ADR Tips?

[Phil O]

I have the opportunity for some ADR work, but I've never done it before. The client understands that this is not something I'm set up for, but insists that I do the work. (A nice compliment, but that doesn't help me with the technical details.) Any suggestions on any aspects of how to best accomplish this in DP would be greatly appreciated.

Phil

[jkramlofsky]

Hi Phil,

that is a tough one I think. I am not a DP guy although I might become one, but that's a different story.
I know that you have the ability to create streamers and punches in DP but probably not a masked count off. So I suggest a different approach that a lot of times works quite well. At least as long as the replacement dialog is identical or almost identical to the original.
Play the original phrase (cue) to the actor as many times as he or you see fit. Then let him repeat that phrase by ear. He or she should have internalized the phrase after listening enough. Just record that without a running video. You'll be surprised how well the replacement cue sits on the original when you drag it there. As I said, this method works quite well under certain circumstances but not always. Maybe it will fit your project. Or at least halfway.
Hope this helps a bit. Regarding streamers, count offs etc. in DP you need somebody else to chime in.
Greats

[cbergm7210]

Sorry to state the obvious...this is how my simple mind works...

Isn't VocAlign good for this? I'm sure you've thought of this already, Big Phil.

[Freaky Freddy]

Hi phil,
I did a short film. I had to ADR the whole thing, which is an error in and of itself, but on to more important things. To deal with the situation, I had a video with punches and streamers in order to aid the person doing the voice.
-The visual helped because it reminded the person of their expression of the word. Your call but I would suggest it because it is another reference for them. The more the better.
-As stated by jkramlofsky get them to listen to it over and over. Once the person was comfortable I then recorded take after take until we felt comfortable with the results.

To prepare for the ADR, I just went through each constructed sentence where it flowed. With the video and soundbite I set up markers of each sentence and went through each step by step. It was a painful process.
Depending on how much you have to do make sure you get it all, sentence by sentence.
It is tough to get it exact since the space will be different then the visual environment, but I am sure with you experience you can work it out.

All the best!

Freaky

[Dan Worley]

To know them (and all their combinations and commands intimately) is to love them.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[Shooshie]

Can someone explain to me why they call it AUTO dialog replacement? It doesn't appear very automated to me. More like a lot of hard work!

Is it true that there is software that will automatically rework the lip movement of the actors to make them match up with the dubbed dialog? Is anyone here using that, and if so, does it sync with a DAW, or is that something done somewhere else entirely?

Shooshie

[Phil O]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Good stuff. I'll be studying the video sections of the manual today and playing with some sample files. The job has been confirmed - wohoo I don't have a start date yet, but we're looking at late February or early March, so I have time to prepare. Please feel free to add your thoughts. Thanks again!

Phil

edit: Shoosh, I have no idea why they call it automatic. I was wondering about that myself.

[cbergm7210]

VocALign®:- award-winning software providing instant audio alignment.

* Automatically edits one audio signal to match the energy patterns in another audio signal.
* Works with voice, musical instruments and sound effects.
* Provides time saving and quality benefits for ADR, Foreign Language dubbing, tightening double tracking and backing harmonies, etc.


I knew I read this somewhere...

[Phil O]

Thanks, Chris. That's something I knew about, but now I'll look at it more closely.

Phil

[cbergm7210]

Thanks, Chris. That's something I knew about, but now I'll look at it more closely.

Phil

I knew you knew, Phil Man, I just completely forgot that this was one of the reasons it was created! (I use it all the time for BGV's and such.)

[davedempsey]

+1 on VocAlign

[Phil O]

There's a good chance I'll be needing to convert the video format. I have both Quicktime Pro and MPEG Streamclip. Any thoughts on what formats/codecs work best with DP?

Phil

[Phil O]

To prepare for the ADR, I just went through each constructed sentence where it flowed. With the video and soundbite I set up markers of each sentence and went through each step by step. It was a painful process.

Thanks for the advice, Freddy. I'm getting info on the project in dribs and drabs. The movie is about 90 minutes long and I'm told ALL of the dialog needs to be replaced as well as some foley. They've been working on this film for about two years and are just now deciding that the audio quality is inadequate. What the heck is that about? Oh well, good for me. I haven't heard anything about the music yet. I'm hoping there's some work there as well.

I love foley work, but I've never done ADR. So, I'm guessing the foley will be the fun part and the dialog will be the tough stuff. I was thinking of getting a script and marking it up with marker numbers from DP. Haven't worked out the workflow details yet. Thanks again.

Phil

[Phil O]

...So I suggest a different approach that a lot of times works quite well...

Good suggestion. I just found out that this will involve all of the actors, so I'm sure I'll need different approaches for different people. Thanks again.

Phil

[Phil O]

To know them (and all their combinations and commands intimately) is to love them.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

You got that right, Dan. I use these features daily. Thanks for the reply.

Phil