Features

76 BIG SOUNDS FROM

THE SMALL STUDIO

Emile D. Menasché talks about

creating the score for Incident

in New Baghdad

By George Petersen

80 BREAK FREE OF THE DIN

Sound-restoration software for

production noise problems

By George Petersen

86 AUDIO ANIMATION

Futurama Series Editor

Paul D. Calder shares the

challenges and triumphs of

audio production for the show

By George Petersen

Departments

70 NEWS & VUS:

Useful information sound

pros need to know

72 EQUALIZERS:

New gear to give you an edge

84 INSIDE TRACK:

GET CLEAR SOUND

Essential accessories for

location recording will prepare

you to shoot anywhere

By George Petersen

CineSoundProC R E A T I V E A U D I O F O R V I S U A L M E D I A WWW. HDV I D E O P RO . C OM

Contents

TM

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N

Rescue & RestoreDamaged Audio

Software solutionsthat will save yourdialogue andbackground tracks

Cool Mics &Hot Equipment!See Page 72

Audio Artist

On The Making

Of Futurama

7 0 � HDVideoPro

News & VUsUseful information sound pros need to know | By George Petersen

15 YEARS OF SILENCE

FOR ADR, STUDIOS AND

VOICE-OVERS

This year marks the 15th anniver-

sary of VocalBooth.com, a leading

supplier of portable, modular sound

rooms, studios and recording booths.

The company was founded by singer-

songwriter Calvin Mann, who want-

ed more control and sound isolation

for his recordings, so out of this need,

he created his own modular sound

room—the first VocalBooth™.

Modular and portable by design,

VocalBooth can be moved, re-

arranged and upgraded when nec-

essary—unlike hard-built booths.

The first models were 4x4-foot units.

The line later expanded to include

units up to 16x16 feet, custom

heights and a wide range of options,

including choices in woods, single/

double-wall designs, windows, AC

venting, non-parallel walls, interior/

exterior colors, lighting and even

ceiling-mount mic booms.

“Film and television is a great

market for us due to the controlled

recording environments our booths

provide for ADR and voice-over,”

says company president Mann,

adding that Emmy®-winning film/

TV sound veteran Joe Foglia of

Southeast Audio Services uses a five-

sided 10 Carat Diamond Series

VocalBooth for his ADR work.

“Shows like Cougar Town, Castle and

Scrubs have used VocalBooths for

several seasons.”

Adds Mann, “Video and pro audio

equipment may be advancing at light

speed, but what does not change is

the desire to control the recording

environment. There will always be

unwanted interference and noise, and

as recording and video systems

become more sensitive, so does the

need to reduce ambient intrusion.

Today, the missing link to great pro-

fessional and home-based recording

and broadcasting is often the quality

of sound isolation.”

QUICK TIP:

DUAL FEED EASES

ON-THE-FLY GRAB SHOTS

A location sound mixer who works

extensively on documentaries, com-

mercials and other short-form proj-

ects, Matt Israel‘s most recent assignment

was recording dialogue for Unwasted

Weekend, a short-form anti-drug cam-

paign program aimed at teens.

His all-Lectrosonics RF rig included

SM (super-miniature) and UM400

transmitters, UCR411a receivers and

an SRa dual-channel ENG receiver, with

the latter mounted onto a Sony F3

video camera.

Israel was impressed by the audio

performance and rugged build qual-

ity of Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wire-

less units. However, he also spoke

highly about the SRa receiver’s ratio

feature, which blends the audio out-

puts of both receiver channels in a

seamless manner to produce a single

audio output, which leaves the cam-

era’s other audio input available for

an on-camera mic feed. “On this job,

I was sending a mono mixdown track

to the right audio track of the camera

and let the camera mic fly on the left

track,” Israel explains. “That way, if

there was B-roll or the DP/camera

op went off to shoot something on

his own, he still had some ambient/

reference sound to work with.”

QUICK TIP:

THE AIFF-TO-WAV

CAPTURE TRICK

This isn’t so much a trick as just a

way of retaining some of my sanity

during a hectic edit session. I have an

especially fond regard for this when

I’m exporting a lot of short sound clips

out of Final Cut Pro (my editor of

choice) and into some audio DAW for

VocalBooth™

modular sound

rooms can be

moved and

easily modified

or upgraded as

the need arises,

and they’re

available in a

number of sizes.

(CineSoundPro � News)

(Cont’d on page 134)

MKH 8060 Short Shotgun Microphone

ACTION.MKH 8060 Short Shotgun Microphone

Capturing the Moment.

For feature film, documentary or ENG, the new MKH 8060 delivers

top quality sound to complement your exciting visuals.

Compact, rugged and reliable, the MKH 8060 features a

symmetrical RF condenser design and short interference tube that

suppresses off-axis sound without coloration, producing extremely

natural and detailed results.

