User steve urban - Social Sound Design

Answer by Steve Urban for USB or Ethernet Jog/Shuttle Wheel for Pro Tools?

2012-02-04T09:22:07Z

I've had my eye on the Artist Transport since I left my D-Command behind. I hear good things about them. But I'm also on board with Nelson and the Contour ShuttlePro v2. At 1/4 the price of the Artist series, buying twice still puts you ahead.

Also, I've seen people use the Griffin Powermate but I don't know how effective it is. Seems very single-purpose as opposed to the other solutions.

Negative Space / Figure-Ground Perception in Sound

2012-02-03T06:21:23Z

My mind has been preoccupied lately with the concept of negative space and figure-ground perception. As an example of what I'm talking about, check out Rubin's face / vase or the Young Lady / Old Hag. You've also probably seen Escher's tessellations before. But what I'm trying to come to a conclusion on is whether or not this phenomenon is possible to accomplish with sound.

Certainly we can construct backgrounds that evolve through a scene or level that become the foreground object. But we make the transition for the listener. We mix and edit with the transformation as our goal. But is it possible to design sound that can be perceived two different ways by people upon one listening? How about by the same person upon repeated listening?

I'm taking the stance that it cannot, simply because we all work along a linear timeline and this is a concept from 2D art. For these images to work you have to essentially overload your visual input to the point that you can switch your mind to begin seeing the other image. But I really, really want to be proven wrong. Can you rationalize this for me? Have you or some sound artist you've heard of explored this terrain?

I may be out in left field here. But this notion has been rolling over and over in my mind.

Answer by Steve Urban for Where are you from and what do you do?

2010-07-22T02:17:40Z

I'm in Arlingon, VA and work as a sound editor / mixer / designer for TV and radio (with the occasional indie flick)

:EDIT:

I'm no longer in VA. I recently celebrated my first full month in LA, and I can still pay all my bills doing sound! Let's hope this trend continues...

What's your Gamertag/Platform?

2010-09-22T17:04:53Z

It's more social than sound design, but I thought it might be cool to have a list of the gamers on here. So list your platform and tag, maybe include your favorite online game (or promote your own). As with other lists like this, mark your answer as community wiki. See you guys online!

PS3 - sfxmonkey

currently playing - Battlefield: Bad Company 2 / COD Black Ops / Civilization Revolution

Answer by Steve Urban for how many inch maximum to place microphone overhead to get quality/clean dialogue. i know there is no rules for this, but just lets share how many inch roughly, so we know what each of us have in our mind too..

2012-01-24T19:15:36Z

The only time I have seen it be acceptable to have a boom in the shot is when shooting green screen. Typically your video editing program allows you to create a trash mat that eliminates everything but your main subject. Otherwise, follow the advice previously given and get your boom out of the shot. Have you considered using a lavaliere?

Answer by Steve Urban for ADR beat countdown in Pro Tools LE 8

2012-01-22T01:22:43Z

I agree with @Eric's comment on Shaun's answer, use loop record to do multiple takes in one go. But be sure to give the talent heads up first. :) When loop recording I like to have "Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Recording" checked in the Preferences > Operation pane. Makes it super easy to cut together fragments of multiple takes.

Answer by Steve Urban for Conceptualising possessed double-voice dialogue

2012-01-20T18:28:13Z

The reversed pre-delay was the first thing that sprung to mind, but similar to @Utopia's reverb idea, you may want to try using only one character's voice for the wet and the other for the dry signal.

Depending on how the picture is cut you may try nudging the wizard's voice a little earlier (or the possessed character later) so that it's as though the wizard is leading the character and the character mimics the wizard.

But if you're set on having them both play together, I would imagine if you don't use something akin to Vocalign or judicious use of Elastic Audio you're going to end up with doubled syllables & slurred fricatives which would muddle up the intelligibility of the lines even before you start futzing with EQ.

Answer by Steve Urban for Where can I buy SSD merchandise?

2012-01-17T07:48:06Z

Ooh, can we make them like baseball jerseys and get our username across the back?

Answer by Steve Urban for Social Sound Design Meetup?

2011-08-23T13:05:52Z

I believe there's a group trying to get started over on the sound_design yahoo group as well. I bet if you joined forces you could get a decent turn out.

I'll be in LA starting Jan 2012 and would love a chance to put some faces to names. In the meantime, @MixingManiac will be out there starting in Sept and I am positive she'd be down for a meetup too.

