Sync DSLR Camera footage with audio from another recording device.

Lining up your audio in the editor when in post with you footage and separate audio can sometimes be a hassle for some folks

Using a slate to mark sound for a take is a must when using a DSLR and recording dual-system sound.  In the studio here we just look for the click of the slate board in the audio line and line up the audio with the video clip, which has never been a problem.  One program,  Final Cut X has a audio sync feature that will line up your audio with the video footage but many of the other editing programs do not.

 Sometimes you may end up using many camera’s for a shoot with lots of data and sound.  If you are in a time crunch to get a edit out you may want this cool tool, PluralEyes 3.  Many editors use this program and I think it can be useful in a time crunch.

Binary Recording Studio is a Video / Audio production company in Bellingham Wa.

Free weekly music stems for your project!

Free weekly music stems for your project.  Luke Neumann is a music composer and film maker who has decided to share some of his music for you to use in your project.  I like his stuff so check him out at,  http://www.neumannfilms.net/the-weekly-freebie-project/

Binary Recording Studio is a Video / Audio Production Company in Bellingham Wa.

What are the peak audio levels for DVD's

What are the peak audio levels for DVD production?  If you talk to 7 different audio engineers you will most likely get different answers.

I have produced audio post for film, video, broadcast and internet / streaming. Each final format of these delivery has different peak audio levels. Why? because each has a different output system or compression they use at the output stage.  These are the levels that we use in our studio.

 Here are some basic starting audio peak levels for these formats.  Using the current video editing software never push your peaks to - 0db for final render.

For film and broadcast which is delivered in 5 to 1, 7 to 1,  or stereo has a -12db level for dialog with the dynamic pecks not going over -6db ( explosions etc...)

Make sure you check the network you are delivering to because they often have their own requirements. Example: PBS is different then the Discovery Channel.

DVD’s you can safely have your peaks go to -6db or -4db.  With the internet,  like YouTube you can peak at -3db because they use a compression with their conversion to prevent distortion.

These are basic levels.  There are some other post audio methods that are used in the  process to maximize the dynamics without surpassing the peak levels. These are methods that are more then can be covered in this short article. Good luck and rules are made to be broken!

Binary Recording Studio a Video / Audio Production Company in Bellingham Wa.

Why hasn’t the Blu-ray players gone mainstream?

Why hasn’t the Blu-ray players gone mainstream?  We all love the home movie experience with our big flat screen monitors.  Maybe they were never that good? 

Recent research has shown that a large percent of viewers still watch movies on disc, meaning there's hope for Blu-ray. On the other hand, after years of Hollywood studios fighting the trend, the future is clear: Movies and video are moving to online streaming services.  No more discs and store late fees. 

Simply rent or buy the movie online Netflix’s etc....US internet users watching online video to the tune of 182 million viewers in the last 12 months. It won't be as sharp a picture as that offered by a Blu-ray disc, but you don't have to get off the couch. 

There wasn't enough of a qualitative difference between the picture quality offered by an  DVD and that of a Blu-ray disc for most people. Sure, analysts can tell the difference, but it isn't  enough difference to make viewers sit up and take notice. It wasn't like the jump from VCRs to DVD players or from giant tube TVs to flat screens.

And now it may be too late for Blu-ray.   In the studio here we decided that it wasn’t worth investing in the Blu-ray delivery for clients.

                                                             How about bringing the Laser Disk back!

Binary Recording Studio a Audio / Video production company in Bellingham Wa.

ADR Audio Post at Binary Recording Studio

At Binary we do post audio work for film and many times it is ADR work.  We have done this for TV series, feature film and commercials.  ADR stands for Automated Dialog Replacement or Looping.
Sometimes the audio on set can not be used and the actors dialog need to be replaced.  Perfect example of this:    How come you can hear the actor's dialog so clear as they are standing next to a helicopter running, ADR replacement.

An actor watches the image repeatedly while listening to the original production track on headphones as a guide. The actor then re-performs each line to match the wording and lip movements. Actors vary in their ability to achieve sync and to recapture the emotional tone of their performance.  

James G. Stewart, head of post-production at RKO Studios, talks about one such challenge when working with Orson Welles on "The Magnificent Ambersons."

There were six principals involved in the dialogue, and I recorded each one separately to the picture. This was done without Orson being on the stage. I then combined these tracks and rerecorded them with the necessary motor noise of the old-type automobile. 
On running the result with Orson, he said "It's all right technically, but it's no good from the standpoint of realism. I don't feel that the people are in the automobile. There's no sense of movement in their voices; they're not responding to the movements of the car. The voices are much too static." 
So I went back to the recording stage and redid all of the lines. This time they were done with the actor or actress and myself seated on a twelve inch plank suspended between saw-horses. As we watched the picture I simulated the movement of the car by bouncing the performer and myself up and down on the plank. After a week of bumping, I had a track which I then rerecorded and ran for Welles. His only comment was "That's very good". Orson was not given to exaggerated praise of anyone's efforts. 

Binary Recording Studio a Video Production Company in Bellingham Wa.

CD's are over, Digital downloads the future?

Nevertheless, it’s clear that the CD is on its last legs. With iTunes the largest music retailer in the U.S., having sold billions of songs, and with iPods selling like lattes in a neighborhood coffee house, the music industry is rethinking its distribution. Are we tired of devices that play disc that go around in a circle?  Many years ago sitting in the studio we would talk about the future of music delivery and dreamed about having the whole Beatles library of work on a computer clip or something like that.  We are a multi tasking mobile type people who are requiring a portable listening experience!  

Binary Recording Studio a Video Audio Production Company

Foley Sound for film at Binary Recoding Studio

We do audio post for films and video's. It can be a short or a feature we often end up doing foley sound effects.
We have a huge sound effect library but often they just don't work. When it is about timing, getting the right sound for the scene and the ambience foley sound will often be alot faster then editing together 400 footsteps in sync.

Here is a video of Gary Hecker doing his thing, the man behind the sound ( Empire Strikes to Robin Hood)


SoundWorks Collection: Gary Hecker - Veteran Foley Artist from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.


Binary Recording Studio a Audio / Video production Company