AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Week 7 - Speech, Drama and Sound Effects |
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Also check out the practical for this.
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 Apr 19, 2004 5:56 pm |
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hoggs33
Joined: 09 Feb 2004
Posts: 55
Location: Nottingham, England |
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
An audio book is a recorded novel for sale to the general public. A talking book is a recording specially produced for the blind.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
Up to 6 hours
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
74 minutes
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
Building of the character i.e their background, type of person etc
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
This is the actual story telling that moves the story along or explains a certain situation.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
Usually describes the actions of or what happens to a character.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
Shortening of a novel to fit a particular medium by cutting certain elements of the original work such as large sections of description.
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. A personality may not be trained in this way and so it is likely that more time (and money) will be spent getting the recording correct.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
Noises made by the mouth other than the sounds of speech.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
It should be fairly dead acoustically so that any ‘ambience’ in a room does not ‘position’ the reader in a location which might not be the location which the listeners imagination is picturing.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
It is a table covered with a soft cloth not unlike a snooker or pool table. Underneath, the supporting surface is acoustically transparent so that there is very little reflection back into the mic, which could colour the sound.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
A closer mic (less than 30cm from the actor) would produce a warm, intimate sound, whereas a more distant mic (50cm) would produce a more accurate representation of human speech.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
After the recording has been completed using a hard disk recording system like Pro Tools. It may require the actor to come back and re-record some sections.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
This makes it much easier to go straight to the problem areas when editing later rather than having to listen through the whole recording again and make the necessary edits etc.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
As compression reduces the dynamic range between the quiet and loud sections this enables the actor to speak softly or shout, thus varying the tone of the voice, but the listener still receives a fairly constant level.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
Reverberation is generally used to partially dramatize a recording, particularly if the story is written in the first person, and reverberation or ambience is added when necessary to suit the story.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
As the duration of poems is much shorter than novels and they do not have a direct storey telling approach, this means that it may be more allowable to be creative with the recording. This can include items such as sound effects, and music and to even lower the pitch of the voice, using a pitch changer for dark-toned work.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
Microphones used would be those suitable for speech, preferably with a good resistance to popping. Stereo mics are good, as are mic arranged in a stereo pair since the movement of the actors will be captured accurately.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
This is an area with hardly any reflection and is used to simulate an outdoor environment.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
This area has a variable reverberation time, dependent on surface coverings, which can simulate the acoustics of various kinds of interiors.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
This area is used to simulate special acoustic environments such as kitchen, telephone booth, staircase with various treads (carpet, wood, concrete etc.)
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
Used for narration but has the added benefit, if the script calls for it, that a live broadcast, or ‘as live’ recording can continue while the other areas of the studio are reset.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Used to simulate a walking surface by using items such as concrete, wood, gravel trays etc.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
These are either produced live (coconut shells for horses hooves etc!) or from a sound effects librabry for anything which can’t be done live. Skilled operators called grams operators play in the sound effects live during the course of the drama.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
The sound takes on the acoustic character of the space occupied by the actors resulting in it not sounding like it has come from somewhere else. Also if the actors can hear it they can respond to it.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
By taking 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 you then have the acoustic environment of a car.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
The acting area is the area where the actors can stand or sit to give a performance that will produce acceptable results. The no go area is where the outputs of the two channels would be out of phase.
28. What is 'fader start'?
This means that there is a microswitch 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 etc to start straight away, without the start button having to be pressed.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Film, television, radio, theatre, drama, documentaries, sports, etc.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
Sound effects are used to create a ‘sound picture’ particularly when used for radio broadcast. It is therefore important that the effects sound realistic in order to convey what is happening either on screen or on the radio.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Some of the material recorded then is not replaceable for example a recording of World War 2.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
To give a ‘genuine’ feel to the effect – if you are trying to convey a time many years ago – a crystal clear digital recording would sound artificial and out of place. A lot of sound effects are identifiable ith a particular period and this therefore needs to be conveyed with the effect.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
Real life sounds have a very wide dynamic range from for example a bird singing to a building being demolished.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
A dynamic range of 96dB would be needed so in theory a 16 bit recording system would be enough. However we don’t have the full 16 bits available to us. A sound effect is an uncontrolled sound source, unlike music. The dynamic range not only needs to cope with the sound as it is but also with the sound as it may be. The headroom that has to be allowed can reduce the dynamic range of the recording enormously. 24 bit systems would be better.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Gun shot, door slam.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
Car engine, aeroplane taking off.
