Features

Recording Sound For Fury

By Lisa Piñero

In June 2013, I was called to do a series of reshoots for Sabotage, the David Ayer–directed film that I’d worked on the previous fall. While shooting, I learned that Dave’s next film, Fury, was gearing up to shoot in England. I wanted in.

I love working with Dave; his unconventional shooting style and focused vision on End of Watch and Sabotage, the two films on which I’d previously collaborated with him, forced us to find creative ways to capture the dialog along with real-time sync tracks of actual environmental sounds.

But Fury was going to be different. This was a passion project for Dave; he had written a story that had attracted a fantastic cast, including Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Pena, Jason Isaacs and Scott Eastwood. It was set in the battlefields of World War II, in Germany near the end of the war, and would be shot on 35mm anamorphic film by Roman Vasyanov, the Director of Photography I had enjoyed working with on End of Watch. Dody Dorn was onboard to edit and Andrew Menzies, whose work I had admired on other films, would be the Production Designer.

For this film, Dave planned a much more conventional visual style. Although the idea of a conventional visual style may imply a comfort zone of a familiar process and “old school” sound recording techniques, this is never the case on a David Ayer project. Dave challenges everyone involved in his films to push the limits of their craft. He strives for a sense of reality in his work that forces us to re-think our assumptions about the filmmaking process.

Once I knew I was headed to England, priority one became finding a crew that could handle the job and that was able to work in the UK. I immediately thought of Ben Greaves, who I had enjoyed working with earlier in the year and who I knew had the demeanor and skills to get the job done properly. Ben currently works and resides in Los Angeles, but he has a UK
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passport, a flat in London and the contacts to pull together a good local crew for the show. Ben came aboard as my Boom Operator and we brought on local London Production Sound Mixer Tarn Willers to handle the sound utility position and act as our Second Unit Sound Mixer. We also brought on Tim Surrey to work as our fourth, along with Sound Utility Frank Barlow, who came in frequently as our top dailies hire.

At the end of August 2013, I set off for a month of prep at Pinewood Studios. Packed in my bags were manuals and notebooks filled with photos and diagrams of actual World War II tanks and tank crew field gear, including communications systems, along with actual pieces of US surplus Sherman tank communications gear, including plug-in BC-606 comm boxes, throat microphones and helmet headphone wiring. Forty-five cases of sound gear were shipped and on the way to Pinewood Studios, and a new sound cart, designed with our shooting environment in mind, was being built for me by Malcolm Davies in Manchester, UK.

Early in prep it was determined that we would have essentially three shooting scenarios involving tanks:

1) Exterior Tank Action, in which tank commanders would perform scenes with each other and need to speak/hear one another on one channel (tank-to-tank), while tank drivers (specialist/stunt drivers) would have to be on their own channel with our tank coordinator in order to hear commands and cues. In these situations, we would record our cast only through production microphones. We would wire all cast members and use either helmet or body-mounted microphones (DPA-4061 or DPA-4071).

2) Exterior Process Vehicle, in which our cast was riding in or on a custom-designed tracking “process vehicle.” This vehicle was essentially a highly detailed, life-size fiberglass model of our Sherman tank Fury, attached to the base and suspension of a heavy‐duty military tracking vehicle. It featured a large steel platform apron, suitable for mounting up to two Chapman hydrascope cranes, lots of camera, lighting, and grip gear, and necessary crew. In this case, as above, we would wire all cast, and the tank coordinator would be in direct communication with the process vehicle’s driver seated at the front of the vehicle.

3) Interior Tank, in which our cast played out scenes inside a gimbal-mounted interior tank set. Here, we would wire all the cast and either boom or plant microphones for production dialog. We would also find a way to record the cast through the microphones of a modified vintage tank communications system.

In our first discussions regarding this project, David Ayer indicated to me that, in addition to our production microphones, he wanted to try to record dialog tracks through the vintage microphones used in the original Sherman tank communications systems. Many World War II Sherman tank crews used a SCR-508 turret bustle-mounted radio/interphone system that allowed the five-person tank crew to communicate with each other (interphone) as well as allowed the tank commander to communicate via the FM radio set with other tank commanders and military personnel outside the tank. The tank crews had communications components, including their headphones and microphones, integrated into their military-issue apparel. The headphones were wired into the tanker’s helmet and connected to a push-to-talk switchbox and a throat microphone that was then connected to a communications box at each man’s station in the tank. The tank commander uses the same style helmet; however, his microphone is a push-to-talk handheld microphone. Dave asked me to look into options for recording our cast’s battle scene dialog through these microphones, using either vintage radios in our tanks or through modifications that would leave the outward appearance of the vintage gear intact.

Before leaving Los Angeles, I had acquired several sets of T-30 throat mikes. T-30s are essentially two small carbon microphone elements encased in rubber that are attached to an elastic strap and worn snugly around the neck. The capsules should be positioned on either side of the Adam’s apple. The microphone was designed to pick up sound vibrations through contact at the throat; this was more effective than relying on sound waves transmitted through the air in the extremely high noise environment of a tank’s interior. I needed to hear what these microphones sounded like; however, sadly, the mikes produced a very low-level and noisy signal. After more research, I learned that, over time, the carbon powder in these old surplus microphones solidifies into a solid mass, which does not allow the carbon granules to vibrate as they should with sound pressure in order to change the electrical resistance between the elements’ plates enough to significantly modulate the signal. These old microphones weren’t going to work without some modification.

There were other complications with the surplus vintage gear as well. The connectors used in these systems were specific to military systems and in some cases very rare and difficult to locate. Also, some elements were considered expendable in the day and not field repairable, which made them difficult to modify. We investigated the possibilities of using the actual radio systems in the tanks, but were dissuaded by our period tank mechanics, who recounted stories illustrating the extremely unreliable performance of these old tube radios. We needed a clever, resourceful engineer who understood the filmmaking process and was interested in tackling this project. I called Production Mixer Chris Munro for ideas, and he immediately assured me that he had the man for the job: James McBride.

Jim is royalty in the sound recording world, yet he is such a humble man you would never know it by meeting him. He was a valued studio engineer and an important technical contributor at the legendary Olympic Studios in London during its heyday. Jim designed and built the facility’s Studio One recording console. Many of the most important acts of the ’60s and ’70s, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, recorded their most famous records through the consoles at Olympic. (http://www.soundon sound.com/sos/aug12/articles/keith-grant.htm)

Jim has become Chris Munro’s go-to man for designing and building custom sound equipment for specific applications. One of Jim’s recent projects was finding a way to build a radio mike transmitter directly into a space helmet for the film Gravity. (Editor: See Gravity and Captain Phillips by Chris Munro, CAS, 695 Quarterly, Spring 2014)

Jim came aboard Fury, and after numerous meetings with all departments involved, we had a plan for our interior set vintage microphone recording scenario. Jim would modify enough existing vintage elements from the cast costumes, props and set dressing to give us a signal path from the vintage microphones (T-30 throat mikes and T-17 handheld mike) used by the actors to the inputs on my recorders. He would also modify the interior tank plug-in comm boxes (BC-606) to accept a return signal from my cart, so that each cast member could hear the mix-minus feed I was sending them via wireless monitoring from my cart. The actors would only have to plug in to what was now modified and practical set dressing in order to be recorded through their vintage microphones and hear each other (minus themselves) through their vintage helmet headphones.

In order to make this happen, Jim and his assistant had to meticulously modify equipment that was manufactured to be expendable and certainly not accessible for modification. In the case of the T-30 throat mikes, Jim carefully sawed through the very small Bakelite connector material and internal contacts in order to replace the old and unusable cable. Then, he glued it all back together so it was impossible to see that they were different from the unmodified pieces. He used a similar surgical technique on the flexible rubber piece that contains the carbon throat elements and replaced those with new elements that, while not high fidelity, replicated the sound of the originals when they were new. He sourced and found all matter of parts, including new cable for our cast PTT switch boxes that looked exactly like the original; a new SM-58-like capsule to fit inside the T-17 microphone that our tank commander would use; and small headphone speakers that could be glued to the sawed-off back of the visible part of our vintage headphones, so that they would look original but work as practical for our cast. The list goes on and on. I asked him for miracles, and Jim delivered them time after time.

