AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Week 7 - Speech and Effects |
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
28. What is 'fader start'?
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
38. What is 'room tone'?
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
45. Describe Foley effects.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
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Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:47 am |
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AndyBarber
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 18
Location: North Wales |
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject: Week 7 - Speech and Effects
ANDY BARBER
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
Audio book - recording of the contents of a book read out loud (tape, CD, mp3 format)
Talking book - recording of someone reading a book, purely digital format like MP3, providing more convenience at lower cost
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
Full length book (unabridged) would read about 9-15 hours
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
CD-R released in 2002 holds 800 MB with a play length of 90 minutes. Many CDs would be required to hold a full Audio book
There are 3 components to a story; characters, narrative and description
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
The act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features of someone
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
A narrative is a story or part of a story spoken, written or imagined from the view point of one of the participants or observers (third person perspective). How story is told
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
Act, process or technique of describing
Representation in words of the nature and characteristics of something.
Picture painting part of a story
7. What is 'abridgement'?
An abridged story is one that has been shortened and cut down/condensed
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
An actor will read the book and act out characters and scenes whilst reading the story line.
A personality will keep to their own persona and read the story from a narrators point of view.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
Undesirable mouth noises when recording a vocal. Need to be edited out to make signal clean
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
Recording the spoken word is an important area of recording
It should be recorded in a relatively dry studio with minimum reverberation. Studio must be quiet (minimum ambient noise) with room acoustically treated. Voice over booths are generally preferred for this task.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
An acoustic table is one which is acoustically treated so sound is absorbed rather than reflected from it.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
Cardioid pattern mic is less sensitive from sound reflections around the room
Being too close to microphone can cause popping, signal level will change noticeably when singer/actor moves slightly. Too far away and room reflections will colour sound making it remote and boxy. 6 - 9 inches is ideal
Close - warm intimate sound
Further away - represents human speech better
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
First it is best to get a composite track. Once a sufficient track is available it should be edited removing unwanted sounds before it is processed further. A gate shouldn’t be used while recording, use only at mixing stage.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
If recording engineer marks points where problems have occurred, it is easier for him to go back and locate the faulty section ready to re-record or edit it.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
Use of compression depends on the speaker and the project. It can help keep sound level even, but over compression can make sound unnatural. Compression can be used while recording as well as when mixing.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
Vocals recorded in acoustically dry room need reverb to add a sense of space and reality
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
Atmospheric and special effects can be mixed in with an audio reading of a poem, adding depth and character to the story.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
Audio dramas are recorded in a stereo sound stage setup. Two microphones are used to record dialogue from actors who stand in a geographical band of space from left to right. A rainbow of sound is produced in front of microphones which pick up actions and movements of actors. Single voices/monologues are recorded on separate single mics.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
Dead area is part of studio with neutral acoustics and used for recording outdoor scenes
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
Live areas are acoustical environments with plenty of variable reverberation
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
Sound effects (Foleys) are created to accompany the noise making movements of actors in real time. Usually recorded in separate studio to actors so sound levels can be adjusted to suit.
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrator’s voice is overdubbed throughout a drama production commentating and describing information on scenes and characters. Having a narrator booth allows the narrators dialogue to be recorded on to its own track without spill from other audio sources. The narrator has a foldback signal to keep in time with the actors and special effects.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces are used to create walking sounds that are produced by different materials (ie. Gravel, wood)
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Foley artists create special effects by using a wide range of equipment.
They match live sound effects with the action of the story/drama
Usually have their own separate recording room in recording studio.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
This allows the actors and Foley actors to be sync’d together recording both in real time. Helps actor to get deeper into the script as sound effects create a more detailed and realistic atmosphere
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
A specifically designed auralization system can replicate the acoustic environment of a car. A spatial reverberation thumbprint of the environment can be taken defining its room impulse response.
A three microphone technique is used to get an in car recording. Two mics record engine directly, one taped to underside of hood near engine block. Second mic is covered in a wind screen and attached to rear bumper near exhaust pipe. Third mic is a stereo mic and is placed inside the car for interior sounds. Combination of mics gives producer great flexibility over what he wants car to sound like.
In studio it can be simulated by using acoustic screens surrounding the speaker.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
Figure of 8 microphones respond to sound both directly in front of them and directly behind them.
The no-go area would be at either side of the coincident crossed pair
28. What is 'fader start'?
This is a switch that is attached to a fader. The switch is usually on when the fader is set above zero. Used in CD systems, turning the volume fader above zero turns the hi-fi on.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Theatre, Radio, Films, TV, video games, music
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
Sound effects make specific storytelling or creative points without use of dialogue or music.
Literal Effects (sounds like what it is supposed to be)
Non-literal effects (what sound does a shark make?)
High fidelity sound effects are required so that they can be shaped by sound editor for realism and emotional effect.
