help them out, I will - as long as I can still pay my bills.

I never work on an hourly schedule, but I know people that do. A lot of my colleagues will use Filemaker Pro or Mac Freelance (or other project management software - Bento is another) to track hours. Works pretty well for them, but you have to make sure to be aware of the clock and not forget to pause it! Something I can see myself forgetting to do...

Answer by Colin Hart for Escalators.....

2011-04-07T16:28:11Z

I have a recording of an NYC subway station escalator floating around my blog somewhere. I think it was from last April.

Lots of cool sounds any rhythms from an escalator, and of course, my favorite - tons of sympathetic harmonics from metal on metal vibration! Wonderful source for recording at 192 and forcing to a lower sample rate :-)

Would love to hear it!

Answer by Colin Hart for How many sounds do you try to capture on the set?

2011-04-06T05:23:42Z

Hey Ryan,

My philosophy is to get as much as you can. If time allows you to get wild effects on set, go for it! Even if the post guys don't end up using it, they have something to work with. If there's something really cool on set that makes a unique noise (something that might be difficult to find in a library), I'll try to make sure to get a half decent recording of it. Sometimes this means doing a wild recording of it, and sometimes it means planting a mic for the effect and sending it to an iso track. Just make sure to note all of that kind of stuff in a detailed manner on the sound report so the post guys know what everything is.

All of that being said, my main focus would be to get the dialogue as clean as possible. So make sure nobody opens or shuts a door over a line, etc... Make sure that the effects that you do get don't interfere with the lines. Probably common sense, but just thought I'd mention it.

Hope all is well,

Colin

Answer by Colin Hart for Reducing room on recordings

2011-04-05T05:57:56Z

Try bringing some large / thick pillows rather close to what you are recording, forming a boundary between your sound and the rest of the room. Aim the mic at the sound, facing towards the pillows. Usually deadens fairly well.

Also, make sure your mic is as close to the source as you can get it, while maintaining a decent sonic quality.

Answer by Colin Hart for I am looking at doing a run and gun feature doc

2011-04-05T05:38:21Z

If you can afford a mixer and recorder, definitely go with that! A stand alone mixer will definitely sound better than the Zoom's preamps.

Also, while he H4n is capable of providing acceptable sound, you can't mix with it. You pretty much have to set it and forget it - you can't really get away with riding the gains on a zoom.

Also, I wouldn't use the internal stereo mics for atmos - most of that would be done in post anyways. You could get some wild track of it if you really wanted to (if you can get the crew quiet for long enough!), but in the quietest of situations, the Zoom's internal mics will probably be too noisy anyways.

Just my 2 cents.

Just another quick side note - be careful with the 7D - they like to drift a lot, especially on longer shots (5d does sometimes as well). See if you can convince them to stick with shorter shots!

Answer by Colin Hart for Hey Guys Girls, so who Tweets here?

2011-03-28T17:47:17Z

@colinhart

Love twitter

Answer by Colin Hart for How do you wander about with your Handheld Recorder?

2011-03-26T21:55:43Z

I used to carry my Olympus in my pocket, since it was so small, but I've recently gotten a Sony D50 - much bigger. I'm currently exploring possibilities myself now, but here are a few solutions I've considered:

-I generally have a messenger bag with me, so I could keep it in there most of the time.
-Perhaps a small camera bag with a belt loop or shoulder strap.
-Maybe get a bag for it and connect it to yourself with a carabiner.
-Perhaps have some sort of large "belt clip" system, not dissimilar to a phone holster
-Speaking of holsters, you could buy a pistol holster large enough to fit your recorder and carry it in that. -Cargo pants / shorts?

Just some ideas. Hopefully one of them works for you or sparks an idea! Good luck!

Answer by Colin Hart for Sound solution for Canon 5D for 1/2 hour pilot

2011-03-26T22:09:07Z

The most important thing for getting good sound it getting the mic off the camera and close to the talent. While a separate recorder is optimal, it is not crucial for what you are trying to accomplish.

The Beachtek DXA-SLR is an adapter that will hook a pro microphone up to your 5D. You can find it on ebay for as little as $350, possibly lower. Pair that with a half-decent shotgun mic (like a RØDE NTG-2 - which can be battery powered - currently seeing it for under $200 on ebay), and a homemade boom pole (painter's pole from home depot - $20), and you'll be set.

Read my article on boom operation here to prep the boom op: http://www.colinhartonline.com/?p=336

That gets you respectable sound quality for under $600, and you can turn around and sell most of it on ebay for nearly as much as you paid for it.

Good luck!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-11-06T03:44:20Z

Thanks! Hope to find some time to stay around a bit...

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-11-06T03:41:34Z

How far were the dynamics from the implosion?

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-11-06T03:40:48Z

F-18 Fighter Jet

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-11-06T03:40:34Z

Yeah, I'm bringing about 10 - 12 mics. Planning on bringing a 421, source will be about 130 - 140db

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-10T15:05:32Z

I agree. Watch "Being John Malkovich" for inspiration.

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-04T05:39:48Z

I've used them with lots of different types of lavs - COS-11s (made to go with this accessory), EMWs, B6, E6, Trams, etc... Not sure how it would work with a lav like the Isomax series that has both sides open to the diaphragm.

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T23:00:07Z

@Daan - that is unfortunate. The biggest reason to get the SD is the sound quality! Especially if you're utilizing the limiters heavily. Sound Devices has great Customer Service. I'm sure you'll be happy with the repair!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T17:08:59Z

We've got an MPC-3D - VERY nice console. EQ / Dynamics are AWESOME! We recently had Re-rec Mixer Greg Russell visit our stage - he mixes on a 4D and loves it. Loved ours too! If you're ever in town, come on over and check it out!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T17:06:06Z

For the 744T, it is VERY normal for it to get hot. I have 14 of them, they all do it!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T17:05:05Z

SD is amazing with their customer service. Phantom power is the silent killer of gear!!!! Be careful!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T07:12:15Z

Coming back to this a year later - it's hilarious that this picture is on this post, since I have now had a zeppelin eaten by a gator :-)

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-09-03T06:54:11Z

ha! Great stuff - like the hydrophone thing - never frozen one before - good results? Aside from not having a wife, I can relate to every single one of the rest of these :-)

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-06-07T03:53:12Z

You beat me to it. That's my fav resource on PZMs!

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-06-06T18:50:32Z

@Stephen - considering how that went for him, you might not want to try ;-)

Comment by Colin Hart

2011-06-06T15:17:21Z

Yeah, bit depth dithering wouldn't have anything to do with it. See @Michael Manzke 's answer - it will fix your problem