editing What I should get from Composers

[Scotty Fox]

Hey everyone,

Quick question regarding post workflow for sound for the audio experts out there.

I also am speaking with a few different composers, still undecided who I'm going with, to score the film.

I'm pretty unfamiliar with the professional workflow and what i should be getting from the composer in the technical sense. I've been speaking with a variety of composers of all experiences levels, so it's hard for me to exactly know where one person may be incorrect, or another asking to be paid extra for something that should normally be included in final delivery.

That being said what is the typical delivery for composed tracks so I can hand off to the final mixer of the film when I come to that?

I'm finishing the film in 2K, 5.1 theatrical mix. Will layback for blueray/dvd and also stereo, etc.

So for music delivery, are they individual wav files that I should be getting? Does that include the stems mixed together or is that not included? Should I always be getting the stems along with a mix as part of the deal? Or is that not normally done?

I've had some individuals tell me they don't have the equipment to master the mix, but I can get that done for an additional $200-300. Is this normal?

I wasn't sure if these steps could also be done by the final sound mixer of the film vs having the composer do some of this work.

Thanks in advance for the advice/assistance!

 

[Alcove Audio]

You DO NOT "master" the score for a film, nor do you "master" the film sound track. Whomever is telling you that this is necessary is either inexperienced with film sound, or they are trying to inflate their pricing.

The people you should be asking are your rerecording mixer and your supervising sound editor; let them handle the technical aspects of the audio post for you - that's their job!


So, here is what you do; talk with your RRM and SSE, find out exactly what they want and relay that information to the composers you are considering. Immediately rule out anyone who cannot comply; that narrows your selection process quickly.

 

[Scotty Fox]

Thanks Alcove.

Yeah, when I heard "master" the music my confusion spiked, as it was the first time I came across that. Thanks for letting me know and I'll go about it that way.

Much appreciated.

 

[Alcove Audio]

Music is mastered as a matter of course in the music industry. There were - originally - reasons that generally had to do with the delivery platforms. Later, bands would record and mix songs at various locations and times (add in all of those compilation and best of albums), so the job of the mastering engineer would be to make the songs sound consistent with each other.

"Back in the day" we would hang out and listen to an album from end to end - Sergeant Pepper, Dark Side of the Moon, etc. As you listen, especially of it's loud, you get diminished hearing in your high frequencies. Mastering engineers would first master for consistency, then add a little more high frequencies as the album continues to compensate for the upper frequency hearing loss.

Sort of off topic but related in a sidereal sort of way... In a symphony orchestra the string players sit in front of the brass. The string players have "hearing loss" as the performance continues, so they will play a little sharper - as much as ten or twelve cents (and sometimes more) higher - so they can hear themselves better.



BTW, did you get the same answers on the GS audio post forum?

 

[GULL]

Thanks Alcove.

Yeah, when I heard "master" the music my confusion spiked, as it was the first time I came across that. Thanks for letting me know and I'll go about it that way.

Much appreciated.

To be simple, mastering a track is to make sure that the song has broadcast quality, meaning it sounds almost same with different devices listeners could use. Filmscore is generally not mastered in this sense, in most of the times, it should not be. But if the film has songs, they would be mastered, or mastered version of songs would be used in films

 

[AudioPostExpert]

To be simple, mastering a track is to make sure that the song has broadcast quality, meaning it sounds almost same with different devices listeners could use. Filmscore is generally not mastered in this sense ...

It is really, because in effect the "different devices listeners could use" are all theatrical sound systems. So, the music (and the rest of the sound) has to be mastered relative to a theatrical sound system and the only person in a position to accomplish this task is the re-recording mixer in a theatrical dubbing stage. In practise, there is no mastering process in film as such (as there is in the music industry), instead, the goals of mastering in the music industry are part of the final mix process. There is a term used in film audio called "mastering" (or more properly Print-Mastering) but it's not related to the term "mastering" in the music industry.

But if the film has songs, they would be mastered, or mastered version of songs would be used in films

That depends, if an existing song/recording is being used, then there many be no option but to use a mastered version. If a song has been recorded specifically for the film then it wouldn't be mastered or rather again, it would in effect be mastered by the re-recording mixer or in the case of a high budget film maybe by a specialist film music mixer within the re-recording team.

I agree with the info Alcove has provided, but particularly:

1. In general and particularly at the low budget level, a composer who mentions mastering is demonstrating a familiarity with the music industry AND an ignorance of the film industry. There are several consequences to this, beyond the actual mastering process itself, which imply the composer is going to be composing and mixing more to music industry norms and standards rather than film industry requirements. This is likely to impact both the aesthetic and technical quality of the final sound mix, so given the choice, it's better to avoid composers who demonstrate more familiarity with the music industry than the film industry.

2. The imperative to have meetings/discussions between the composer and sound designer (or supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer)! I personally would want to cover two areas with the composer: A. The technical requirements of the composer's deliverables to the audio post department, the splits, levels, etc. and B. A detailed discussion/conference call (with both the composer the Director) of where the music cues are going and what they will be trying to achieve. This can help avoid the duplication of work, the composer and sound designer both assuming 100% responsibility for creating all the audio in a particular scene/sequence, and of course this also makes the mixing easier/better, if one is mixing complimentary audio material rather than competing audio material.

G