Jim also worked on the exterior tank communication with the wireless company hired by the production company. Wireless Works had been hired to work out a duplex radio system for all the exterior tank operations. They were responsible for three huge areas: the communications between the tank coordinator and the tank drivers, the communications between our cast of tank commanders during exterior maneuvers, and all RF coordination on our sets. Jim worked with the Wireless Works onsite technician to help them integrate their duplex equipment into modified vintage equipment that the cast was using. Jim’s ingenuity and tireless work made it possible to incorporate vintage communication equipment into the production process on this show.

I should also mention the invaluable assist provided to us by Rob Lihani, who also happened to be the EPK Producer hired by Sony Pictures to document the making of Fury. Rob is ex-military and an expert in World War II militaria. He utilized his many contacts in the world of military surplus dealers and collectors in order to help us acquire authentic pieces of unused military surplus parts and equipment when no one else could find them.

When it came to production dialog, we knew that we would be dependent on wireless microphones whenever the tanks or process vehicle was moving. The tanks are LOUD and cast members might be in any number of positions while the tank was moving, so it was important to test various wireless mike positions before we started shooting. Tarn Willers and I spent several days at the tank training grounds testing a variety of lavalier microphones and mike positions on subjects as we placed them in different positions on the running tanks and the tank process vehicle. We tested a number of microphones in various positions, including several in the cast tanker helmets.

The results:

1) The tanks were really loud.

2) The tank process vehicle was even louder than the tanks, and dialog recorded on it would in all likelihood have to be replaced.

3)The DPA-4061 sounded best when used in the helmet flap position and the DPA-4071 sounded best when mounted to a chest position.

I came onto the project fully understanding that tanks are loud and that a group of many tanks are louder still. The fact that the “process tank vehicle” was much louder than an actual tank was somewhat disheartening. I discussed this with Dave, and although he knew it was a challenge, he felt very strongly that a towed process vehicle would not move like a tank and was even more problematic than having to ADR some dialog scenes shot on the current tracking process vehicle.

Given our challenge, we started to look for the best alternative solution that would give us the best results.

Our costume technician, Mark Wyndham, worked with Ben to modify the hero cast helmets for permanent placement of a DPA-4061 in each. The microphone was fitted into the helmet’s leather lining and exposed through a hole that was punched through for the purpose. Ben had our textile specialists dye Rycote Overcovers to match the helmets, and in the end, it was difficult to see where the mike was located, unless you were looking for it. Richmond Film Services modified these microphones with screw-on extension cables, so that the helmets could be removed easily without de-rigging the microphone cable and transmitter from the actor. Alternate mike placements were worked out on all our regular cast members’ costumes.

Meanwhile, Tarn and I worked on fitting out the cart that Malcolm Davies built for me. The cart was based on a frame made of small diameter speed rail, with shelving and accessories designed and manufactured by Malcolm in his shop. Malcolm builds many carts of this style for the BBC and other production mixers in the UK and Europe. It was Ben Greaves who urged me to investigate this style of cart based on his experiences shooting in the wet and mud of the English countryside, where weight and unwieldiness cost valuable time. The cart was fitted with my gear, including a Sonosax SX-ST, Deva 16 recorder, a Denecke GR-2 Master Clock, two Lectrosonics WBL Venue Racks with a total of 12 VRT modules, a Marshall dual HD monitor rack and a Sennheiser EW-300 stereo transmitter, all powered by a Remote Audio Meon LiFE. My follow/support cart is a Backstage Equipment cart fitted out with a top shelf and an SKB case filled with foamed out rack drawers that hold microphones, transmitters and other sensitive pieces of gear. Our sound trailer was provided by English film production transportation provider Translux, and Ben worked with them to fit it out properly for our sound equipment. It was stocked with expendables, snacks, and, most importantly, a teakettle—that essential piece of equipment in British culture. For transporting our gear at location, the production company built us a small covered trailer with a ramp for our follow cart and gear along with a Gator to pull it with.

As shooting began, we received huge support from our 1st AD, Toby Hefferman, regarding a standalone mobile shooting platform for sound and video. We were given a 4×4 insert car vehicle with a driver. A “room” was built on the rear platform of the truck using a speed rail frame covered with a fitted weatherproof cover. An antenna rack was attached up high over the rear rollup cloth door and a Honda generator was rigged to the front of the truck. Voila! We were a powered off-road sound & video follow vehicle, with a wall of director’s monitors hung along one side. This setup allowed us to track with moving tanks over any surface and to be instantly ready to record as soon as our truck landed for static shots. The “sparks” (that’s British for “electricians”) wired a box next to our onboard generator, giving us the ability to kill it and receive quiet power from their blimped generator when we weren’t tracking with tanks. For shots when the tanks weren’t moving, Ben had our guys run cable out for boom and ambient microphone positions. There was a lot of shouting and gunfire, and good ol’ copper gave us the best signal-to-noise ratio along with more dynamic range than that available using radio mike transmitters. I developed a huge amount of respect for our crew as they unflinchingly ran hundreds of feet of microphone cable through deep, flinty, clay mud day after long, wet and cold day.

But we still had to solve the challenge of the extremely high noise environment of the working tanks. In the end, after a number of false starts at other solutions, we hired a truck designed for location dailies screening. We had construction soundproof it further and Dody Dorn, our Editor, found ADR Mixer Jon Olive, who would bring a portable ADR setup and would do all the prepping required for the necessary ADR sessions. Once the sessions were prepped, our ADs would schedule cast members into our ADR unit for Jon Olive to record. One of our Boom Operators was always on hand to mic the ADR sessions. We used exactly the microphones and mike placement we used in the shot; we added a boom microphone and encouraged our cast members to take the positions they were in during their on camera performances. Using this method, we were able to get clean dialog for most of those scenes aboard the tracking process vehicle.

It was also extremely important to Dave for us to document the sounds of the many extremely rare, vintage World War II vehicles that we would be using in the production. The British Tank Museum’s German Tiger I tank was a particularly important subject. The last surviving operational Tiger I, we had this tank at our base camp for only a few days and its use was severely restricted to a certain amount of running time, all of which David Ayer wanted to use on camera. We needed to bring in someone who was familiar with the workings of vintage military vehicles and was skilled in sound effects recording. That man was Eilam Hoffman, who has traveled the world seeking out and recording effects. He has an impressive reel of multi-track sound effects recordings that includes many of the rarest military vehicles in the world. Eilam and his assistant scheduled several sessions at our Bovingdon Field base camp and the British Tank Museum in Dorset, and they were on set to record the Tiger tank on the day we shot it, so he could get Dave the sound of the tank’s tracks as they ground through the actual muddy field surface we were shooting on. His recordings of this Tiger are the only known multitrack recordings of a working original equipment Tiger tank. Eilam was a pleasure to work with, and yet another one of the dedicated film sound professionals I had the honor of working with in the UK.

Fury was an amazing experience and adventure. I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and work with such a talented group of filmmakers on such a remarkable project.

Remembering Walt Martin

In his long and varied career as a Production Sound Mixer, Walt was proudest of the fifteen pictures he did with Clint Eastwood starting with True Crime in 1999. He was Oscar-nominated for Flags of Our Fathers and recorded sound for Best Picture winner Million Dollar Baby and Best Picture nominees Letters From Iwo Jima and Mystic River. He was a longtime member of the Eastwood team and is affectionately remembered.

CLINT EASTWOOD (in a phone interview):

We completed American Sniper, everybody went home, and then we got the news after a couple weeks that Walt had passed away. It’s like losing a member of the family. Walt was a terrific guy and the easiest person I’ve ever worked with in my life. He brought no antagonism or clumsiness to the work; he was just always ready.

He was an interesting guy to shoot with because, you know, most crew members, you see ’em periodically, but you could go three or four days and not ever see Walt. He had a way of finding a spot for himself where he’s out of everybody’s way. I sometimes shoot quietly [especially] when working with children or active people who aren’t experienced. I would just wave and the boom operator would whisper, “They’re shooting.” I never heard him and it worked really great. Of all the people I’ve ever worked with, he was the most unobtrusive, still getting the job done and in fine fashion.

I’ll miss him on the next project. It’ll be like a missing link, missing part of the chain, because he was that good and that reliable.

