Digital Sound for Digital Video

Want to make your video sound as good as it looks?

SoundhouseVectorlab:Digital Sound for Digital Video Sound is half the picture.

2Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

Soundhouse VectorlabPowerhouse Museum

Powerhouse Museum500 Harris StreetUltimo (Sydney)NSW AustraliaInfoline 02 9217 0444Telephone 02 9217 0111www.shvl.org.au

Course Brief

Aims and Outcomes

Course Outline

Web Resources

Suggested Reading

Glossary

We dont use digital audio because its better, we use it because its robust. Jay Rose

Contents

3Timeline

1519 First known depiction of the Camera Obscura. Essentially a darkened room with a small pin hole that allowed for an upside-down image to appear on a wall.

1839 Louis Daguerre creates a permanent image on a metal plate naming the process, Daguerreotype. The downside of the Daguerreotype was that it wasnt re-printable, it was a one off image.

1840 The Calotype, developed at the same time as the Daguerreotype, solved the problem of re-production by creating an image negative that could be infinitely re-printed as a positive image.

1884 George Eastman develops the first flexible celluloid film and in 1888 followed it up with the Box Brownie camera that made photography accessible to everyone.

Course TitleFar too often sound is the neglected element in a digital video production and yet it is well documented that a very large proprotion of the information we take in when watching a movie is through our ears. This 1-day intensive workshop will introduce particpants to the key elements of digital sound including recording, mixing and editing digital audio, audio formats and an overview of audio hardware. Good sound is more than half the battle in making a great movie.

Aims and OutcomesThis hands-on workshop will introduce participants to creative and practical skills for creating and manipulating digital audio in post-production using multi-track audio tools found in common software video editing systems. The workshop will specifically use the Sony Vegas audio and video software system but all topics covered utilise universal concepts applicable to all editing systems and hardware. Participants will learn to:

- Understand digital audio and its unique strengths- Identify different digital audio file formats for use in computer

editing- Use multi-tracking to created layered soundscapes of foley, voice

and music- Mix and master audio for best quality output- Edit, manipulate and add effects to sound files- Identify different recording techniques - Synchronise aural and visual events- Understand microphone types and their uses- Creatively sequence digital sound events for video projects- Deal with common sound problems- Master audio files for best quality output using equalization and

compression

Course BriefSoundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

41895 Louis Lumiere shows the first mass audience, moving picture film. He calls it the Cinematograph.

1900 The first demonstration of synchronised picture and sound in Paris. It wasnt until 1923 that the first paying audience saw a movie with sound.

1906 Australia produces the worlds first featute-length narrative film, The History Of the Kelly Gang.

1932 Technicolour Three-Colour process for colour movies is intoduced but many films continue to be made in black and white.

1933 Murry Spivak manipulates sound creatively for King Kong. By taking a recording of a lion and slowing it down he creates the growl of the giant ape.

Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

Topic 1. What is digital sound?Non-linear and Non-destructive editing Stereo and mono Sample-rate and bit-depth Timecode Reading the waveform (amplitude and frequency) Zooming (changing waveform resolution)

Topic 2. Multi-trackingInserting audio tracks Arranging audio events Dialogue, Foley and Score Loop Sequencing and Music Tempo and Key

Topic 3. MixingMute and Solo Faders, levels and panning VU meters and Clipping Volume and Pan Envelopes

Topic 4. Editing soundWorking with the Waveform Video preview Rhythm editing Trimming events Splitting and cutting

Topic 5. Sound Editing TechniqueSilence doesnt exist J-Cut and L-Cut Disguising the cut (movement & action)

Topic 6. SynchronisationSynching video and audio elements Grouping events Locking and unlocking video and audio

Topic 7. Common issuesDealing with sibilance Removing cracks and pops Overcoming background noise

Course Outline

51963 First computer generated film created by Edward Zajac.

1965 First computer art exhibition, held at Technische Hochschule in Stuttgart.

1967 Cockpit Simulation by William Fetter at Boeing has 3D computer-animated human.

1972 The first patented electronic camera that used a CCD (charge coupled device) for capturing images without film was produced by the Texas Instruments company.

