AudioMedia - November 2008 - (Page 50)

> he’s as good as it gets. There’s also Rob Playford – we call him the ‘bit wrangler’. He looks after which files are where, and makes sure all David’s audio is in order and that we are working to the right cut of the film.” With hundreds of tracks and dozens of cues to deal with, this aspect of the recording process cannot be underestimated, as Foster explains. “Pro Tools doesn’t have an automatic facility for this amount of detail, so we have developed a sensible naming structure over the years. Chris makes sure that all audio files are correctly labelled. So if David asks for the French horn on track 232, we can easily and rapidly find it.” Foster has developed a working relationship with the composer that ensures David Arnold’s wishes end up on the screen. “I sit down with David and we talk about what sort of sound we are after – with each film he usually has a new direction,” he says. “David may say, ‘I’d like something tougher, or more raw, or use more electronic beats this time’, for example. Then Rob and I will discuss the technical aspects of the recording, such as how many tracks we’ll need, and sample rates and so on, and once we have decided on how we are to proceed, David will play me his demos and we’ll discuss how to achieve the results he desires – for example whether we’ll need to use large or small recording spaces.” Foster is obviously a man who knows how to delegate and appreciates fully the advantages of a team he can trust, each of whom has their own expertise – which is demonstrated when he talks about the technology used in the recording sessions. “All I ask is that it works – it’s one of my big beefs!” he laughs. “Chris knows what we need to do and he puts together a bomb-proof system to achieve it.” Recording an orchestra is an expensive business, and Foster passionately believes that reliability is more important than the highest bit rates and latest software versions – though obviously not at the expense of recording quality. This emphasis on stability is easily explained though; “We are often running up to the Pro Tools limit of 256 recording channels – so I’d rather not be at the bleeding edge!”, says Foster. He uses Pro Tools, basically, as a digital recording device, and doesn’t rely on a sea of plug-ins. ”There is something in analogue that is ‘just there’,” he says. “Plug-ins can be really good – but no matter how many companies tell me that their number crunching makes for a superior sound, when you sum together 200 tracks of analogue, the compromises inherent in this process seem to enhance the sound rather than detract – unlike summing. Foster is far from a Luddite though, as he utilises Pro Tools as an effects matrix when mixing, bringing both external hardware and software into the musical equation. “What I do is run from Pro Tools to our external units, such as the TC Electronics 6000 reverb and then return these signals digitally to the Pro Tools system.” These analogue and digital effects are then sub-mixed to a 5.1 stream, leaving the desk to handle just the audio tracks – which could contain orchestra, drums, or guitar – an instrument often used in Bond scores. B omb Proof S essions Recordings were captured using a mixture of the usual microphonic suspects from Neumann, Sennheiser, and Microtech Geffel into a Neve 88R 96-channel console. “I have a fairly mansized Excel spreadsheet of the mics I want to use and where I want to put them,” says Foster. “Usually we’ll have more than 100 microphones into the console – for example we may have M50s on the big orchestra overheads, UM75s as room outriggers, and TLM170s for the surround.” M icrophone Choice 50 AUDIO MEDIA NOVEMBER 2008 http://www.seelectronics.com http://www.sonic-distribution.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - November 2008

AudioMedia - November 2008 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News Geofocus: Italy What's Up UK AES Review For the Record Studio Snapshot: Aquarium Abbey Road Plug-ins Brilliance Pack Neumann TLM67 Mercenary Audio KM-69 IZ Technology ADA Final Cut Special: Bond TC Powercore 6000 EP Productions Nagra VI Product Sampler: Location Tools Video Guide AMSR News Shure KSM9 Big Beach Boutique 4

AudioMedia - November 2008

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