GAIL CARROLL-COE

I had the good fortune of doing eight movies for Clint Eastwood with Walt Martin and a few other projects in addition. He began his career by shooting documentaries with his father who was a missionary. I think everyone knows of his accomplishments, but thought I would share some personal things. We traveled quite a bit together for some of the projects. In each location, he made sure he experienced every location to its fullest. The last project took us to Morocco, albeit being difficult, he made the most of it. Walt loved traveling with his wife Elena and his daughter Claudia. He took along his mother-in-law and sister-in-law as well on some trips and made sure everyone had a great time. He loved gardening and sharing his fruit from his trees with others. He loved the Beatles and every Sunday spent some time listening to a program that played their music. Lastly, he loved recording sound.

JONATHAN FUH

Working with Walt was a highlight in my career. He was quiet, unassuming and professional. He loved his family and was loyal to his friends. His wife Elena likes elephants. I remember, on his day off, while on locations, he was looking for elephant motif souvenirs to bring back for her. He will truly be missed by those of us who were fortunate to have worked with him

RANDY JOHNSON

I came to know Walt late in both his career and mine. I was familiar with his large body of work and awards so, when he called to ask me about filling out his sound team on Jersey Boys along with Gail Carroll-Coe, I jumped at the chance to work with him and, of course, with the man, the icon, Clint Eastwood. Working with Walt was a pleasure every day. He had a big heart and was a gentle soul. His sharp sense of humor made the days go by quickly. He was never afraid to laugh at himself and I think the crews sensed that and held him in high regard as a bit of a father figure.

His work on Jersey Boys was multi-layered and thorough. With the help of Mark Agostino and Tim Boot, the task of capturing the live performances went very smoothly. As difficult and challenging as Jersey Boys was, it was still a local shoot and a stage show. Mr. Eastwood’s next project, American Sniper, demanded much more physical effort from Walt, but he embraced the adventure wholeheartedly. He had to climb on vehicles tethered to the top of Humvee’s but I think he was proud of his ability to do whatever was needed to capture the performances. Very sadly, it was his last adventure but one he was very proud of. His talent and humility are his great legacy. I will miss Mr. Walter B. Martin.

Review of Sound Devices 970

by Richard Lightstone, CAS

Evolution/Revolution:How we got to now When I began mixing some forty-four years ago, we shot on film with one camera. A second camera only came out during big stunt work scenes. I mixed on a mono Nagra; recording to ¼ audiotape and the production track I delivered to editorial was THE only track of dialog.

Production changed in the ’90s when two cameras were used for every setup. This usually meant simultaneous wide and close shots. Suddenly, we were using more wireless microphones and there was a need to have both mix and iso tracks of each wire in use.

There were several professional twotrack audio tape-based recorders available then: the Nagra and Stellavox. DAT recorders from Fostex, Stellavox (the Stelladat) and HHB soon supplanted the analog machines and some enterprising Production Mixers embraced the technology of the music industry and started to use the newer eight-track recorders, either the Tascam DA-88 or the Alesis XT-8.

When Zaxcom, led by Glenn Sanders and Howard Stark, introduced the first portable four-channel hard-disc recorder in 1996, it revolutionized location recording. Sound Devices brought out their version of a nonlinear recorder in 2003 and we’ve rapidly come to the present where eight channels is the minimum. Some shows now expect to have individual tracks available for everyone in the cast and even eight tracks may not be enough.

I use a Yamaha 01V96 console (since 2004) and have always wanted to be able to record up to sixteen tracks if and when required. Previously I could achieve that only with a kluge of eight AES and eight analog outputs. But the new Sound Devices 970, an audio-only version of the PIX 260i, offers capabilities that greatly simplify high-track-count recording.

Features

The 970 is a half rack, 2U device capable of recording up to sixty-four tracks to multiple drives. There are two front-panel drive bays and two eSata drives accessible from the rear panel. The drives may be configured for simultaneous or sequential recording as needed.

Eight line-level inputs permit connecting devices directly but full use of high track capabilities comes with connection to a mixer that can supply Ethernet-based Dante or either optical, or coaxial MADI connections. The 970 will also accept eight tracks of AES via a DB-25 connection.

Dual power inputs through standard 4-pin XLRs provide operational redundancy. In the event of a failure of both sources, proprietary PowerSafe™ circuitry provides ten seconds of reserve and an orderly shutdown.

Sound Devices continues to use the rock-steady Ambient Recording Lockit timecode technology offering sufficient accuracy and stability for use as a master clock.

A large five-inch screen provides visual metering up to sixty-four tracks and fast, intuitive menu control. Many of the same button actions on the SD 788T are duplicated here on the front face of the 970.

For example, pressing the STOP + FF buttons increments the Scene or Slate. Pressing STOP + RW buttons allows you to delete false start takes. A window asks you to confirm the action, YES or NO, before proceeding.

Similar dedicated keystrokes give access to the Metadata screen where scene number, takes, notes and other functions may be rapidly edited. Commonly used phrases may be selected and edited from a list manager.

By pressing AUDIO + FILES or pressing Ctrl + P on an attached USB keyboard will create a CSV file Sound Report on the current folder for all applicable drives.

The real clincher to me was the ability to use the Audinate Dante network of up to sixty-four tracks!

Yes, far more than I might need, but I always believe in future proofing my investment. Combined with a Dante card for the Yamaha, one Cat 5E cable gives me 16 x 16 I/O to the 970. I simultaneously record to both an SSD and CF card, which are mounted via the Sound Devices PIXCADDY and PIX-CADDY CF respectively.

The 970 also features an embedded Web-based control panel, PIXNET, for machine transport and setup control over Ethernet-based networks, as well as file transfer over the data network with SMB.

File metadata editing of scene name, take name, notes, track names and reel folders can be done across all drives during, before and after recording.

The 970 may also be controlled through an RS-422 port and GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output).

Use in the Field

I picked up my 970 in early April and, after installing it on my newly reconfigured cart, I had about two weeks of “sea trials” before beginning production on a television series in May. Having never used a PIX or Audinate Dante, I wanted to be comfortable with it well before I was on any set. This included familiarizing myself with the operation of the 970 and the routing of the Dante network.

The Dante Controller on a PC or Mac is the master for all the I/O to all the devices on the network.

The series shot for five months and the 970 worked flawlessly every day. I powered it on about a half an hour before call and shut it down at wrap. That added up to at least twelve hours a day of constant use.

My I/O setup was built around the Dante network. As I mentioned previously, I added the Dante MY16-AUD card to my Yamaha 01V.

I run the Dante Controller from a Mac Mini on my cart. The Controller routes the I/O from the Yamaha to the 970 (and any other Dante device on the network). PIXNET also runs from the Mac.

Each day I would create a new “Reel #” or folder. The 970 offers “Custom” (default) or “Daily.” Choosing “Custom” allows the Reel to be edited with any alphanumeric value. “Daily” will automatically generate a value derived from the System Date. i.e., YYMMDD.

Aside from our most important responsibility of mixing great tracks, we have the added duties of accurate metadata and arming and disarming of tracks. These operations are available both directly on the 970 and via PIXNET.

Pressing the AUDIO button on the PIX and rotating the Control Knob allows me to scroll to a track. Pushing the Knob highlights my selection, for example, arm a track. Scrolling further I can edit the Track Name. These features are duplicated by an attached keyboard as well as on PIXNET.

Conclusion

The most important part of any new HD recorder is how it sounds; the answer to that is the 970 sounds great, like all of the Sound Devices recorders. Sound Devices is known for rigorously testing their products before introducing them for sale in the marketplace. They are also fast to respond and fix any software bugs reported by users and owners. This is a personal testimonial; they have my back.

The 970 is definitely a fixed installation recorder, not a bag-type machine, as it has no on-board mixing capabilities. However, its small footprint will easily fit any cart configuration.

With over five months of daily use, I can safely say I really enjoy the 970. It is reliable, well designed with an easily accessible menu and does the job it was designed for.

Images of Richard Lightstone and his cart are courtesy of Richard Lightstone. Images of the 970 recorder are courtesy of Sound Devices.

A Tribute to Ray Dolby

by Scott Smith, CAS and David Waelder

To be an inventor, you have to be willing to live with a sense of uncertainty, to work in this darkness and grope towards an answer, to put up with anxiety about whether there is an answer.

