The best way to do ADR?

We used FCPs voice over function. The actors watched their performance and did their dialogue along with the performance. It dropped the new dialogue right into the timeline and we tweaked it if necessary or had them do another take. It worked quite well but I'd definitely be open to a different method if there's a better way.
 
I find that when I have the actors watch the visual and try to sync up their read to it, they invariably "chase the picture". By that, I mean that they either aniticipate by a few milliseconds or they miss the cue and are behind a few milliseconds and spend the rest of the take trying to catch up. Either way, the performance typically suffers. Sometimes the addition of the standard 3 beeps prior to the beginning of the read helps. But I find that the easiest way is to play the line to the actor through their headphones (without picture) and then have him or her repeat it back immediately. And, believe it or not, the sync usually matches when the new audio is laid into the picture.
 
Yeah, with FCP they listen to their performance through headphones AS they watch the picture. It also starts them off with the standard 3 beeps.
 
I make a copy of the line to be replaced, then paste it at the end of the sequence or in a new sequence 3 to 6 times in a row with enough time to repeat the line inbetween each copy.

So ... they hear the recording of the line .... then repeat it right after they hear it ... wait a couple of seconds ... hear it again and repeat it .... wait a couple hear it and repeat

I might do the whole scene this way with each line being played and said three times.

Then I see which of the three takes fits best. The lines that work I keep, and then go back to step 1 with any lines I didn't get a good fit for.

This avoids the chasing the image problem and also lets them practise matching the line while its still fresh from the last time they read it a couple of seconds ago.

As for mic tecgnique I try to mimic what was on set. Rather than use a large diapgram cardiod vocal mic, I use a lapel mic or use the boom approximating the distance on set from the actor in my living room.

Somtimes I've had to go on the porch to match scenes t hat were recorded outside or go inside a car for things recorded in really dead environments.

But ADR was excellent on your SciFi piece -- never once noticed it -- had no idea.
 
Jack Daniel Stanley said:
I make a copy of the line to be replaced, then paste it at the end of the sequence or in a new sequence 3 to 6 times in a row with enough time to repeat the line inbetween each copy.

So ... they hear the recording of the line .... then repeat it right after they hear it ... wait a couple of seconds ... hear it again and repeat it .... wait a couple hear it and repeat

I might do the whole scene this way with each line being played and said three times.

Then I see which of the three takes fits best. The lines that work I keep, and then go back to step 1 with any lines I didn't get a good fit for.

This avoids the chasing the image problem and also lets them practise matching the line while its still fresh from the last time they read it a couple of seconds ago.

As for mic tecgnique I try to mimic what was on set. Rather than use a large diapgram cardiod vocal mic, I use a lapel mic or use the boom approximating the distance on set from the actor in my living room.

Somtimes I've had to go on the porch to match scenes t hat were recorded outside or go inside a car for things recorded in really dead environments.

But ADR was excellent on your SciFi piece -- never once noticed it -- had no idea.
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I actually do it almost the exact same way. 3 takes, chop and edit the best of those lines to make a supertake. I think getting your adr to match the acoustic value of everything else is the most difficult part. Knowing how to mix your audio is so important here. Equalizers and reverb generators are key.
 
Yes, Jack and DJ - great points about matching the microphone and recreating the ambience. A great reminder why we should always grab 'room tone" at locations.
 
yep ... but room tone helps, beyond that, I tried for a week to eq and tweak ADR added to a car dialogue scene which I recorded in my living room. I had room tone under it just fine -- but they were so night and day -- the inside of the car is completely dead with all the carpeting and padding and glass ... my living room has vaulted ceilings, brick walls, wood walls and wood floor. So we actually wound up doing it in a car. Sure a great mixer could have EQed them close, but I couldn't pull it off.