38. What is 'room tone'?
Background, atmosphere, or buzz.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
If other sounds are captured in the background this can limit the use of the effect if for example there is a baby crying in the background of a washing machine noise when all you want is an isolated washing machine noise. Reverb and ambience can also alter the future usability of an effect as it ‘places’ it in a specific environment. It is better to add reverb after the recording as it is impossible to take it away once committed to tape.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
In certain types of drama – science fiction for example such as Star Trek where each area of the Enterprise has its own identifying room tone.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
Not really sure what is meant by not mentioned in the text but I have listed 6 car sounds below:-
Windscreen wipers, Ignition, indicator, doors shutting, idling engine, car boot.
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
Problems with panning can be encountered such as the sound effect may pan left but the object moves to the right.. There are a lot of mismatched perspectives that may occur when sound effects are stereo.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
This can solve problems referred to above in question 42. In a worst case scenario, the two channels can be mixed into mono, which is then adaptable to any situation.
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
One mic points directly at the sound source with MS, whereas in a coincident pair neither mic may point at the sound source.
A single mic is more easily handled than two mics on a stereo bar.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley effects were invented by Jack Foley and are useful for sounds that need to match the picture very accurately. Footsteps are a good example – these could be obtained from a sample CD but then the steps have to be synchronized to the picture which can be time consuming. With Foley effects, a Foley artist can watch a screen and perform footsteps in real time giving a much more believable and quick result.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
Footsteps, fight scenes (weapons clashing etc), rustle of clothing or creak of leather.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
It is the quietest recording studio there is. It has to be because many of the sounds are intrinsically very quiet. |
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Sat Apr 24, 2004 3:15 pm |
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iNSTiNCT2765
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 60
Location: Denmark |
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Week 7 - Speech, Drama and Sound Effects
1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
An audio book is a written book that is recorded to audio for commercial release and professional voiceover artists usually do the narration. A talking book is also a written book recorded to audio but is for the blind or people suffering from reading disabilities.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
For me? A couple of weeks. But for some people, about 6 hours is enough.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
The official duration of a CD is 74 or 80 minutes. But if the audio is compressed, i.e. mp3 format, then the duration can be much longer.
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
Characterization is a vivid verbal description of something.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
This is when you’re describing incidents or events and could be in the form of a story.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
A description is a statement that represents something in words.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
It is a shortened version of a written work. An abridged audio book is a condensed version of the written book with useless text is left out.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
A trained voiceover artist will add professionalism to the recording process and make it easier for the engineer since he/she is trained specifically for voiceover. Using a ‘personality’ may make it easier to market the final product but the recording process will take longer. Of course, the most beneficial solution to get the ultimate final product would be to get a ‘personality’ that is a voiceover professional.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
A very noticeable, sound made by smacking your lips together. This can be extremely annoying to listen to.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
The recording area should be completely dead. Since there is not a constant backing track but just a voice it is critical that no ambience or background noise is picked up that can distract or be irritating to the listener.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
I found absolutely no information on this, but to take a guess I would say that since long voiceover work is done sitting down, a table might be used to place the notes or books on and for arm support. Since the table can reflect sound waves it has to be soundproofed just as the rest of the room and this would then be called an ‘acoustic table’.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
The closer the vocalist is to the microphone, the more upfront and warm the recorded voice is going to sound. A distance of about 30 cm is a good choice to get a nice vocal recording. The further the vocalist is from the microphone, the more background noises or room ambience is going to get picked up through the microphone which in turn makes the voice sound less proximate.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
This could be done during the mixing session after everything has been recorded to harddisk.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
Marking problems during the recording session makes it much less confusion and time consuming during editing. You can start editing right away during mixing without having to re-listen to everything and just follow your notes.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
Compression decreases the dynamic range of the voice. This means that the voiceover artist can change the dynamics of his/her voice (shout, whisper) and the level of the audio would still be about the same.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
Reverb can be used as an effect to give the listener a better impression of where certain parts of the story are taking place.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
When recording poetry there is more freedom in terms of using effects creatively compared to when recording audio books. Vocals can be pitched up or down in tone to compliment the poem and reverbs can add depth and openness.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
For audio drama, good vocal and speech microphones are a must to get the best vocal recordings from the actors. Two mono mics or a stereo pair are also used to capture actor movements accurately.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
The dead area of an audio drama studio is used to simulate outdoor areas.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
The live are is used to simulate various interior room types with different reverb times.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
The effects areas are used to simulate special acoustic areas including kitchens, phonebooths and staircases. This is done with different types of floors such as wood or carpeted.