–Ray Dolby

The Dolby name appears so often on films that it has become like Kleenex or Xerox, a generic for noise reduction. But the many innovations of Dolby Labs are largely the work of Ray Dolby, a man of prodigious ingenuity. He died of leukemia on September 12, 2013, at age eighty, at his home in San Francisco. Born January 18, 1933, in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Dolby was hired straight out of high school by Alexander Poniatoff of Ampex Corporation. At the time, Mr. Dolby had volunteered as a projectionist for a talk that Mr. Poniatoff was giving. Impressed by his talents, Poniatoff invited the young Mr. Dolby to come to work with him at Ampex, where he contributed to the design of the first quad videotape recorders.

After completing studies in electrical engineering at Stanford and physics at the University of Cambridge, Ray Dolby invented a system of high-frequency compression and expansion that minimized recorded hiss. He formed Dolby Labs in 1965 to bring this noise reduction system, called Dolby A, to market. Mr. Dolby later turned his attention to the problems of sound recording for motion pictures, which still relied on decades-old technology. His endeavors would lead to the introduction of a surround sound system that could be duplicated using traditional optical soundtrack printing techniques. It replaced the expensive and cumbersome printing techniques previously used for big-budget films.

At Dolby Labs he is remembered as much for mentoring a new generation of scientist/engineers as for his particular innovations. He was a scientist who expanded creative horizons for artists.

His contributions are covered in greater detail in Scott Smith’s series “When Sound Was Reel” in the Summer 2011 and Winter 2012 issues of 695 Quarterly. There is also a very fine video tribute available on the Dolby website. These are available at:

https://www.local695.com/Quarterly/3-3/3-3-when-sound-was-reel-7/

https://www.local695.com/Quarterly/4-1/4-1-when-sound-was-reel-8/

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/about-us/who-we-are/leadership /ray-dolby.htm

Nashville

by Anna Wilborn

When Joe Foglia rang me up to offer me a spot as the Utility Sound Tech on ABC’s Nashville, I fell on the floor laughing. Move to Nashville? I had a new house, a new baby, a three-year-old and a husband who was neck deep besting a new VH1 show. I’d already heard the stories of ungodly hours, the daily multiple locations, the stake beds, the stairs, the tiny costumes, the non-soundstages, the lack of a great Thai restaurant … “I’m fine thanks,” I chuckled to Joe, as I tossed my kid a toy. I got in my car and headed to Costco. Forty-five minutes later, I pulled in to the parking lot. It’s a mile and a half away. Had to get some diapers at Target. That was another two-hour ordeal complete with honking and expletives (not from me of course!). Six weeks later, my whole house was packed up, boxes shipped, and I was bouncing my baby on my lap as my flight to Music City lifted up out of the smog.

It had been over two years since I’d worked with Joe and, thankfully, nothing had changed. Except the recorder. And the monitors. And the sound reports. And the media. And some of the microphones. And the timecode boxes. And the IFBs. And the follow cart. I soon realized the only thing recognizable was Joe’s smile. Even the boom guy, Scott Solan, was different. He hails from an Irish, hockey-playing borough of Syracuse, NY, with a long list of credits, including the new Star Trek features,Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Thor. Scott is a thoughtful perfectionist. He forgets nothing and leaves no stone unturned in his drive for a quiet, locked-up location. Scott has the unique ability to up everyone’s game, both within and beyond our department. Our very first scene up on starting the new season was indicative of the next ten months to come: 6 earwigs, music playback, live stage microphones, PA system, 4 wires, 50 extras and 3 RED cameras. I suddenly yearned for a forty-five-minute drive to Costco with a toddler and a teething baby. I pondered the validity of the lease agreement just signed by my new tenants back in Los Angeles. I suppose I could get a lawyer … Joe just smiled and shrugged, “Welcome to Nashville!”

Matt Andrews is at the helm of our music playback. He is the Chief Engineer at Sound Emporium in Nashville and a bona fide Grammy Award winner (I know ’cause I kinda stole it off his mantle one night when we were shooting down the street from his house). Matt’s credits include Playback Tech on Walk the Line and 2nd Studio Engineer for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Joe and Matt are a match made in heaven. Watching them together is like a Martin and Lewis film. There’s nothing better than seeing the two of them behind the racks, heads down in a flurry of cables and connectors, troubleshooting and finishing each other’s sentences. They are the yin to each other’s yang. Given that Joe spent his formative years at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami Beach, it’s no surprise.

Each episode offers up four to five musical numbers with anywhere from one to a dozen performers. Matt’s playback paraphernalia includes a Pro Tools 10 rig in a small, red, rolling rack, closely followed by Playback Utility Cassidi Spurlock, dragging The Biggest Pelican Case In The World. Seriously. If Nashville ever floods again, we can just ditch the cables and all hop in. He runs the Pro Tools via a Quad-core Mac Mini with a Focusrite Rednet 2 interface. He typically comes armed with twenty-four tracks of music all broken out in stereo pairs from vocals to cowbell. Matt is all about the Dante matrix system. Over the next few months, we plan to fully integrate Dante so both he and Joe can pull any track they choose out of a thin little Ethernet cable. It will also drastically cut down on the cabling which, in turn, will reduce the propensity to pick up hums and ground loops along the way, a typical nuisance of our large-scale music venue locations.

Six years ago, Joe looked at his shiny new eight-channel Sonosax mixer and thought, what am I going to do with all these inputs? Now he knows. Problem is the board is continually maxed out with all the live vocal microphones, booms, wires and music. An upgrade looms in the near future. For now, the new addition to the family is a Dante-compatible Soundcraft Si Expression digital mixer. It has fourteen faders with four layers for up to fifty-six tracks. “It’s great,” Matt says, “we just hit a button and the board instantly switches to a whole different mix.” To it we input the Shure handheld wireless stage microphones and Matt’s music and timecode tracks. It allows instant accessibility to all audio on Matt’s playback rig as well as all live stage microphones. From there we feed customizable mixes to the QSC PA and the actors’ Ultimate Ears custom molded in-ear monitors. Our actors sing aloud to their pre-records, and are then recorded by Joe. (Y’all following this? There will be a quiz at the end.) This gives our Music Editor, a more precise way to sync, rather than relying solely on timecode.

Joe’s primary recorder is the Sound Devices Pix 260i. It is capable of up to thirty-two channels and is also Dante compatible. It carries a 250 gigabyte solid-state hard drive and a compact flash card which gets turned in for dailies. He backs up to a Sound Devices 788T which simultaneously mirrors to a one TB hard drive. We mostly use Sanken COS-11 wires with Lectrosonics SMV and SMQV transmitters, matched to a six-channel Lectrosonics Venue receiver. Schoeps CMIT shotguns are used with Cinela mounts, K-Tek boom poles and Lectrosonic HM plug-on transmitters. Scott and I use Shure P9RA receivers to listen to Joe’s mix. The clarity is remarkable and the channels are mixable so we can have boom in one ear and wires in the other if we choose. These are the same receivers we use on our actors for their in-ear monitoring.

In the early days of Season One, the performance playback music was fed only to the actors via in-ears, Phonak earwigs, or small stage monitors. Famed music producer T-Bone Burnett noticed during a performance shoot that the audience wasn’t getting as excited about the music as they could be. He wanted speakers blasting the crowd with music. Joe then contacted Ray Van Straten at the speaker company QSC in Costa Mesa, CA, about a possible relationship. A love affair was born. We now receive both practical and mock-up KW series speaker arrays to pump music to the crowd for a real concert look and feel.

Normally, being this far away from Los Angeles would spell the usual equipment and expendables headaches. Thankfully, in Nashville we have Trew Audio right in our backyard. When Joe arrived in town, he wheeled the carts right into the middle of the shop like a sound pit stop. Software updates, new cables, batteries, fluids, tires pumped up, and we were off and running. Rob Milner has been a big part of our crew and it goes something like this: “Hey Rob, I need a sevenfoot cable to run from the Zaxcom wireless to a split XLR with a four-pin.” An hour later, we send the drivers. Having them here has made the transition to the South seamless. Glen Trew was the Sound Mixer on the pilot and the first three episodes before Joe took over. He still comes in from wherever he is around the world (last time it was Amsterdam) to do our 2nd unit days. He’s like a rock star around here. It takes him a half-hour to get from crafty to the cart with all the hugs and handshakes in his way.