The thing NOT to do ofcourse is get that mic right nex to their mouth so they sound like a drive time DJ or a KUNG FU movie, lol :laugh:

OH another thing is to bring up the room tone or ambient noise as loud as resonable possible so that it phases out frequencies that make it too ADR resonant -- particularly true of outdoor windy or otherwise noisey scenes ... boosting the audio EQ AT 5K can help it ride on top of ambient noise while still being clear.

this website has helped me a lot EQing the voice:
http://www.digitalprosound.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/mixing_excerpt1.htm
 
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how you described it is closer to what the real movies do I think

they hear themselves once
then they try to sync with picture and the sound, but that seems like rubbing your head and patting your tummy to me, at least with my limted setup and control of pciture and sound while recording.

so I just have them try to hear it and mimic themselves
 
hey, i have quite a bit of adr experience with short films in a studio environment. All the techniques that you guys are discussing are used on pro films, be it syncing to video, syncing to audio, or the 'listen and repeat' method. most of the time, its very dependent on how you read your actors ability - some methods work great for one actor, and suck for another.

i work in Nuendo 3, and my main way of getting the take (using any of the above methods), is to get the actor rolling rehearsals over and over (i use the 'loop' mode of nuendo for this), and then drop in for takes WITHOUT TELLING THEM. So they just go in the booth, and do the line over and over. Its pretty fun to say "we got it" over the coms when they thought they were just rehearsing. Actors are often a lot more natural when rehearsing than with the pressure of a take hanging over them, so that technique works for me.

Mic choice and placement:
Generally, you do NOT want to use a studio mic to pull this off. Always try and use the mic used on set (shotgun, hyper, and occasionally lav) so your frequency response is simliar to the set recording, only minus whatever problem is causing you to ADR. Having a closer spectral match makes EQing easier. The same is true of placement - get your mic close to where it was for the shot - overhead, on a boom arm of a mic stand (or whatever was used in that scene). Asking the actor to step away from the mic often helps match dialogue quite a bit.

Heres another trick, sometimes, if you're adring in a room that doesnt match your footage, try out a dynamic mic (like an sm58) - they arent sensitive enough to get much reverb, only direct sound, so occasionally they produce more usable stuff.

LOCATION:
adr in studio can be rough because the environment is too dead, so Ive also done stuff like run the leads outside to get a real backdrop to the ADR - its a technique that can pay off.

POST:
Adr invariably comes out with too much bass, and not enough reverb - a low cut and some reverb will help ease it in. new plugins like convolution reverbs (that build reverbs from samples you give it) can help match locations, and spectral matchers (like firium by elemental audio) can match adr frequency response to production sound frequency response.



i hope this info is useful, this is a good thread.
 
How would you go to connecting a xlr to your computer? ... im looking at a XLR TO 3.5MM 1/8" adapter .. does anyone have this adapter?
 
hiro said:
How would you go to connecting a xlr to your computer? ... im looking at a XLR TO 3.5MM 1/8" adapter .. does anyone have this adapter?
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I got one at the Apple Store, I think. My associate actually picked it up. He won't be back in town until Thursday but I seem to remember him saying he got it at the Apple Store.
 
yeah me too right now ... damn Katrina ... and damn me not takikng a day job so I can make flippin' movies.

That'll work for you though :thumbsup:
 
sorry hiro, you PAY for quality. thats what it boils down to, its MUCH harder to get good results with crummy gear. Its a "step up rule" - if you are a great engineer, the most you'll ever improve audio is one step: awful to bad, bad to debatable, debatable to decent, decent to good, good to excellent, and excellent to an oscar.

thats why pro guys use great gear - it IS important, they just improve the stuff they get from the gear with experience and technique.

dj - check out all of elementals stuff. it all has free demos.. amazing plugins.
 
I think there are direct boxes out there for $30 - $50.

although you can get away with an adaptor ... at least on a mac ... for years a used the 16 bit 44.1kHz stereo mini in and got great results when there was no other way into the mac that didn't cost an arm and a leg.
 
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