EDIT:

Just wanted to give this post a nudge. I'm in LA now and it would be awesome to put some faces and names to the handles. After the unfortunate passing of Seann Flynn in early December, I don't know if the LA Sound Group will continue or not. I do hope that it does. It sounded like a great crew of peers that I was really looking forward to be a part of.

Answer by Steve Urban for Recommend me a good hand held recorder

2012-01-09T02:20:48Z

You can go round and round driving yourself crazy about which pocket recorder is "better". The one that's the best is the one that's with you.

The number of sounds that I missed while I was trying to decide which piece of kit was "the best" is far more agonizing than the thought that I could've gotten something better, cheaper, more versatile, etc.

Answer by Steve Urban for cutting multiple hard synced layered events - workflow

2011-12-21T21:15:22Z

@Rene, I'm pretty close to where you're at. One thing that I've found useful...

If you have a single file that contains multiple hits. Rather than switch to Tab to Transient (Opt+Cmd+Tab for those still mousing up to the top of the screen), I'll use Beat Detective (cmd+numpad8). Under Operation switch to Region Separation, then Capture Selection, Analyze (pick the correct High/Low Emphasis depending on the file), then use the sensitivity slider to slice up the file. I typically use this trick on footsteps and it works great.

But in your scenario, what's a typical number of stems you're producing? ie. Hits, Whooshes, Gunfire, GunHandling, etc?

How Do You Hone Your Acoustic Storytelling Skills?

2010-07-07T21:29:49Z

I think it's safe to assume that this crowd loves a good story. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure that we're the ones who vocalize all the sounds and give voices to the characters when telling a co-worker about our crazy morning commute in an attempt to make a crap story a better story. We contribute our acoustic impressions to all kinds of different worlds everyday, trying to make them more encompassing, evolving and appropriate as supporting characters in the storytelling process. But how do you know what succeeds and what fails?

Is it trial and error? Learned expectations from listening to decades of media? Are there unwritten rules that a single Red Tailed Hawk screech against a gritty, blustery wind implies solitude and desolation? Are there written rules that explain it all?

I try to view TV/ films and actively listen to hear how the role of sound supports the story, but I always get lost in the story! I'm always backing up, usually kill the screen, turn off lights, close my eyes and re-listen. And then I'm only 70-80% sure of what it is I'm actually listening for.

So, when studying films, television or theater for how they use sound to tell the story, how do you not get lost in the story? What do you listen for? What are some of your favorite nuggets of media that use sound effectively in support of telling a story? And why were they effective to you?

How else do you hone your acoustic storytelling skills?

REQUEST: Elephants

2011-11-15T15:16:04Z

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find some decent recordings of a variety of elephant movements & vocalizations. Looking through our library I see we have WWA, AT, & DIGI. We have a nature doc coming up in the next few weeks entirely about elephants, and I'm not entirely positive that we'll make it through with what we have.

Thanks!

Answer by Steve Urban for Holiday Gifts for Sound Designers?

2011-11-14T14:19:29Z

Thanks to a Google+ chat I've been having, I now want a RadioShack Mini Audio Amplifier. At $15, it's way cheaper than Speakerphone.

Answer by Steve Urban for How Did They Do That?? Vol. 4: Lord of the Rings Tree People

2011-11-10T00:54:20Z

There's a great doc on the extended edition of LOTR:T2T that goes into some particulars about the sound design and talks specifically about the voice and footsteps of the Ent. Check it out "LOTR2: TT Sound Design part 1" around the 5 minute mark here.

Answer by Steve Urban for Approval/Review process for Broadcast 5.1

2011-11-08T18:42:30Z

To echo @Shaun, I'm typically approving in the suite as well, regardless of if it's 5.1 or stereo.

In my case, when doing broadcast work, my client is the Post Supervisor and the Producer. Unless it's a huge show for the network, the EPs rarely come in to review. So I'm already reviewing with the end of the chain.

If my client does have a client and they want the experience of being in the studio, they'll attend the screening along with my client. There are rare occasions where we stream through Quicktime Broadcaster or Slingbox when a client's client can't attend a review, but would like to take part in the process. We provide our client a link to a private website which they forward to their client(s), who can then log in from their office/home/etc. While we review in 5.1 in the suite, we stream video and a stereo mix. Skype, iChat, AIM or a muted speakerphone helps in that situation, so they can discuss issues immediately. Otherwise we'll send our client out the door with DVD screeners with 5.1 + 2, or a stereo quicktime privately uploaded to mediasilo/youtube/vimeo to provide their client an approval copy.