Ideal for boom pole and camera mounting due to its compact size,

the MKH 8060 is Sennheiser’s first short shotgun to interface

directly into digital systems via the MZD 8000 digital module.

www.SennheiserUSA.com

VISIT US AT NABCENTRAL HALL #C2632

7 2 � HDVideoPro

(CineSoundPro � New Gear To Give You An Edge)

CLASSIC SOUNDS FOR DOWNLOAD

Stockmusic.com, the music and sound-effects download division of Sound

Ideas, now offers individual downloads of sounds from the Hanna-

Barbera Sound Effects Library. Available are more than 2,500 effects from

legendary cartoons like The Flintstones, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, The

Jetsons and other HB shows—all digitally remastered. The entire library

is also available on CDs from Sound Ideas. Estimated Street Price: $4.99

per individual download. Contact: www.stockmusic.com.

HOT SHOTS

The FR-310 Hot Shoe Shotgun Microphone has a stan-

dard hot-shoe mount for your camcorder or DSLR.

The mic features three gain settings to match close-

in or distant work, a 150 Hz bass roll-off switch to

reduce rumble, and an integrated foam windscreen,

and operates up to 500 hours on a single AAA bat-

tery. Output is a mono TRS 1⁄8-inch plug. Estimated

Street Price: $129. Contact: MXL Microphones, (310)

333-0606, www.mxlmics.com.

BRING ON THE MIXERS!

Azden announces two new location mixers. Designed for DSLRs,

the FMX-DSLR runs on four AA batteries and attaches directly to a

camera or tripod. It offers two XLR mic inputs with individual level

controls, switchable phantom power, stereo minijack mic input,

minijack line input, a switchable AGC circuit, stereo miniplug mic

output and headphone out, LED peak level indicators, and an input

return function (RTN) to monitor camera audio. The FMX-32a uses

the same circuit topology as the FMX-42 mixers, and it can attach

directly to a camera, or it can be neck-worn with an optional carry

case. It has three XLR mic inputs, each with level controls, LCR

output routing, and switchable phantom power and limiting. Out-

puts are stereo XLR and minijack, and 1⁄4-inch headphone jack.

Power is via six AA batteries or external 12VDC. Estimated Street

Price: $299 (FMX-DSLR); $449 (FMX-32a). Contact: Azden, (516)

328-7500, www.azdencorp.com.

Equalizers

THE LOW, LOWDOWN

KRK Systems announces two new powered subwoofer systems. Designed for high-level appli-

cations, the KRK 12sHO has a 12-inch, high-excursion, woven Kevlar cone driver on a curved

front baffle designed to eliminate diffraction distortion. The integrated 400W RMS power amp

delivers 113 dB SPLs with 123 dB peaks and integrates into any existing monitor system via

a dedicated LFE input (with variable 60-160 Hz crossover) or the built-in high-pass filter that

routes upper frequencies to the main monitors. Also standard are XLR/TRS balanced inputs, LFE

input gain, XLR outs, subwoofer bypass footswitch jack, connection, phase reverse switch and vari-

able phase adjustment. Intended for smaller spaces, the new KRK 12s matches a 12-inch Kevlar cone

woofer to a 240W power amp for 110 dB music/119.5 dB peaks. It integrates into existing systems similar to the 12sHO and has

XLR/TRS/RCA inputs/outputs, a -30 dB to +6 dB level adjust, subwoofer bypass and phase reverse switch. Estimated Street Price:

$1,499 (KRK 12sHO); $799 (KRK 12s). Contact: KRK Systems, (954) 949-9600, www.krksys.com.

download a

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(Cont’d from Page 00)

7 4 � HDVideoPro

Equalizers (CineSoundPro � New Gear To Give You An Edge)

TIME CODE ON LOCATION

The GR-2 SMPTE/EBU generator/reader has a

two-line, 12-digit LCD readout showing time code/

user bits, mode and rate. It generates 23.976, 24,

25, 29.97, 30 drop and non-drop rates, and reads

at normal operating speeds. Features include jam

sync to external code, cross jam different code

rates and internal/external TC delta comparison.

For music playback with live-action recording,

it can insert ex-

ternal TC into

the user bits

of the current

internal time

code. It runs

on 6-18VDC

or two AA batteries.

Estimated Street Price: $800. Contact: Denecke,

(661) 607-0206, www.denecke.com.

DP DOES WINDOWS

Digital Performer 8, a major upgrade to MOTU’s flagship DAW software,

will be available in 32- or 64-bit mode on Mac OS X and Windows 7.

New features include Win VST/Rewire support, Punch Guard™ confidence

recording, new user-interface themes, 15 additional effects plug-ins and

an improved video-playback engine that allows full-screen viewing of 720

or 1080 HD video clips on a primary or secondary monitor, or on a con-

ventional HDMI/SDI video monitor connected to a MOTU video inter-

face such as the HD Express or HDX-SDI. Digital Performer 8 ships Spring

2012; pricing is TBA. Contact: MOTU, (617) 576-2760, www.motu.com.

JUMP HEAD

A p r i l 2 0 1 2 � 7 5

HI-FI/LOW PROFILE

The A77X self-powered monitors are now

shipping. Perfectly suited for under-screen

use, this 3-way system has two 7-inch

drivers, one for midrange and one as a

subwoofer, each with 100-watt amps.