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrator’s booth is where the narrator would be recorded.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces simulate different types of sounds produced when walking on various surfaces.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
In a drama studio, sound effects are preferably produced live. If this isn’t possible, then the sound effects would be taken from libraries of sound effects and played in live during the drama.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
The sound effects are played through a loudspeaker placed in the studio. The benefits of this include that the effects take the same acoustic characteristics as the room itself and blend in. Another benefit is that the actors in the drama can hear the effects and respond to them.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
The acoustics of the inside of a car can be simulated in a studio by placing three or four acoustic screens in a small triangle or square. Then to get an even more detail simulation, the floor can be carpeted to simulate the seats of a car.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
Using two figure-of-eight microphones to capture the movements of the actors, there is a no-go area where the two microphones will be out of phase and not pick up any movements from the actors so they will have to be aware to stay in the acting area.
28. What is 'fader start'?
‘Fader start’ turns a CD player or the likes on when the fader is moved up from the off position. When the fader is then turned all the way down, the device that is hooked up to the channel will automatically turn off or pause.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Sound effects can be used in TV shows/commercials, films, radio commercials/shows, music CD’s.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
The value of accuracy in sound effects is crucial since the listeners should be able to determine what the sound effect is when they hear it. In films, the sound effect has the greatest effect if it can accurately compliment the visual elements.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Sound effects from the 1930’s are still in use because they are become synonymous with certain sounds and are very easily identified.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
This can be useful to give the sound character and a timestamp or a more historic feel to it.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
The dynamic range of real life sounds is very large. You could be standing outside and hear a truck pass by while standing at a crossing and right after in the distance, hear a train far away.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
Getting recordings in 24-bit resolution gives a better dynamic range.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Spot effects are effects that describe individual events, for example, a car engine starting.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
This can then be the car engine running.
38. What is 'room tone'?
‘Room tone’ is a combination of many subtle sounds that make up the atmosphere of a specific location and makes it unique.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Same reason vocals are preferably recorded dry without reverb and isolated. This makes it easier to manipulate them later on since no background noise or excess reverb has to be taken into account.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
The TV show, Homicide – Life on the Street, uses fake room tone to give it its own definition. You can hear the same telephone ring tone and busy workplace ambience in the background every time the set is inside the police precinct. And a distinct foghorn is heard during scenes that take place outside.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
What text? I’ll list six sounds anyways:
Windshield wipers
Engine start
Door shut
Tire skid
Automatic windows rolling up or down
Car Horn
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
Stereo sound effects are harder to place in a mix.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
Because stereo signals have true mono compatibility
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
Using the MS technique, it is easier to control the spaciousness or the width of the stereo image by adjusting the ratio between the mid microphone and the side mic.
Is more mono compatible.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley effects are re-created sound effects done in post production for film, TV and radio to augment or replace existing live sound effects to enrich them.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
The Foley technique is used for sounds such as footsteps, hand shakes, sounds in fight scenes like punches and kicks and things breaking.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
The recording area needs to be
completely
dead so
nothing
but the intended sounds are pick up by the microphones.
Last edited by iNSTiNCT2765 on Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:40 pm |
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griff505
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Posts: 68
Location: Bristol |
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
Talking Book – Recorded for use by the blind or visually impaired. These are often made by volunteers and the production costs are low.