Nashville has been the best thing to happen to my little world in quite some time. We’re having a blast both on-set and off. Our hours are sane, the people are jaw-droppingly friendly and there’s never a lack of fun things to do with festivals and concerts every weekend. I can say the road signs are more confusing than anything I’ve ever seen (even the locals admit that), but when people actually let you merge with a friendly wave and a smile, all is forgiven. The other day, my husband found himself stranded in the rain with a dead car battery and a flat tire, and yes, two very disgruntled kids in the back seat. Before he could find his AAA card, someone had pulled over, jumped the car, fixed his flat (with a plug!) and bid him a good day. Don’t you have a pretty picture of that happening in Los Angeles? Gotta love this sweet Southern country livin’! Viva La Nashville!

 

Glossary of highlighted words

IFB Interruptible Fold Back: A system for supplying audio as it is being recorded to artists and technicians. The signal path from the microphones is “interrupted” before going to the recorder and “folded back” so it may be heard by the people involved in the process of making or supervising the recording.

Focusrite Rednet 2 The Rednet 2 system is the premium line of audio interfaces for network distribution over Ethernet cable manufactured by the Focusrite company.

Dante A system of hardware, software and network protocols for delivering digital audio through Ethernet cable.

QSC A manufacturer of speakers, amplifiers and signal processing equipment.

Ultimate Ears A manufacturer of speakers and custom-molded, in-ear monitors.

The Road to 600: The Evolution of Playback on Glee

by Phillip W. Palmer, CAS

Pilot and Run of Show

When I got the call asking if I was interested in mixing a pilot for Ryan Murphy and Fox Television, the Producer asked an interesting question. He asked how comfortable I was doing a musical pilot, and whether I could manage the production side of things for a group of Producers who, while experienced, had never done this type of project before. Looking back now, almost five years to date, I had no idea what I was in for.

The pilot had elements of several processes: live-record, live-record to playback, playback only and combinations of all three. What we learned from the pilot, and how our company and cast operated, set the tone and process for a long journey. Soon after we started work on the pilot, we knew we were in for something special. Since October 2008, we have produced close to one hundred episodes and nearly six hundred musical numbers.

The music production and playback for the pilot was a completely different situation than the run of show. The music had mostly been prerecorded earlier, giving us time to figure things out and adjust our production process accordingly. For the run of show, music production has been a race against the schedule.

Glee still remains bound by the network episodic schedule, which we attempt to hold to eight days per episode. When the script is released, the music team goes to work immediately arranging and composing anywhere from five to as many as eleven musical numbers per episode. The temp versions are sent back and forth to our Executive Producers for notes and preliminary approval. Then the cast members are brought in to record their specific vocal tracks. The completed music mix is then sent back to our Producers. Upon final approval, the music goes to David Klotz, our Music Editor, for preparation of playback on set. The Pro Tools sessions he builds are specific to our purpose, which include timecode as an audio track, click, thumper, music mix, any specific and special music stems, vocal and vocal effects, and background vocal and vocal effects tracks. The playback session track count will frequently be upward of twenty-five or more stems.

Live-Records vs. Playback

The advantages of live-records are obvious on camera. The drama of the moment and the nuances of the performer yield an authenticity that is often undeniable. What we learned on Glee is that this works for us only sometimes. We discovered early on that repeated live performances, especially when sung “all out” take after take, have a detrimental effect on the performance as time went on. Essentially, after ten or more takes, the moment was lost, as well as the performer’s ability to continue to work through the day and into the next on a TV production schedule. We had to decide which songs needed to have this live performance effect, and plan our production accordingly.

In the pilot, all the Glee Club student auditions were recorded live on set including the piano, with the exception of “On My Own,” performed by Lea Michele. Her audition intercut with her singing the same song in several locations, and was prerecorded for playback and lip sync on set. The shower scene with Cory Monteith singing, “I Can’t Fight This Feeling” a cappella, was recorded live as well. Our vocal coach gave Cory a pitch and then we ran a thump track for tempo. The thump track is essentially a 40 Hz click track played at a low level through an eighteen-inch subwoofer. The 40 Hz thump can be removed later in Post by the use of a notch filter, leaving the vocal recording unaffected. The artist can feel and maintain a tempo and Editorial can easily cut back and forth between takes of live recording. The remainder of musical performances in the pilot were prerecorded and played back for lip sync.

Pro Tools

While there are many Digital Audio Workstations available to the Production Sound Mixer today, we use Pro Tools for several reasons, foremost among them being that the music production team uses Pro Tools for their recording process and we can easily modify their sessions for our use. We have found that the use of Pro Tools on the set has been an invaluable tool to our playback workflow. We can easily manipulate any session to match what we are currently filming and, if need be, send that same session back to the Music Editor so he can prep it accordingly for Editorial. We can easily do things such as change level and volume to match camera angles, or make music edits at the request of the Director. The Music Editor can then load our session files to see what we’ve done on set.

There has been an evolution to our playback Pro Tools sessions since the pilot. In the beginning we simply had a mix, essentially the Producers’ approved demo, with a click track added. As the seasons have progressed, we have added regular stems to our sessions that we find very useful. Our Music Editor adds a thump stem, which matches the click track, so we can assign a separate output for the thumper. We can do it on the fly, or program it in the automation to dump the music at any point and go to a thump to record dialog during the song. We also add a timecode stem as an audio track, which comes in very handy when creating any offspeed versions of the song. The timecode will always stay locked at any speed if it is an audio track and part of the session. We have the music stems combined as a mix, unless there is a specific stem that needs to be split out, such as a piano track. The vocal stems are all separated by lead vocal and effects. If there are six lead parts in a song, there will be six stems and six effects stems. We have the background vocals combined, but sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish the background vocals in the overall mix. Having the ability to boost the background vocal stem by 4 dB to 6 dB during playback helps our cast follow their cues. When the sessions are completed and sent to us, there are frequently dozens of stems to manipulate.

Playback Equipment and Installations

For the pilot, our playback gear on set was a simple Pro Tooks Mbox Mini audio interface and a MacBook. We made the most out of it, but quickly knew we had to improve on our rig to handle more complex playback situations. After the first season, we built a cart that had a dedicated Mac Mini, twenty-inch monitor, Pro Tools Mbox Pro audio interface, a backup Mbox Mini, Command8 control surface, Mackie 1402, Comtek transmitter for earwigs, Sennheiser receivers for VOG, and video monitors. This rig stayed fairly unchanged until an overhaul this past summer for our fifth season. The current playback cart has a new Mac Mini and monitor, MOTU Traveler audio interface, Lectrosonics Venue for VOG, Black Magic Smartvue Duo HD monitors, and the Mackie 1402 and Comtek base station from the older rig for audio distribution,earwigs and monitoring. Our mobile speaker complement consists of two JBL EON10 speakers for small sets and two Mackie SRM450 speakers for larger sets and exteriors. We built several lengths of custom speaker snakes so both power and signal can be run from the playback cart. Also included in the speaker arsenal is an eighteen-inch powered subwoofer for both thumper and low end when needed.

As we progressed through the first season we began to see the need for speaker installations in our main sets. Speaker placement became difficult as we battled with multiple camera angles, Steadicam 360’s, set walls and crew. We found the only good place to put them was up in the air. The first set to get this dedicated installation was the McKinley High Choir Room. This set saw the most playback by far, and still does to this day. For the Choir Room we mounted four JBL EON10’s surrounding the set. They are permanently hung and wired to a space just off set where we park the playback cart for 99% of the music on that stage. From that position we have “drive lines” to several places on the stage where we can drop a speaker and tie right in. This makes the music playback in the hallways very easy, as we are able to place speakers at either end of our long hallways without dragging cables through the set.

Season Two saw the construction of the McKinley High School Auditorium on stage. With this construction build, we installed six Mackie SRM450 speakers, two on each stage wing and a pair in the house, plus an eighteen-inch powered subwoofer for thumper. They are all wired, both power and audio, to a distribution amp and power control rack placed above the Stage Manager’s desk on stage right. They exist as a functional part of the set decoration. Both the playback and the main cart are set up in the same spot each time we work this set, so all the cable runs, including power, audio, video and bell/light, are permanently run underneath the set.

For Season Four, we built a new set for the storyline set in a New York dramatic arts school called NYADA. This new set is a dance rehearsal space, large and open, with high ceilings and giant windows that look out to Manhattan. We faced the same issues as with the McKinley Choir Room, and chose to suspend a pair of Mackie SRM450’s from above the greenbeds aimed down through the fabric ceiling and into the set. As with all previous installations, they are prewired with both power and drive lines to one central spot for the playback station.

