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Home: Video University Forums: Audio For Video:
Do you mix foley?

gl
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Sep 4, 2007, 1:18 PM

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Do you mix foley?	Can't Post

How much attention do you give to environmental elements in your audio mix? Just curious as to how many pay attention to this?

-gl

Mark Foley
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Sep 4, 2007, 1:21 PM

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What do you consider are "environmental" elements?

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gl
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Sep 4, 2007, 1:32 PM

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Re: [Mark Foley] Do you mix foley? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Well, for example, mixing receptions. How many channels of coverage do you have? How do you mix the background and other elements with vocals?

I may be making this more complex than what most do but, I was just curious as to how involved you get with it. Seems like an opportunity to really push the quality of the work.

-gl

chriswatson
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Sep 4, 2007, 1:43 PM

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I know exactly what you mean. At every wedding I try to get ambient sound from the ceremony between music sets as well as reception crowd audio between songs. I then use this when I want to condense the processional but still want it to be in real time. Having that ambient sound sells the live feeling and doesn't feel as "produced". Same thing when i want to condense reception stuff such as meeting and greeting and reception events where I might otherwise have to fight with the music.

Chris W

Mark Foley
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Sep 4, 2007, 2:02 PM

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Re: [gl] Do you mix foley? [In reply to]	Can't Post

It does vary...but I ty to capture each music source (channel) individually for re-mix in post. I typically use 1-2 recorders (Edirol R-4, Marantz 670)based on the amount of information (music/vocals/etc) for that event. I will capture a feed (Microtrak) from the church board and ambient capture is usually done through one or more of the unmanned cameras.

At the reception;
DJ: If I know the DJ, I will take a direct feed from the board, typically though, I mic the PA (one mic if the DJ is pushing a mono mix or two mics if stereo mix). I will run a stereo mic for ambient capture and all of this is fed to one recorder (Edirol R-4). I will mix ambient from camera capture also.
Will start using the Zoom H2 in 4 channel mode for 5.1 ambience....

Live Band: If I feel confident I can get a good feed or time to work with their sound technician, I will pull a feed from the board...preferably an aux send feed so it will stay constant into the recorder. At most small venues, they will probably not run all of the instruments through the mix, so I will mic these seperatly. If time doesn't allow or the sound guy looks like he only has a third grade education, I will mic the PA stack....

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(This post was edited by Mark Foley on Sep 4, 2007, 2:28 PM)

RT Steele
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Sep 4, 2007, 2:12 PM

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one mic if the DJ is pushing a mono mix

Hmmm... these guys do that? I wonder why? But I suppose nobody would notice since their speakers are typically so close together anyway.

I generally don't do enough audio mixing in post. While I have plenty of idependant audio sources I'm usually struggling to find one that isn't clipped too badly to use.

Micing the DJ's speaker has been my most reliable source so far but it does have that "speaker" sound to it. My best "ambient" sound is always from a 2nd camera it seems.

And I'm batting 000 when it comes to that elusive "record out" jack the DJ's don't know nothing about. I can always find it but it's dead. Laugh

The guy can never figure out how to turn it on. Splitting a headphone jack sucks too... it's never the same quality from wedding to wedding and I'm at the total mercy of the DJ switching it off or constantly riding the volume slider.

I'm curious to hear how that H2 does with an ambient sound.

- RT

Mark Foley
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Sep 4, 2007, 2:20 PM

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Quote

My best "ambient" sound is always from a 2nd camera it seems.

My only problem with using this source is I also get "noise" from me Laugh

...in addition, the soundscape will "move" as you move with the camera. This is why I prefer to use a stationary mic strategically placed to capture the room ambience...however I usually will mix in the camera audio anyway Smile

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Ron Priest
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Sep 5, 2007, 11:11 PM

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gl, I haven't been using the Edirol R4 (4 channel recorder) that long, but it's working out great for me. At receptions, I now plug up a stereo mic to the R4 for ambient, and I use the other 2 channels to capture the music from the DJ's soundboard via the stereo record out jacks. That way, all of my music is clean, no ambient noise interfering, and I'll mix them in post as needed. It also gives me fantastic on the toasts when the DJ has a wireless for them to use. If he doesn't, I tell him to use my wireless mic for the speaches, and I give him the receiver to plug up to his sounboard. If for some reason I can't connect directly to his sound board, I have 2 receivers for the toasts, he (the DJ) gets one for the amp, and I plug the other one up to me R4.

At a ceremony, I plug in a wireless groom mic to channel 1. A wireless mic on the Priest to channel 2. A podium mic to channel 3. And finally a mic just capturing ambient sound to channel 4. If I need to mic anything else, I will mic it with the Zoom H4. I also have 4 other channels of ambient that the cameras are picking up, (or 6 if I'm shooting with 3 cams) but I mostly use the camera audio for synching purposes in post.

Here, this should give you plenty of examples to choose from. It's a live performance I did last month. Two channels were adirect feed from the soundboard, and the ambient noise of the crowd was from my stereo mic on channels 3&4.

I hope you like country music Crazy

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(This post was edited by Ron Priest on Sep 5, 2007, 11:23 PM)