As for what systems they approve on, I almost never know for certain. I've heard tales of some producers who approve promos on their iPhone, without headphones. So what their client might listen on is a mystery to me.

Anybody do it up for Halloween?

2011-10-31T23:13:42Z

Every year I think to myself that this'll be the year that I get it together to really scare some kids (and parents) with sound as they try and bleed me dry of my candy money, and then it doesn't happen. Too busy, too full of excuses, too whatever.

Maybe it's because I turned out to be a soundie, but it's the houses that would play those atrocious Halloween sound effects cds in quasi darkness and sit in their lawn as a scarecrow that I remember the most. Anybody go to the extreme to put on a truly haunting experience for the kids and make their own Halloween soundtrack?

I need some inspiration/challenge for the coming years! Vids and soundtracks appreciated. Happy Halloween!

Answer by Steve Urban for Things a producer/production manager says...

2011-10-29T05:09:32Z

"I'll be sure to courier that to you by close of business Friday so you can have the weekend to get ahead."

Followed by the call on Monday.

"Hey, sorry I didn't get that off to you on Friday. I'm sending it right over. This shouldn't affect our deadline, right?"

Building Blocks of "Technology" Sounds

2011-10-14T16:07:22Z

I keep getting production dialog delivered straight from GoPro cameras. It's built-in mono mic with auto gain control records at 48k straight to AAC. Typically it's a nightmare of intelligibility requiring a good deal of finagling and a great deal of understanding on the behalf of the producer. But the other day I found a random silver lining.

On my latest show, I was clearing out dual-mono tracks by flipping the phase on the odd channel. Despite being recorded in mono to the GoPro's file, the editor laid the GoPro audio into the OMF on 2 channels. As I played it down, all I heard was the rapid glip-glop-bleep-blip of what I assumed was the AAC compression artifacts. A perfect building block for data, menu feedback / digital interface designs. So I strung out all the GoPro audio at the end of the session and bounced the result. I pulled a couple bleeps for the map graphics that were in the show, they worked great. Here it is with some down and dirty L1 to bump it up to listenable levels via soundcloud.

[soundcloud]steve-urban/goprobot[/soundcloud]

The thing is, I don't know how this happened. If I record pretty much anything mono, convert it to mp3/AAC, import it, duplicate it, and flip the phase on one, I'd be left with nothing but silence. I'm kinda thinking this out as I type, but I just did a quick experiment to prove my theory. Sure enough, no matter what bit rate I converted a mono signal to, when you dupe it and flip it, just as you would expect, you're left with silence. So what happened in this process? I have no idea. Perhaps someone out here has a GoPro with which they can try to achieve similar results.

Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued. So I figured I'd toss this out to all of you. What's your favorite trick to come up with new "digital" sounds for "technology" (data transmission, menu interaction, display readouts, robot-speak etc). Do you have stories of hidden gems like this that you stumble upon? Do you go with classic arp/synth sounds? Do you prefer nature-based technology and process organic sounds? Where do you start?

Answer by Steve Urban for What sampler do you use?

2011-10-05T23:12:22Z

I've only used Structure LE as a quick footstep sampler when there's no time to record custom foley, works great. Here's how I use it:

Pull any appropriate footstep file into your timeline, use Beat Detective to separate into regions, grab the regions, drag and drop into a Structure channel, select how you want to fill the keyboard (white keys only, black keys only, chromatically), start playing along with picture. Turns out reasonably well.

So in that regard, certainly, I'd love HQ foley FX. Obviously, they won't beat recording actual custom foley though.

Jack Of All Trades, Master of...Some?

2011-10-03T17:53:22Z

I've spent my entire career here in Washington, DC. As some of you know, I'll be headed out to LA in January. With that on the horizon, workflow, the division of labor, & the responsibilities of the roles in audio post have been on my mind.

See, around here you don't hire a Dialog Editor, a Sound Effects Editor, and a Re-Recording Mixer, you hire an Audio Engineer, an Audio Post Engineer, or more recently, a Sound Designer. Typically speaking, we're talking one guy, one room, soup to nuts.