The most recent set construction has been a New York City diner, built for Season Five on the backlot of Paramount. This was an incredible undertaking for the construction department, both in scope and speed. They used an existing space in the backlot but expanded up to create a two-story, high ceiling, Broadway performance diner. For this installation, the speakers are incorporated into the set design and mounted on the set’s west wall as part of the set decoration. We used a pair of the new QSC K10 speakers with the QSC yoke mounts for a permanent installation. We ran power and signal wires through the set walls to a drop point to facilitate connecting to the playback cart.

Playback Process

Most of the music scenes on Glee happen within a normal scene of dialog. Occasionally we have a stand-alone music piece but, for the most part, we fold the music playback into the dialog as best we can. The playback volume is often so loud it is at rock concert level. As we go from dialog recording to music playback, the transition is often abrupt and becomes difficult for Editorial. Anything that may happen within the song is lost due to the high playback level. We attempt to bridge this transition between dialog and music with a blending element.

The key to making this work is recording the elements we see during the playback as wild sound so Editorial and Post Sound can add these tracks to play under the prerecorded music. Due to our very tight episodic television schedule, Editorial doesn’t have the time to build the background noise and Foley for our multiple music scenes. To do this we make every attempt to do a “Foley Pass” of things like laughter, whistles, footsteps, hand claps, crowd applause, set pieces moving or falling, or anything that makes noise during the musical number. We record this wild track with the music playback at a very low volume. For the Editor, the Foley Pass becomes an important element in making the musical number feel real.

When we choose to record a performance live, we often prerecord the music stems and record the actor singing on set. The music is fed to the actor via earwig and we record the vocal as usual, with a boom microphone. We try, not always successfully, to leave the temp vocals in for the wide shots, and go into the live-record when we get into close-ups. In our experience, it saves the actor and the performance. I do my best to create a mix in the Comtek public IFB for the Director to get a feel for what we are recording. For the IFB feed, to the boom operators and set crew, I leave the playback track out or run it at a low volume. I split tracks one and two as a post-fader mix for Editorial, track one is the live microphone and track two is music. Everything is ISO-tracked pre-fader so it can be adjusted or rebuilt as needed.

Often we are tasked with strange and challenging playback situations. Midseason Three, we had a scene and musical number that took place at a swimming pool with synchronized swimmers. Having a beat to follow underwater is one thing, but having to do lip sync is another. Luckily, after some tests, we found the synchronized swim music equipment “Oceanears” worked very well for our needs. The swimmers and our cast were able to hear the playback feed from the underwater transducers. I was quite impressed by the clarity and the distance the music could travel underwater at nominal levels.

One script called for a musical number being sung from a golf cart while moving. That works well if it’s traveling a short distance, but that wasn’t the plan. They wanted to load down the golf cart with cameras and drive the entire length of the song, some twoplus minutes. We negotiated for an additional golf cart, placed a speaker with wireless receiver in the picture cart and transmitted from our “sound golf cart,” which slowly became the “everyone else” golf cart. We essentially did two angles several times, first leading then following. The playback rig was somewhat simple, a MacBook Pro, MOTU Traveler, and a Lectro UH transmitter. The speaker on the cart was a battery-powered Sound Projections SMP1 fed from a Lectro UCR411. We had a good time with this one. Certain musical performances call for special shots that require playback manipulation—specifically, off-speed filming for incamera effect. Frequently, we speed up both camera and playback by as much as three times normal. When the image is played back at normal speed and the music is laid back in, the artist appears to be singing in sync while everything moves in slow motion. This is achieved by speeding up both the music stems and the timecode stems. We transmit the high-speed timecode to a slate and roll camera, then playback as you would in a music video. Post can then manually sync the music to the displayed timecode as it’s locked in the session as an audio stem.

The Crew

Commitment and cooperation from the entire shooting company from the beginning has been the key to making this all work seamlessly (or what appears so). I can’t imagine what this would be like if the crew didn’t understand how challenging it is on a daily basis. It’s difficult for each department in their own way, and we respect and strive to work together to make it happen. We have had three Directors of Photography for the run of show: Christopher Baffa, Michael Goi and Joaquin Sedillo. Each one of them has worked with us to get what we need to achieve our goals, both with sound recording and the music. It’s a cooperative effort, as always, and I’m grateful for our working relationship. When our needs impact the way the show is shot, we have to have a plan and options. I can’t stress how important it is to have multiple plans of operation. My sound crew has undergone some changes since the pilot, but for the most part, has remained constant. Patrick Martens has been my Boom Operator for the entire run. Devendra Cleary was Utility Sound Technician and Playback Operator for the first two seasons, and then moved up to Playback only in Season Three. Mitchell Gebhard joined the crew as Utility full time in Season Three. After Season Three, Devendra moved on to mixing full time, and Jeff Zimmerman joined us as Playback Operator beginning Season Four. Without the unbelievable ability and flexibility of these people, I would be completely useless as their Sound Mixer. They show incredible professionalism on a daily basis and shine in their abilities to do the job. I provide the guidance, but they get the job done.

Glossary for highlighted words

Click Track A series of audio cues in time to a piece of music. Typically, the click track is generated in a DAW and used by musicians or dancers to keep time to the music.

Thumper A playback system to reproduce the beat of music as a series of low-frequency thumps. The tones are typically about 40 Hz so they may easily be removed from a track without harm to recorded vocals. A special thumper speaker system optimized for low-frequency reproduction is used to play the track. The thumps permit performers to follow the beat of the music without musical playback that might interfere with dialog recording. Originally invented by Hal and Alan Landaker for Warner Bros. Studios. (See 695 Quarterly, Volume 2, Issue 1, Winter 2010)

Stem A mix of multiple audio sources. Example: A blend of music and effects, without dialog. The use of a stem allows complex source material to be treated as a single unit in the final mix or as a temporary part of the process of editing and recording audio.

Mbox An audio interface manufactured by Avid for use with its Pro Tools software.

Command8 A mixing panel control surface manufactured by Avid for use with their Pro Tools audio editing software.

VOG Voice of God. A portable public address system that allows a Director to address groups of performers and technicians with an authoritative voice.

MOTU Traveler The Traveler is an audio interface for connecting multiple microphones, and other audio inputs, to a computer. It is made by MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn), a manufacturer of hardware and software for computer recording

Black Magic A manufacturer of speakers, amplifiers and signal processing equipment.

Earwig A miniature monitor designed to fit within the ear canal like a hearing aid.

Greenbeds A series of catwalks above the sets in a studio.

Foley Pass An alternative to the studio process of Foley recording. The Foley Pass is recorded on-set at the time of principal photography. At the completion of the shot, the AD, at the request of the Mixer, calls for a Foley Pass and the performers go through all of the motions of the scene but without dialog and either without playback or with the music played very softly. This makes it possible to record all the natural sounds as an element separate from the music and speech. The Editor can use these sounds to add a natural background to the scene. It is an expedient alternative to the more elaborate process of the Foley stage but it also can preserve some of the immediacy of the scene.

IFB Interruptible Fold Back: A system for supplying audio as it is being recorded to artists and technicians. The signal path from the microphones is “interrupted” before going to the recorder and “folded back” so it may be heard by the people involved in the process of making or supervising the recording.

File Formats for Music Playback

by Gary Raymond

I was asked to discuss optimum file formats for Music Playback (PB). This is an important topic that continues to evolve. Traditionally, the media and file parameters have mirrored the Production Sound Mixer’s formats.

When I started in the ’90s, most Mixers were using Nagras. As a result, the spare Nagra ended up being the logical (convenient) machine to also use for playback. As a result, tape speed was typically the same as the Mixer’s. There were definite limitations to the two-track format. When I worked on For the Boys in 1990, we had several large master shots that Mark Rydell, the Director, decided he wanted to shoot from scene beginning to end. Unfortunately, no one told Editorial as they had prepped all the reel-to-reel tapes as separate beginning, middle and end segments. To make matters worse, they didn’t know what combination would be desired so we had tapes with Orchestra-L, Bette Midler Vocal-R; Orch. & Bette-L, Jack Sheldon Trumpet-R, Orch. without Vocal-L, Jack-R and about a half dozen other permutations. I remember the

Editor bringing down this big box of about 50 seven-inch reels and us sorting through them. Then Mark announced he wanted to do the master shot all the way through. Duke Marsh, who was doing the playback with me, grabbed a second Nagra and we loaded the first part of the desired mix of the song on Nagra 1, the middle of the same song on Nagra 2, and stood by holding the pinch roller ready to let it fly on Playback. As Nagra 1 was playing, we had to start Nagra 2 at the correct spot and then, while it was playing, reload Nagra 1 with the end of the desired mix. I remember Mark Rydell came up to us after our successful playback day and said he wouldn’t do that job if someone held a gun to his head.