Many effects cant be recorded in studio
Recording technique depends on ‘degradation’ of sound
Sound effects needs to sound like they’re in same acoustic space as actors.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Best sound effects originate from originals sources. Old sound effects may be required to set the scene for a production which is set in the past.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
This will give sound effects an older feel for productions set in the past. It also can also create an entirely different mood to a scene (dark atmosphere, ‘seven‘)
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
Real sounds are more convincing than synthesised ones. There is a large range of real life sounds but most objects done make the sound we think they make. Different objects can be used to make a sound for something completely different. With layering, a sound effect for something can usually be made up from two or three other objects’ sounds.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
There are many different recording formats but the main flexibility in recording sound effects is with microphone selection and placement. Different mics and different mic positions should be experimented with while recording a particular effect. A dynamic range of 96dB would be needed in theory and a 24-bit recording system would be best.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Discrete effects indicating individual events. Specifically placed and timed for a single action. Foley effects are spot effects (ie. Door slamming, swords fighting)
36. Give examples of extended effects.
Waves on a beach crashing, car engine
38. What is 'room tone'?
Each room has a different presence of subtle sounds when there is no dialogue or sound effects. This ‘aural fingerprint’ is recorded during production and provides a continuous sounding background to a recording. Essentially atmosphere of recording environment.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
If sounds are recorded in isolation they can be used for many different productions. Having a dry sample means it can be processed later to fit into various scenarios.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
Need to record ambient sound of location your recording in. Record using same mics as for actors and leave lights on if in room. Room tone can be added to recording take in a voice over booth with no ambient sound. Also required for fictional scenes like space craft.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
Flashing headlights
Indicators
Electric window
Ignition key
Starter engine
Exhaust pipe
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
Main problems are panning and phase coherence. Stereo miking preserves depth, perspective and room ambience. Closed mic setups sound tighter and cleaner
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
They provide a realistic stereo image with good monocapability
If stereo image is too wide it can make instrument sound unrealistically large
Need room ambience to certain degree to capture natural bloom of sound
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
Gives more control over sound when decoding on a mixer, can control focus, image and size of the audio picture.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley is a sound effects technique for synchronous or live effects. Foley artists match live sound effects with the actions of a production. Foley Effects are incidental naturalistic sounds of movement and business, recorded to match action of a production. Foley effects are Spot effects
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
Foley sounds are used to indicate events, ie. Footsteps, door locks, thunder.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
Foley stage has a variety of possible surfaces and props. Foley studio will have big screen showing a production/film so they are kept in time with each other. Has to be a very quiet studio.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct98/articles/20tips.html
http://cmpg2004.emusician.com/audio_editors/
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/audible.htm
http://www.filmsound.org/terminology/foley.htm
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia/tutorials/protools/unwanted_sound.html
http://www.irasov.com/WTAD/Overview.htm
http://www.irdp.co.uk/production.htm
http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/audio_theater/Sound_Effects.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_effect
http://www.sound-ideas.com/foleymavart.html
http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_interviewing/200106.stereomicrophones.jtowne.html
http://www.filmsound.org/QA/vocabulary.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/spokenword.html |
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Wed Oct 12, 2005 3:41 pm |
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Polarman
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 55
Location: Barbados |
| Question 41 |
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Hi Chris!
Am I missing something on question 41? What text is that refering to?
Kristian |
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Thu Oct 13, 2005 2:02 pm |
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thx1138
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 21
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
An audio book is a book that has been read aloud and recorded to some medium such as tape or CD whereas a talking book is recorded specifically for the blind and visually impaired.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
The duration of a novel read out loud depends on the length of the book and there is no typical length of a book, an unabridged audio book would probably be between 6 and 10 hours.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
The maximum official duration of a CD is 80 minutes.
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterisation'.
Characterisation is the method employed by a writer to develop a character.
The method includes:
Showing the characters appearance.
Displaying the characters actions.
Revealing the characters thoughts.
Letting the character speak.
Getting the reactions of others.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
A narrative is basically the story that is being told, the history of events, characters, or whatever matters the narrator wishes to relate to the reader/listener.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
A description is a representation of something in words to enable the reader/listener to assemble a mental picture of a person, a place or an object.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
Abridgement is basically a shortened version of a written work.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
An actor is someone trained to act properly and have voice over skills. An actor can add personality to a reading, taking on different voices for different characters, adding personality to narratives.
A personality is likely to be someone who isn't a trained actor and most likely will not read a book aloud to the same effect as an actor and is possibly a device to attract certain people to buying an audio book.
An actor would also have more knowledge of the actual process and working conditions in a recording session as they are likely to have worked in radio, voiceovers, theatre, film as well as the recording of audio books, documentary narratives and even voiceovers for advertisements.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
Lip smacks are the additional noises made by the lips and mouth when someone speaks which are not wanted in a recorded voice.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
A voiceover studio would need acoustically deadened isolation rooms for the recording of voiceovers. If effects such as reverb are required they can be added afterwards.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
An acoustic table is a table covered in an acoustically absorbent layer; it is used in a vocal booth for the actor/voiceover artist to read their scripts off of. The absorbent fabric layer is used to stop unwanted sound reflections from the table's surface.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
Microphone distance will affect the recorded sound of a voice. Close miking can give the feeling that the speaker is very close to the listener and low frequencies from the voice will be boosted due to the proximity effect. The voice will also sound warmer when close miking is employed.
Placing the microphone more than 12 inches away from the actor will give the recorded sound a more natural feel with more of a balance of high and low frequencies.
The microphone could be placed even further away if a feeling of distance between the speaker and the listener is required.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
Edits would be made when the entire session has been recorded; any mistakes could then be cut out and overdubbed. Coughs that affect the session, such as coughs in the middle of a paragraph would also result in the cutting of that section and the recording of a new section. Any coughs or other unwanted noises captured that do not affect the actual session could be cut out using an audio editor after the session is finished.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
An audio book can be up to 10 hours long so it would make sense to note down when exactly any problems or mistakes occur as going through the entire recording afterwards and listening out for mistakes is very time consuming.
