The Supervising Sound Editor is the liaison between the Director and the sound post editors and possibly even the composer. The Director and sound supervisor will gather at one or more spotting sessions to determine the film’s audio post needs. “Spotting for sound” is the process of determining:

• where the music score will be, and where source music will be needed
• if and where any dialogue problems may exist, so that ADR can be cued to be recorded
• where sound effects are needed and what kind
• what Foley effects will be needed in the film, and where
• If Sound design (the creation of special sound effects), will also be needed

Music for film/TV falls into two main categories: Score and Source.

• The score is the responsibility of the Composer and it consists of the dramatic underscore.
• Source music is the music we hear coming from an on screen or off screen device of some kind; some examples are radio source music, phonograph records, etc.

Music Editing consists primarily of assisting the Composer in the preparation of the dramatic underscore, as well as be the person who edits or supervises the final synchronization of all music elements prior to the mix.

Mixing (also called Dubbing) – Is the art of balancing the various elements, i.e., – the Dialogue (and ADR), Music, Sound Effects, and Foley Effects, in the final mix.

We also provide composers with the option of up-mixing or re-mixing their scores in 5.1 surround sound format.

Sound effects editing and design is the process of adding sound effects (backgrounds like: air, rivers, birds, traffic, and hard effects like: gunshots, door slams, body falls, etc.) Sound Designers create sound effects that have never been heard before, or artistically create specific “mood” sounds to complement the director’s vision of the visuals.

Production dialogue editing – The production audio recorded on the set needs to be properly prepared to be mixed. Locating the correct takes from the recorded production audio, the sync checked (so it works properly with the picture), all the extraneous noises removed and the edits smoothed out so the Mixer has clean dialogue tracks to use during the Mix.

ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement] – In some cases where the production audio is too noisy, or otherwise unusable (bad line reading, airplane fly-by, script change, etc.) the dialogue editor will “cue” the line for ADR. These lines will be recorded by the actors in a special studio and later edited to replace that bad line or lines of dialogue checking the sync carefully to precisely match it to the picture.

Foley effects are the sounds that are created by recording human movement in sync with the picture. Different from the environmental backgrounds and hard effects that comprise edited sound effects, Foley effects are sounds like footsteps, prop movement, cloth rustling, etc.

Or “M&E”, is the delivery element comprised of the “MUSIC and EFFECTS” elements of your original soundtrack, with ALL of the English (or main) language dialogue removed to allow for foreign language dubbing.
This process usually requires preparation of the original sound editing, as well as some additional Foley coverage that might NOT have been needed for a straight domestic release.

After the mix is completed and approved, some television networks or a DVD version may require the levels to be different and specific to their standards, so a loudness mastering process can be performed to meet these specs while making sure the audio quality is not degraded in any way.