Keith Wester, who I worked with on Never Been Kissed, told me he started as a Playback Operator and, in those days, it was off a record. He’d find the groove (literally), mark it with a piece of white chalk and hope the needle didn’t bounce when he dropped it.

In the late ’90s, there was a flirtation with DAT (introduced by Sony in 1987). This was limited to the DAT formats. The DAT was more convenient in some ways than the Nagra (you could auto cue to preset markers) but it still suffered similar problems of any tape-based system. One was that the position coding information would actually get worn off with 20–30 repeated rewinds. Another unique disadvantage of the DAT relative to the Nagra was the fact that it couldn’t be edited the way reel-to-reel tape could be (with razor blade in hand). All editing had to be done “off line” and retransferred.

For this reason, in 1993 I switched to Pro Tools, a nonlinear computer-based system. If we had been using Pro Tools in 1990 when we did For the Boys, we could have loaded all the various playback combinations into one session and been happy clams. Pro Tools (computer-based recording, editing & playback) was vastly superior to tape systems as far as “function” (ability to manipulate the audio), although not necessarily “performance” (sound quality). It took a while for the computers to catch up with the sound quality of a Nagra; however, for playback applications, the tradeoff between function and (audio) performance was decidedly biased toward function. This is why the computer-based system (Pro Tools or similar) has become the de facto standard.

There have been many shows I’ve worked on where I had to do on-the-fly things that would have been impossible with an analog or digital tape-based system. This includes pitch shifting; I transposed the playback songs on the Britney Spears movie Crossroadsthe first day on set when it was determined the songs had been recorded in the wrong key.

On House, I used Pro Tools to provide PB for a slow-motion scene. This was a helicopter crash scene with dialog that the Director wanted to play in slow motion but not pitch shifted. The scene was shot in real time at twenty-four frames per second and then I did some tests at various frame rates to see how fast the actors could lip sync to their playback. Interestingly, it’s a function of the complexity of the particular spoken words. In this case, forty-four frames per second was the fastest the actors could sync convincingly. So, camera matched that frame rate and we shot the playback version of the scene. In post, everything was slowed down to normal twenty-four frames so, when viewed, it looked like the actors were talking in slow motion but with their voices’ normal pitch (something that would have been impossible with tape).

On Drag Me to Hell, a séance scene required reverse playback of the actors’ live lines. These effects could not have normally been done on set with a tape-based system.  

This brings us to the key issue, which is often either:

1) The PB material is not prepared for what is eventually desired on the set or, 2) more frequently, a live-record is used as the playback master.

In both these cases, the frequency sampling rate and bit depth must be decided.

When performing a live-record (as I did on Almost Famous, Rock Star, 8 Mile, or The Hangover), I usually match the Production Mixer’s settings. This is important if timecode will be used. That’s pretty straight ahead as it’s a “closed information loop system” between the Mixer and me.

When using straight PB tracks or files prepared by someone else, I also will usually consult with the Production Mixer and match rates.

However, even when you ask, you don’t always get what you requested.

The evolution of current Music Playback is that half the time I get music tracks from the Director’s Assistant off their iPhone five minutes before they want to roll. This is often the case even when I ask for a better format a few days in advance. They may provide me something in advance, but often it’s not what they ultimately want to use on set.

We are seeing a revolution in technological information acquisition that is being driven by computer media and smart cellphone capabilities. The ability to send information on a personal smartphone is conditioning the population to expect any bit of information to be instantly produced. The misperception is that all information is equally available. To a person who does not have to create information but simply download commercially available product, there is a lack of appreciation of the technical creative process. As a result, creative decisions that used to be decided weeks or days in advance are now made “on the fly” to suit the creative process

The good side is that this has allowed more spontaneous creativity on the part of the Director. The bad side is that there is an expectation that anything can be ready on the spur of the moment. So, in this sense, with regard to prepared material provided by others, we have de-evolved to the point where probably half the playbackonly projects I work on now are iPhone downloads. The first thing to suffer is audio quality, of course.

When prepping a film, television or commercial, I still ask for WAV or AIFF files when possible and an audio CD backup. A good conversation with the Editor (if there is one at that point in the film) can also be valuable.

If timecode will be used, I will match the desired rate which, of course, is dictated by camera format and, if no TC, the Mixer’s preference. With the aforementioned “iPhone” transfers, I’ll convert them to the preferred formats.

In live-record situations, the same pretty much applies. Obviously, the higher the sampling rate and bit depth, the better the sonic quality. However, conversion transfers with digital must be considered because converting from one sampling rate to another, whether up or down, degrades the sound quality. For that reason, I’ll normally record at the highest sampling rate that I think will be ultimately used. Getting the highest quality sound verses the convenience of various formats will continue to be an issue.

I’m expecting the next stage of this evolution to be direct brain scan downloads off the call sheet.

Happy Playback.

Glossary for highlighted word

Live-Recording The process of recording a musical performance on set rather than having the players mime to the playback of a studio session. Sometimes a live-recording will be used to generate a playback master that is immediately put into service to shoot alternate angles and closeups.

From My Perspective:
Music Playback and Live-Record

by Joseph Magee, CAS

As a Local 695 professional, we hear a lot of crazy things at work and no, I’m not talking about that sick old generator staring at you fifty feet from set.

Have you ever heard one of these gems?

• Your Producer says, “I have a friend who knows Pro Tools and should do playback,” the Music Supervisor says, “Right on man.”

• Your Producer appointed to watch over the musical scenes in the film wants it all recorded live, with no tempo glue for editorial. He says, “That’s the only way to have a real performance, no click ever, live pre-records and live on the day. Our Editor will make it all work in Post.”

• The Director has a relative with an amazing home studio (in his garage) for pre-record. “The tracks will rock for sure. They will prep everything.”

• The UPM tells you, his faithful Sound Mixer, that music playback needs to happen the next day without a hitch; we don’t have a track yet. “Also, we don’t have a budget for a music playback person so you guys figure it out. Remember, you have a whole trailer full of gear I’m paying for.”

• The Music Supervisor has an MP3 they will email you sometime soon; it’s all good.

• And last, but not least, the Film Editor wants you to get playback timecode on the slates because that’s how he used to do it when he was doing music videos.

Oh brother!

I’ve been privileged to work on production music for feature films for more than two decades now. Before coming into the world of on-camera musical performances, I recorded classical and jazz records and broadcasts, worked as an orchestral scoring mixer for features and mixed front-of-house live sound for large venues including the Hollywood Bowl. Over the years, I’ve developed a keen sense of the procedures that facilitate a smooth production and the elements that enhance an artist’s ability to give a great performance. My projects have given me the chance to work in feature film pre-production, prerecord, production and post with many acclaimed music producers, composers, musicians and recording artists all facilitating the filmmakers’ vision. I do believe I have a unique perspective that starts from the very beginning and extends to the bitter end in final Post.

Although every project is slightly different, each usually starts with the music team, Director and Producers visualizing how the scene will play and then planning so that all the elements are in place on the shoot day. This is essentially the same as with any other scene in a feature film, except that a music performance has the complexity of managing creative work in three separate periods of work: the initial music composition/rehearsal/pre-record, the on-set performance to camera and through to creation of the scene in post. However, different than the rest of the feature film, these three distinctive periods are tied to the element of synchronous performance locked to the established timeline of the music track. This makes the music scene full of its own technical and artistic challenges.

How a production approaches the pre-record sessions influences the success of the whole venture. A good pre-record session should take place with awareness of how the scene is to be shot and the pace of the performance should mesh with the demands of dancing, screen action and other visual elements. Ideally, the same singers who appear on camera should record their own performances for playback (PB) tracks. It’s more natural for actors to match their own performances rather than a hired studio singer. The transition from dialog to music to dialog is more believable if the voice is the same throughout. And, if done well, the pre-record functions as a first rehearsal for the scene. It should be executed long enough in advance so that the musical performance can “season” in the actor’s brain for at least a few days.