Keeping a record of mistakes and their position in the session would make post editing a lot quicker than having to go through the entire recording several times to pick out mistakes.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
The human voice has a large dynamic range, from loud shouting to very quiet whispering. The use of a compressor would decrease the range between the actor speaking loudly and quietly. This would be useful if quiet parts were too quiet in relation to loud sections as it would bring up the low levels and bring down the high levels to make the actors voice sound more consistent for the listener.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
Reverb could be used for many reasons; a small amount of reverb can add warmth to a voice though in general audio books do not rely on reverb for such things as narration and general voiceovers.
Also reverb can give an impression of surroundings regarding a story, different reverb would be applied if a character in the audio book is in a cave, a church, a long hall, a confined space, a large empty space etc.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
Reverb, background music, compression, distortion and other filters could be used in the recording of poetry. Background music to accentuate the mood of the poem and maybe sound effects to accentuate any main points and events within the poem. Reverb could be used to thicken up voices in places; distortion could be used along with compression to indicate anger or confusion or to beef up a character in the poem shouting. Filters and other effects could be used on a voice to create certain atmospheres and feelings.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
An audio drama would be recorded using stereo microphone techniques to capture the stereo sound stage using only 2 or 3 microphones. Stereo miking would convey the depth or distance of each actor, the distance from the listener (the perspective) and the spatial sense of the acoustic environment.
Depending on the size of the sound stage I would say that the Mid Side coincident pair technique would be used. Which uses 2 directional mics angled slightly apart from one-another with grilles nearly touching, one diaphragm above the other. Other features of this technique are: level differences between channels produce the stereo effect, stereo images are sharp and the signals are mono compatible.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
The dead zone is an area of the studio or sometimes a room, where there are no acoustic reflections; the dead zone can be used to give the feel of an outdoor scene.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
The live area is a space used to give the feel of various interior rooms. It is an area used to emulate the sound of certain enclosed spaces by the use of various remembered surfaces and coverings.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
The effects area is used to create sounds and effects relevant to the drama such as environmental sounds if the drama was taking place in a woodland area or busy street. It would also be used to create the sound effects relevant to characters and their interaction with their surroundings such as opening and closing doors, walking up squeaky stairs and walking across surfaces such as loose floorboards, a polished floor, gravel paths etc.
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrators booth is a room acoustically isolated from the rest of the studio where the narrator records the voice over during the performance. The narrator would have some foldback via headphones or monitor speaker system so that he/she could listen to the performance of the other actors.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces are used to add to the realism of an audio drama. Basically they are the sound effects of a character walking across a surface such as creaky wooden floors, tiled floors, polished floors, concrete, leaf and twig strewn path. This would give more of a feel of a characters movement within an environment in the audio drama.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Sound effects in the drama studio are created by effects performers in an area set aside for capturing and creating the sound effects. The effects themselves are either noises from a sound effect CD or real objects utilised to make suitable noises. The sound effects can either be recorded in real time along with the performance or they can be overdubbed afterwards.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
Playing the sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio would give the actors more of a sense of being part of the drama and would enable them to react to the sound effects. Plus the effects could share the tone of the recording space.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
The drama studio would likely have moveable walls and surfaces to emulate acoustic environments. A car environment would require a quite small space and maybe some covered chairs and Perspex to give the sound of the car seats and windows.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
With a coincident pair of crossed figure of eight microphones there is a dead area where the 2 microphones are out of phase with one-another, this is the no-go area. The acting area is the place where the actors voices are best picked up by the microphones and the actors should try to stay within this area.
28. What is 'fader start'?
Fader start is a function whereby other studio and recording devices can be controlled by a fader on another device so that all the equipment will start at the same point instead of having to be manually started.
When a fader is moved up from its start position a signal is sent to the other devices to tell them to start without the need for manually pressing any play or record buttons on the rest of the linked devices.
The devices will also stop when the fader is moved to its stop position, i.e. fully down.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Sound effects are commonly used in film, TV and radio drama, audio books, TV and radio adverts. The effects themselves are used to bring added realism and atmosphere to a performance.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
The more accurate a sound effect the better the point it is portraying is conveyed to the listener. An accurate sound effect gives a better feeling of reality and atmosphere and will make the recording sound more professional.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Effects recorded as long ago as the 30's are still in use today because some the effects can no longer be adequately recorded as things like steam trains etc. are no longer around to be re-recorded plus these old effects are instantly recogmnizable and suitable for use today. If something isn't broken why fix it.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
Sometimes it would be useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly, as this would give a feel that the sounds themselves are old. If you were setting an audio drama or TV drama in the 30's say then old sounding effects would be essential.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
The dynamic range of real life sounds is huge, ranging from the slightest breeze, the soft breathing of a creature, an insect crawling over a surface to incredibly loud explosions, impact sounds, huge thunder claps.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
The dynamic range of real life sounds is far greater than any recording studio, so the greater the range of your recording equipment the greater the range of real life sounds you can capture.
No recording studio can record the entire range of real life sounds, even with a compressor it would be hard to record the sound of a light breeze.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Spot effects are noises that last only a few seconds or are over in an instant such as the closing of a door or a sneeze.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
Extended effects are noises that last longer than a few seconds such as a babbling stream, the blowing of the wind or waves on a beach.
