By Dominic Pesce
Things to think about for your next project. Justifying the outsourcing of projects to an audio professional. Here are a few real world examples for you to consider
You’ve got your new client and want to get the most out of your first impression. They want the “wow” factor for their new product and you’ve incorporated a great design to your video. But something is missing. The video doesn’t seem to express the right emotion for the scenes. Or worse, you hear the piece of music you’ve just cut to in another commercial. You look at your collection of soundtracks that you’ve used before, but you’re stuck. The video won’t lock to a new piece of music and you don’t want to re-edit your creative vision. What can you do?
Projects vary in size, tempo, feel, emotion and style. Soundtracks can’t be altered easily to ebb and flow with your cuts. Drama is something that you need to pull the viewer’s attention to the product or service being offered. Musical “hits” can be utilized to effectively direct the viewer to a visual cue. A voice jingle that sells the product or gives a character to the video can make a lasting impression on the viewer and keep the product in their mind. This gives you that “wow” factor and can increase your bottom line, making you more of a boutique service.
Another scenario is the poorly recorded audio track. The video looks great, but the audio is noisy and has an extremely low volume. Increasing the gain of the audio only leads to a louder noise floor. How can you make it sound great?
Noise reduction is not the only process needed her. Proper eq of the sources as well as compression of the signal to make the relative volumes similar is important. Noise reduction can cancel the “highs” of the signal and make the audio sound muddy. If a soundtrack is added, this can mask the voice. Improper eq can give a nasal sound or a piercing sound to the listener. However, proper eq can be used to lower background rumble. The use of compression can aid in making all levels of the voice sound the same, ensuring that every word is heard at a constant volume.
Think strategically: integrating original music and proper audio surgery can make a difference!
Dominic Pesce is a music composer and audio producer in San Diego, CA. His company is audacityproductions.com. You can forward questions to dominic@audacityproductions.com