1. Welcome to Introduction to Sound
instructor - Joel Porter
email questions? - joelporter999@hotmail.com

2. Introduction to Sound... what is sound?
* we hear sound as vibrations that move the very small bones in our ears.
* sound (like light) MOVES IN WAVES
* sound volume or “how loud” something sounds is measured in DECIBELS
* the PITCH of a sound is MEASURED in Cycles Per Second or “Hertz”

3. Introduction to Sound
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (February 22, 1857 – January 1, 1894)
was a German physicist who clarified and expanded the electromagnetic theory
of light that had been put forth by Maxwell.
He was the first to satisfactorily demonstrate the existence of electromagnetic
waves by building an apparatus to produce and detect VHF or UHF radio waves.
dB is an abbreviation for "decibel". One decibel is one tenth of a Bel,
named for Alexander Graham Bell.
In acoustics: dB(SPL)
sound pressure level, relative to 20 micropascals (PO) or 20 mN/m2, 1kHz,
the quietest sound a human can hear, dB(SPL) = 20 log P/PO
IdB
sound intensity relative to a standard threshold of hearing intensity Io: Io
= 10-12 watts/m2; IdB = 10 log I/IO

4. Introduction to Sound
* Sound IS IMPORTANT in film
* Sound for film IS NOT the same as...
(sound for video, broadcast television & radio or music)
* Sound IS fun and easy
(all you need is some ears and a brain... you already know what sounds good or bad!)
* Sound IS hard and can be very technical
(It can take years to gain the experience needed to be a sound person)

5. What IS a Microphone?
A microphone, sometimes colloquially called a mic or mike (both pronounced /ˈmaɪk/), is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or
sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, recording
devices, hearing aids, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, in radio and television broadcasting.
Principles of Operation
The physics of sound and electricity govern a mic’s general principle of operation:
a mic takes sound and translates it into an electrical signal;
loud sounds generate a large signal and soft sounds create a small electrical signal.
This translation process is always imperfect,
and so many different types of mics have been invented to allow different mics
to be chosen for different circumstances
(i.e., balancing the trade-offs between how particular mics translate sound
and the sound being captured by the mic).

6. How does a Microphone work?
* Microphones work by converting sound energy into electrical energy,
the only difference is how they do it.
* Mics are built with a diaphragm that is struck by sound waves.
A mic is only able to capture sound that exists (i.e., it records what it hears):
• if you sing out of tune then an off-key sound is what the mic records
• a thin, soft, wispy voice is still soft, thin & wispy when heard by the mic
• a mic cannot be used to overcome poor singing/speaking ability or technique
Just as buying an expensive, high quality piano cannot improve your sight-reading ability,
so buying a high quality mic will not make a bad voice sound great.
Just as a well trained and practiced pianist will play better and sound better on a
well made instrument, the right mic, properly used, will capture the most desirable
qualities of a voice, producing a much better result than would be achieved with the wrong mic.

7. Types of Microphones
* There are many different types of microphones, ones used for entertaining,
computer use, communications, and many other applications.
* They all do the same thing, they just differ in how they do it,
and the quality that they do it.
* What you want to record will determine what type you should use.
* Basically there are 2 main types... DYNAMIC and CONDENSOR

8. Types of Microphones
Dynamic Microphones
This type is easily identified by the mesh top of the microphone,
almost everyone has used one if they have picked up a microphone.
They are almost always used when recording in the studios. You can
use dynamic mics with drums, guitars, and bass guitars, and you are
also able to use them for vocals.
And the best things about dynamic microphones are that they are
fairly inexpensive compared to other types of microphones, and they
also do not need batteries or a power supply to operate.
-works by using a diaphragm made out of plastic, that diaphragm is
connected to a small coil of wire that is in between two magnets
which makes it encased in a magnetic field.
When someone talks into the microphone the vibration creates an
electrical current. This current is transferred to a sound amplifier that
is connected to the microphone. The reason a dynamic microphone
needs a sound amplifier is because the current that is created within
the microphone is too little to actually make the sounds.
There are a few downsides to using dynamic microphones, one of
them is that the microphone is incapable of producing high
frequencies... in other words they don’t sound great.
Another bad thing about the dynamic microphone is that it takes a lot
of amplification to produce the sound.