Highs are handled by a folded ribbon

tweeter and 50-watt amp providing 38

Hz to 50 kHz response and 122 dB peak

SPLs. Each 9.5x21x11-inch cabinet weighs

28.2 pounds. Estimated Street Price:

$1,399/monitor. Contact: ADAM Audio,

(516) 681-0690, www.adam-audio.com.

X-Y FOR DSLR

The Apex 177 camera-mount mic routes two cardioid condenser

capsules to a standard 1⁄8-inch miniplug cable for use with most

camcorders and DSLRs. The mics are in a coincident X-Y stereo

pattern and can be switched for a narrow 90-degree field or wide

120-degree field. Power is via an onboard 3-volt CR2 battery, and

the mic ships with carry bag, battery and integrated foam wind-

screen. Estimated Street Price: $89. Contact: Apex Electronics, (716)

297-2920, www.apexelectronics.com.

(CineSoundPro)

7 6 � HDVideoPro

Incident in New Baghdad, the 2012 Oscar®-

nominated documentary short by director James Spione,

focuses on the experiences of U.S. Army Specialist Ethan

McCord, whose life was forever changed when he witnessed

the July 2007 slayings of civilians and two Reuters correspon-

dents by U.S. combat helicopters. McCord also rescued two

Iraqi children caught in the crossfire.

Suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), McCord is

denied psychological treatment in Iraq for the condition.

Returning home, he struggles for years with anger, confusion

and guilt over the war. When WikiLeaks released the shocking

gunsight camera video of the incident in 2010, McCord began

traveling the country, speaking out for the rights of PTSD suf-

ferers and against the American wars in the Middle East.

SoundsBIG FROM

THE

StudioSMALL

Emile D. Menasché talks about

creating the score for Incident in

New Baghdad BY GEORGE PETERSEN

M o n t h 2 0 1 1 � 0 00 0 �� HDVideoPro7 8 � HDVideoPro

BIG SOUNDS FROM THE SMALL STUDIO several years ago on a previous docu-

mentary, God’s Open Hand, which cov-

ered the Afghan elections.

Interestingly, a key aspect of this

approach involved no technology at

all—just a little creative experimenta-

tion with alternative tunings. Moving

the G and B strings of Menasché’s guitar

to A tuning put half of the instrument’s

six strings set to an open A note. The net

result here was to create a very non-

guitar-sounding dissonance, almost like

the effect of an instrument with drone

strings, like a dulcimer, sitar or the

Middle Eastern oud.

According to Menasché, “A lot of the

final cues came from improvised flute

phrases, played by my daughter Rebecca.

I had her play both melodic parts and

beds, then used Live to change their

pitch and texture to create a blend

between natural and digital sounds.”

Menasché chopped up a lot of that

material and also used Live’s pitch-

manipulation ability to create new

melodies. The more melodic parts were

used in scenes showing Iraqi children

playing, while some of the more digi-

tally altered sounds that were heavily

reverberated and pitch shifted came in

use as elements that were almost more

sound effect in nature, rather than as a

traditional score.

CREATING

THE SOUNDTRACK

Emile D. Menasché is the author of

books such as The Desktop Studio and

Home Studio Clinic. He describes how

the score of Incident in New Baghdad

came together. “I worked closely

with producer/director James Spione

on the soundtrack—it was a real col-

laboration,” explains Menasché, who

had worked with the director on sev-

eral earlier projects. “We recorded the

soundtrack in my home studio using

a combination of Ableton Live and

Apple Logic Pro.”

As the story involves an American

soldier in Iraq, the music reflected both

cultures. “We didn’t have indigenous

instruments, so I had to adapt classical

flute and guitar to sound more Middle

Eastern,” says Menasché. In this case, he

returned to modifying guitar tracks, a

technique he had discovered working

Incident in New Baghdad tells the tale of a

single tragic incident and how it led to a

greater understanding of the wider effects of

war. OPENING PAGE: Incident in New Baghdadcomposer Emile Menasché in his studio.

ABOVE: U.S. Army Specialist Ethan McCord,

while on duty in Iraq.

(Cont’d on page 135)

DENECKE, INC...

For all your time code needs

DENECKE, INC. 25030 Avenue Stanford, Suite 240

Valencia, CA 91355

Phone (661) 607-0206 Fax (661) 257-2236

www.denecke.com Email: info@denecke.com

��

M o n t h 2 0 1 1 � 0 00 0 �� HDVideoPro

(CineSoundPro)

Recording audio on location presents a

tough environment for capturing dialogue.

Wind sounds, clothing rustle, impacts,

EMI/RFI noise and distracting background

sounds are just a few of the problems that

may attach to your precious tracks.

Fortunately, there are a variety of cutting-edge

software solutions that provide a remedy.

Restoration tools just keep getting better,

with many offering algorithms that can intel-

ligently seek out and eliminate glitches like

pops and clicks. Others also provide simple graphics-based

interfaces that highlight the soundfield as a brightly colored

spectral display, where the user can clearly view any problemat-

ic noise event—such as a distant car door slam, loud footsteps

or a chair squeak—to be marked and removed.

