Unit 13 Evaluation
For my unit 13 Final Major Project I decided to focus on Sound recording and Design in film, studio and live settings.
For recording and design in film, I decided to collaborate with my classmate Ollie to complete two movie scenes where I would focus on the Foley and ADR, and he would compose and produce the backing track. We chose a scene from Iron Man and a scene from the Hobbit, however roughly four weeks in to our project Ollie and I came to the conclusion that we were unlikely to finish both movie scenes before the deadline. We made the decision to adapt our plan and cut one of them out so we could focus on getting one scene complete to a high standard compared to two unfinished scenes.
We continued on with the Iron Man scene as we had already started this and felt happy with the way it was going.
I felt happy with the finished product and thought that the overall process ran smoothly. Ollie and I communicated where necessary and made sure to review each other’s work and give honest feedback on what we liked and how it needed to be improved. I think we worked well together and were able to get a good balance of being involved in each other’s work but at the same time trusting and having confidence in our abilities and knowledge. Neither of us felt controlled by the other or like they had to be in control.
I showed the final, completed scene to some of my peers to hear their thoughts, I received lots of positive feedback in addition to some areas that needed some improvements.
This particular movie scene was very ‘busy’ in terms of sound and there were a lot of sounds I needed to recreate. I was commended for how well I had done to complete the amount of effects I had in the time given, there was no unintentional silence and I had been thorough with including as many sounds as possible throughout the whole scene.
I wanted to make the effects sound like they fit with the scene and were as realistic as possible. The biggest aim for Foley and Sound design is making the viewer believe that the sounds are coming from the movie scene itself and don’t notice how all the sounds were recorded after the movie was shot.
I think I was relatively successful in this and was able to make a lot of the sounds effects fit with the scene well. Some feedback I received mentioned that the screwdriver noises at the beginning of the scene really stood out as successful sounds. The recording sounded right for the actions of the character on screen and were timed well.
The music also worked well with the scene and the rock like genre Ollie chose to play fitted with the nature of the scene and helped create an atmosphere that the Foley and sound effects wouldn’t have, the music filled a gap and really gave the scene energy and helped it come alive.
Any problems and dilemmas I faced throughout this Foley project were dealt with effectively and I adapted my plans and project accordingly.
However there were some areas that could have been improved and adapted further to make this process even more successful.
I received the feedback that my ADR recording was too quiet and needed to be more pronounced, as it was difficult to hear once the music had been added and the sound effects completed. I could have improved this by giving myself more time to mix and master properly so that the levels were more even, and every component could be heard evenly. I also could have taken the volume in to consideration whilst I was recording and projected my voice more when I was speaking the lines.
One of my peers mentioned that I needed a few more sounds at the end of my scene to take it that one step further. He commented that when Iron Man moves his arms down after the suit had been assembled on to him there was no sound effect, adding even just a subtle noise to this would have enhanced the scene. In addition to this I could have been more complex with the helmet sounds, this is the last part of the scene and the final piece to the suit. Visually this section of the scene is very focused on the helmet and Iron Man’s face, so the audience will be listening out specifically for noises from the helmet. Having additional hydraulic sounds as the helmet lowered to cover his face and making my existing sounds louder and more impactful, would have helped to create a more convincing and powerful ending to the movie scene.
I was given some criticism stating that my metal armour sounds were too clunky, I personally disagree with this statement and felt like I was able to create the sounds I wanted, that fit with the actions displayed in the film. Despite this I understand where the opinion is coming from and would consider adding more variety in the sounds I use for the future. For instance, when the metal panels are being placed on to his arms and legs, I would use EQ and other Logic tools to dampen some of the sounds as well as replacing some of the effects with a less heavy sound.
Something I was disappointed with looking back at this project was that I had originally planned to complete Foley for two movie scenes, but I had to cut this down to one. Although I adapted my plans accordingly and dealt with challenges effectively, I would have liked to have completed two film scenes and stuck to my original plan.
In terms of Live sound, I decided to use our final performance at the Arc Theatre as part of my Final Major Project. My job role includes being responsible for the equipment and sound engineering for the set-up day, sound check and performance.
