Re: OT: final mixing and mastering of film score....hints?

[Charles Zwicky <cazwicky@earthlink.net>]

Title: Re: OT: final mixing and mastering of film score....hints?

Hi Mark,

Congrats on the film score!   I'm a professional mixing engineer, and in the last 30 years I've mixed thousands of records and hundreds of film and TV scores.  I've been following the thread here, and I am a bit concerned at some of the  advice you've been given.  

The reality is that there really aren't and "tricks" per se, and all that you really need to do  is use your ears and your heart to evoke the most emotion from the score.

When dealing with sample based string and brass, the mixing process is considerably more involved than it is when a live ensemble with an experienced conductor and orchestrator is involved.  The key is pacing and dynamics.  The orchestrator will annotate the dynamics and the conductor will work with the players at each section to get the score to really "speak".  Dozens of takes are sometimes required to get just the right mood.

When mixing a low budget score which uses VSL or other sample based orchestrations, I work the mix automation HARD, every phrase is sculpted and crafted until the proper interaction is achieved.  It is simply hard work, and takes longer than when mixing live players because YOU are the player, orchestrator and conductor.

As for the sonic aspects, less is more.  Keep things simple, focus on the big picture.   As you've pointed out, the volume level of the music is going to be very low in the final product.  Check your mixes at extremely low volume level, and if possible, while running the dialog and sound design elements at their normal levels.  Please do NOT employ any "tricks" involving inverting the polarity across any stereo pair, as this will wreak havok when the mix hits any AC-3 or Dolby surround encoding.  No professional mixer would do it, and neither should you.

-Chuck Zwicky

New York

At 11:32 +0100 12/2/12, mark francombe wrote:

> No looping content hence OT. (there IS
> some looping in the music Im discussing, but thats not to point.
>
> Background: I am in the middle of producing my first "proper"
> film score. (Scoring music for short corporate films is my day-job,
> but this is ART!) Not a big production (ok a very small production, in
> France) so no budget foe calling int some professionals.
>
> I am pretty happy (musically) with the score so far. And prettu happy
> with the sound choices and sampling I have done. Its mostly orchestral
> in  genre, but quite minimal, with a few uses of unusual
> instruments, to weird it up a bit.
>
> My question regards the final stages I am approaching now. In order to
> give it a "live" feel or less programmed feel, both in terms
> of final programming tweaks and eq/effects tweak. What Hits or Tricks
> would some of you Prs use.. I know some of you are either extremely
> advanced in recording techiniques (per etc, who I would like to thank
> for almost 24 hour email service when Ive been stuck with things.) or
> professional composers (Daniel Im thinking of here now.. I think..
> terrible with names).
>
> Things I doing right now..:
> 1. tweaking attack times on strings... the first attack of a legato
> section can be a long attack but sounds more natural on follow up
> notes to have little or no attack.
> 2. Moving "top" lines of string sections to be there own
> solo instruments, the string parts were all written with a generic
> ensemble patch, but its better to move the highest musical melody line
> to a solo viola or solo violin patch.
> 3. indivisually increasing amounts of velocity of notes.
> 4. My sample allows for slight random variations in pitch and volume
> (pitch can get a bit far out, but is ok in sections)
>
> Any more "live making" techniques?
>
> The next process (that I am terrible at... always use to use an
> engineer for) is mixing.. I really want to make all the music sit well
> together, I expect that the Film Director will drop the music VERY low
> in the mix ofr my tastes, and often what tends to happen with my
> mixes, is that one hears ONE instrument stick out above the films mix.
> Do I REALLY want to slap a big old compressor on the end.. It ruins
> the mix for me! And the music sounds good loud.. how can I avoid this
> instrument seperation... I feel its This problem, that (if im not
> careful, I dont think Im in this ball park yet ) can make a good piece
> of music start sounding all  er.. "General Midi-
> ish"
> Reverb?? I usually like to use as few different reverbs as possible,
> just one short one, for increasing the size of instruments, and one
> Hall reverb to emulate that all the instruments are in the same room.
> Is this the right approach?
>
> Any other tips of tricks.. ( feel like theres a  professionals
> trick Im missing here) Like someone with say " Well Mark, you
> HAVE cut the whole mix at 1k havent you? and boosted the Sub?
>
> Its very hard to guage, the film dialog mix is terrible at the moment,
> all different levels (even jumps from left to right haa ha.. with lots
> of background noise (wind in trees mostly)
>
> The final job is to score music ontop of a song that an actress sang
> live on set... yikes.. no click track microphone walked all the way
> around her following the camera... think Im gonna have to go to Paris
> and get her to dub it.
>
> All hints n tips will be very much appreciated..
>
> MArk
>
> --
> Mark Francombe
> www.markfrancombe.com
> www.ordoabkhao.com
> http://vimeo.com/user825094
> http://www.looop.no
> twitter @markfrancombe
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/24478662@N00/

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