You have to record a VO? You're in Audio 1. You have to mix a promo? You're in Audio 1. You have a 13-episode series that needs dialog edit, sound effects edit, VO record, and mix? You're in Audio 1. I could go on, but I think you get it.

It wasn't until I arrived at my current gig, where the workflow was so constant and schedules so condensed, that I brought up the notion to segment roles across the department. "You'll mix this episode while I tackle the OMF clean-up and dialog edit on the next one. You two split the sound effects work between you." It's great, very efficient. Everyone is busy as a team with a common goal. However, we're not role restricted. That is to say, any one of us on the team could be saying this to the other four in the department. So this project, I'm mixing, the next two I could be sound designing, the next dialog editing. And while these larger, department-wide projects come and go there's still smaller productions that never leave a single room tucked into the holes in the schedule.

From one perspective, I find it incredibly useful wearing the many hats of the audio post department. i.e. It wasn't really until I sat in a mixer's chair that I fully understood what others needed from me when I was acting as a dialog or effects editor. From another perspective, because my focus is scattered across so many aspects of the process, I feel like I haven't had an opportunity to gain the level of mastery in any one area of skills that my years of experience would/could attest to.

From what I understand of the industry out in LA, this "Hire-one-audio-guy-to-get-your-audio-done" attitude is a rarity. Projects are strewn all across town with House A doing the dialog edit, House B adding FX, and House C re-recording. I've heard former East-Coast producers complain that when they take simple promos to some houses out there they outright refuse to add in sound effects because, "that's not what we do here."

So, I'd like to know how common this is in your experience? What are the positives/negatives that you see to being a Jack Of All Trades? Am I at a competitive disadvantage amongst my peers on the West Coast? Or has my experience gained me insight that others may never have thought to seek?

Answer by Steve Urban for Pro tools 9 HD or PT9 on MBP

2011-09-21T18:54:46Z

I recently purchased a DOA MBox 2 Mini and CPTK1 license specifically for the upgrade path to PT9 + CPTK2. It saved me about $800US. iLok licenses were transferred and re-registered to my account. It was a completely legit transaction, everything runs smoothly, it just required a little bargain hunting.

For me, the features you get with the CPTK are worth the upgrade for the higher track count, VCAs, advanced automation / editing modes, and the proposed "seamless" integration with HD systems (I have yet to personally put this feature into action). The one disappointment was that I'll have to purchase the Neyrink and X-Form plug-ins as they weren't included with the CPTK1 license that I bought. So if you go the upgrade route, be certain of what you are and aren't purchasing.

If you're simply trying to learn, I'd say save your money and just go with PT9. Learning the fundamentals & core functionality of the system should be priority one. After you have mastered that (and possibly earned a little money off your knowledge) continue down the path to expand your knowledge and toolset.

Useful Human Vocalizations

2011-09-13T21:07:54Z

I've got a bitch of a cold right now, but my voice has this awesome bassy, gravelly quality to it. So I figured I should take advantage of this vocal state and get some potentially useful wild lines, groans, grunts, etc. to add to the library. But without a script or specific project in mind I'm drawing a complete blank.

Suggestions?

Answer by Steve Urban for Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts Macro'd to a Gaming Keyboard

2011-09-10T02:10:37Z

Try cross-referencing this post, this post, & this post.

Additionally, it doesn't hurt to learn the keyboard shortcuts as not every system you sit in front of will have macros pre-programmed. There should be a .pdf in your Digidesign > Documentation > Pro Tools folder that has all the shortcuts.

Answer by Steve Urban for Strategies for when you've crashed into the wall under deadline

2011-09-10T01:58:57Z

I have the good fortune of working unsupervised 95% of the time. So I'm usually in a good position as well, I hardly ever have to stay past midnight. :)

What I'll do is get away from the desk for 5 minutes. Walk around the building (if there isn't a monsoon), stretch, push-ups, some kind of physical activity to get your blood pumping, heart-rate up and a little life in your legs. In dire situations of dual-ended-candle-burning 5-hour energy is my drink of choice. In extreme situations, just set an alarm on your phone and take a power nap. Losing those 20-25 minutes of productivity will always win out over having to redo the past 3 hour's work. Although I don't recommend trying that during your actual shift.

Answer by Steve Urban for Worry about broadcast specs on LtRt/LoRo fold-downs?