38. What is 'room tone'?
Room tone is basically the sound of a room without any dialogue or movement within it. It is the natural ambience of the room.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Sound effects must be recorded in isolation from other sounds so the sound effect can be used in any context. If a telephone noise was recorded with other sounds going on or a specific natural room ambience then the telephone noise would only sound right in those conditions and have to be edited if it was needed in a different acoustic environment.
If the sound is captured in isolation then any room ambience or reverberation could be added afterwards to suit the context it is to be used in.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
Room tone would be faked if the same stage is to be used to represent more than one room in a performance like if space is limited and the same room/stage needs to be used for multiple acoustic environments.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
I presume this means noises not mentioned in the script.
Closing the doors
Handbrake
Windscreen wipers
Engine being revved
Clicking of the indicators
Securing seatbelts
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
A problem of recording sound effects is timing differences between the two microphones and possible phase problems between the two signals. Also stereo effects would be lost if the signals have to be mixed in mono such as for radio broadcast.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
A coincident crossed pair is where the mics are as close to touching as possible and there is no gap in the range of the two mics coverage as their fields cross each other. Mid Side miking techniques give no phase problems in stereo and has excellent mono computability.
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
There is no dead zone when using MS techniques and the stereo spread can easily be adjusted by having the mid and side mics going to separate tracks plus the amount of room sound can be adjusted by changing the level of the side mic.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley is a motion picture term named after Jack Foley. It is where the sound effects are created by a Foley artist as they watch a projected film or listen to the actors in an audio drama. Foley sounds are primarily those created to accompany the noises regarding the movement and interaction of actors.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
The kinds of sounds the Foley technique is used for are non-musical sounds that happen in real life such as the jangling of keys, opening and closing doors, footsteps etc.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
A Foley stage would be superior to any other recording studio as the Foley stage would have numerous sound surfaces available for the Foley artists to use, plus it would be specifically for the making and recording of sound effects. The Foley stage would also have a high degree of isolation from outside sound sources.
References:
Sound and Recording fourth edition
The Recording Engineers Handbook
www.audiotheatre.com/foley.html
www.tape.com/bartlett_articles/stereo_microphone_techniques
http://classes.berklee.edu/llanday/resources/terms.htm
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AcousticalWeaponsDivision/Alex |
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Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:27 pm |
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Polarman
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 55
Location: Barbados |
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
Audio books are produced by commercial companies, which regard audio books as an adapted version of the original print book or as a supplement or enrichment to it. The audio book is one sort of book adaptation among many others such as plays, films, or even operas.
Talking books for the visually impaired reader are generally produced by non-profit companies and their purpose is different. They try to reflect, to mirror the book, to be as close as possible to the original. The aim is to simulate the reading experience and to let the reader interpret the author’s words in his own way.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
Typical duration of a novel read out loud is 10-15 hours. This depends of course of the thickness of the book.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
The maximum official duration of a CD is 80 min.
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
Characterization is the method used by a writer to develop a character. The method includes:
Showing the character's appearance
Displaying the character's actions
Revealing the character's thoughts
Letting the character speak
Getting the reactions of others.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
In its simplest sense narrative is the telling of the story. Narrative theory uses the term in a more complex manner: to point to such formal aspect as who tells the story, how much omniscience the teller has, the order in which the events are told the ratio of scene versus summary, etc. In this sense, narrative means the formal apparatus of story-telling.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
Descriptions of surroundings and events create a world or a person that the reader can experience.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
An abridgement is a shortened version of a written work. When recording an audio book this is part of the producers responsibility. To be able ot abridge a book one must understand the needs a storytelling process.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
An actor is trained and experienced in delivering the spoken word that means that the process will be smoother than using a personality who has no experience in reading and acting loud.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
The mouth makes noises other than the sounds of speech like lip smacks. The smacks are heard even more when recorded by a microphone.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
The acoustic requirements of a voice over studio are that it should be acoustically fairly dead. It’s important that it doesn’t have any ambient noise
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
Acoustic table is used for the actor to read the script from it is covered with soft cloth like a pool table so it gives no reflections of the sound back into the microphone.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
The position of the microphone depends of what kind of sound of the voice one wants. Placing the mic close to the actor will give a warm intimate sound this is because of the proximity effect. Placing the mic more far away will give a more accurate sound of the voice.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
During the recording is important to be observant of mistakes. The mistakes should be corrected by the actor and the engineer should make a note to keep for his records when it comes to editing. Editing out mistakes it’s done after finished recording.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
It’s very important to mark problems and their timing during recording. An audio book is a very long recording and it’s impossible to remember all problems that arise.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
The use of compression is very advisable when recording audio books. This lets the actor to vary its voice from soft to shout without that the listener gets an inconsistent level. The voice is a very dynamic instrument and the compression helps to even out its dynamic variations. It’s possible to compress the voice recording it but its better to record it uncompressed and add the compressor afterwards. If the voice is recorded with compression it can’t be undone. This lets the engineer to decide the amount of compression.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
When recording audio books one has to be careful with reverberation. A nice reverb can sound quite pleasant and help to warm up the voice but in the long run it will get annoying. A good rule is that not to add any reverberation if it doesn’t help to dramatise the story, like adding reverb if the main character (first person) is in a church, a car etc.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
The duration of poems is normally very much shorter than audio books. This, combined with the lack of the direct story-telling approach, open up the door to be more creative in the sound quality of the recording. IT can be appropriate to use music or sound effects. This can be used to enhance the meaning of the poetry. For example if it is dark feelings it can be suited to use a pitch shift on the voice to make dark and scary.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
Normally in audio drama the story is acted out physically in space in a kind of semi-staged production that would even be acceptable to a live audience if there were sets, costumes and props. Recording is done with 2 or 3 miks in stereo, individual miking is rarely used. This gives the listener a special sense between the actors.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
A dead area is a space in the drama studio with hardly any reflection. This is used to simulate an outdoor environment.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
A live area is a space in the studio with a variable reverberation time. The time of the reverberation depends on surface coverings, which can simulate the acoustics of various kinds of interiors.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
Effects areas are areas in the studio used to simulate special acoustic environments such as kitchen, telephone booth, staircase with various types of treads (carpet, wood, concrete).