Audio Book – Novels read and recorded to CD or cassette. Often read by the author or a famous person. These have higher production values than talking books and are used for entertainment purposes.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
3-10 hours depending on the length of the book.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
74 Mins.
4. Briefly explain the term 'characterization'.
Characterisation allows the reader to learn what a character is like and makes the literary figure seem more like a “real person” than words on a page. Characterized is developed by narrative description, by their actions, or by other characters’ reactions to or feelings about them.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
A narrative tells a story by giving us the events in a logical and orderly way.
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
A description is a statement that represents something in words.
7. What is 'abridgement'?
An abridgement is a shortened version of a written work. Unnecessary words, phrases or even pages are taken out to make the story a suitable length to be listened to on CD or tape.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
Actor – An actor is trained and experienced in delivering the spoken word. An actor is more likely to produce what may be considered a classic audio book recording.
Personality – A personality is not necessarily trained in delivering spoken word; this can bring problems to the recording sessions and will probably result in more time and money spent in the studio.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
Lip smacks are noises made by the mouth other than the sound of speech, they are seen as irritation which some people are better at controlling than others, and often seem to be accentuated by the microphone.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
The studio needs to be acoustically fairly dead. If any ambience exists it serves to position the reader in a location which will most likely not be the location the listener’s imagination is meant to be transported to.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
An acoustic table is a special table covered in soft cloth, similar to a pool table. Underneath the table the supporting surface is acoustically transparent to avoid reflections back into the mic which would colour the sound.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
The microphone should be pointed towards the reader mouth from above. If positioned correctly there should be no need for a pop shield. The distance between the reader and the mic will depend upon the desired sound:
- Less than 30 cm – A warm, intimate sound.
- 50cm – A sound more accurate of human speech.
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
Editing would take place after the recording had finished, using a hard disk system. The editing process may require the reader to come back to re-record some section.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
Marking problems during recording is easy, and saves a lot of time as they can be re-recorded by the reader during the same session. The whole recording does not have to be listened back to and another session set up to correct any mistakes.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
Compression reduces the dynamic range between the quiet and loud sections of the recording. When recording speech it allows the reader to speak softly and loudly and the listener will still receive audio of a fairly consistent level.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
Reverb may at first appear suitable to warm up the voice, however during a period of extended listening reverb can become irritating. If used at all reverb will be used in sections as an effect where the producer wishes to dramatise the plot.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
There is more scope for creative recording technique when recording poetry due to the shorter length of the recordings and the lack of a direct story-telling approach. As well as sound effect and music the pitch of the readers voice may be lowered for poems of a dark nature.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
There is little very little specialist equipment available for audio drama recording. The best microphones to use are those suitable for speech and resistant to popping. Stereo mics, or mics arranged in stereo pairs are useful to capture the movement of the actors. When using a coincident pair of figure of eight mics there is an acting area and also an area where the two channels would be out of phase which must be avoided by the readers.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
A dead area with hardly any reflection is used to simulate an outdoor environment.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
A live area has a variable reverberation time which is dependant on surface coverings. The different amounts of reverb can simulate the acoustics of various kinds of interiors.
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
An effects area simulate acoustic environments such as a kitchen, telephone booth, or staircase with various floor coverings – carpet, wood, or concrete.
22. Comment on the use of the narrator's booth.
The narrators booth is used solely for narration, and has the benefit of allowing a live broadcast or ‘as live’ recording to continue while other areas of the studio are being setup for other parts of the production.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces are used to recreate the sound of walking on surfaces such as concrete, wood, or gravel.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Sound effects can either be recorded live, or sourced from a sound effects library. Skilled operators know as ‘grams operators’ play sound effects live.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects through a loudspeaker in the studio.
Most effectively sound effects would be played through loud speakers in the studio allowing the sound to take on the acoustic character of the space occupied by the actors, and also allows the actors to hear the effects and react to them.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
To create the interior of a car four acoustic screens with glass panels on can be placed in a triangle or square to create the acoustics of a car interior. Also absorbent material could be placed on the floor to simulate the soft seats of a car.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
Using a coincident pair of figure of eight mics creates an acting area where the readers should perform to obtain a good sound, and also an area where the two channels would be out of phase – this area must be avoided by the readers.