2011-09-07T14:48:24Z

Speaking specifically of NatGeo, yes, they are concerned with all audio (LtRt, LoRo, Dolby E) meeting spec.

Audio should be mixed such that average loudness (using LKFS) of the LtRt mix shall be equivalent to the measured average loudness (using LKFS) of the 5.1 mix, within, ±1dB

~Universal Tech Specs for NatGeo Channels & Nat Geo Wild

But your spec is just a bit off.

Peak stereo mix audio are not to exceed -10dbfs for NTSC, -8dbfs for PAL using digital true-peak meter. Transient peaks up to -2dbfs are allowed on individual channels within a 5.1 mix.
Program should be -24 LKFS (±1) averaged over each segment.

Additionally, we deliver on HDCAMSR (at least until the stock disappears completely) with a channel assignment as follows:

Stereo Left or Left Total (full mix)
Stereo Right or Right Total (full mix)
Stereo Left or Left Total (MDE - Undipped)
Stereo Right or Right Total (MDE - Undipped)
Dolby E 5.1+2 (full mix)
Dolby E 5.1+2 (full mix)
Dolby E 5.1+2 (MDE - Undipped)
Dolby E 5.1+2 (MDE - Undipped)

Having said all of that... shows do get through occasionally that should fail QC. But rather than levels, one of the worst offenders is failing to follow their 5.1 channel assignments:

Left (Music, Ambience, Effects, Incidental dialog)

Right (Music, Ambience, Effects, Incidental dialog)

Center (Narration, Location dialog, Translation)

Low Frequency Effects (Explosions/Music Effects)

Left Surround (Music, Ambience, Effects)

Right Surround (Music, Ambience, Effects)

The center channel must be free of all music and effects. It is reserved exclusively for Narration, Dialog and Translation. These center channel elements must not be diverged into the Left and Right channels.

~Universal Tech Specs for NatGeo Channels & Nat Geo Wild

It made me scratch my head until I recognized that the show isn't just going to air and get shelved. It's going to be translated into a number of different languages and re-broadcast all over the world. It's simply a money saving measure. Strip out the original Center channel, produce the new story in the language of your choice in Mono, add it to the 4.1 and, voilá you've reached a whole new market.†

I've mixed reversions and had to kick back shows that had narration in the LFE or music/fx in the center channel, because otherwise I'm the one passing the buck and the problem just compounds as it cascades. One or two of these shows had been produced over a year ago. Needless to say, it's a headache that you or your facility don't want to be remembered for originating.

†Although I'm still crusading for a 5.1 M&E + LCR Dialog delivery requirement which would nullify this. But alas, no progress yet.

Answer by Steve Urban for Backgrounds for Interiors

2011-09-02T17:22:46Z

Many excellent points so far from everyone. One thing that I thought of that hasn't been mentioned yet is using the background going on at the other end of the phone to set up contrast. Obviously it depends on the context of the storyline, but since you brought it up I'd imagine it's pertinent. Focusing on where that person is on the other end of the call can give you a nice dichotomy of spaces.

For example, if your central character is in a dark, scary house all by herself while the caller is at a club surrounded by a throng of party-goers.

Sound Librarian (The Job-Title, Not The Software)

2011-08-31T19:01:29Z

What is the modern definition of a Sound Librarian? Do studios / houses still hire Sound Librarians, or have the responsibilities simply fallen to the sound effects editing team as a whole?

In my mind, the original Sound Librarian was the keeper of vast vaults full of endless rows of reels containing precious recordings that had to be cataloged and pulled at the demand of Sound Editors. Not much of an editor, per se. But very knowledgeable of the recordings in their collection and the tech necessary to duplicate them for use by the Sound Editors. I'd imagine nowadays, both the libraries and the Librarian exist at only the largest of facilities (studios mostly). Further, I would hazard a guess that those rows of reels have been (or are still being) digitized for the fastest and easiest availability.

This portion of this article was the spark that lit the question off in my mind:

“There’s often eight to 10 [recorders] going from different positions,” adds Cohen. “You’ve got one that’s kind of on the side of the gun so you try and record the mechanism. There are a couple that are further away to get the boom. And some that are downfield. And some that are close to the muzzle but in back of it so the pressure wave doesn’t hit the capsule. Then we’ll take all these recordings back, and the librarian will line them up so all the recordings are in sync to each other. And that gives you a wonderful tool kit to create an interesting shot.”
- Excerpt from mixonline.com article

From reading the blog postings by many of you, it sounds as though you act as your own librarian. Which makes perfect sense to me. You were there, you're familiar with the material. They're probably your notes. But on these large-scale productions, it seems the Sound Editors have more immediate responsibilities, so this "grunt-work" gets divvied up.