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrator area is a place isolated from the rest of the studio . The narrator can sit here and read and being recorded using foldback from the audio drama recorded from the studio.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces gives a more realistic feel of the drama. Basically it is sound effects. Walking surfaces can be concrete, wood, mud etc.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Pre-recorded effects from CDs or recorded from different environments doesn't always blend well with the way in which the actors perform in the studio. The actors moves from place to place and even running. In a drama studio there are devices to create sound effects live so to speak.
The list could be endle
ss, but it saves a tremendous amount of time and effort to have the most common items to hand. It is true, by the way, that empty coconut shells are used to simulate horses' hooves, although the canvas wind machine has died a death and has been replaced by pre-recorded wind sounds. Anything that can't be done live obviously has to be sourced from a library. Skilled operators (in UK terminology 'grams operators') play in the sound effects live during the course of the drama. This may be done through a loudspeaker in the studio. The advantage of this is that firstly, the sound takes on the acoustic character of the space occupied by the actors - it doesn't sound as though it's coming from somewhere else. Secondly, if the actors can hear it, they can respond to it.
Although the drama studio has a variety of acoustic environments, occasionally it will be necessary to simulate an environment that isn't provided. Of course one could use a digital reverberation unit, and this might be done to simulate a large space. However, digital reverb units don't tend to do small spaces well. One example is the interior of a car. To simulate this in the studio, you could take three or four acoustic screens of the type with a glass panel, usually used to separate musicians acoustically while maintaining visual contact. Place these in a compact triangle or square and like magic you have the acoustic environment of the interior of a car. An extra embellishment would be to place absorbent material on the floor to simulate the soft seats of the car. Every additional detail makes the sound space more believable.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
When playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio the character of the sound blends with the drama.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
The studio has acoustic screens of glass panel type. Placing them in a square should simulate the interior of a car. If a fifth panel is placed on the floor the simulation gets even more authenticable.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones. There is an acting area, and a no-go area. The no-go area is where the two channels are out of phase.
28. What is 'fader start'?
Since the recording of a drama is almost like playing live it is necessary for the playback devices to have 'fader start' for the playing music and effects. This means that there is a switch in the fader that closes immediately the fader moves up from the completely off position. This sends a signal to the CD player, tape recorder, cart machine or gram to start straight away, without the start button having to be pressed.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Walking surfaces - concrete, wood, gravel trays etc.
Doors, handles, catches and locks.
Telephone
Keys to jangle.
Kitchen equipment - kettle, crockery, cutlery, microwave etc.
Water tank for all types of water sounds.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
The accuracy of a sound effect is very important. A badly given sound effect can ruin the experience of the recording for the listener.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
There are many reasons why sound effects from the 1930s are still in use.
a) Used to show documentaries from older times, gives a feel that the material is old since we associate bad quality with old recordings. Many of the sounds in the 1930s are not possible to recreate any more. City life sounded different then today, a steamship doesn’t exist today etc.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
To be able to recreate old times is good to archive sound effects that sounds noisy and crackly.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
Real life sounds has a huge dynamic range. Stetching from a calm day out in the woods hardly recordable to thunderstorm or loud trains.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
It’s very hard to recreate the dynamic range from real life with recording equipment.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Spot effects are very short sound effects lasting just some seconds like closing doors, hits and knocks.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
Extended sound effects are more used to recreate environments like the sound of a beach, bad weather etc.
38. What is 'room tone'?
Room tone is basically a recording of a silent room. This is important because there is a different between completely silence and a recorded silence. If not room tone is used then silence would be sounded like failure of the sound system. Room ton may smooth out edit points andIt gives a feeling of life in a sound-deadened studio.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Its very important to record sound effects in isolation from other sounds and reverberation. If this is not taken into account the recorded sound effects can not be used in different environments.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
A room tone would be faked if different scenes are recorded in the same space. IT can be possible to change the room tone if the scenes should be sounded as if they are in different environments.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
I don’t understand this question. What text?
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
When recording sound effects in stereo there is always risk for phase problems between the mics because of the differences in sounds arrival time at one mic relative to the other. When broadcasting or listening in mono this is a big problem.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
To record sound effects MS technique is the most preferable. Firstly there is not risk for phase problems, secondly is compatible to mono and there is a possibility to vary the direct signal to the ambient signal.
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
MS is completely mono compatible and there is a possibility to vary the direct signal to the ambient signal.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley effects are sound effects added to the film during post production (after the shooting stops). They include sounds such as footsteps, clothes rustling, crockery clinking, paper folding, doors opening and slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking, etc.
