Henchman

FYI, don't assume that a noisy scene will have to be ADR'ed. Yes, not having the noise is of course proffered. But a good re-recording mixer can really make a huge difference in the amount of ADR needed on a production.

Awards don't pay bills. I never want to get a gig because Im the cheapest guy, I want to get hired because the client values my work, and because of my reputation. And if a client values both of those, they will have no problem paying accordingly. When it's been slow, I've picked up lower paying , non-union gigs, mixing reality TV etc. but they have never paid less than union scale. And I won't mix for less than union scale. I still get the calls.

I have a friend who was thinking of outsourcing SFX and dialog editing to India. And quickly learned that it would really be not much less money, just a lot more hassle. And it's true about housing there. Even renting an apartment is very expensive. Something I learned when I was over there supervising ADR In Mumbai for two weeks.

I train people all the time. I have had numerous green re-recording mixers put in the SFX chair, that I have helped and shown the ropes. I have no problem with that. But if I received a call from a client asking me to teach wow own they wan to replace me, then Imwoudl suddenly be very booked. That's just downright rude and disrespectful.

Not a word in that article about gun control, or keeping assault weapons Off of the maker.

I wouldn't even think twice about not training the guy they are replacing you with. Tell them there are schools that he can go to for training.

I've posted a list of files from a recent show, to give you guys an example of what I am talking about. Especially file A. The entire show was this quality, and it's frustrating to have to work very hard, just to make a show sound decent. http://www.markhensley.tv/dxdemo/

Is like the CL ads I have seen: Composer needed. Must be able to compose, do sounddesigner and clean up production dialog, to deliver a final soundtrack. Completely clueless about the fact that all three of those are completely different, specialized skillets.

Can it turn into a tenured position?

They need to understand that better production tracks, and taking that into account when picking locations, will save them money and make a better film. Because they will usually NEVER get that great performance they worked hard to get on set, in ADR. Period.

A good re-recording mixer with the right tools can clean up a lot of stuff. Sometimes it's amazing what can be done between notch filters,CEDAR, a waves C4, some eq and riding the fader.

I admit, I may come across a bit "hard" sometimes. But I'm very passionate about this field of sound that we all work in. And I am not someone to just sit in a chair and complain to everyone else. I prefer to fix the problem, if it can be fixed. And the best place to do that, is with the person behind the mic. And it's good to know the reason why it can't be fixed. Because it certainly lowers my own personal aggravation level. I never assume that someone isn't doing their job. But I think sometimes a bit of feedback, helps. And that feedback is a two way street. It's up to us to maintain the highest standards, no matter what, since there are a lot of people in the production process that try to minimize the importance of good sound, good sound location guys and the money involved with hiring them. I guess it's because everyone has some experience with a microphone, a volume as well as a bass and treble knob, and are therefore experts. We all know the truth about that, don't we.

Stupid iPad autocorrect strikes again.

Agreed Sherman. Have specific resumes for specific jobs.

Funny thing about that song, that made them all the money. It was recorded and mixed in two days at The Plant in Sausalito, after they had spent months recording the rest of the album in LA.

The show "The Lying Game" is a good example where I was having some issues with mics being rolled off to high, as well as some questions regarding noisy set issues. A phone call with the location mixer, and the reason for the roll off, was because he was worried about some low end frequencies. I said lets try it down around 80, if it's a problem we will go back to the way he was doing it. It wasn't a problem, and everyone was happy. The other problem, the noisy set, was explained. The set was built at an old airporT location. And the airport was built in that location for the strong crosswinds. Needless to say, the outside locations of that set always have wind issues, and there really is nothing he can do about it. I just have to make it work. That's just the way it is. Also, it doesn't help, that because they're shooting in a hot location, no matter when they go, aircon is going non-stop. Again, nothing he can do about that. Thank god for CEDAR.

I totally agree. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972296/ As soon as I get some time, I will make clips of examples and will pm people privately with links.

Jeff, I am talking scripted Network Drama and MOW's. Sadly, I have worked on a lot of reality Tv that actually has better location sound than drama shows. And where almost every person has an Iso mic and track.

So, what you're saying, is you bring the iso's, but leave the multitrack at home?

Philip, I would like to note, that as a mixer, I never throw anybody under the bus on the stage. If I have a problem, and it's a series, I will have the sound supervisor set up a call, and try and find solutions and insight into what the problems are, and how they can be resolved. Some can be fixed, some are unavoidable. I never get producers or AP's involved. And I certainly don't try and get people fired. You don't mess with people's livelihood.

If you are going I notch, make sure it's a very, very narrow Q.

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Jeff, I know there are some great, experienced location guys. I worked on a film, 2 actors racing across the water in a speedboat. All the dialog was completely useable. And then I have Tv shows. 2 actors in a room. Completely unuseable dialog. All had to be ADR'ed. Classic example. Actor at a podium. Mic in front of him. All ADR, because there was no iso, and boom couldn't get close enough. Uum, hello. Why wasn't the mic right in front of his face used? I also know that cheap/old batteries, can cause problems. Because they can't deliver power properly. I have experienced that myself using wireless mics in live sound. I also wonder what some of the mixers listen to, or if they listen at all, while recording. It's absolutely abysmal the stuff we get delivered sometimes. And I'm not just talking a scene here or there. But an entire shoot. And again, I understand the challenges on set. I do. But if an entire show or movie sounds like absolute crap, regardless of wether it's in an office, house or busy traffic location, and I have to work hard to make it sound good, then someone isn't doing their job. And trust me, there ARE guys using compressors. I can hear the difference between a compander/limiter and a compressor. And I have had cases were a compressor is definitely in the chain. I had it in a series, and thankfully early on we we able to pass on to the mixer to turn it off. Same withbthe high pass filter situation. I have had cases where it was set way too high, and was Abel to have the mixer back it way off. Inthink too many people don't talk to the mixer in cases like that. How are they supposed to know, if nobody tells them. I have been in conversations with some of the top especially TV re-recording mixers here in LA, and the comment of ending up with a good sounding show in spite of the location sound is echoed by all of them. I think one of the problems is, that with so much content, too many guys have started in location sound simply by buying the gear, and going out. And haven't received proper training from the old guard. Some do not understand anything about gain and signal path. One mixer that constantly delivered distorted tracks couldn't even recognize distortion when brought in to discuss the problems. And didn't understand that it was mic pres that distort regardless of where the fader is sitting. Sorry for my rant, but it just seems that it gets worse and worse.

Actually, having mixed a fair amount of reality TV, I can tell you that what you delver is most certainly not what goes to broadcast. Unless its the very bottom of reality tv. But shows from Kitchen Nightmares, to Survivor and Toddlers and Tiaras are most certainly mixed by pros.

Ok, as a re-recording mixer, let me just please ask all of you mixers to leave the eq, notching and compressing to me. And as far as the hi pass goes, 120 is way too high. Seriously, 80hz is more than enough. I'm tired of getting tracks for network drama shows movies, that sound like they were recorded with 2 tin cans and a string. I understand that it's tough on set. And when I get tracks that are noisy, because of the location, I understand it's not the location mixers fault. But when I get tracks with absolutely no bottom in the dialog, and I can hear the compressor/limiter hitting, THAT I know is the mixers fault. Or microphones with buzzes and crackles because of bad batteries. I'm not sure how many mixers realize when they see a show they recorded, on tv, And it sounds great, that it sounds great in SPITE of how they recorded it. And what's with guys only recording a mix track, and no iso's, or only the occasional ISO track. Completely unacceptable.