Obtaining stable and reliable sound design is pivotal for the success of any audiovisual project. So what steps can we take to craft the best possible audio experience for a project like this?

When it comes to sound design, there are several misconceptions about that sound design for a film really is. Sound design, as mentioned in previous articles, is not about putting cool effects together, loud gunshots, or using a truck crash SFX for every crash in your project. It is also not about having the loudest possible film.

Instead, sound design is rather a process of experimentation to come up with an audio environment that supports the on-screen action and keeps your audience engaged throughout the whole film. The true sound designer is an individual who is constantly on the lookout for new learning experiences and knowledge.

Getting a good, solid mix starts off with clean signals from the recordist or the boom operator. The dialogue to your film is definitely a fundamental part of what is going to translate the moving images to your audience in a rather emotional path.

So, what are the techniques of obtaining a solid mix for a film? 

Gain And Volume

In essence: proper gain staging is key to the fidelity and cohesiveness of your project’s mix. As mentioned above, managing to get clean and solid signals for each track is undoubtedly the most important part of structuring an audiovisual project’s mix, as every decision made from here on out is affected by the choices made in gain staging.

Be that as it may, as you structure your mix, it’s imperative to craft sonic depth for the picture. This is done by adjusting and tuning each track’s dB control, creating a sonically attractive atmosphere. It is, of course, possible to create depth and separation in the mix by adding reverb sends, but we will address that later. This is where the mix really starts to shine, just before any type of compression, equalization or reverb effects have been used.

Traditionally speaking, the vast majority of times the master channel should be peaking around -15dB to -12dB in its loudest parts, as it is essential to leave room for mastering. Generally speaking, it’s way better to lower the volume of all the remaining tracks, rather than boost a single track’s volume.

Compression

Applying compression to dialogue tracks, as well as to the rest of the mix, is considered a rather subjective matter. Compression, gating, and expansion represent the dynamics and tools that allow sound and audio professionals to alter the dynamic range of any track’s signal. It also allows them to better control audio tracks when passed through a narrow dynamic range.

Compression is perhaps one of the most subjective aspects of audio post-production. There are definitely no rules here; however, it takes a savvy and experienced audio engineer to determine which type of compression is best to use, and it definitely boils down to their ears and their judgment.

In your project as several dialogue tracks that have a fair amount of ambiance noise, it is best to stay away from using too much compression because the compressor will level out the signal and all background and environmental noises will be boosted to a high noise floor.

In general, compression allows audio professionals and mastering engineers to correct and improve the dynamic range of the mix, keeping louder signals in check while making quieter parts stand out a little bit more. This allows the mix to reach the required level of uniformity.

Equalization

EQing takes care of all spectral imbalances and improves all those elements that are intended to stand out once the mix is amplified. An ideal master is, of course, well-balanced and proportional. This means that no specific frequency range is going to be left sticking out. A well-balanced piece of audio is supposed to sound right and good on any platform or system.

To avoid a muddy, noisy mix, it’s key that each track’s sonic range of frequency is well balanced to allow that the rest of all audio components have enough frequency space between them to ‘breathe’. The human voice normally sits in the middle of the frequency range. When cleaning up dialogues, an audio engineer or a sound professional normally can cut the top and bottom of all dialogue lines, getting rid of the low and high frequencies that are not required for the human voice’s frequency spectrum.

A pro tip here is to always EQ dialogue lines with the entire mix playing to avoid creating issues with dialogue clarity in the entire mix. 

Sound designers and audio professionals are always taking advantage of the sheer array of noises and sounds we come across in our everyday lives, constantly thinking outside the box. It is the job of the sound designer to continually search for the best way to craft engaging soundscapes and sonic experiences through proper experimentation.

*The images used on this post are taken from Pexels.com