Some people on here talk about how the plug microphones into a sound mixer than and mix the sounds as they shoot. But how do you do that? Isn't it better to just record the sound of the scene, then do all the mixing in post?
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Question about sound mixing.
- Thread starter harmonica44
- Start date
I can't take it anymore. Too many questions, not enough doing.
I don't mean to say that you shouldn't ask questions. You should. Constantly.
But so many of the questions you are asking would be answered if you would just start doing. You've got your camera, right? Now go make a short movie!
In every professional job I've ever had, the vast majority of what I've learned has been on-the-job. I would say the same is true for filmmaking. Just do it!
There are a million things for you to learn and practice. You can't absorb all of it at once. How about you first learn how to shoot a scene that cuts together well? Most people fail at this seemingly simple task on their first attempt, because it ain't nearly as simple as it sounds.
To answer your question, you're way too far ahead of yourself. The answer to your question is that you shouldn't be asking that question. However, you are correct -- mixing should be done in post.
I don't mean to say that you shouldn't ask questions. You should. Constantly.
But so many of the questions you are asking would be answered if you would just start doing. You've got your camera, right? Now go make a short movie!
In every professional job I've ever had, the vast majority of what I've learned has been on-the-job. I would say the same is true for filmmaking. Just do it!
There are a million things for you to learn and practice. You can't absorb all of it at once. How about you first learn how to shoot a scene that cuts together well? Most people fail at this seemingly simple task on their first attempt, because it ain't nearly as simple as it sounds.
To answer your question, you're way too far ahead of yourself. The answer to your question is that you shouldn't be asking that question. However, you are correct -- mixing should be done in post.
Depending on the needs of the recording, most of us still just try to capture individual tracks of dialog separately and recorded well (loud, but no peaks that would degrade the sound)... then the mixing is done later.
I run through a mixer for specific reasons, but the end result is described above.
I run through a mixer for specific reasons, but the end result is described above.
I second CF's sentiment... shoot something, screw it up... then fix the problems one by one until you finally have a piece that seems to have all the bits in place... it's a tedious process, but your first 2-5 shorts will suck. All of ours did, it's just unavoidable... spielberg's did too.
Never be afraid to do and fail, so long as you're willing to learn from the mistakes.
Never be afraid to do and fail, so long as you're willing to learn from the mistakes.
The louder the recording, the quieter the background noise. As long as the sound you're recording doesn't get so loud that it distorts, when you lower the sound in post, there will be much less noise.
Generally, I think the accepted practice is to figure out the loudest line in a scene--and set that as the maximum on the manual controls. That way, the recording is as far from the background as possible without distorting.
Also, I think some recorders can record two different sets of audio, one more sensitive, the other less sensitive. This is a safe bet for run-and-gun recording.
Generally, I think the accepted practice is to figure out the loudest line in a scene--and set that as the maximum on the manual controls. That way, the recording is as far from the background as possible without distorting.
Also, I think some recorders can record two different sets of audio, one more sensitive, the other less sensitive. This is a safe bet for run-and-gun recording.
Also known as signal vs. noise, which is a really important concept in sound recording.
Thank you, Cracker, for putting that much more tactfully than I would've managed
Harmonica, you may be confusing the two types of "mixing". Production mixing and post mixing are different processes. Production mixing is actually a misnomer because you aren't really "mixing" different sounds together. The location sound recordist typically runs his microphone(s) through a mixer in order to control levels, but nothing is actually being "mixed".
As you suggest, the actual mixing happens in post.
I second the above.
Your sound recordist will use a mixer on set to control the levels especially if you're using radios and a boomed mic simultaneously. The rest will be done in post but they're two different principles.
My recommendation to you is that you make one thread where you ask all the questions that come to mind. Either that or utilise the search function.
Your sound recordist will use a mixer on set to control the levels especially if you're using radios and a boomed mic simultaneously. The rest will be done in post but they're two different principles.
My recommendation to you is that you make one thread where you ask all the questions that come to mind. Either that or utilise the search function.
I just make like a 5 minute long sequence in modplug tracker, match it up to the timeline in the video editor by adding or subtracting the difference in minutes and seconds, and switch between programs back and fourth, raising and lowering the volume and pitch until I get things the way I want them.
LMMS lets you play with equalizers and fx and such, but for quick edits modplug tracker works well for volume and pitch.
If you turn up the tempo to like 500 you can get everything down to the millisecond, just about.
LMMS lets you play with equalizers and fx and such, but for quick edits modplug tracker works well for volume and pitch.
If you turn up the tempo to like 500 you can get everything down to the millisecond, just about.
Well I am already on way to filming my first short with my DP. I feel that it's a waist of a script if it's going to suck but I guess I could use the same script again once I get better.
LMMS ??? wow I thought I was the only Linux nut here...although it is available for Windoze http://lmms.sourceforge.net/download.php
This is like saying your elementary school experience was wasted because you didn't cover nuclear physics... you're building a foundation, don't dismiss it as useless or wasteful.
Do it. If you're worried about wasting a good script, just write a rubbish script and film that. You don't have to show anybody. Improvise a script and shoot something you make up based on a concept and a shot list (that's what I did). Just do something and if (when?) it doesn't work out, discuss with your crew what went wrong and try again, having learned from your mistakes. It's a slow process, but you learn A LOT more from trying it than you do from asking questions. Seriously. Been there, done it
Not that there's anything wrong with asking questions... but I'd recommend trying it first and asking questions if you still don't understand what went wrong