9. Types of Microphones
Capacitor or Condenser Microphones
Condenser means capacitor, an electronic component which stores energy in the form of an
electrostatic field. The term condenser is actually obsolete but has stuck as the name for this type
of microphone, which uses a capacitor to convert acoustical energy into electrical energy.
These are usually more expensive then dynamic microphones because the quality of sound that they
produce are better quality. That and because the capacitor microphones can reproduce higher
frequency sounds unlike the dynamic mic.
The way capacitor microphones work are that there are two conducting plates inside the microphone,
one is fixed in a position, and the other is free moving inside the mic. The electric sound is produced
when the distance between the two diaphragm is changed. When current comes in contact with the
capacitor an electrical current is produced. Voltage must be applied between them is called phantom
power.
Capacitor microphones are more efficient then the dynamic microphone, but still produces very small
electrical signals. They require a special built-in preamplifier to make the signal stronger.
Electret Microphone
These are very similar as the capacitor microphones, but the only difference is that the diaphragm that
is used in these are made with a insulted material and has a permanent electrical charge. An amp is
still needed to produce the sound, the Electret mic can be run with a battery in it.

10. Introduction to Sound
*ALL Microphones have a Pick Up Pattern!
- Microphones have different pickup patterns, or directional capabilities
- omnidirectional (or nondirectional) microphone's response is generally considered to be a perfect sphere
in three dimensions
- most common unidirectional microphone is a cardioid microphone, so named because the sensitivity
pattern is heart-shaped. A hyper-cardioid microphone is similar but with a tighter area of front sensitivity and
a smaller lobe of rear sensitivity
-"Figure 8" or bi-directional microphones receive sound from both the front and back of the element
-"Shotgun" microphones are the most highly directional. They have small lobes of sensitivity to the left,
right, and rear but are significantly less sensitive to the side and rear than other directional microphones
are. This results from placing the element at the end of a tube with slots cut along the side; wave
cancellation eliminates much of the off-axis sound. Due to the narrowness of their sensitivity area, shotgun
microphones are commonly used on television and film sets, in stadiums, and for field recording of wildlife.

11. Introduction to Sound
*take care of your equipment !!!
- mics, cords, board and recording devices require you to treat them right!

12. Introduction to Sound
audio engineer test tones?
- Audio test tones are a special class of artificially-created sounds.
An example is the sine-wave tone you sometimes hear at the end of a video.
There are two things test tones are usually used for:
1.Testing the quality of an audio signal.
2.Testing the quality of audio hardware systems and identifying faults

13. Introduction to Sound... what is sound?
* What you can hear... frequencies! The ear can hear sounds ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz.
It is most sensitive to frequencies between 500Hz and 4000Hz, which corresponds almost exactly to the speech band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7D1f6U6TpU

14. Introduction to Sound
*setting up is EASY if you follow the signal path...
- Start at the sound source and work back to your recording device
- MIC / MIC CORD / SOUND BOARD / RECORD DEVICE
- Troubleshooting is easy when you follow the signal path

15. Introduction to Sound
some basic recording tips for the film set
1. EQ’d vs. Flat Recordings - when recording on the set go “FLAT”
2. If possible, don’t use Compression or Limiting.
3. A poor recording of a great performance is better than a great
recording of a poor performance.
4. High Quality vs. Memory Space - always a challenge.

16. Introduction to Sound
Sound Department Basics for the Film Set
1. Be EARLY!
2. TEST the equipment.
3. Hurry Up AND Wait.
4. Sound is always ready.
5. Talk to the Script Supervisor and Assistant Director to get clues on what is to be
recorded in each scene.
6. Be an asset, don’t interrupt... the talent or director! If sound needs another take wait
until the director says cut.
7. Take Notes on each take on a Sound Log. Make a “qualitative” judgement on each take.
8. During breaks in the action check your recordings.
9. When done keep tapes/flash cards (your recordings) in a safe place, well labeled with
your notes.
10. When you break down take the time to put away your equipment neatly and properly.

17. Introduction to Sound
“lets do a take!”
Protocol for the Film Set
1. AD will yell... quiet up! this is for picture!
2. AD tells sound.... “roll sound”.
3. SOUND replies.... “sound rolling”.
4. SOUND slates the take (scene, take and roll - from clapboard) and “set” when ready.
5. AD then calls for the camera to roll... “roll camera”
6. Camera assistant - starts the camera and announces when camera has “speed”.
7. Take is slated with the clap board.
8. Director calls for “action”.
9. The scene is performed.
10. Director calls for “cut”... to end the take.
11. Sound Department then pauses or stops recording... and makes sound log notes.