28. What is 'fader start'?
Fader start is necessary when music and effects are used in a live or ‘as live’ recording. Fader start means that there is a microswitch in the fader that closes immediately the fader moves up from the completely off position. This sends a signal to a CD player, tape recorder, or gram to start straight away, and without the start button having to be pressed.
29. List the contexts in which sound effects are commonly used.
Comedy, radio, TV, film, sports, sci-fi - any recording which is not, an actual event.
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
In drama the accuracy of sound effects is important to produce a believable event or scene, and fool the listener’s ears into believing that the sound heard actually took place in the context of the drama. Unrealistic sound effects however are not appropriate for drama, but may be used in comedy and radio for humorous effect.
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Sound effects from the 1930’s are still used because they are recordings of sounds which may not sound the same today. For example the sound of a train would be more instantly recognisable if a recording a steam train from the 1930’s was used, as opposed to a modern train. Also sound effects from the 1930’s are all authentic, they were made in the days before synthesised sound (i.e. the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 1960’s).
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
To create an old feel to a scene where a pristine digitally created sound or recording would sound unauthentic and totally out of place.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
Real life sounds have a dynamic range way beyond the capability of human hearing - from the low frequencies created by the movement of the earth’s plates, to the ultra frequencies used by seals to communicate. Other animals have different dynamic capacities to hear then us and so produce sounds suitable to their hearing.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
The range of human hearing, which varies due to age, extends from around 20 to 20,000 Hz. Sounds that are usually desired to be heard are usually found in a frequency range of 50Hz to 20,000Hz and frequencies in this range are usually desired adequate to be picked up by a microphone.
- A good condenser will have a typical frequency range of 40Hz to 20,000Hz.
- A dynamic microphone has a more limited frequency range but can still pick up frequencies of around 16,000Hz.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Spot effects create an individual effect, for example, a clap, thud, crack, or whip.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
An extended effect will be longer than a spot effect or hit, or example, a train, street noise, or a round of applause as opposed to a solitary clap.
38. What is 'room tone'?
Room tone is the natural ambient background sound in an environment such as the sounds of wind outdoors or the distant hum of an indoor generator or fan.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Sound effects have a wider base for use if they are recorded in isolation. If a vacuum cleaner was recorded while tea was being made it could only be used for this application, however if the sounds were recorded separately then they could be used for either purpose. Reverb and ambience also affect the future usability of a recording, it is better to record the sound without any colouration and add it at a later stage. This allows the recording to be used in more scenarios with ambience and reverb added to suit the situation.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
Room tone is faked to create the effect of a real scene even though it is being recorded in a studio. Outside and other room noise will be added to give the impression, although fake, of the real environment.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
Windscreen wipers, petrol cap, seat-belt, electric windows, boot slamming, hand brake cranked.
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
Stereo sound effects are harder to manipulate in the mix. The panning effect captured during their recording has to be maintained in the use on a track. They are not as malleable as a mono special effect.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
The MS technique has the advantage of absolute mono compatibility.
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
The MS technique allows the apparent source width to be adjusted even after the recording has been made by varying the ratio of the signals originating in the mid and side microphones.
45. Describe Foley effects.
Foley is a motion picture term, named after Jack Foley, where sound effects are created by a foley artist as he or she watches the projected film. Foley sounds are created to accompany the noisemaking movement of actors in real time. Even if the item in question would or could make its own sound during the filming, it is standard practice to replace the original sound with one created after the fact in a Foley studio by a Foley artist.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
Footsteps, clothes rustling, crockery clinking, paper folding, doors opening and slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
A Foley stage needs to be acoustically dead. They often appear to be storage areas for the studio's unwanted junk. Metal laundry tubes are filled to the brim with metal trays, tin pie plates, empty soda cans, hubcaps, bedpans, knives, forks and broken staple guns. These crash tubes are used for anything from comedy crashes to adding presence (brightness and naturalness) to something as serious as a car crash. Embedded in the floor is the heart of any Foley stage - the walking surfaces (for the production of all types of footsteps). |
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Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:17 am |
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albertom
Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 22
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1. Describe the difference between an audio book and a talking book.