I received a lot of good feedback from my lecturer Guy and the classmates who performed in the show. The whole process was successful, and every act commented on how good the sound was on stage.
I was punctual and on time throughout the whole process and made sure to keep communication with the technician Simon and the performers about the equipment they needed and expectations for the day.
Guy first mentioned that my organisation and pre-planning was impressive and I did an excellent job of keeping track of all the equipment that was needed for each act, as well as bringing the running orders, equipment lists and stage plan to the set up day and performance.
The soundchecks ran smoothly and I was able to show good leadership skills and directed others clearly throughout, on top of setting up the system confidently. I showed good understanding of the digital desk when tasked to set up multiple mixes, including Front of House and monitor mixes. I had no problems switching between them and was able to correctly save all the soundchecks on the digital desk and effectively recalled them for each performance.
The front of house mix was well balanced and the performers were happy with their monitor mixes.
After speaking to some of my class mates about their experience with the sound, I was informed that my cable management was good and I showed a professional attitude towards the tasks in hand.
A specific success that was pointed out by one of the bands, KAOS, was the effects Guy and I used during their set. The delay we put on the lead singers voice complimented his sound and the style of the songs. Their music has a lot of sustained vocal notes that pair well with reverb and delay.
Any problems that arose I quickly dealt with and I was mindful of health and safety considerations. My preparation contributed to a very successful performance, and I am happy with how the final performance turned out.
This is a video of KAOS's performance at the Arc Theatre. It displays the delay and reverb I used throughout their set.
It is especially effective during a song called Devotion, about 30 minutes in to the video.
Despite the fact we had a rewarding show, there were some elements throughout the process that could have been improved.
The feedback I received from Guy mentioned that I should try and familiarise myself with the layout of the desk, in particular the difference between the input gain and the volume fader. I would often use this to make specific sounds louder in the mix however, once you have set the input gain on a channel, it is important to try not to touch it unless it’s necessary. This is because it will change the level across all the mixes including the level on the recording. If the volume needs to be changed then you should use the volume fader, I would often get these mixed up so it’s something I need to improve.
The second thing Guy said I could develop is my self- confidence. There were moments where I was holding back from being too hands on, I wouldn’t allow myself to make decisions or change something in fear of making a mistake or messing up someone’s performance. However I need to stop being apprehensive and give things a go, the only way I will learn and improve my skills is by trying things out and seeing if they work. Live sound isn’t very forgiving because there is no editing or perfecting before someone hears it, nevertheless it is ok for me to experience things going wrong because that is what’s going to help me get things right in the future.
After discussing the event with my classmates, I acquired some response to the things they thought could have been improved from a performer’s perspective.
Harvey stated that some of the levels could have been adjusted slightly in order to make his guitar slightly louder in the mix. Harvey is in a punk, grunge, rock band, so their set requires a lot more volume and energy compared to some of the other guitarists performing that night. Communicating with the artists to better understand the kind of sound they expect during their sets will reduce the chances of an artist being unhappy with their mix in future performances.
I also got feedback from a performer whose sound is the polar opposite to Harvey’s. Lauren is a solo singer songwriter, who is mainly accompanied by acoustic guitar or piano, singing songs in the genre of pop. Having feedback from two completely different acts has given me insight on what components affect them during a performance. Having this knowledge will help me identify the areas I need to focus on depending on what type of performer I am working with in the future.
Lauren said that there wasn’t enough slack on the XLR connected to her vocal mic, this restricted her movement on stage and subsequently made stage presence harder for her. She also commented on the fact that when she sung with just the piano she was able to hear herself clearly, but when she sung for another band that included drums and electric guitar, she found it harder to hear herself. Playing with louder instruments is inevitably going to make it harder to hear other things, so I should have taken this in to consideration and turned up Laurens voice in her monitor.
The final piece of criticism I got was about the sound checking process. We found that once people had finished their sound check they would begin to talk and make noise even when other sound checks were going on. Although this isn’t specifically to do with how the performance sounded it is part of the process and something that could have been prevented with a little more organisation. Having a more structured order as to what time we were sound checking each act, would mean people could know when they were expected to be on stage and when they were not needed. We could then ask them to move to a separate room once they had finished or be more stern and specific when asking people to be quiet and have respect for the other acts.
