Mixing

Surround sound is not as easy as just setting up extra speakers and making sound fly all around the room.

Delivering a great surround mix and having it “work” for all of your listeners can be a tricky proposition. Fortunately, we have countless hours of experience mixing in surround, and know first hand what needs to be asked to tailor your project for the best “fit” for your audience.

Who is my audience?

Delivering the right mix to your target audience begins, well, at the beginning… Sound Design! This is the first step in creating your surround masterpiece, and it’s where your first decisions regarding the development and application of your soundtrack happen.

Perhaps you have produced a fun, energetic program targeting a younger audience, and really want the audio to reflect that energy. Or maybe you have created a Museum Presentation that requires a more stately or mature sound environment. Maybe it’s a Documentary that tells a compelling story or a high impact Promotional piece, both which need to appeal to the widest audience. All of these scenarios require a different approach to Sound Design so that once your mixer starts panning, leveling and EQing the audio, he/she has the elements they need in the Sound Design to deliver the mix to your target audience. Conveying your goals early on will definitely help us to design your program for the most appeal.

How is my program being viewed?

Projects with surround audio have numerous applications where viewers can experience the benefits of surround audio. Perhaps you have created a program in High Definition Video that is to be aired on a network that supports 5.1 Surround Sound. Maybe it is for release on DVD, and can utilize several audio formats and encoding processes. Knowing how your viewers will actually get to hear your program has a big influence on what happens in the mix suite.

Do you know what audio gets lost when down mixing from Dolby Digital 5.1 to Dolby Pro Logic stereo? Are you aware of the differences between mixing 5.1 for Dolby Digital and DTS? Because of our knowledge base, we understand the nuances and compromises involved in mixing for the myriad of surround formats available to producers, both today and moving forward.

Delivering 5.1 and beyond…

Even though most networks have concise deliverable requirements for 5.1 Surround Audio programs, are they really comprehensive? Delivering just stereo split deliverables and a 5.1 Mix might not allow you to fully address all of the markets or applications available to you for your program. Will your program be translated for international release or reversioned in an edit suite after being delivered? Should you deliver an additional 5.1 mix that leaves out the narrator for easier translation to different languages later, or encode your stereo stems for Pro Logic stereo? If you deliver a Master with Dolby E, should you also create a DA-88 or DVD with an unencoded 5.1 mix?

We are pleased to share our experience and to work with you and/or your client to design a plan for your deliverables that is both flexible and comprehensive. Just like you, we want the broadest audience possible to hear your great work, without compromise!