Monday 16 February 2015

BINAURAL MIX

A lot of the work i do in terms of sample packs is under the Papas St Germain moniker.
For  my future SFX projects and packs i will be using ambisonique sounds.

The following is a summary detailing the audio used, routing and audio placement of the various elements present in the binaural mix.

Descriptor

The intention of this binaural mix is to recreate a realistic real world environment from the perspective of a commuter standing on a rail way station platform as a train enters stops and then departs from the station. The mix will contain several audio samples recorded by me in various real world environments and those elements will be placed appropriately within the sound field. Effects such as EQ and reverb will also be utilized to create a realistic environment for the listener.

Audio Used
Several audio elements were used to combine and create the full binaural mix. The audio elements used were the following:
1. Station background noise and announcement
2. Announcement Bell
3. Train entering station/train leaving station
4. Pigeons taking flight
5. Train whistle
6. Human activity(coughing and laughing)
7. Chatter
8. Walking

Each of these audio elements would be treated differently dependent on where each element should be in relation to the listener’s perspective. This would have an effect on the sounds treatments with EQ and reverb as well as the movement of that audio element within the scene.

The reverb effects on all of the audio elements are intended to simulate naturalistic effects present in an area such as the train station. The motion of the objects through the sound field are also intended to reflect the natural movement of objects within the environment.This following summary will highlight the panning movements of each audio element and the specific treatments it would receive within the mix.

Station Background Noise


This element forms the basic background sound to the mix. This sound is the overall background noise of the station environment and will be static through out the mix. Some minimal reverb will be applied to suggest the size of space of the station and to emphasize the announcement taking place over the tannoy is taking place some distance from the listener perspective. The reverb will also have some stereo width to help increase the size of the basic sound stage.

Announcement Bell


This sound will be placed mid left in the sound field, suggesting the area in which the sound is  coming from. Some reverb will also be applied to the sound, emphasizing some distance between the sound source to the listener’s perspective. This sound will stay static within the overall mix reflecting the fact that it is a static object.

Train Entering Station/Train leaving station


These two sounds are the main events within the binaural mix. The intention is for the train to enter the station, stop and then leave. This sound will require automation within Logic on two fronts. In the first instance, the train will enter from the far left and progress to the mid point of the stereo field. This will require automating the binaural panner to move from far left into the middle. In the second instance, the volume level of the train will increase as it comes into the station. This will mean automating the volume level, increasing the sound as it moves closer to the listener perspective as well as attempting to start the sound with some reverb which would then gradually tail off as the train approaches. For the train leaving the station the opposite will apply as the automated pan will work middle to far right as the amount of volume will decrease as the train moves away.

Pigeons taking flight


The sound of the pigeons taking flight will be another sound where automation will be used to move the sound within the mix. The pigeon sound will start behind the listener to the far right hand side and be gradually panned to the front left hand side. Some volume automation will be applied as the pigeons go close to the listener perspective. There will also be a volume increase and steady decrease as the sound increases in distance from the listener, moving to the far front left of the sound field also.

Train Whistle


This will be a simple static sound to the left of the listener perspective and will be close with very slight reverb. This will attempt to simulate the idea that this sound source is close to the listener’s perspective.

Human Sounds (coughing and laughing)


These sounds will be static within the sound field, placed to the front right and middle left areas in the sound field. One sound will be close to the listener’s perspective with little reverb whilst the coughing sound will be low in volume and more reverberant. This is to create the idea that the person coughing is across the tracks and standing at the opposite platform.

Chatter/Walking


As the train stops at the station people will exit the train. This sound will be slowly panned from middle front to the far left as the people head off to the station exit. This sound will also require a gentle volume decrease as the sound pans off to the far left. Both the pan and volume controls will be performed using automation features within Logic. Both of these sound events are directly linked with each other.

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