Here’s a look at some current products in the form of stand-

alone applications, as well as plug-ins that operate in your OS

X- or Windows-based editor. Several of the companies we spot-

light here are exhibiting at the 2012 NAB show, where you can

see them firsthand. Alternatively, some products are also avail-

able as downloadable limited-time/function demos for you to

try out at your own pace with your own system.

With all this power, now is a good time to consider adding

some sonic restoration tools to your arsenal.

THE CONTENDERS

Adobe Audition CS5.5 ($349) runs natively on OS X v10.5/10.6

or Windows XP/Vista/Win 7. Besides an improved audio engine

with greater speed, Audition CS5.5 offers round-trip passing of

files directly to/from Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and OMF

import/export for transfers to Avid Pro Tools and file sharing to

other video NLEs via XML interchange. In addition to multi-

channel record/edit/mixing (stereo or 5.1), Audition has Adaptive

Noise Reduction for noises that change over time, such as buzzing,

whining and fan/aircraft sounds. The Spectral View offers visual

indications of problems, with an Audio Healing Paintbrush for

repairing problems like clicks, pops and random event noise. Also

included is automatic phase correction, de-Hummer, de-Clip and

a Speech Volume Leveler. www.adobe.com

Algorithmix’s reNOVAtor restoration suite ($3,199) is offered

as a plug-in for Pro Tools HD/Mix/LE (OS X and Windows),

8 0 � HDVideoPro

Sound-restoration

software is the

antidote for production

noise problems

BY GEORGE PETERSEN

WaveLab Spectrum Editor

BREAK FREE

DINof the

iZotope RX2

A p r i l 2 0 1 2 � 8 1

Pyramix, Magix Sequoia, Soundscape

R.Ed/16/32 and Steinberg WaveLab

and as a standalone app on Windows

systems (XP/Vista/7). It loads and

analyzes a selected audio passage, dis-

played as a color-coded 3D spectro-

gram to visually isolate and remove

problem spots, and the removed por-

tion is replaced by a signal re-synthe-

sized from the surrounding material.

The software offers automatic click/

spike detection and the identification of

tones and harmonics. Also offered is

easyreNOVAtor, a simpler version with

fewer controls and more presets ($1,249).

www.algorithmix.com

The Avid Intelligent Noise Reduction

plug-in for Pro Tools ($899) reduces

broadband noises such as air-condition-

ing rumble, tape hiss or guitar amp

buzz. No word on an AAX version, but

the TDM version runs on Windows and

Mac Pro Tools HD and HD Accel rigs, as

well as AudioSuite for PT LE systems.

www.avid.com

Peak Studio ($599) and Peak Studio

XT ($1,199) from BIAS are editing/

mastering/restoration suites for the OS X

platform. A new de-clipping tool restores

clipped recordings using advanced spec-

tral repair algorithms. Both packages

include SoundSoap, SoundSoap Pro and

Master Perfection Suite plug-ins; the XT

edition extends their compatibility to

third-party AU, RTAS/AS and VST host

applications. Also available separately (for

OS X and Windows), SoundSoap Pro 2

offers intelligent adaptive noise reduction

with four restoration tools in a single

plug-in, including advanced controls for

eliminating unwanted artifacts. On a

budget? Check out Peak Studio LE

($129), with a version of SoundSoap, the

Reveal audio analysis suite and other edit-

ing/restoration tools. www.bias-inc.com

CEDAR Audio’s new CEDAR Studio is

a set of RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins for

Mac and PC Pro Tools HD and LE sys-

tems, all selected from the company’s

flagship Cambridge system. A loudness

maximizer with advanced resampling

and noise-shaping capabilities, the

included Adaptive Limiter constrains

the peak output level while retaining

the integrity of the input. Declip is a sin-

gle-pass declipper, Debuzz handles

buzzes and hums, and DNS One offers

the same Academy Award®-winning

dialogue noise suppression for rumble,

hiss, whistles, babble and general back-

ground noise. www.cedar-audio.com

Known for its extensive mastering,

restoration, analysis and surround-

sound Virtual Precision Instruments

(VPIs) for its AudioCube multichan-

nel DAW, Cube-Tec also markets

RTAS versions of its VPIs for Avid Pro

Tools OS X users. These include

DeBuzz, Spectral DeHiss Expert,

DeScratcher, DeCrackler, DeClipper

and RepairFilter, which is a cinema-

style notch filter, and all but the

latter are also offered for the Magix

Sound Forge Pro 10

WIRELESS AUDIO for VIDEO

The Azden 310 Diversity Series

Carrying case

included

The Azden 310 Series Ultra Performance Diversity Wireless System includes:

• DSLR and Video Camera Compatibility

• Diversity Single Channel Receiver

• 88 User Selectable UHF Frequencies

• LCD multi-function display

• Mini and XLR output cables

• Hard shell carrying case

Available system combinations include:

310LT, 310LH, 310LX, 310HT, 310XT

Visit the Azden website for system details.