The ideal scenario is to execute pre-records that will make it to final dub. During my many features with Disney, this also proved to be financially prudent. Yes, the tracks will be sweetened, edited, fixed to picture and stem mixed in the film’s final theater presentation. But the musical, artistic content will be set and adhered to, creating the exact intention of the musical moment, the storyline and the actors’ performances.

A synth track mock-up will not achieve this; it may get you through the day but that’s about it. The mock-up has a very good chance of not feeling the same, or sounding anywhere as good as the final track. The hastily assembled temporary track does a poor job of conveying the emotions of the scene for cast and crew—a sure recipe for a lifeless performance. Even if the track exactly matches every beat and every note, music is a “feel” thing and if the performers don’t feel it, the audience in the theater likely won’t either. The substitution of better music in Post might improve the scene technically but won’t do anything to breathe life into the unmotivated performances during production. I’ve found this to be a common theme—time spent in preparation makes filming go better and lessens the need to spend time in Post fixing mistakes.

A well-prepared playback should have vocals that are dry and relatively free of compression or processing. Vocal FX should be available as separate stems and mixed to the environment on the day. A believable music scene requires natural bridges between dialog and music. The performer can best deliver these transitions when every syllable from the recording can be easily heard in the playback. Pro Tools is the industry standard software/hardware for feature films. The sound FX, dialog and music teams all use Pro Tools. It is the standard for the dubbing stages as well. So it saves a lot of time if Pro Tools is also the software of choice for on-set music playback. The technical sound platform software for communication from beginning to end of a production process should be a standardized. When someone chooses to use different software, it just creates conversion issues. Fortunately, Pro Tools is easily accessible on many levels and with many types of hardware. The one exception to this standard is often the music score composer’s personal studio, but this can be worked out by conversion to Pro Tools before the score leaves to see the outside world.

The Pro Tools session that goes to set for music playback should have the music locked to a bars/beat grid. This will enable very quick edits if you are called upon to create magic while a 1st AD waits, not so patiently. The grid is easily achieved in advance, not so quickly on set at the last minute. I also believe in using your prep time to print a click and thump track, beginning to end. Even though your grid is functioning and your click is a plug-in firing off the grid, it is easier to show and cut a visual region when folks are at the rig trying to work out cues. We are lucky today that most choreographers and music folks all have a common ground in Pro Tools and are able to use the visual aide of the screen to communicate with each other. I also have my memory locations already set for song structure before anyone steps to my screen to talk cues. Another detail most often missed for the prep of the sessions is that PB timecode should advance to a new hour for each different song. This will help Editorial in the long run.

I believe that a music-intensive show should not rely on PB timecode on an audio track. An Avid Sync HD I/O should be used on films with music-intensive scenes. This device should be synchronous to a video sync reference. Good news is there are a few ways of setting up this requirement, which now makes the on-set hardware compliment much lighter.

In many situations live-music-record is very important. Combinations of music playback and live-record performances, if executed properly, are often worth their weight in gold in Editorial. Even a few words of live-record cut into the pre-record in Post enables the audience to believe the musical performance in the final cut.

On the other hand, a show built from all live-record can be a disaster in Post. Folks giving their accounts of “all live-record” shows don’t always tell the whole story. Often these shows require extensive editing and pitch work to correct meandering tempos and modulating keys. I have worked on a long list of projects with well-meaning Directors who have gone down this road from the excitement during production to frustration in Post.

If you do have to go “all live” during production, you’ll need to provide the performers some sort of mapped tempo either using a click track through earwigs or a thumper or both. If the singing is a cappella, you’ll also need to play a pitch reference at the right moments. Even so, some key modulation and tempo variations are likely to occur.

Modern earwigs are very useful although limited by volume and low fidelity. I started doing this on-set work back in the days, first with earwig inductance loops taped into the set, and then with neck loops. So I am comfortable explaining the current limitations to talent and creating an environment that helps the devices do their jobs. For example, when transitioning from speaker playback to earwigs and back to speakers, I like to leave the thumper running at a very low level the entire time. The pulse helps provide the “rhythmic glue” to tie the separate moments into one seamless feeling. A thumper quietly pulsing away also helps to keep the full range speaker volume level lower throughout the day.

Active eighteen-inch subwoofers today are very affordable and do a great job. The source of the thump is also very easily tuned on-set in Pro Tools. The sample used for the thump can be highly tuned prior to arriving to set. I have used the same sample for thump for many years. With the current state of the art in active loudspeaker design, I think everyone should take advantage of better fidelity playback on set. A speaker system with higher than average Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and poor crossover points is fatiguing to the cast and crew. When music plays on set and sounds great, the day goes by more smoothly. It’s easier for performers to follow lyrics that are clearly articulated and better fidelity helps them “feel” the music and translate that energy to the performance. New, high-quality designs are affordable and durable. Passive speakers with amp racks on set and drive racks with crossovers and EQs are basically a thing of the past. I worked through those days and am happy not to use that gear anymore. If a production requires very high sound pressure level (SPL) playback or on-set monitor mixing becomes critical, I then recommend employing a professional touring company to join the team.

The Playback Engineer should try to coordinate his efforts with both Editorial and the Production Mixer. A conversation with each before the assignment starts can sort out issues and make the process smoother. This is the best time to bring up the issue of playback timecode. Having both time-of-day (TOD) code and playback code married, available in burn-in windows for Editorial is the best way to load and edit synchronous music playback scenes. When loaded correctly, endless hours of sliding sync or making on-the-fly corrections will be completely avoided for the editorial team.

This production workflow is easily accomplished. For the Production Mixer, it’s only necessary to print the PB timecode on one analog track on your multi-track and the mono music playback reference on another track. Your multi-track is already synchronous with your TOD code.

The media management company contracted for dailies and editorial workflow can then easily meet the need for PB code in a second window, if requested. On a show where Editorial is taking your tracks directly, they can create the second code window on their own. Either way, it will save numerous days of questionable sync work.

The relationship between the Avid assistant and the Playback Engineer is vital to maintaining sync in the music scenes. The initial conversation between Playback and the Assistant Editor responsible for loading each day’s work into the Avid will set the tone between departments.

The Playback Engineer should provide to Editorial a master playback 48 kHz, 24-bit stereo interleaved file for each musical piece performed. The file should be created from the exact playback session and have the positional timecode reference identical to the day’s playback work. This file with the correct timestamp will enable the correct loading of all of the takes with music playback timecode. Sent at day’s end, the file labeled PB Edit Master, should go directly to the Avid assistant editor; I deliver this file via Aspera, with explanations regarding the use of the playback in the scene.

I’ve found that it takes a complete team effort to pull off a complicated PB, live-record, earwig, thumper day on set. Technology has gotten more complicated and offers more production possibilities, but increases workload. Personally, my favorite shows are a team effort with playback integrated into the sound crew. Coordination of cable runs, speaker and thumper placement, music edits and session maintenance, music cues with the 1st AD and earwigs to talent is all very doable when executed by the whole team.

In my experience, the most effective way to operate PB is to coordinate with all the departments responsible for the creative process, before stepping onto set. The Playback Engineer can act as a bridge between Production and Post Production on the music scenes, assisting workflow and maintaining accountability. From my perspective, an effective Playback Engineer is always prepared before coming to set each day. Wise colleagues in Production and Post should bring him aboard early enough to make those preparations.

Glossary for highlighted words

Stem A mix of multiple audio sources. Example: A blend of music and effects, without dialog. The use of a stem allows complex source material to be treated as a single unit in the final mix or as a temporary part of the process of editing and recording audio.

Live-Recording The process of recording a musical performance on set rather than having the players mime to the playback of a studio session. Sometimes a live-recording will be used to generate a playback master that is immediately put into service to shoot alternate angles and closeups.

Earwig A miniature monitor designed to fit within the ear canal like a hearing aid.

Thumper A playback system to reproduce the beat of music as a series of low-frequency thumps. The tones are typically about 40 Hz so they may easily be removed from a track without harm to recorded vocals. A special thumper speaker system optimized for low-frequency reproduction is used to play the track. The thumps permit performers to follow the beat of the music without musical playback that might interfere with dialog recording. Originally invented by Hal and Alan Landaker for Warner Bros. Studios. (See 695 Quarterly, Volume 2, Issue 1, Winter 2010)

Aspera A company making software to facilitate transfers of large data files.