The third and final section to my Final Major Project focuses on studio recording. For this I recorded drums for two different tracks, one of those was for Harvey’s band SICKBUG and the other was for Chris’s original song. I got positive and negative responses from both of them, commenting on how they thought the process went.
Harvey’s recording sounded good and the final sound was clear. He thought I was very patient and responded professionally to the technical issues we faced throughout the recording process. He mentioned that once all the technical issues had been resolved, the recording process was straight forward and ran smoothly.
Harvey didn’t have many negatives to say, however we did experience glitches in Logic whilst recording the tracks which threw off the backing track slightly. This is a problem we have had with the computer for a while and it isn’t something anyone knows how to fix however, if I had known this I could have used a laptop instead of the computer and got rid of the glitches straight away. This would have made the recording session quicker and given the final product a more complete sound.
For Chris’s original song I was well organised and showed knowledge in the task at hand, I also dealt with the technical issues effectively. He complimented the Drum set up and was happy with their positioning. I think setting up all the equipment the day before saved a lot of time and made the procedure run smoother.
I could have improved the whole recording experience by checking even the smallest of details when trying to figure out a problem, I needed to calm down slightly and allow myself to de-stress in order for me to work at the best of my abilities. Having more belief in myself will help me make more definite decisions and lead a recording session efficiently.
Nevertheless I am still learning lots and there will be problems I come across that I don’t know how to fix. In this instance I could have communicated with Guy or Simon sooner to save more time. Trying to fix the issue myself shows good initiative and resilience, but wasn’t time effective.
One of the things I would do differently to better my projects in the future would be, having better communication with performers when doing Live Sound engineering. Doing this will give me more insight in to what the acts main expectations are when it comes to their overall sound. Of course, if you are working with lots of different performers it will be difficult to make everyone happy, but it is important to get as close to pleasing everyone as possible. Having a more organised sound check to reduce the amount of disturbance would make the process a lot more polished. Leaving more slack on some of the cables, especially the Vocal mics as well as keeping spare XLR’s and other equipment with us throughout the performance. We experienced a faulty XLR cable and it needed to be switched during the performance however Guy had to go and get the cable while someone was mid-way through their set. Although this didn’t disturb the act, it would have been more efficient if we had spare equipment next to us, ready to go.
I would make more notes in class when we discuss studio recording, mic techniques and desk set ups. Having this written down means I can refer back to it when I am recording without Guy’s assistance and have a better chance of solving technical issues.
If I could do this project differently I would have tasked myself with completing one Foley scene thoroughly instead of two, and challenge myself by aiming to use new techniques and Logic tools. This is more time appropriate and achievable for the resources I have available to me.
From the experience and feedback I got whilst doing this particular movie scene I would pay more attention to the visuals and think about what noises audiences are likely to focus on whilst watching. Taking this into account will help me emphasise sounds in the correct places to enhance the viewing experience.
There were some things that I wanted to complete and learn as part of this project however due to lack of time I wasn’t able to. I had planned to learn how to mix and master properly and then apply this knowledge to the recordings I did for Chris and all of my Foley tracks for my Iron Man scene. I feel disappointed that I wasn’t able to learn this, because I think it would have benefited my projects overall sound and is also new knowledge I would have gained in a subject area I enjoy. In addition to this I also wanted to create TikTok style videos showing tutorials on how to make Foley sounds. I had created some of these for my Unit 9 and enjoyed the creative side, subject area and problem solving element to it. You have to try and figure out the best camera angles and sub titles to use, that will inform the viewer in a short amount of time while at the same time being interesting and entertaining.
The main thing I have learned from this work is that projects always take longer than you expect and when you are planning to complete something in a set amount of time, you must take in to consideration the problems you could face throughout that will slow the process down.
Overall I think I was successful in achieving the aims in my final major project. I completed a Foley piece to a high standard, was able to record and be responsible for sound in both studio and live settings and responded efficiently to any complications I faced. I will take all the feedback received in to consideration and use it to improve any work I do in the future.