In common usage an audio book is a recorded novel for sale to the general public. A talking book on the other hand is a recording specifically produced for the blind.
2. What would be the typical duration of a novel, as read out loud?
Anything up to six hours or more to read.
3. What is the maximum official duration of a CD?
A CD can hold up to 74 minutes
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, and getting the reactions of others.
5. Briefly explain the term 'narrative'.
Narrative is the general term for telling a story
6. Briefly explain the term 'description'.
Description is an attempt to present as directly as possible the
qualities of a person, place, object, or event. When we describe, we make impressions, attempting through language to represent reality. Description is in effect, word painting
7. What is 'abridgement'?
An epitome or compend. In order to fix a Novel in a CD this has to be shortened.
8. Briefly describe the differences in using an actor to read a book, versus a 'personality'.
Obviously an actor or actress is trained and experienced in delivering the spoken word. A 'personality isn't an actor to read.
9. What are 'lip smacks'?
Lip smacks are an irritation which some people are better at controlling than others, and often seem to be accentuated by the microphone.
10. What are the acoustic requirements of a voiceover studio?
It can be small, but it should be acoustically fairly dead.
11. What is an 'acoustic table'?
This is a special table covered with soft cloth not unlike a pool table. Underneath, however, the supporting surface is acoustically transparent, as much as possible, so that there is very little reflection back into the mic, which would color the sound.
12. Comment on microphone distance in relation to the quality of the recorded voice.
The distance between the actor and the mic would depend on whether you wanted a warm, intimate sound (less than 30 cm), or a sound that is a more accurate representation of human speech (around 50 cm).
13. When would edits be made to cut out coughs, mistakes etc.?
After finishing the recording on a Hard Disk.
14. Comment on the significance of marking problems during the session.
Its facilitate the editing process.
15. What is the benefit of compression?
It may be appropriate to use compression. Compression reduces the dynamic range between the quiet and loud sections of the speech. This allows the actor to speak softly or to shout, thus varying the tone of the voice, but the listener still receives a fairly consistent level. story, could be helpful.
16. Describe the use of reverberation.
At first consideration, reverberation might seem nice to 'warm up' the voice. But it can get irritating during extended listening. However, the producer may decide to partially dramatize the recording, particularly if the story is written in first person, and reverberation - or at least ambience - added when necessary to suit the story, could be helpful.
17. Comment on the use of creative recording techniques for poetry.
The requirements for poetry are very similar to audio books. However the duration of poems is very much shorter. This, combined with the lack of the direct story-telling approach, means that it may be more allowable to be creative in the sound quality of the recording.
18. Comment on the microphone technique for audio drama.
Rather than put each individual actor in front of their own microphone, and mix their voices together into a simulacrum of believability, 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.
19. In an audio drama studio, comment on the use of the dead area.
A dead area with hardly any reflection. This is used to simulate an outdoor environment.
20. Comment on the use of the live area.
The drama studio needs to have a variety of spaces that provide the acoustics of real life:
21. Comment on the use of effects areas.
Effects areas are 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.
Narrator's booth, obviously for narration. This has the additional benefit, if the script calls for it, that a live broadcast, or 'as live' recording can continue while the other areas of the studio are reset.
23. Explain the use of walking surfaces.
Walking surfaces - concrete, wood, gravel trays etc. To create the effects as the actors are moving from one site to another.
24. Describe how sound effects are produced in the drama studio.
Live sound effects are important in audio drama. We are well-used to the idea of sourcing sound effects from a CD library, or going out and recording sound effects for a specific requirement. But playback of pre-recorded effects doesn't always blend well with the way in which the actors perform in the studio, which involves movement from place to place, even running on occasion. Hence, in the audio drama studio you will find devices for producing all types of common sounds.
25. Comment on the value of playing sound effects 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.
26. How is the acoustic environment of a car interior simulated?
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.
