What are the main steps once work is completed?

[Guy Bacos]

Hi,

My 1st professional experience working on a major feature film was last year with a few other fellow musicians who were also also technicians. They took care of the transfering the soundtrack on Pro-tools to then be given to the main sound engineer for the big and final mix in the studio. We worked on G5s with Logic and VSL mainly.

I have taken my own way since, but being mainly a composer and having very little knowledge with the machines, except for VSL, I'd like to have an idea of preparing the post-production stuff the right way. Right now I am only able to give a final version of the music using my G5, Logic and VSL. What are the steps missing between that and giving the final copy to the main sound engineer? All I'm aware of is what I mentioned: Pro-tools, which I'm not familiar with. I maybe dealing with film projects in the coming months and don't want to feel clumsy on that side. Hope someone could help me. Thanks.

Guy

[rawmusic]

In this day and age, I really don't consider Pro-Tools to be the be-all and end-all anymore. It is still the industry standard though. With converters in other audio interfaces coming on so much in quality, there is more choice and budget options available. Even if you need take your instruments outside of your computer at all.

I use a combination of Mac, Yamaha digital mixer and a MOTU 896 audio interface. This is only because I frequently record live musicians and need the flexibility such a system affords me in the studio. I get to keep everything in the digital domain though, so there is theoretically minimal signal alteration. Really, you can comfortably use just your mac and a decent pair of speakers to mix on. Many colleagues now do entire mixes using just their DAW (such as logic) and the built in effects - especially when out on the road. It is more about knowing how to effectively program your VSL stuff and then applying some nice post-(or not so post)- production reverb and eq - all of this is hot topic so it seems at the moment.

[Guy Bacos]

Thanks Rawmusic, I'm glad someone finally answered this thread.

So then is it possible that the main sound engineer becomes picky in demanding the soundtrack to be in a specific format? Ex. Pro-tools. Or should I not have to worry about that and let him worry about working with my Logic/VSL output?

[DG]

@Guy said:

Thanks Rawmusic, I'm glad someone finally answered this thread.

So then is it possible that the main sound engineer becomes picky in demanding the soundtrack to be in a specific format? Ex. Pro-tools. Or should I not have to worry about that and let him worry about working with my Logic/VSL output?

If he is that picky then hire PT for the mixing session (make him pay for it) and then just export an OMF (or whatever Logic is able to do).
Most stuff I do starts on my system, the recordings are done live onto SlowTools and the mix stays on that system, mainly because I'm not really set up for mixing here. However, I do know of engineers who will supply their own PT system free just to avoid mixing in Logic [:D]

DG

[rawmusic]

In many cases, people further along the chain will want to remaster anyway, so giving them a nice WAV or SDII file without normalisation could well do the trick. I am talking now largely out of inexperience, not having been in your position.

I do know that if you send regular tracks (like regular audio mixes) to a mastering engineer like for example Bob Katz, they would much rather they have something not normalised or over eq'd as it limits their options at the final mastering stage. You might talk to the final mix engineer and find out from him what would be best. I am sure he would rather you ask and give him what he wants rather than trying to be helpful only to find he can't match your tracks with what he wants to achieve.