Overview

This standard is about mixing sound during post-production, also referred to as “re-recording mixing” or “dubbing”.

It involves the assessing, selecting, balancing and treatment of sound that has been organised on tracks, to achieve the level, tonal quality, audio image and intelligibility required.

This standard should apply to anyone who is involved with mixing recorded sound in post production.

 

Performance Criteria 

You must be able to:

  1. assess characteristics of sound tracks
  2. adjust individual sound tracks to achieve the desired intelligibility, position and image in terms of required sound
  3. position and balance sound to achieve desired creative and aesthetic effects according to director’s or other decision makers’ vision
  4. achieve appropriate transitions between sound and music
  5. control levels of composite signals within technical limits and within desired dynamic range
  6. manipulate sound tracks to achieve appropriate level, balance, tonal quality, perspective and dynamic range
  7. create sound mixes within time, budget and other production constraints
  8. make critical judgments about, and control, audio quality against agreed artistic and technical standards
  9. create mixes which are appropriate to the context in which they will be heard
  10. create sound mixes that present the characteristics of individual sounds and atmospheric sound in line with briefs
  11. check and confirm that sound files comply with legal limits and standards for distribution and delivery
  12. identify and correct any problems in creating mixes
  13. interpret suggestions and requests from decision makers in line with organisational procedures
  14. suggest options to decision makers which satisfy both artistic requests and the operational requirements of productions
  15. organise components of mixes for later use
  16. check that paperwork conforms with conventions that will be understood by other mixers, sound technicians or studios
  17. explain technical issues in ways that enable non-technical people to understand their significance
  18. maintain security for files and other materials in line with legal and organisational requirements

 

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand:  

  1. production, technical and financial requirements
  2. principles of sound editing
  3. the use of software programmes required for sound editing
  4. requirements for dynamic range
  5. criteria for evaluating sound mixes as they are created
  6. the context in which mixes will be played, and how to take this into account when creating them
  7. the different kinds of sound treatment and equalisation, and how to achieve them
  8. the characteristics of tonal quality and perspective, and how to achieve them
  9. relevant acoustic principles and how to apply them
  10. characteristics, uses and requirements of mono, stereo and surround formats, and how to achieve them
  11. the features and operating characteristics of commonly used mixing, ancillary and encoding equipment
  12. the legal limits and standards for sound files for distribution and delivery especially in relation to loudness, immersive audio and metadata and how to work creatively within them
  13. the importance of audibility of dialogue especially with regards to the impaired hearing of an ageing population
  14. effective strategies to enhance dialogue audibility
  15. how to recognise defects in monitoring systems
  16. the director’s or other decision makers’ creative and aesthetic requirements
  17. how to discuss and respond to the decision makers’ creative and technical requests
  18. how to interpret requests and suggestions in terms of specific genre or style of sound mixes
  19. the principles of “storytelling” as they apply to all forms and genres
  20. the conventions of different genres and styles of film and programme-making
  21. the principles and styles of music and different musical ensembles including orchestra, string quartet, rock group, jazz quartet and soloist
  22. how to explain technical issues to non-technical people
  23. legal and organisational requirements for storage, back up and security of files and other materials