Michael Miramontes

What program do most of you guys use?

I'm actually glad that I'm faced with this situation. Its circumstances like these that offer an opportunity to learn. Thank you so much guys for the info. I'll get crackin on this some more.

Well, so far I've added the room tone from the location recording and played with the gain so that both levels match. I used a B6 for the V.O. and I'm guessing the location recording was done via boom. The location recording has a bit more bass to it so I'm trying to figure out which setting in FCP would help me out here.

Sorry for my ignorance but what is "slap"? Thanks

The closet was the quietest room in the house and the only one with carpet. The rest of the place was tile/wood and the rooms were quite large. So, you guys think adding a little bit of verb would help out? I guess I'll give it a try.

Is there an easy way to match audio from a V.O. to sound similar to the audio recorded on location? The V.O. was done in a closet and the location sound was done in a studio. I'm limited to FCP or Soundtrack Pro as I don't have ProTools yet. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Nice job!!

Marc, Thanks for the info. It really helps put things into perspective.

Also, on those Indy gigs you want to be sure to make sure you get paid or have some sort of contract in hand before you deliver the sound files. It hasn't happened to me but I've had friends who never got paid after giving up the goods. Better safe then sorry I say.

thanks for the info Senator. Yes, the wage I quoted was to have a boom operator with me. I know since it would be a 2 man crew that the wage is pretty low. At least now I know what the basis is so I can try and negotiate for more money. Wish me luck. lol

You didn't go after all?

ok, so let me ask you guys this. what would you consider fair for a Million Dollar feature? I may be mixing for one next month and just wanted to know what to expect. My friend is the Producer and so he is going to hire me for sound. So far I've been told the budget for sound is $450 a day. Is this normal for someone with my experience (one low budge feature under my belt, many shorts, several commercials) for a project of this scale? Oh yeah, and one other important detail, the film may flip and go union. Would this mean I would get Union wages since this may be my ticket in? Or am I totally wrong about all this? Steven, don't mean to hijack your thread. I just figured we can both appreciate the info.

I'm sure this is the case, however it would be nice to know a range so that we can figure out if we are being fairly compensated or not. I think since we are starting out we are not too sure as to what the standards are yet. We probably won't have an idea until we've done enough gigs or someone offers to pay us more then we expected. It might take a while to understand the range of wages per job type or someone can be so kind as to chime in here and speed us up a bit. Please....

So, to help us newbies out with setting a standard rate for our work, what would you guys suggest is fair?

Darn it. I missed this. How was the shoot?

interesting read

LMAO!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. All this info is great!

Good call. Those pics are nice and I'm sure something the clients would appreciate too.

Hey Malcolm, "where there is a will there is a way..."

I borrowed my friends gear to get me by at the time. My first few jobs only required two channels so I would hide a Zoom H4n inside a large bag so it looked like I had a bigger mixer inside. The funny thing about sound is that no one is breathing down your back to make sure your levels are fine. This is why I was able to get away with doing something like that.

I think I'll look in to the FTP route in the future. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks

It'd be nice to have a JWsound BBQ sometime so that all the regulars on here can congregate in one spot and talk sound. I'd really like to meet all you fine folks in person some day.

LOL. I forgot about your company name. Yeah, I'd say you need to be there then.

I'm still a newbie but have been moving up pretty fast. I started last year doing sound for FREE on a few student films for the kids at UCLA, USC, AI, and LA film school. I made sure I kept in touch with all of them via Facebook and occasionally post photos of current jobs so they know that I'm still working. It wasn't long before my phone started ringing with the usual intro "hi, I was given your info from the producer of the last gig you did and wanted to know if you would be interested in doing sound for my production". At first the gigs paid peanuts but slowly but surely the pay started getting better and so did the jobs. I try to get along with everyone on the set and try to add them to my Facebook because you will soon realize that most jobs will be referred by someone you've worked with in the past. You've made a good decision joining this forum since the great people here are really helpful and easily accessible. The knowledge passed down on this site will be essential in your learning and quest on becoming a location sound mixer. I know it has surely helped me out quite a bit! But as Colin had mentioned, it really does take hard work too. Good luck to you.