®

w w w . a z d e n c o r p . c o m

8 2 � HDVideoPro

Sequoia platform. www.sascom.com

iZotope’s RX2 ($299) and RX2

Advanced ($1,099) operate as standalone

apps or plug-ins for Pro Tools 7 and

above (RTAS/AudioSuite), as well as VST,

MAS, AU and DirectX—for OS X 10.5 or

higher or Windows XP/x64/Vista/7. Both

include new visual editing features and

functionality such as the Magic Wand,

Lasso and Brush tools designed for select-

ing audio in the product’s spectrogram, as

well as Denoise, Spectral Repair, Declick,

Declip, Decrackle and Remove Hum

modules. RX 2 Advanced extends the

toolset with an adaptive Denoiser mode,

a Deconstruct module, automatic

azimuth correction, third-party plug-in

hosting, 64-bit SRC resampling, MBIT+

dithering, iZotope Radius time/pitch con-

trol and a multi-resolution Spectral

Repair mode. www.izotope.com

Priced at $59, Magix’ Video Sound

Cleaning Lab is a standalone app for

Windows XP/Vista/7. Audio/video files

can be imported/exported in most stan-

dard formats, and the program features an

easy-to-use interface with multiple presets,

an Audio Cleaning Wizard and spectral

analysis to handle audio problems such

as camera noise, wind/background din,

hum/buzz, clipped waveforms, over-

sibilant vocals and more. www.magix.com

Established as the pioneering system

for OS X-based noise restoration,

NoNoise has received Grammy®, Oscar®

and Emmy® awards. Now Sonic Studio’s

latest incarnation, NoNoise II, is avail-

able in three versions. NoNoise II FX

($495) offers detailed FFT viewing, man-

ual declicking in Type B (for general,

non-harmonic or mixed spectral con-

tent) or Type D (timbrally matched con-

tent, optimized for voice), decrackling,

and broadband DeNoise and hiss

removal. NoNoise II FR ($1,395) adds

Type C (pitched) declicking, broad-

band stereo DeNoise and Algorithmix

reNOVAtor-LE processing. The full-

package NoNoise II SR ($2,995) adds

mono/stereo/multichannel DeNoising,

stereo declicking, expanded decrackling

and the ability to run as an AU plug-in.

www.sonicstudio.com

Evolved from Sony’s Oxford technolo-

gy group, the now-independent Sonnox

Ltd. offers a range of serious studio tools.

Its Restore suite ($1,895) includes three

plug-ins—Oxford DeBuzzer, Oxford

DeClicker and Oxford DeNoiser—for the

removal of pops, scratches, clicks, crack-

ling, hum, buzz and background noise.

Each plug-in in this Native (RTAS, AU and

VST) suite has a two-step approach, where

a detection section pinpoints unwanted

noise followed by a removal section that

determines the necessary repairs with

minimal collateral damage to the original

audio. Recently, Sonnox announced it will

add support for Universal Audio’s UAD-2Waves’ Waves Noise Suppressor

BREAK FREE OF THE DIN

NAB Booth# C4345

Elevate Your Audio

R-4Pro 4-channel Portable

Recorder with Timecode

Also available from Roland:

R-444-channel Compact

Portable Field Recorder

The Roland R-26 Field Recorder provides six simultaneous channels of pro-quality audio recording to SD/SDHC media. With two types of built-in stereo mics, XLR/TRS combo inputs, and USB audio interface functionality, the compact R-26 is perfect for videographers who want to elevate their sound quality to the level of their HD video.

www.rolandsystemsgroup.com/r26

“Using Roland � eld recorders instead of my camera’s audio is like cable modem vs. dialup. Roland � eld recorders are the cleanest I’ve ever used”.

Adam Forgione, R-44 owner and internationally acclaimed HDSLR event � lmmaker.

NEW

A p r i l 2 0 1 2 � 8 3

Powered Plug-ins platform in the near

future. www.sonnoxplugins.com

Offering audio editing/restoration/

enhancement tools, as well as music loop

production, sound design, CD mastering

prep and a host of other features, is Sound

Forge Pro 10 ($399) from Sony Creative

Software. This Windows (XP/Vista/Win7)

application also features multichannel

audio recording, spectrum analysis, multi-

channel Windows Media File support, 5.1

Dolby Digital AC-3 export and Noise

Reduction 2.0; the latter is a suite of audio

restoration, click/crackle removal and

clipped peak repair tools. SoundForge Pro

10 also ships with iZotope’s Mastering

Effects Bundle 2, 64-bit SRC sample-rate

conversion and MBIT+ bit-depth dither

processing. Also offered is Noise

Reduction 2.0 ($279), a DirectX plug-in

suite with four plugs for clipped peak

repair, vinyl restoration, click/crackle

removal and general hiss/hum/rumble.

www.sonycreativesoftware.com

Steinberg WaveLab ($499) offers

stereo and multitrack editing, 24-bit/

384 kHz resolution, 64-bit floating-

point precision and a suite of 30 stan-

dard plug-ins, including Sonnox VST3

DeNoiser, DeClicker and DeBuzzer

restoration suite. This OS X 10.6 and

Windows 7 application offers powerful

mastering and batch-processing, and full

surround audio handling, with up to 7.1

channel support. www.steinberg.net

Wave Arts’ Master Restoration Suite

($399/download) is a comprehensive

set of restoration plug-ins that runs

within any OS X (AU/VST/MAS/RTAS)-

or Windows (DX/VST/RTAS)-based

DAW application. It includes MR

Noise broadband noise reduction,

MR Click click/crackle filter, MR Hum

buzz/hum removal, MR Gate expander/

gate and the Master Restoration all-

in-one clean-up tool. www.wavearts.com

Waves’ Restoration has five noise-

reduction tools: Z-Noise (dynamic noise

reduction with transient preservation),

X-Noise (tape hiss/computer/air noise

handling), X-Hum (harmonically linked

notch filters for ground loop hum and

low-frequency rumble), X-Click (de-

clicker) and X-Crackle (de-crackler).

