Sound Post-Production

As a part of the post-production program we were introduced to Avids professional sound editing software Pro Tools. I was already familiar with Pro Tools when we had the introduction, but since I started with the version 7 a lot of new functions have been added.

Pro Tools is widely used to produce sound on films, because of its many functions relating to film such as a build in timeline for the video files. External hardware can be added to a computer, to improve the speed and workflow. Pro Tools can handle many tracks at the same time, and is in a lot of ways the best possible solution to use for sound editing. Avid is known for its very own plug-in format called the RTAS format. This format both index and improves the plug-ins when used in Pro Tools.

The workflow is in many ways similar to Media Composer. But instead of video tracks you edit with soundfiles. When jumping from Media Composer into Pro Tools, the programmes integrate with each other, to import both the final video edit on to the tracks from Media Composer, and the audiofiles on the sound tracks. Sound can then be imported and mixed for the desired result. When importing in to Pro Tools, the timeline is kept, so that the edit made in Media Composer is the exact same in Pro Tools.

Looking at the interface can be very distracting to the untrained eye. The interface is complicated, but offers every possible function to suit the users needs. Therefore training in the program is required in order to use it properly. Media composer offers a vast amount of effects, all in very high quality. When editing for a film, it is possible to make micro adjustments to the tracks, and enable or disable effects as desired. 

Through our Pro Tools tutorial, we were given a brief introduction to the interface and the workflow. We got to edit a (danish made) commercial, and could take it apart and assemble it as we wanted to. We were taught how to apply simple effects to the tracks, to give the sound a completely different feel and structure. 

I found the tutorial interesting, as I would like to pursue a more in-depth knowledge of the programme. Since I had been working with the programme before, I already had a feeling of how I could mix the sound. I found it to be a very interesting lesson, and I would definitively like to do more research on how sound can alter the image in a film. Small changes can make a huge difference!