18. Introduction to Sound
The BOOM Pole
1. Mic position... in front of the camera but NOT in
shot. Utilize the microphone’s pick-up pattern.
2. Keep your cords neat and out of the way.
3. Leave one ear of your headphones “uncovered”
between takes.
4. It’s a TEAM effort, communicate with your partner
on the board.
5. Mic each scene to match the shot perspective.
(if its a close-up, mic position is tight and just out
of shot... if its a long shot, mic position is farther back)

19. Introduction to Sound
Post Production
1. Most of what is recorded on set is reference audio
2. 3 Main Elements of the Soundtrack are:
Dialogue/voices (V/O) , Music (MX) and Sound Effects (SFX)
3. EQUALIZATION
4. LIMITERS AND COMPRESSION
5. Digital Audio vs. Analog
6. ADR - Automated Dialogue Replacement
7. Foley Sound Effects vs. CD Libraries
8. Music Libraries and Composers... and licensing
9. Final Mix Down, automated mixes and plug-ins

20. Introduction to Sound
EQUALIZATION

21. Introduction to Sound
In simple terms, a compressor is an automatic volume
control. Loud sounds over a certain threshold are
LIMITERS AND COMPRESSION reduced in level while quiet sounds remain untreated
(this is known as downward compression, while the
less common upward compression involves making
sounds below the threshold louder while the louder
passages remain unchanged). In this way it reduces the
dynamic range of an audio signal. This may be done for
aesthetic reasons, to deal with technical limitations of
audio equipment, or to improve audibility of audio in
noisy environments.
In a noisy environment, background noise can
overpower quiet sounds (such as listening to a car
stereo while driving). A comfortable listening level for
loud sounds makes the quiet sounds inaudible below
the noise; a comfortable listening level for quiet sounds
makes the loud sounds too loud. Compression is used
in order to make both the soft and loud parts of a sound
more tolerable at the same volume setting.
Compression reduces the level of the loud sounds, but
not the quiet sounds; thus, the level can be raised to a
point where the quiet sounds are more audible without
the loud sounds being too loud. Contrast this with the
complementary process of an expander, which performs
almost the exact opposite function of a compressor, i.e.,
an expander increases the dynamic range of the audio
signal

22. Introduction to Sound
LIMITERS AND COMPRESSION

23. Introduction to Sound
Digital Audio vs. Analog

24. Introduction to Sound
ADR - Automated Dialogue Replacement
(additional or automatic, too)
Automated dialogue replacement or Additional dialogue recording
(ADR) is the process of re-recording the original dialogue after filming for the
purpose of obtaining a cleaner, more intelligible dialogue track (also known
as looping or a looping session). In the UK it is called post-
synchronisation or post-sync.
In conventional film production, a production sound mixer records dialogue
during filming. Unless the shoot takes place on a sound stage, accompanying
noise from the set, traffic, wind, and the overall ambiance of the surrounding
environment can be overbearing. This often results in unusable production
sound, and during the post-production process a supervising sound editor or
ADR Supervisor reviews all of the dialogue in the film and decides which
lines will have to be replaced. ADR is used in over 70% of major U.S. films.[
ADR is also used to change the original lines recorded on set in order to
clarify context, or to improve the actor's diction and timing.
For animation such as computer-generated imagery or animated cartoons dialogue
is recorded to a pre-edited version of the show. Although the characters' voices are
recorded in a studio, ADR is necessary whenever members of the cast can not all be
present at once.
ADR is recorded during an ADR session, which takes place in a specialized sound
studio. The actor, usually the original actor from the set, is shown the scene in
question along with the original sound, following which he or she will attempt to
recreate the performance as closely as possible. Over the course of multiple re-
takes (hence looping) the actor will repeatedly perform the lines while watching the
scene, and the most suitable take will make it to the final version of the scene.

25. Introduction to Sound
ADR - Automated Dialogue Replacement
(additional or automatic, too)
Automated dialogue replacement or Additional dialogue recording
(ADR) is the process of re-recording the original dialogue after filming for the
purpose of obtaining a cleaner, more intelligible dialogue track (also known
as looping or a looping session). In the UK it is called post-
synchronisation or post-sync.
In conventional film production, a production sound mixer records dialogue
during filming. Unless the shoot takes place on a sound stage, accompanying
noise from the set, traffic, wind, and the overall ambiance of the surrounding
environment can be overbearing. This often results in unusable production
sound, and during the post-production process a supervising sound editor or
ADR Supervisor reviews all of the dialogue in the film and decides which
lines will have to be replaced. ADR is used in over 70% of major U.S. films.[
ADR is also used to change the original lines recorded on set in order to
clarify context, or to improve the actor's diction and timing.
For animation such as computer-generated imagery or animated cartoons dialogue
is recorded to a pre-edited version of the show. Although the characters' voices are
recorded in a studio, ADR is necessary whenever members of the cast can not all be
present at once.
ADR is recorded during an ADR session, which takes place in a specialized sound
studio. The actor, usually the original actor from the set, is shown the scene in
question along with the original sound, following which he or she will attempt to
recreate the performance as closely as possible. Over the course of multiple re-
takes (hence looping) the actor will repeatedly perform the lines while watching the
scene, and the most suitable take will make it to the final version of the scene.