27. Comment on the acting area and 'no-go' area when using a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones.
For a coincident crossed pair of figure-of-eight microphones, there is an acting area, and a no-go area where the outputs of the two channels would be out of phase.
28. What is 'fader start'?
This means that there is a microswitch 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.
For the playback of effects, samplers connected to MIDI keyboards are very versatile. For a storm effect for example, on a CD there might be a selection of thunder, wind, rain, and perhaps all of them combined. With a sampler, you could allocate the different component sounds to keys on the MIDI keyboard and 'play' the storm live. You don't have to be a musician to do this, and it is surprisingly effective.
A digital reverberation device is useful for simulating large acoustic spaces
30. Comment on the value of accuracy in sound effects.
Usually in a recording studio the object is to reproduce the sound as accurately or as cleanly as possible. In radio theater, and particularly in sound effects, recording technique often depends on the "degradation" of sound. You are changing the sound to establish and maintain the picture you want to create in the mind of the listener
31. Why are sound effects recorded as long ago as the 1930s still in use?
Sound effects from the 1930’s are still in use because they are become synonymous with certain sounds and are very easily identified.
32. Why is it sometimes useful for archive sound effects to sound noisy or crackly?
This can be useful to give the sound character and a timestamp or a more historic feel to it.
33. Comment on the dynamic range of real life sounds.
The dynamic range of real life sounds is very large. You could be standing outside and hear a truck pass by while standing at a crossing and right after in the distance, hear a train far away.
34. Comment on the dynamic range of recording equipment in relation to that of real life sounds.
Getting recordings in 24-bit resolution gives a better dynamic range.
35. Give examples of spot effects.
Discrete (spot) Effects - Indicate individual events; what, how, and how much Brief individual effects, or composite of effects, specifically placed and timed for a single action. Many spot effects can be made with the mouth, the hands, or with small noisemakers.
36. Give examples of extended effects.
A car engine running.
38. What is 'room tone'?
‘Room tone’ is a combination of many subtle sounds that make up the atmosphere of a specific location and makes it unique.
39. Why must sound effects be recorded in isolation from other sounds and excessive reverberation or ambience?
Same reason vocals are preferably recorded dry without reverb and isolated. This makes it easier to manipulate them later on since no background noise or excess reverb has to be taken into account.
40. In what context would room tone be faked?
The TV show, Homicide – Life on the Street, uses fake room tone to give it its own definition. You can hear the same telephone ring tone and busy workplace ambience in the background every time the set is inside the police precinct. And a distinct foghorn is heard during scenes that take place outside.
41. Give six examples of sounds made by a car that are not mentioned in the text.
What text? I’ll list six sounds anyways:
Windshield wipers
Engine start
Door shut
Tire skid
Automatic windows rolling up or down
Car Horn
42. Comment on the problems introduced by recording sound effects in stereo.
Stereo sound effects are harder to place in a mix.
43. Why is the coincident crossed pair (or MS) technique preferable to stereo techniques where the mics are separated?
Because stereo signals have true mono compatibility
44. Give two advantages of MS technique over a coincident crossed pair.
Using the MS technique, it is easier to control the spaciousness or the width of the stereo image by adjusting the ratio between the mid microphone and the side mic.
Is more mono compatible.
45. Describe Foley effects.
A sound effects technique for synchronous effects or live effects. Foley artists match live sound effects with the action of the picture. The sound effects are laid "manually" and not cut in with film.
46. What kinds of sound would the Foley technique be used for?
The rustling of clothing and a queak of a saddle when a rider mounts his horsem a steamy sex scene making dispassionate love to his or her own wrist.
Footsteps, hand shakes, sounds in fight scenes like punches and kicks and things breaking.
47. In what characteristic is a Foley stage superior to any other recording studio?
The recording area needs to be completely dead so nothing but the intended sounds are pick up by the microphones. Foleying is an excellent means of supplying the subtle sounds that production mikes often miss.
I uploaded the sound effects practical to my albertom folder in tge upload section  |
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Sat May 01, 2004 6:49 am |
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