The Insider's Guide to Production: Sound Design - The digital difference

sound-design process. Digital audio tape is only used because some parts
of the industry are slow to keep up.

The latest recording systems are PC- or Mac-based, while the older
systems such as Audiofile are being phased out - these older systems use
proprietory file formats which are becoming increasingly difficult for
agencies to access, when facilities using them upgrade, or close.
Companies that sell 100 units a year will find it difficult to match the
speed of PC and Mac development. It is easier to tailor software than to
rebuild hardware.

The internet has had an enormous impact. Audio data is smaller than
picture data and so the ability to transfer audio, especially short
sections such as commercials, over the web has increased workflow
incredibly. Soon you will be able to log in and join a sound edit
session from your desk.

With file transfer protocol and e-mail, it is now faster to send a mixed
track anywhere in the world for approval. In fact, it can be easier than
booking a taxi back to the agency. Gone are the days of mixing down to
DAT, taking the tape to the transfer bay and waiting for copies.

Sound designers (we used to be engineers) have far more power in our
hands than before, but we need to use it carefully. A common
misconception is that because most audio is digital, it will sound OK.
Our music-mastering department is busy working with artists who want
their music finished using analogue equipment to improve the sound
quality. Much of what has been taken for granted in commercials can be
improved upon, and it is worth remembering that just because sound has
been supplied on CD does not always mean it is acceptable.

Jobs are changing. Thirty years ago, sound effects were played off 35mm
magnetic film tracks prepared by an editor. Twenty years ago, with the
advent of multi-track tape, the task of sourcing and creating effects
passed to the sound studio. Effects were sourced from records, tape
libraries, loop cartridge tapes, CDs or by sending the runner out with a
tape machine.

These effects would be stored in a library and catalogued. A librarian
would look after them and select appropriate ones as required for
sessions.

Today the librarian is redundant - sound effects are stored on servers
such as Sonomics or M-Soft, which are browsed in the same way you would
browse the internet. Servers are compact, can be used by many people
simultaneously and, if you can't find what you're looking for, you can
interrogate one of the Sonomic originating servers and download the
sound into your session in less than a minute, giving you a truly global
library.

The boundaries with music are also changing. Music was generally
produced in the traditional way and stereo-mixed tracks were supplied to
the studio.

Now, however, it is common for the sound designer to be asked to make it
sound "different".

Listening with fresh ears and no previous emotional contact with the
project, sound designers frequently give a sound their own twist. The
music may now be supplied in its component parts so, if it needs
altering slightly, perhaps to allow the voice to come through clearer,
the engineer has the flexibility to remix. This has always been
possible, but it was incredibly laborious, occasionally requiring
additional equipment. Now, with a good recording system, it is a simple
task - data file interchange on modern systems has become
straightforward, so getting files into a session can usually be done in
minutes rather than days.

Specific music requirements can be achieved through collaboration
between the musician and the sound designers. On a recent project,
Mcasso Music composed some bespoke music and Alchemy handled the sound
design. A couple of pre-production meetings resulted in a stunning piece
of audio. The client was stunned, thanks to good discussion and
planning.

The biggest change, from an anorak's point of view, is that there is no
longer a limit to the number of tracks available to record on. In the
days of film, tracks were limited by the amount of magnetic machines you
had: a two-inch tape was limited to 24 tracks then; with systems like
Audiofile, 32 tracks. With the newer breed of Pyramix, Sadie and Pro
Tools systems, tracks are unlimited. Where once you might have heard
someone say: "I'll have to do a pre-mix because I've run out of tracks,"
now the response will be: "Yeah, no problem."

Alchemy handled the recent Wallace and Grommit PG Tips ads that Aardman
Animations created for DDB London. Working over several sessions, the
voices were recorded first so Aardman could animate to them. Then, once
the video edit was complete, the mute video was brought in and the task
of synching the voices, adding music and sound effects began. We kept
slipping in the odd subtle sound here and there and the final sound
effect count was 126. In a 30-second commercial. And at no point broke
into a sweat. Very satisfying.

We already have very good TV sound quality but, looking forward, proper
surround sound on terrestrial TV could be one of the most noticeable
changes.

From a technical point of view, the way we deliver and move material
around, and the speed at which it happens, will improve. Hopefully, the
standardisation of systems and file formats will grow and make the
interchange with other parts of the production chain far less
complicated.

- Tim Lofts is a sound designer at Alchemy Soho.