Restoration is offered for TDM ($950) or

Native ($825) systems, OS X or Windows.

Designed for post professionals, the WNS

Waves Noise Suppressor is a real-time

multiband processor for fast broadband

(constant or modulating) noise suppres-

sion on dialogue tracks. The WNS plug-in

is offered for TDM ($800) and Native

($600) systems. Inspired by Dolby’s clas-

sic Cat. 43 hardware playback noise-

reduction tool, Waves W43 focuses on

ambient noise issues such as hum, hiss,

traffic, wind and air-delivery systems,

with simple fader control of four noise-

suppression bands. W43 is $200/TDM,

$150/Native; it’s included with Waves’

Mercury bundle. www.waves.comCEDAR Audio Adaptive Limiter

From top to bottom

At under 16" long the super directional SGM-2X is great on boom poles or large body cameras.

A short barrel for omni operation, 2 windscreens and shock mount holder are included.

At under 12" long the SGM-1X offers all the great performance of the SGM-1000, but works

on battery power only. Comes with a shock-mount holder and windscreen.

The 8.5" high-performance SGM-X is a complete system. Includes windscreen,

shock-mount holder, battery and mini plug output cable. Ideal for DSLR's cameras.

Wide frequency response, low noise and super directional, the SGM-1000 operates

on 12-48V phantom power or 1 "AAA" battery. A windscreen and shock-mount

holder are included.

A high performance microphone for today’s HD camera's. The SGM-PDII operates

only on phantom power (11-52 VDC) supplied by the camera. Great sound,

directional pick-up, windscreen and shock mount holder all included.

SGM-1000

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8 4 � HDVideoPro

Doing a successful location shoot,

no matter how simple, requires having

the right gear, but also some careful

advance planning. Murphy’s Law—

”whatever can go wrong will go

wrong”—tends to crop up with some

regularity in any situation in life.

Yet somehow, when the words “loca-

tion production” and “low budget”

are added to the equation, our nem-

esis Murphy definitely will make

an appearance.

Having seen and done it all, pro-

fessional crews are well aware of this

and plan for unforeseen contingen-

cies. They invest in backup systems,

pack spares of everything and—bar-

ring acts of war and major climate

upheavals—they will be equipped to

handle nearly any situation.

For the DIY camera operator/sound

recordist, the road is tougher, but not

insurmountable. Begin your prep with

a checklist of what you need to bring,

including not only your gear, but also

basic additions such as extra batteries,

an AC extension cable, gaffer’s tape,

small notebooks, colored Sharpies®,

a flashlight, a Swiss Army knife and

an all-in-one Leatherman®-type tool,

and pack them in a separate bag

that becomes your emergency kit.

Depending on the shoot, I frequently

also pack a small folding cart to drag

all this stuff from the car to the site (in

one trip, so I don’t have to leave any-

thing unattended), a small folding

table and stool, and an umbrella—

good for rain or shine. From there, the

list could increase exponentially, but

here are a few audio accessories that

can make your life easier.

EASY XLR ADAPTERS

If you’re shooting with a DSLR or

camera without XLR mic inputs, you

can easily start using higher-end pro

mics—either any dynamic model

(which requires no powering) or con-

denser models with an onboard bat-

tery or an external phantom supply.

An XLR-to-1⁄8-inch miniplug adapter

with an internal transformer such as

the Pearstone LMT100 or Hosa MIT-

156 will do the trick, offering your

system an inexpensive upgrade. Both

models route the mono signal from

the external mic to both channels of

your camera’s stereo mic input jack.

PHANTOM POWER

Your microphone selection is

greatly limited if your camera or

mixer doesn’t offer phantom power-

ing, but you don’t have to miss out on

using higher-end pro condenser mics

that require a 48-volt phantom sup-

ply. A number of companies make

compact modules that operate from

standard 9-volt batteries with XLR

inputs/outputs that connect inline

between your mic and camera/mixer.

Among these are the AKG B18E, ART

Phantom series, Denecke PS-1A,

Countryman Isomax II Battery Power

Module, PSC 48 Phantom, Rolls

PB224 and Sennheiser MZA14P48U.

As a bonus, the Denecke unit also

These essential accessories for location recording will have you

prepared to shoot anywhere | By George Petersen

(CineSoundPro � Inside Track)

Get Clear Sound

ABOVE: RØDE’s Blimp andDead Wombat windscreensin action on a blustery day.RIGHT: ART’s Phantom II Procan supply 48-volt power totwo condenser microphonesfrom 9-volt batteries or an AC adapter.