Are these "librarians" present for these recording sessions in the field, taking notes, moving mics, monitoring levels? Or are they back with the vault and they get a pile of CF cards and a log handed to them and are told to make sense of it all?

As Jay mentioned over here, the modern Sound Effects Editor is expected to have these librarian skills as well. Clearly the responsibilities of the position are vital and still exist in today's workflow. But what are the basic (or advanced) Librarian skills that one needs? My assumption is cleaning the field recordings, entering metadata, having a mental catalog of what's on file, and maintaining multiple databases, drives and backups. Am I far off?

Answer by Steve Urban for Your Dream Console.

2011-08-30T17:38:25Z

Let me start with the caveat that I mix entirely in Pro Tools.

Clearly my thinking is small potatoes in comparison to an MPC (as Stavrosound mentioned) or a DFC, but I also have no experience to speak about regarding theatrical dub-stage mixing.

Additionally, as I was writing, my answer kind of evolved into an answer about business purchases in general, with an answer to your specific question tacked on the end. Sorry if I ran off the rails a bit, but it's a topic that has been on my mind lately.

I love my D-Command, it's the most advanced mouse I've ever used. The integration with PT is fantastic and I love its Custom Faders. The quality of the materials it's made with are decent, but not outstanding. I've been using this one in front of me here for five or six years and it's barely showing signs of aging. I think one fader has died, another is in need of attention. But a) they're easy to clean, b) they're easy to replace. I could see swapping out the stock faders for something a little nicer. But, in this facility, that's a decision that's currently outside of my pay-grade. Honestly, I don't even know if it's possible.

No money restrictions is a tough mind-set to put myself in. Even in fantastically-hypothetical situations like the one you're proposing, in the end, I'm still a business owner. And there is a point of diminishing returns. I'm always going to consider the value I receive for each dollar I spend, and the difference in potential earnings that all of my options can provide.

There is a point where you've gone beyond what you need and are approaching what would be freakin sweet. The question is, does the caché of freakin sweet have the potential to bring in more revenue than what you need? How much more? Enough to front the cash for it? Then go ahead and pull the trigger.

Another thing, note that I said "front the cash," not "afford the payments". This is obviously an entirely personal business decision, but advice I received from a business associate whom I respect very much told me once: "Always pay in cash. If you don't have twice the price in the bank, it's outside of your budget."

Having said all that....

With a substantial budget, I'd probably investigate a D-Control. After all, it's one level better than a D-Command, right? But with that same business-owner hat on I'd be a hard sell. See, I'd also be considering spending about half of that same $60k on a D-Command + fader pack, surround panner, and an Argosy console to put it all in. In my opinion, that competes pretty well with a D-Control. Then with the remaining $30k, I could invest in additional HD Core & Accel cards, additional I/Os, upgrading my speakers, hiring an assistant, etc. All of which can increase the overall quality or speed of turnaround on a project. Which in turn has the potential to increase my number of billable hours, expand my client base, and ultimately bring in more revenue so I can afford other pieces of gear/people that will do the same (or take me & the Mrs. on vacation cause I already have everything necessary to compete in the marketplace).

One thing that I know I'd take into consideration is ergonomics. For example, the reach to the top of the board. With the D-Command, it's a full arm extension from my seat with no lean-in. That's nice. You're going to spend a lot of time in front of this thing (hopefully), try to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.

Hurricane Preparedness

2011-08-25T23:14:37Z

So, with Irene making a projected bee-line for DC (and the rest of the East Coast) I'm thinking I don't have enough Hurricane in my library. After the recent question about recording wind I have some good ideas, but still a couple questions remain.

1. What's the best way to get great recordings with the gear I have on hand and keep it all safe and dry-ish?

Here's the equipment I have at my disposal:

DPA 4060 matched pair
Barcus Berry 4000xl Contact Mic
Rode NT4
Rode NTG3
A couple of beat up SM58s
Rode Blimp
SD MixPre
Sony M10
15lbs sandbag
Cheap mic stand

I'm thinking that my best bet is mounting the 4060s in the Blimp in as close to an ORTF configuration as possible, feed those to the MixPre and subsequently the M10. Anyone see potential issues off the bat?

