Soft and loud audio in the same scene

Nexis

Nexis

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

So I'm in pre-production for a short and I'm currently planning for sound.

There is one scene where relatively normal speech erupts suddenly into a loud, angry outburst by one of the characters.

Does anyone have any tips for recording audio with sudden volume changes, because I can just see having all sorts of problems with the audio clipping etc.

Audio will be recorded using a boom, if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Simple things to do are to:
1) Have a good boom op who can pull the mic back some when things get heated
2) have a talented sound mixer who can ride the levels and keep things from getting out of hand
3) Split the audio to two channels, and record one at a much lower level than the other, so you're pre-protected. And set the levels on each channel to avoid clipping, during rehearsal.
 
1. boom technique
2. person mixing the scene knowing his cues and adjusting his volumes to match.
 
And if you dont have a the expertise yourself, or dont have someone on hand with it - ADR. Make sure its timed right.
 
Try a compressor.

Try a compressor.

You can rent or buy a compressor and the appropriate cables. If you have a mixer, you can patch the compressor into the "insert" of the channel on the mixer (if the mixer has that feature). Set the gain on the preamp to get the levels for the quiet stuff and let the compressor squash the levels on the loud stuff. A compressor has a threshold setting that you set so it won't touch the lower signal but will "compress" the higher signal by a set ratio. You might be able to patch through a compressor directly, but I've never tried.
 
In effect, you're describing a limiter. While the limiter can be a lifesaver or CYA tool, squashing the peaks of a dynamic signal tends to suck the life out of the track. Riding the gain, swinging the boom, or sending the source to two tracks with separate gain settings tend to create a more natural sounding dialog. At least, that what I found so far.

I haven't found any field mixers with channel inserts, at least not in the $1200-$2400 budget range.

BPistone said:
You can rent or buy a compressor and the appropriate cables. If you have a mixer, you can patch the compressor into the "insert" of the channel on the mixer (if the mixer has that feature). Set the gain on the preamp to get the levels for the quiet stuff and let the compressor squash the levels on the loud stuff. A compressor has a threshold setting that you set so it won't touch the lower signal but will "compress" the higher signal by a set ratio. You might be able to patch through a compressor directly, but I've never tried.
Click to expand...
 
BPistone said:
You can rent or buy a compressor and the appropriate cables. If you have a mixer, you can patch the compressor into the "insert" of the channel on the mixer (if the mixer has that feature). Set the gain on the preamp to get the levels for the quiet stuff and let the compressor squash the levels on the loud stuff. A compressor has a threshold setting that you set so it won't touch the lower signal but will "compress" the higher signal by a set ratio. You might be able to patch through a compressor directly, but I've never tried.
Click to expand...

I don't think renting a compressor is a good idea. It takes a long time to really understand how to use a compressor, and different compressors have different behaviors, so even an experienced person could be thrown for a loop with hardware they're not familiar with.

You're going to need a portable field mixer and an experienced boom op. You've got to ride the levels on the fader, and move the boom around like everyone is suggesting. Hiring an experienced location person is your best bet.

It seems like every time I do a shoot there has been a bedroom scene with a couple where the dialog goes from whispers to screaming and crying in an instant. The director always tells the talent to feel it out, and to improv so it feels natural. I can do it on my own, riding the level on my 302 with one hand and operating the pole with the other - but it's really difficult. This is the kind of scene where having a separate boom op and sound mixer really pays.
 
A mixer with a limiter such as the SD mixers will save you but Vis-A-Vi clipping but you still need to know the show and make the moves. A compressor is more likely to make problems for you than fix anything.
 
Didn't we have this conversation elsewhere? :) I would avoid compressors/limiters and follow Barry's advice here. We tend to just adjust the boom lately on this as we aren't using a mixer.

What I really like is the multiple gain path. Since we typically only want a mono sound, I might start doing that more. Thanks for the suggestion Barry!
 
BPistone said:
You can rent or buy a compressor and the appropriate cables. If you have a mixer, you can patch the compressor into the "insert" of the channel on the mixer (if the mixer has that feature). Set the gain on the preamp to get the levels for the quiet stuff and let the compressor squash the levels on the loud stuff. A compressor has a threshold setting that you set so it won't touch the lower signal but will "compress" the higher signal by a set ratio. You might be able to patch through a compressor directly, but I've never tried.
Click to expand...

Use of processors such as a compressor is best reserved for post-production, NEVER on-set. If you use them when recording your original master then later discover it doesn't work in the context of the entire scene, you have no way to undo it. This is where dialog recording is vastly different from music recording ... with dialog, the objective is to record the scene in as pristine a condition possible. Limiters, yes. Low-cut filters to reduce wind and handling noise and the potential problems of their infra-sonics overloading the mic, sure. MAYBE a rare touch of equalization in special cases such when needed to reduce excessive sibilance. But other than that, save everything else for the 'leisure' of the editing suite.
 
Wow, someone used the word Infrasonic! :) I only say this because my Thesis was about infrasonic wave detection. In other words, ultra low frequency waves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top