By excluding these sounds during filming and adding them in postproduction there is complete control over the timing, quality, and relative volume of the sounds.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
Foley effects are normally real life sounds not ambience or musical sounds. Examples would be: sneezing, coughing, walking, farting, yawning, kissing, door closing, crying, snoring etc.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
The Foley stage is superior to any other studio in that it has complete isolation form external noise and sounds. It also has the possibility to recreate many different environments acoustically. The Foley artists can clearly see a screen which displays the footage they are to add sounds to, and they perform their sound effects whilst watching this screen for timing.
_______________________________________________________________________
SOURCES:
http://www.sound-ideas.com/foleymavart.html
http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla69/papers/074e-Getz.pdf
http://www.google.com/search?hl=sv&lr=&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-18,RNWE:en&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:narrative
http://www.filmsound.org/terminology/roomtone.htm
http://www.filmsound.org/QA/vocabulary.htm
http://www.loc.gov/nls/other/audioart/allinone.html |
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Mon Oct 17, 2005 1:36 am |
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Polarman
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 55
Location: Barbados |
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
Audio books are produced by commercial companies, which regard audio books as an adapted version of the original print book or as a supplement or enrichment to it. The audio book is one sort of book adaptation among many others such as plays, films, or even operas.
Talking books for the visually impaired reader are generally produced by non-profit companies and their purpose is different. They try to reflect, to mirror the book, to be as close as possible to the original. The aim is to simulate the reading experience and to let the reader interpret the author’s words in his own way.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
Typical duration of a novel read out loud is 10-15 hours. This depends of course of the size of the book.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
The maximum official duration of a CD is 80 mins.
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
Characterization is the method used by a writer to develop a character. The method includes:
Showing the character's appearance
Displaying the character's actions
Revealing the character's thoughts
Letting the character speak
Getting the reactions of others.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
In its simplest sense narrative is the telling of the story. Narrative theory uses the term in a more complex manner: to point to such formal aspect as who tells the story, how much omniscience the teller has, the order in which the events are told the ratio of scene versus summary, etc. In this sense, narrative means the formal apparatus of story-telling.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
Descriptions of surroundings and events create a world or a person that the reader can experience.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
An abridgement is a shortened version of a written work. When recording an audio book this is part of the producers responsibility. To be able to abridge a book one must understand the needs of a storytelling process.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
An actor is trained and experienced in delivering the spoken word that means that the process will be smoother than using a personality who has no experience in reading and acting loud.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
The mouth makes noises other than the sounds of speech like lip smacks. The smacks are heard even more when recorded by a microphone.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
The acoustic requirements of a voice over studio are that it should be acoustically fairly dead. It’s important that it doesn’t have any ambient noise
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
Acoustic table is used for the actor to read the script from it is covered with soft cloth like a pool table so it gives no reflections of the sound back into the microphone.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
The position of the microphone depends on what kind of sound of the voice one wants. Placing the mic close to the actor will give a warm intimate sound this is because of the proximity effect. Placing the mic farther away will give a more accurate sound of the voice.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
During the recording is important to be observant of mistakes. The mistakes should be corrected by the actor and the engineer should make a note to keep for his records when it comes to editing. Editing out mistakes it’s done after finished recording.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
It’s very important to mark problems and their timing during recording. An audio book is a very long recording and it’s impossible to remember all problems that arise.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
The use of compression is very advisable when recording audio books. This lets the actor vary its voice from soft to strong without the listener getting an inconsistent level. The voice is a very dynamic instrument and the compression helps to even out its dynamic variations. It’s possible to compress the voice recording it but its better to record it uncompressed and add the compressor afterwards. If the voice is recorded with compression it can’t be undone. This lets the engineer decide the amount of compression after recording.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
When recording audio books one has to be careful with reverberation. A nice reverb can sound quite pleasant and help to warm up the voice but in the long run it will get annoying. A good rule is that not to add any reverberation if it doesn’t help to dramatise the story, like adding reverb if the main character (first person) is in a church, a car etc.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
The duration of poems is normally very much shorter than audio books. This, combined with the lack of the direct story-telling approach, open up the door to be more creative in the sound quality of the recording. IT can be appropriate to use music or sound effects. This can be used to enhance the meaning of the poetry. For example if it is dark feelings it can be suited to use a pitch shift on the voice to make dark and scary.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
Normally in audio drama the story is acted out physically in space in a kind of semi-staged production that would even be acceptable to a live audience if there were sets, costumes and props. Recording is done with 2 or 3 mics in stereo, individual miking is rarely used. This gives the listener a special sense between the actors.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
A dead area is a space in the drama studio with hardly any reflection. This is used to simulate an outdoor environment.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
A live area is a space in the studio with a variable reverberation time. The time of the reverberation depends on surface coverings, which can simulate the acoustics of various kinds of interiors.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
Effects areas are areas in the studio used to simulate special acoustic environments such as kitchen, telephone booth, staircase with various types of treads (carpet, wood, concrete).
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrator area is a place isolated from the rest of the studio . The narrator can sit in the narrator´s booth and read and being recorded using foldback from the audio drama recorded from the studio.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces gives a more realistic feel of the drama. Basically it is sound effects. Walking surfaces can be concrete, wood, mud etc.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Pre-recorded effects from CDs or recorded from different environments doesn't always blend well with the way in which the actors perform in the studio. The actors moves from place to place and even running. In a drama studio there are devices to create sound effects live so to speak. Anything that can't be done live obviously has to be sourced from a library. Although the drama studio has a variety of acoustic environments, occasionally it will be necessary to simulate an environment that isn't provided. Of course one could use a digital reverberation unit, and this might be done to simulate a large space. Digital reverb don't tend to recreate small spaces well.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
When playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio the character of the sound blends with the drama.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
The studio has acoustic screens of glass panel type. Placing them in a square should simulate the interior of a car. If a fifth panel is placed on the floor the simulation gets even more authentic.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones. There is an acting area, and a no-go area. The no-go area is where the two channels are out of phase.