JUMP HEAD

(Cont’d from Page 00)

A p r i l 2 0 1 2 � 8 5

has a -15 dB pad switch; the Sennheiser

takes it a step further, with a switch-

able -10/-20 dB pad and 80/140 Hz low-

cut filters.

SWIVEL YOUR MIC

An on-camera mic is convenient and

often gives good results when it actually

points in the same direction as the lens.

However, there are occasions—such as

filming an event or speech where the

sound is coming from a speaker system

off to the side—when the mic needs to

be pointed in that direction for added

clarity. In those situations, a swiveling

microphone mount is just the ticket,

such as the Audio-Technica AT8459 or

Que Audio QM1, especially when you’re

doing a shoot without an assistant.

BLIMP WINDSCREENS

Zeppelin-style mic windscreens com-

bine internal shock mounting with an

outer wind barrier. The enclosure is

somewhat large, yet diffuses high wind

noise with a natural sound. These are

typically used with a pistol-style hand-

grip or boom mount, although models

like the Rycote Miniscreen simply slip

over a shotgun mic for on-camera use.

Examples of full systems include the

Cavision Windshield, K-Tek Zeppelin,

RØDE Blimp and Rycote Windshield Kit.

FUR WINDSCREENS

Most mics ship with a removable

foam windscreen. These are great for

“normal” conditions, but sometimes

weather gets a little extreme and your

mic or blimp screen needs a little extra

help. Made of artificial materials, fur-

style wind muffs can take howling wind

noise down to manageable levels and

install easily over your microphone

or blimp. Available models include

the Cavision Windscreen, K-Tek

Kwiksock, PSC Windboss, Que Audio

Wombat, RØDE Dead Cat/Dead Kitten/

Dead Wombat, Rycote Softie and

Windjammer, Sennheiser Wind Muff

and WindTech Mic-Muff.

CABLES: THE LONG

AND THE SHORT

A few extra cables in different lengths

can make your life easier. Not only is it

prudent to pack a spare cable or two, but

having an eight-foot cable connecting

your onboard shotgun to your camera

can be a bit cumbersome, when a two-

foot cable, possibly with right-angle

connectors, is a better choice. XLR cables

carry the extra advantage of being able

to function as both a single cable and as

an extension. But when I’m working

with a rig with 1⁄8-inch inputs, I also

always pack a few shielded extension

cables. The latter can function both as a

way of getting that short-cabled camera

mic closer to the action and extending

the length of my headphones so I can

move more freely while still monitoring

the action.

The Pearstone LMT100

lets you connect an XLR

microphone to a camera or

DSLR with 1⁄8-inch mic inputs.

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(CineSoundPro)

It has often been said that one of the most challenging

jobs in audio post is working on animation. This is certainly

true in the sense that within this virtual world, all the sound

elements need to be created from the ground up—there’s no

location dialogue, set walla or organic on-screen elements to

capture, such as would be the case in shooting some particular

action like a hammer striking an anvil. Yet at the same time,

audio for animation provides a wide-open palette for creativity

and the opportunity to create an entire universe exactly as you’d

like, where the usual rules of reality can be set slightly aside,

used as-is or completely ignored.

And within that universe of possibilities, few animation

projects offer that degree of creative rule bending as Futurama,

Matt Groening’s satirical hit series about life a millennium from

now. First airing in 1999 and still going strong, this acclaimed

multi-award-winning series continues to break new ground

both in setting standards of excellence and winning legions of

new fans with each new episode.

We spoke to Paul D. Calder, a musician and self-described

lifelong “audio guy,” who—since Futurama’s first season—has

been the picture/dialogue editor for every episode of the show.

And with the production pace picking up, Calder was joined by

second editor Chris Vallance, who came on last season and has

been with the show since.

CineSoundPro: You’re a picture editor, but with Futurama,

you’re delving into both image and sound, as opposed to

working on a large feature project, where the lines may be

more delineated.

Paul D. Calder: Exactly, and with that, it’s very cool that

Futurama starts with a blank slate—there’s a script, but no sound

at all, and everything’s built from scratch. And unlike a live-

action project, our dialogue comes in pretty clean, and we

always have the opportunity to go back and rerecord something.

CineSoundPro: Obviously, working on an animated proj-

ect is a lot different than working with live action. Can you talk

a bit about the production workflow on Futurama?

Calder: It begins with the first dialogue recording, which

the cast typically records as an ensemble. Everyone is together

in the room at the same time, reading through the script, which

is broken down into scenes and shots. The show’s codeveloper

David X. Cohen directs the dialogue sessions and will have

someone reread a line until he’s happy with it. David has an

amazing memory, and will do circle takes on the fly as he’s

directing. He’ll even break takes down into syllables and words,

wanting this word from this take, or half of this from another.

He’ll do that for a full script as they’re reading, but for the most

part, the cast reads through each scene as an ensemble. When it

comes back to me, we break it down.

8 6 � HDVideoPro

Futurama Series Editor Paul

D. Calder talks about the

challenges and triumphs of

audio production for the show

BY GEORGE PETERSEN

AUDIOANIMATION

This production still

from 2011’s Tron-

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Oracle” episode depicts

Futurama’s main

character Fry after he

quits his dull job and

joins the police.

