What are your favorite Audio Filters?

90 Min documentary On gas, oil, record profits and future cars that run on anything but gas.

Half shot with DVX-100 camera mic.
Half shot with Sony HDV cam mic some boom.

Shot outdoors in the desert, in a convention center, and in a home.

I have been around audio guys before and I learned a little bit about Compressors/Limiters/Expanders and improving over all levels. Seen it done with STP and loved it.

So my question is.
What is your workflow when it comes to something like this.

Is it better to do the audio levels FCP or STP?

When I do go to STP what kind of filters do you apply to your over all documentary? Do any of you use compressers/limiters/ expanders?

There is a truck running in the background and cars Growling as they drive by do any of you apply Low Pass or High pass filters? ECT.

Can you tell me your favorites please.

Thank you for any audio tips.
THIS ROOM IS SOOOO HELPFUL THANKS 2 EVERYONE.



SL8UP

> Is it better to do the audio levels FCP or STP?

A professional film would use neither. It'd be ProTools.

> When I do go to STP what kind of filters do you apply to your over all
> documentary? Do any of you use compressers/limiters/expanders?

No one filter will work for your whole film. You have to listen to every part of every scene. I sometimes compress voice-overs and interviews to make them stand out against background music and ambient sound (eg. over B-roll), and mid-scoop to background music to clear out some space for dialogue, but you can't say one filter for an "overall" project.

> There is a truck running in the background and cars Growling as they drive
> by do any of you apply Low Pass or High pass filters? ECT.

Neither will take care of it because a car passing close by will generate noise in multiple frequencies, but low-frequency grumble will probably destroy more of your dialogue, so I'd try a High Pass filter. Usually, though, a passing car close by means your sound is dead. How come you recorded dialogue/interview where there was a truck? Was there no other choice?

audio tools are more expansive and work better than the audio tools in FCP. I would do your audio in STP, but use the FCP to STP workflow.

I don't know that I would necessarily apply any particular filter over the entire documentary unless there were issues that were consistant throughout. You should really look at it on a scene by scene basis. Comp/Limiters are great sometimes but they do destroy the dynamic range in your audio. Depending on where this documentary is going to be shown, it may not matter. But then again, it might.

Andy

The question was sooooo close to: "What filter should I apply to make the show more professional?"

We keep after Nattress to write the "Professional Audio Filter," but so far, no code or executables.

Enough stupid jokes.


This is easier than you think. Turn the picture monitors off.

Sit in a dimly lighted room and listen to the radio show. Without the pictures helping you, problems in the sound jump right into your lap. Better still, get someone to listen who has never seen the show.


There is no establishing sound to intoduce the piece.

I can't hear or understand half the interview.

The sound went to a dead, echo-less room and I have no idea why.

I can't tell the difference between the narrator and the performers. It's very confusing.

Love scenes do not happen in an echo-y bathroom. Sex, yes, love no.

I know we're on the street. I can hear cars in the background. Why are we there?

Etc, etc, etc.

Please note that I didn't say the cars should not be there, but most producers insist that they should advance the story. *Everything* on the sound track should advance the story.

Koz

Thanks everyone for your info.

That helps me out a lot.


--How come you recorded dialogue/interview where there was a truck? Was there no other choice?--


I did not shoot or record that. I recived the tapes as is, They just dont understand. I think they do now.

Thanks everyone



SL8UP

I just discovered STP a week ago and felt like a fool editing all my audio in FCP5. So I decided to redo most of my sound track.

In the WAVEFORM view:

Under PROCESS,

1) Use SET AMBIENT NOISE PRINT. You can copy and paste the best sample of ambience in your track. Clean up the dialogue tracks as best as you can.

2) Use the AMPLITUDE ADJUSTMENT tool. It's great. You highlight the loud part and go up to this tool in the menu and it lets you drop the db's or raise them, using - or + and the number of db's you want to dial in.

3) Use the FADE IN and FADE OUT tools to segue between scenes

In the tracks view,

1) Use the looping and de-looping tool. Then you can fade in and fade out either all the sound bites or if you want only the last sound bite to be faded out, then de-loop the sound bites.

2) Do all your sound juggling using the snap on and snap off tool. Click on it to activate it when you need the sound bites to snap pricely, but when you need to nudge the sound one frame at a time, then click snapping off.

I love STP. Play around with all the tools. It will pay off. Sound can be more than 50% of a movie. There is not much you can do with the image because it's too expensive to get back into production, but with sound you can rework it. If it's possible you can re-record your dialogue and narration. If the sound is poor, it's well worth it. You won't use any immediacy even. It will be different, but it can be made even better. Good luck.