28. What is 'fader start'?
Since the recording of a drama is almost like playing live it is necessary for the playback devices to have 'fader start' for the playing music and effects. This means that there is a switch in the fader that closes immediately, the fader moves up from the completely off position. This sends a signal to the CD player, tape recorder, cart machine or gram to start straight away, without the start button having to be pressed.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Walking surfaces - concrete, wood, gravel trays etc.
Doors, handles, catches and locks.
Telephone
Keys to jangle.
Kitchen equipment - kettle, crockery, cutlery, microwave etc.
Water tank for all types of water sounds.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
The accuracy of a sound effect is very important. A badly given sound effect can ruin the experience of the recording for the listener.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
There are many reasons why sound effects from the 1930s are still in use.
a) Used to show documentaries from older times, gives a feel that the material is old since we associate bad quality with old recordings. Many of the sounds in the 1930s are not possible to recreate any more. City life sounded different than today, a steamship doesn’t exist today etc.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
To be able to recreate old times is good to archive sound effects that sounds noisy and crackly.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
Real life sounds has a huge dynamic range. Stetching from a calm day out in the woods hardly recordable to thunderstorm or loud trains.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
It’s very hard to recreate the dynamic range from real life with recording equipment.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Spot effects are very short sound effects lasting just some seconds like closing doors, hits and knocks.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
Extended sound effects are more used to recreate environments like the sound of a beach, bad weather etc.
38. What is 'room tone'?
Room tone is basically a recording of a silent room. This is important because there is a different between completely silence and a recorded silence. If not room tone is used then silence would be sounded like failure of the sound system. Room ton may smooth out edit points andIt gives a feeling of life in a sound-deadened studio.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Its very important to record sound effects in isolation from other sounds and reverberation. If this is not taken into account the recorded sound effects can not be used in different environments.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
A room tone would be faked if different scenes are recorded in the same space. It can be possible to change the room tone if the scenes should be sounded as if they are in different environments.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
I don’t understand this question. What text?
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
When recording sound effects in stereo there is always risk for phase problems between the mics because of the differences in sounds arrival time at one mic relative to the other. When broadcasting or listening in mono this is a big problem.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
To record sound effects MS technique is the most preferable. Firstly there is no risk for phase problems, secondly it is compatible to mono and there is a possibility to vary the direct signal to the ambient signal.
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
MS is completely mono compatible and there is a possibility to vary the direct signal to the ambient signal.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley effects are sound effects added to the film during post production (after the shooting stops). They include sounds such as footsteps, clothes rustling, crockery clinking, paper folding, doors opening and slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking, etc.
By excluding these sounds during filming and adding them in postproduction there is complete control over the timing, quality, and relative volume of the sounds.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
Foley effects are normally real life sounds not ambience or musical sounds. Examples would be: sneezing, coughing, walking, farting, yawning, kissing, door closing, crying, snoring etc.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
The Foley stage is superior to any other studio in that it has complete isolation form external noise and sounds. It also has the possibility to recreate many different environments acoustically. The Foley artists can clearly see a screen which displays the footage they are to add sounds to, and they perform their sound effects whilst watching this screen for timing.
_______________________________________________________________________
SOURCES:
http://www.sound-ideas.com/foleymavart.html
http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla69/papers/074e-Getz.pdf
http://www.google.com/search?hl=sv&lr=&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-18,RNWE:en&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:narrative
http://www.filmsound.org/terminology/roomtone.htm
http://www.filmsound.org/QA/vocabulary.htm
http://www.loc.gov/nls/other/audioart/allinone.html
http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_interviewing/200106.stereomicrophones.jtowne.html
http://www.filmsound.org/QA/vocabulary.htm
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/spokenword.html
http://microphones.mixonline.com/ar/audio_sound_effects_recording/index.htm |
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Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:03 am |
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K
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 10
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
ANSWER: an audio book is the recording of the contents of a book . a taking book is the recording of someone reading a book, talking books are used for by blind people or by people with bad eye sight
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
ANSWER: the typical duration of a novel , as read out load would be between 5 and 10 hours
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
ANSWER: the maximum duration of a typical CD is 74 minutes (700 mega bites) . some CD's can go up to 80 minutes
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
ANSWER: characterization is similar to acting . the narater trys to play the character as best he/she can to the discription wrote by the auther
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
ANSWER: by narrating the narrater tells us the actions in the story , what the characters do . this carrys the story along , shows us what happens
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
ANSWER: description is a word used in a book to demenstredto the reader or listener the type of character , the place they are , whos with them , what they are like , etc
7. What is 'abridgement'?
ANSWER: an abridgement is a novel that has been shortned down , like an expended summary of a book
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
ANSWER: an actor would be more use to a studio sitution that a personality , and an actor would probably play the character better
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
ANSWER: lip smacks are like siblience ,and pops , the over powering S's , B's and P's in a persons voice . lip smacks can be provented using a pop shield
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
ANSWER: a voiceover studio should have reverb time in the order of 0.25 to 0.4 ms . it should suit a frequences with an even decay time . it should be the size of a normal living room
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
ANSWER: this a table on which the microphone stand is stoud for recording voice over , this should be suitable for all voice over recordings
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
ANSWER: 45 to 60 cm the microphone should be away from the spreckers mouth . this is a suitable distance for microphone to be as this takes away envises on siplence and allso gets the full character of voice
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
ANSWER: the eidts whould be make afterwards when recording is completed
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
ANSWER: to make perfect edits in this type of recording , the recording will have to listened back to when the recording is finished and edit the points as the engineer goes through the recording. this could lead to a lot more work for the engineer are assistant engineer