26. Introduction to Sound
Foley Sound Effects
The Foley artist on a film crew is the person who creates many of the
natural, everyday sound effects in a film, which are recorded during a
session with a recording engineer. Before the session, a project will be
cued, with notes kept about what sounds need to be created during the
foley session. Often, the project will have a sound supervisor who will
dictate what sounds need to be covered in a foley session and what
needs to be created by special (audio) effects, which is generally left to
the sound designer.
Sound effects and foley are added during post-production to dialog and
real effects that were picked up by microphones on-set. Sometimes
(especially in the case of cartoons, many Italian films, and almost all
Bollywood films) there is no sound recorded on-location, and all the
sounds need to be added by the foley artist and sound designer, and
dubber. The Foley artist may also accent existing sounds to make them
more effective—enhancing the sounds of a fistfight may require thumping
watermelons or cracking bamboo. Many Foley artists take pride in
devising their own sound effects apparatuses, often using simple,
commonly found materials. Some making-of featurettes show Foley artists
at work.
The term Foley artist is named after Jack Foley, one of the earliest and
best-known Hollywood practitioners of the art. Foley began his career in
the film industry as a stand-in and screenwriter during the silent era, and
later helped Universal make the transition from silent movies to talkies

27. Galloping horses
Banging empty coconut shells together
Kissing
Kissing back of hand
Foley SFX - basics
Punching someone
Thumping watermelons
High heels
Artist walks in high heels on wooden platform
Bone-breaking blow
Breaking celery or twisting a head of romaine
Footsteps in snow
Squeezing a box of corn starch
Star Wars sliding doors
Pulling a piece of paper from an envelope
Star Trek sliding doors
Flare gun plus sneakers squeak
Bird flapping its wings
Flapping a pair of gloves
Grass or leaves crunching
Balling up audio tape
Car crash
shaking a metal box filled with wood and metal scraps
Fire
Rapid opening and closing of an umbrella along with the crackle of thick cellophane

28. Introduction to Sound
Music Libraries and Composers...
and licensing
Production music is the name given to the music owned by
production music libraries and licensed to customers for use in
film, television, radio and other media.
Unlike popular and classical music publishers, who typically own
less than 50 percent of the copyright in a composition, music
production libraries own all of the copyrights of their music,
meaning that it can be licensed without seeking the composer's
permission, as is necessary in licensing music from normal
publishers. This is because virtually all music created for music
libraries is done on a work for hire basis. Production music is
therefore a convenient medium for media producers—they can be
assured that they will be able to license any piece of music in the
library at a reasonable rate.
Production music libraries will typically offer a broad range of
musical styles and genres, enabling producers and editors to find
much of what they need in the same library. Music libraries vary in
size from a few hundred tracks up to many thousands. The first
production music library was setup by De Wolfe Music in 1927
with the advent of sound in film, the company originally scored
music for use in silent film

29. Introduction to Sound
Final Mix Down...automated mixes and plug-ins
Audio Post Production usually refers to audio that is synchronized with
video. This applies to TV, cinema, and commercials. One major aspect
of audio post production is the use of ADR, or automatic dialogue
replacement. Sometimes the original, or production audio, lacks in
performance or quality, and the actor or actors are brought into a sound
studio to record some or all of their dialogue from the project. Other
elements such as foley, music, and voiceover are also added during post
production.

30. REVIEW
* Sound IS IMPORTANT in film
* Sound for film IS NOT the same as...
(sound for video, broadcast television & radio or music)
* Sound IS fun and easy
(all you need is some ears and a brain... you already know what sounds good or bad!)
* Sound IS hard and can be very technical
(It can take years to gain the experience needed to be a sound person)

31. That is your Introduction to Sound!
instructor - Joel Porter
email questions? - joelporter999@hotmail.com