The MixPre/M10 both fit in my shoulder bag which I can double bag in garbage bags once I set levels. But keeping the mics dry is something I've never considered. Can I get away with wrapping the Blimp in a towel lengthwise? I'm thinking this will leave the side-facing ORTF setup exposed but still offer some protection. Although I'd also imagine that I'd get some weird high-frequency rolloff as the towel gets wetter and wetter.

If it's as bad as they say it'll be, I'll more than likely be sticking nearby the neighborhood. But there are some great massive trees that I can find shelter under and a few covered porches. I'm also thinking of keeping things dry by going to my car or just cracking a window in the house to get some great wind howls. Maybe the NTG3 would be better for the cracked windows?

2. What's on the record list?

I'm already thinking of how this storm's going to interact with my neighborhood. The various foliage, the slat fences, the garbage cans that will probably just be strapped down rather than removed. There's the drain at the end of the ramp to the common laundry room that should sound cool depending on the reflections of the brick walls on either side of the ramp. I thought of using the contact mic on the windows. They're the newer triple-paned kind so I'm not certain how good it'll sound with that dead air space, but I'll give it a try anyway.

3. Am I crazy?

If you believe the news hype, Irene is a potential Category 4 Hurricane. You know all those reporters that go down south to tell us "Hey, look! It's really a Hurricane!" as we watch them in our cozy dry homes? I always feel sorry for the cameraman. You hope he's at least getting hazard pay.

There's a cautious, self-preserving side to me that says "Screw that, stay inside. Crack a window. Stuff a towel in it. Roll tape. You get what you get." But then there's the huge audio side that wants to go jump around in 115mph wind and puddles the size of children's swimming pools with all my recording gear rolling (not literally, but you get the idea). Because, you don't gain experience by sitting on the internet talking about experience.

Discuss.

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-02-04T16:15:41Z

As I just upgraded to PT10, and a continuous scrub/shuttle is what I'm looking for, this is very good to know. Thanks Shaun!

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-02-03T05:06:58Z

@Jurgen, got to use this tip recently. Using Absynth I tuned the modulation to taste with the three oscillators, but I think it turned out quite well. Thanks!

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-20T22:05:07Z

You can also not open signal generator. just select 1 frame in your timeline, hit control-shift-option-3. But yeah, what Shaun said.

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-20T18:17:32Z

I like the reverb idea, next time I have an opportunity to use it I will definitely try that.

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-18T04:26:19Z

hockey, soccer, baseball, whatever.

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-12T09:55:55Z

So I was told @Utopia. That's part of the reason I was looking forward to more of them. Although I do like @KathieT's idea of being out of our caves and in the wild.

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-12T03:29:36Z

Don't use squarespace myself, but the vimeo/soundcloud combo wins the race for me too

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-09T03:30:41Z

@Tak, exactly. I'm not certain if it would even work. Perhaps a submersible speaker [like one of these electrovoice.com/family.php?id=56] and a hydrophone?

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-09T02:21:37Z

Visualizing that makes my head hurt...

Comment by Steve Urban

2012-01-09T02:04:57Z

Interesting, this makes me wonder if anyone developed an underwater IR.

Comment by Steve Urban

2011-12-21T00:30:23Z

I'm very interested in this myself. Not something I do very often, but the work is coming up more and more.

Comment by Steve Urban

2011-11-16T15:25:10Z

I'll try and work that angle ;) Thanks @Utopia

Comment by Steve Urban

2011-11-16T15:23:49Z

@Jay - Based on the time of year and the amount of time booked, I'm guessing this is a repackaged show cut together from multiple old shows. I hope I'm wrong in my assumptions and will certainly still check with the Post Sup, but lately there isn't any access to original location recordings.

Comment by Steve Urban

2011-11-16T01:46:20Z

I don't have any of those in my fx library either.

Comment by Steve Urban

2011-11-15T20:21:56Z

I worked as vacation relief for the Audio Mixers on ESPN's Around the Horn and PTI for about a year. 3pm call, 5pm satellite feed. Separate audio control room, predictable format/sources, ability to punch in changes after the fact. That was stressful enough for me, I can't begin to fathom the pressure of live to air.