15. What is the benefit of compression?
ANSWER: compression keeps everything at a staybill level but still allows for diffrent tones in the voice to get through
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
ANSWER: to give sixe and more depth to the voice . just enough reverb , so the words can still be heard
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
ANSWER: filters , distorstion , reverb , etc can be used in recording peortry . distortion can be used to give to impression of anger , reverb can be used to thicken up the voice , filters and backround music can be used to set the mood of the poem
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
ANSWER: for audio drama a rybon microphone is used because it has a finger of 8 where the sound goes in , which means that 2 side of the microphone spound goes in (live sides) and the other 2 sides dont pick up sound (dead sides) . this is used so that actors can face each otherso it would be more natarl for the actors . the microphone has 2 dead sides , so studio can made to give the impression of a greater size
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
ANSWER: the dead are can be used by actors to create slight effects . if someone is standing at the side of the microphone , nothing will be heard of there voice except form the reflection of the walls , and picked up by the live sides , if the actor walks around the microphone (from dead side to live side) it will give the impression that the actor has made a long journey
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
ANSWER: the live are is used for direct acting . in the live area it will sounf like the actor is close rather unlike the the sound of the dead area
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
ANSWER: spot effects can be preformed in the sudio in the effects area . this is done so that the actor gets asence of the action , as well as the listener. most effects are put in after the recording is done
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
ANSWER: the narrator's booth is cut off from everyone else , the narrator's booth is used to create the effect that the narrotor is outside of the story and closer to the listener
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
ANSWER: differnet types of materials are used to give the impression that the actor is walking on gravel , snow , sand , etc
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
ANSWER: the record them straight in using diffrent sound materials such as doors , telephones . they record them in as the action happens , os them can put them in afterwards
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
ANSWER: this gives actor a sence of place in the stroy . this must be done sometimes when the sound can not be produced in the studio . ie gunshot
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
ANSWER: screens are used in make tthe are smaller
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
ANSWER: if the actor or specker is standing in the acting area of the the coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight mirophones , it will give the listener the impression the they are right it the middle of the story (like surround sound). the micophones are positioned like 2 ears then recording . if the actor or specker was standing to the no-go area , the microphnes would not pick up his/her voice except for it bouching off the walls
28. What is 'fader start'?
ANSWER: fader start is basily using faders on the desk to trigger sound effects as fader starts moving. similer to the system used by a radio station to play cds
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
ANSWER: sound effects are ude in drama situtions to add unspockin actions to the play or novel , this adss anfises to the scene
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
ANSWER: sound effects sound allways be acuirate in terms of what they are trying to represent baecuse if the sound effects are not the listeners atention is going to be drawn to the bad effect and not the story. sound effects are there to imbelish the story not take away from it
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
ANSWER: these sound effects are atill in use bacuse they sound real , and radio drama was at its peak in the 1930's
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
ANSWER: this is sometimes usefull to give a certain ambience to teh drama
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
ANSWER: the ninamic range of real life sounds need to be acturatly reproduced , if they are not .ie. a running tap might end up sounding like a river
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34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
ANSWER: the recorder would have to to set at a suitable level to avoid cliping
35. Give examples of spot effects.
ANSWER: spot effects are doors , crocery , poring , drinks , telephones , switching buttons on and off
36. Give examples of extended effects.
ANSWER: extended effects are effects that are pre-recorded , and that can not be produced in studio . eg . a gunshot , thunder storn , explotions , etc
38. What is 'room tone'?
ANSWER: room tone is the sound of the room or the creation of the sound of a room using screens
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
ANSWER: sounds effects must be recorded in isolation from other sounds baecause each sound effect will need to be as natural as possible for use in diffrent plays or dramas
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
ANSWER: if they wanted to make the scene sound like it was in church or hall , reverb would be added to the dialog
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
ANSWER: car horn , car start , car screash stop , car door opening/closing , indecater , car alarm
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
ANSWER: recording sound effects in sterio problems can arise baceause of problems with phase and microphone placement . it would also cause a big problem to play on a radio staion in mono
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
ANSWER:because it puts the listener in a more real listening position , in effect giving a true representation of the recording
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
ANSWER: gives you more control of the sound when putting through a mixer , there is no dead-area
45. Describe Foley effects.
ANSWER: foley effects , film sound stage . the replcement of an off screen sound effect . ie.shoes , doors , etc
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
ANSWER: the foley technique would be used for sounds that need to be made up . ie. sounds of creatures in star wars , or sounds that didnt come out right when the actors where acting , shoes , doors etc
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
ANSWER: the foley stage is superior to other recording studios because it is highly insloated , they have the means to create lots of diffrent effects there . the foley actors watch a screen in the studio are creat the effect in order of what happens on the screen |
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Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:18 am |
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AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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Good work here guys some good detail in places.
K please try to answer in a little more detail, I know there are a lot of questions but for the REAL exam you'd need about half a page for each answer.
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Sun Oct 30, 2005 2:11 pm |
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