1972 Australian Company Miller produces the worlds first patented Fluid-Head Tripod that allows for smooth free movement of the camera. This has a dramatic impact on how audiences see the moving image.

Topic 8. MasteringReverb EQ Dynamics Compression

Topic 9. Audio formatsCompressed and Uncompressed audio *.wav, *.aif Datarates *.mp3, *.wma

What is for the eye must not duplicate what is for the ear. Robert Bresson

Course Outline (cont)Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

6Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

www.shvl.org Gateway to Soundhouse-Vectorlab workshops and events.

www.creativecommons.org Offers a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors and artists that gives control over copyright back to creators and users.

www.dmnforums.com On-line forums for just about every known media software application.

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/ Collection of free sound effects

http://www.ljudo.com Library of downloadable free soundeffects

http://www.filmsound.org/ The definitive online resource for all things related to film sound - technical, creative, practical, theoretical.

http://www.northbeachpost.com/handy_glossary.html A very detailed glossary of film sound terms and terminology

http://www.filmland.com/glossary/Dictionary.html A searchable dictonary of cinema sound terms.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net 100% free and very powerful audio editing and production software.

www.nch.com.au/wavepadTotally free and excellent digital sound recording and editing software.

Web Resources

1975Garrett Brown invents the steadicam first used in films such as Rocky and The Shining. The camera can now be hand-held and moved fluidly and smoothly anywhere.

1978 First Computer Graphic film title created for Superman.

1982 TRON, becomes the first live action film with over 20 minutes of computer animation.

1982 The first digital electronic camera (one that records picture information as binary code) was introduced at the University of Calgary.

1985 Quantel Harry is the first, commercial, non-linear editing system.

71988 Image manipulation software developed at the special effects production house, Industrial Light and Magic (famous for Star Wars) with the name ImagePro.

1989 The Little Mermaid is Disneys last film to use traditional ink and paint

1995 The DV specification and standard is introuduced designed for consumer use but the format quickly explodes in popularity for professionals.

1998 DVD is introduced and quickly takes over from VHS as the dominant delivery format for feature films.

1990 Image Pro released by Adobe software as Photoshop version 1.0

Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

Viewfinder: an introduction to movies and visual media.By Mike Jones

Producing Great sound for digital videoBy Jay Rose

The Digital Filmmakers handbook.By Ben Long & Sonja Schenek

Sound theory Sound practiceRick Altman

Cinesonic: the world of sound in filmPhillip Brophy

Sound for digital videoTomlinson Holman

Desktop audio technologyFrancis Rumsey

Real world digital audioPeter Kirn

Hands OnBy Marcus Gilezeau

Suggested Reading

8AIFF *.aif files are an uncompressed audio format native to Apple Macintosh computers. It is the equivalent of *.wav files on PC platforms but both *.wav and *.aif are universal to all operating systems.

Analogue In regard to Sound, analogue formats use vibrations to replicate sound waves. Analogue video is similar using vibrations to replicate an image rather than digital binary code. The disadvantage of analogue formats when compared to digital ones is that images and sound loose quality each time they are passed from device to device or copied. Analogue formats are also unable to retain additional information such as time codes and recording specs.

Beats Per Minute (BMP) The tempo of a piece of music can be written as a number of beats in one minute. If the tempo is 60 BPM, a single beat occurs once every second. Lower BPMs equal slower tempo, and vice versa.

Boom A Boom is a long pole used to support and mount a microphone for recording sound on location or in a studio. The aim of the boom is to manoeuvre the mic as close to the source as possible without coming into the frame of the shot.

Clapper Board Also known as a Slate, the Clapper Board is two hinged sticks that are clapped together in front of the camera prior to the shot so the editor, in post production has a clear audio/visual point from which to re-synch sound and vision that was recorded separately.

Cross fade Mixing two pieces of overlapping audio or video by fading one out as the other fades in.

DAT (digital audio tape) A format for recording sound digitally. It uses magnetic tape in the same way as an ordinary cassette tape but the information is encoded as binary code. DAT is a very high quality format and is used on many film and video set as well as for the initial recording of sound effects and vocals for websites and other media.

GlossarySoundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

2002 The Lord of the Rings uses a combination of performance capture and keyframe techniques to animate the Gollum character.