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the comedy. Then David and I will lock

down the final storyboard animatic,

which goes to Rough Draft Studios, and

that’s what they animate to.

CineSoundPro: How much produc-

tion is done on the 20th Century Fox lot?

Calder: The dialogue tracks are

recorded at L.A. Studios in Hollywood.

Rough Draft—our main animation stu-

dio—is in Glendale, Calif. And the in-

between, hand-drawn animation is done

by Rough Draft Korea. The rest of us are

all on the Fox lot, where Matt Groening

has an entire corner of the lot for his pro-

duction staff and bounces around

between working on The Simpsons and

Futurama. And after doing the show

since 1998, we’re all pretty close.

CineSoundPro: Is Groening very

hands-on?

Calder: Absolutely. In fact, I spent

the first entire season of Futurama with

Matt, cutting dialogue to assemble the

radio plays for each episode. After that, I

was working more with head writer

David X. Cohen. Interestingly, that was

the first time either of them had worked

on a nonlinear editing system. And

that’s how I got the job, because I wasn’t

afraid of using the Avids to do animated

shows, and they wanted something that

was more high-tech, modern and with-

out preroll. At the time, the other shows

at Fox were done using tape-to-tape and

laserdisc systems, going to 3⁄4-inch.

All of this makes a good start. We’ll

pull all the circle takes and assemble

that with some good effects and a temp

music bed and create a pretty good

“radio play” from that first dialogue

record. The timing is fairly close to what

appears in the final show. That becomes

our template, even though a lot of the

sound effects and all the music—for the

most part—are temp elements. We’ll

build that, and then, even up to the

minutes before it goes to the rerecord

mixer, we’re still tweaking stuff, which

saves a lot of time on the mix stage.

Once we’ve locked in that radio play,

it goes to our storyboard artists. It’s

much more cost-effective to do a story-

board pass with the conceptual ideas of

the animation director, rather than

going straight to animation. Once the

storyboard pass is done, we’ll do an ani-

matic pass. At that point, they’ll do a

rewrite and go back in the studio to

record some new lines and punch up

Matt Groening created this portrait of

Futurama editor Paul D. Calder—complete

with motorcycle helmet and long hair—as one

of the show’s famed “head in a jar” characters.

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AUDIO ANIMATION

Travis Powers is the sound designer for

Futurama—and The Simpsons as well—

and ultimately he has the final pass on all

the sounds. We live with the temporary

soundtracks here for months at a time,

and the producers often fall in love with

them by the time it reaches the mix stage.

So the final episodes end up being a com-

bination of the new and the old stuff.

CineSoundPro: What’s your audio

editing platform?

Calder: I use Avid Media Composer.

Its ability to organize takes in bins and

clips—and build a match back to

them—is so much better than anything

else. And being able to find a clip in a

second or less—as opposed to five sec-

onds—makes a real difference. In a Pro

Tools session, I could stack all the takes,

but there would be a lot of tracks to sort

through. And starting out as a video edi-

tor, I was much quicker on the Avid—it

suits my techniques a little better.

CineSoundPro: How are rolls pre-

pared for the final mix?

Calder: In Media Composer, we’re

limited to 24 tracks, so once final color

is locked, I prepare the tracks for our

remixer, Peter Cole. Each of the charac-

ters will get his or her own dialogue

track. If time compression is used on

some lines, I’ll also give him the original

lines with handles, remove the effects,

and output AAF files. Peter has a huge

Pro Tools rig. He’ll open up the dialogue

AAFs, add the sound design from Travis

Powers, music from our composer

Christopher Tyng and do all the final

mixes. He does stereo Lt/Rt and 5.1 sur-

round mixes at the same time.

CineSoundPro: What do you mon-

itor on?

Calder: Peter told me about these

Equator Audio speakers that he was

using. They’re sold direct, so you can

return them if you don’t like them. I

liked them a lot for dialogue and then

got another pair for my home studio.

CineSoundPro: Do you pull effects

off a central server?

Calder: We have an Avid Unity

MediaNet system and licenses for a cou-

ple Sound Ideas effects libraries. For temp

stuff, we occasionally go on YouTube and

grab some funny sounds. Interestingly,

we’ve discovered some music on

YouTube and iTunes. One episode has

the main character Fry watching after an

egg and keeping it from breaking, like a

mother hen. I went on iTunes, did a

search for “egg” songs and found a great

tune from an unknown Australian band.

It started out as a temp, but made it into

the final show, and they got paid.

CineSoundPro: As a picture editor,

what kind of things on the audio side

make your life easier?

Calder: L.A. Studios uses Pro Tools

to record the cast dialogue, and they give

us the entire session, but the key is in

labeling. All the takes are labeled by

show, by scene and by character, and we

can drag these all into Media Composer

and easily organize everything to bins. It’s

all about good, clear labeling, and having

that makes all the difference in the world.

The best thing about working on

Futurama is they’re not afraid of the

technology. We’re constantly trying out

new tools and techniques, so for me, it’s

been a lot of fun. I feel I’m the luckiest

guy ever to have fallen into this show.

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