NewBlueFX Titler Pro is a new program to me. Here is its website. Titler Pro is a new release for the Mac platform, which can work as a replacement for Avid’s Title Tool /  Marquee. Here is a review and video demo.

I have found that often my tracks will sound good in my room through my nice speakers but when the show plays through smaller TV speakers, consumer amplifiers or is recorded to DVD it becomes distorted.  In order to fix this it is necessary to add compression to the tracks.  Compression is common in all audio applications from broadcast to live performance to aid in clear reproduction.

Timeline

This is my timeline.  I put dialog on A1 & A2.  Both of these tracks get compression.   There is an audio plug-in called Bombfactory. It a peak limiter which is helpful on tracks heavy with explosions or gun shots.

This is the compression/limiter.   The two key controls are the ratio and the thresh (threshold).

Compressor / Limiter

The RATIO is usually is set to 3 or 4.  This is the amount the limiter will reduce loud noises.

The THRESHOLD is the level at which the limiter is triggered.  If you set it to 0dB it wouldn’t do anything.  A light compression would be around -5 to -10.  A heavy threshold at -20 or so flattens everything.  This is helpful if you have screeching actors.

Incidentally, I have used compression on music tracks to help separate them from dialog tracks.  By limiting the dynamic ranch of some music it will fight the dialog less.  This is trick used often in commercials.

I reserve track 8 for bar and coffee shop ambient music.  To help the music feel like its being played on a house system, I add slight reverb to it.  The key settings are:

MIX – set to 50% of the signal getting reverb.

Room 1 and medium – seems to be the least offensive.

This is not a great reverb tool.  It sounds artificial.

D-Verb

Another filter that is helpful is too EQ out the high end to simulate distance.

My only experience with sound goes back to mixing commercials in the analog days.  If anybody has any suggestions for different settings or improvements I would appreciate the comments.

The TELEVISION Issue

BIG LOVE FOR THE SMALL SCREEN

BY WALTER FERNANDEZ JR.

If there was any doubt that editing for television occupies the king’s portion of post-production work, one only need look at the roster of Emmy®nominations. A whopping seven separate categories are reserved for editing alone from Outstanding Short-Form Picture Editing to Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special (single or multi-camera). This year, a slew of ACE members received Emmy®nominations for their peerless efforts in comedy, reality, drama, non-fiction and promos.

More and more editors are achieving greater creative influence in television. Editors like Dean Holland, Stephen Semel, A.C.E., Andrew Seklir, A.C.E., and Randy Roberts, A.C.E., have not only made impressive waves as editors, but have delved into producing and directing. In many cases, these individuals work concurrently as editors and in another professional capacity on a series.

There is a rich playground of inventiveness on television that rivals film, and this issue profiles a handful of exquisite reasons why our DVRs are always at maximum capacity. Friday Night Lightsis lovingly mourned after five great seasons and freshmen seriesSuitsrushes the fraternity that is USA Network programming. The bizarre, yet accessible, worlds of Communityand Fringeare explored with candor and humor. Plus, “Who’s on First?” profiles its first-ever assistant editor on a TV series— Cougar Town’s John Mullin.

Sadly, one of television’s great editors passed away last spring. Ralph Schoenfeld, A.C.E., helped realize some of TV’s classic series like The Beverly Hillbillies, Hart to Hart, The Incredible Hulk(1978-1982), Lassie and The Six Million Dollar Man. Ralph is touchingly eulogized by his wife in this issue’s “In Memoriam.”

May you revel in the giant splendor of the small screen throughout the entire issue. Good luck to all the Emmy®-nominated editors on the night of September 18, and another good luck to everyone starting up work again on the new fall season.

Microsoft reported quarterly profits 30% higher than last year. Mostly on sales of XBox, server, and Office. Apple, however, reported 120% higher profit for the same quarter. (The Economist Babbage blog).

I’ve talked to two editors who are asked to take raw camera files and figure out how to use them. Not an improvement over shooting film.

People who use FCP for a living are really mad at Apple over FCP X. Check out the podcast That Post Show. The software is crippled, but what is really infuriating is stopping all sales  of the original.