2003 The Iraq war sees the widespread use of web-phone footage and dramatically changes what was traditionally thought of as Broadcast Quality.

9Decibel Decibels have several uses in regard to measuring sound. Decibels can be used to refer to how loud something is; Silence is 0db, a sound ten times louder is 10db. But Decibels can also be used to measure the relative volume of a sound - digital sound equipment uses 0db as a reference point for the maximum volume of a signal before it distorts.

Digital Sound The precision of the digital format allows high quality music recording. Digital recording formats include CD,

DAT (digital audio tape), MiniDisc, and computer files such as *.aiff *.wav and *.mp3. The original sound is accurately captured and the recording process does not add interference such as hiss, hum or static.

Dolby Digital A system for recording sound in multiple channels. Dolby is predominantly 5.1 channels (left, right, centre, rear right and left.) The .1 refers to the bass and low frequency sounds often directed through a subwoofer.

Envelopes (Audio and Video) Envelopes are a way of controlling the characteristics or dynamics of images and sound over time. Envelopes are commonly used for audio fade ins and fade outs. With images they are often used for fading to black or controlling the level of opacity in an image.

Graphic EQ Software or hardware tool for isolatign frequency bands in an audio track and adjusting them to remove or boost particular frequencies. Common tool for removing noise, hiss or hum.

Hertz The unit of measurement for frequency (also known as cycles per second). Sound frequencies are measured in hertz and are a way of measuring how high or low the pitch of a sound is.

Loop A Loop is any small segment of sound or music that is Looped on itself so it plays continuously in a pattern. Beats, melodies and vocals can all be looped to play in repetition. Loops are predominantly used in electronic,

Glossary (cont)Soundhouse VectorLabDigital Sound for Digital Video

10

Microphone These are the central devices for capturing sound to be recorded. They generally come in two varieties, Dynamic and Condenser, as well as numerous shapes and sizes depending on the recording situation. All microphones rely on sound waves moving a diaphragm whereby the movements are converted into an audio signal.

Mixer A mixer is a device that allows for multiple inputs of sound to be blended into a single output signal. Mixers often incorporate controls for adjusting the tone characteristics of a sound as it passes through.

MP3 MPEG Layer 3 is a compressed format for digital audio recordings. *.mp3 can be up to one third the size of their original files and still retain near CD sound quality. MPEG stands for Motion Pictures Engineers Group.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) MIDI or Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a computer language for music. MIDI enables hardware such as keyboards, sound modules, samplers, and computers to interact with software to create an environment in which music can be recorded, played and edited. The MIDI protocol was developed by Roland and Yamaha (sic) in 1982 and revised in 1988 and 2000 (MIDI2).

RCA connector A common audio connector used in both professional and domestic environments. RCAs generally use three plugs simultaneously; one for video, one for the left audio and one for the right. They are usually coloured yellow, white and red respectively.

Room Tone A sound recording made on the set or location of a shoot by the location mixer. Room Tone gives the general ambiance of the space the scene takes place that can be used later in the sound editing for the scene.

SMPTE Time code Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers is an organization that governs standards for media


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Sound StageA dedicated, enclosed space for filming. A sound stage allows for a flexible environment for building sets and elevated lighting bars for lighting them.

Stereo AV Stereo AV is a standard set of connectors for combined audio and visual signals. The cable is divided into three, one for video, one for left audio and one for right audio.VO (voice over) VO is added to the character title in a screen play to indicate that the following dialogue is a Voice Over and does not come form within the scene.

Subwoofer Speaker designed specifically to reproduce low-frequency information, usually between the range of 20 to 120 Hz.

VU Meter Volume Unit meters are a reference meter for measuring sound levels. VU meters have their peak level at 0db which is the maximum level before the signal distorts.

WAV file *.wav is a format for digital audio similar to that found on audio CDs. *.wav is an exact audio format meaning it is a precise digital copy of the original sound.

Wave Form Wave Forms are a way of visually representing sound. The further a Wave Form spreads up and down indicates the volume of the sound and the further apart the waves are spread horizontally indicates the pitch. Wide is deep, Short is high.

XLR connector A type of audio cable connector used in professional equipment for all types of audio signals but very most often for microphones.


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Digital Sound for Digital Video