ADR, ambient and recording out doors

1. Research
ADR:
What is the process?
ADR is a separate audio recording that can be synchronized with a film or video to obtain
any sounds. For example, if you were to be recording by a busy road the dialogue of a
character may be unclear and you may want to make it clearer in post-production.
Why is it necessary?
ADR is necessary in order to put together the best quality of sound as in some locations it
could be impossible for the microphones to pick anything up. When recording in windy or
rainy conditions it is extremely hard to record without exposing the microphones to the
weather conditions.
Where has it been used?
ADR is generally used in busy and loud environments as we don’t need all the extra
background noise. This is important because we want to be able to hear and focus on the
main subject, e.g. a character.
It may be implemented when recording by…
● A waterfall
● Busy road
● Train station
● Pub
What makes it effective?
This technique is extremely useful because it allows directors to record scenes on location
and are able to without having any distractions when watching it back. This gives our films
today a more realistic and natural appeal for the viewer, making it more submerging.
What equipment is necessary?
Audio recorder/mixer:
You can use a field recorder such as the Zoom H4n, letting you record with an x/y mic as
well as having 2 XLR inputs.
Or, you can use something more advanced like the Mix-Pre 4 which doesn’t have a built-in
mic but has 4 XLR inputs and is easier to manage mics with.

2. Lav (Lavalier) Mic:
Great for dialog, these can capture high-quality audio right from the actor/actress. Having
one that’s wireless is even better as it’s more portable and concealable.
These can be hidden on your characters to get more isolated vocals without being seen.
Directional/Shotgun Mic:
These types of mics are used to capture sound wherever you point it and are generally more
sensitive in that direction, thus isolating the sound more.
Having this will almost require the use of a shock mount and a boom-pole or other grip. And,
if it’s an XLR mic, you will need an XLR cable.
Wind can really destroy a good take when it comes to audio.
To suppress this interference, you can use a wind muff (known as a dead cat).
Handling the mic can also pose a huge problem to clean audio and having a
suspension/shock-mount can really help eliminate unwanted sound.
Lastly, you’ll probably want a boom pole or a pistol-grip for your mic so you can dynamically
aim it, instead of having a fixed position with a tripod.
The boom-pole would be better as you can get it closer to the source of sound without it
being seen. And, a tripod might be better depending on the situation.
When can it go wrong?
Using ADR can go wrong in some cases as it can be difficult to synchronize dialogue in post-
production. This is due to the pace of speech changing, which can leave you with a
character's lips finishing before or after the speech is.
What are good examples?
Typical examples of ADR in film would be narration, phone conversations, and answering
machine messages playing back in a scene. ADR can also be musical as well. For example,
a song played in the background that serves as a kind of narration or creates atmosphere.
Ambient sounds:
What is the process?
In film and media production, ambient sound is a standard term that denotes the site-specific
background sound component providing locational atmospheres and spatial information of

3. public places. In many cases the easiest way to record ambient sound is to use your video
camera. Simply position the camera in a good spot to capture the scene's background noise,
making sure you're not too close to anything that might sound noticeably louder than the rest
of the background. External mics are usually better than the camera's onboard mic.
Why is it necessary?
Ambient sound is very important in video and film work. It performs a number of functions
including:
● Providing audio continuity between shots.
● Preventing an unnatural silence when no other sound is present.
● Establishing or reinforcing the mood.
Take, for example, David Sonnenschein, who suggests that ambient sound can “create a
space within which the audience can be enveloped”
It also reinforces the “impression of reality”
it is the primary material in the hand of the sound artist and practitioners to sculpt the sense
of presence and embodied experience of a site within the interior world of a sound work.
Where has it been used?
Ambient sound tends to be used in the majority of films and tv shows. It is used to create
realism within a film and pull the audience into the world that the film or show is creating.
Any show that you watch you can always find some sort of ambient sound. For example, in
1917 you can hear the ambient sounds of guns, planes as well as bombs in the background.
The main examples of ambient sounds are birdsong, wind, rain, and generally any natural
sounds.
What makes it effective?
Ambience is an often undervalued area of sound. It's the canvas upon which all the spot
effects, dialogue, and music sit, but it also has a much more powerful interactive potential.
Ambience is generally inactive and doesn't draw any attention to itself. This creates a
subconscious feeling for the audience being in the scene themselves. Ambience generally
hints at a world just outside what can be seen and experienced on screen. It performs the
functional task of making a scene feel real and continuous, no matter what other effects are
layered on top of it. Everything should seem to belong to the same scene.
What equipment is necessary?
You will need:
Microphone(s), ideally with windscreen(s).

4. Recording device, ideally digital (tape is more noisy).
Headphones to monitor the recording.
In many cases the easiest way to record ambient sound is to use your video camera. Simply
position the camera in a good spot to capture the scene's background noise, making sure
you're not too close to anything that might sound noticeably louder than the rest of the
background. External mics are usually better than the camera's onboard mic.
You don't have to record the audio at the same level that will be used in the final product—
you can adjust the level during post production. So the goal is roughly the same as all audio
recording; that is, record at a high enough level to get a good signal while giving yourself
enough headroom to avoid distortion. Ambient audio levels will usually be lower than other
types of audio.
Record more ambient audio than you think you'll need.
Sometimes it's a good idea to get some close-up audio recordings. For example, in a tropical
forest you could get a combination of general ambient sounds with "close-ups" of particular
noises (insect buzzing, birdsong, etc).
You don't have to use the audio track exactly as recorded—in post production, try tweaking
the sound by playing with the EQ etc.
When can it go wrong?
Reverberation will further distort these already faint sounds, often beyond recognition, by
introducing complex patterns of peaks and nulls in their frequency spectrum, and blurring
their temporal characteristics. Finally, sound absorption can cause high frequencies to be
rolled off, dulling the sound further.
Ambient sound can also go wrong if the sound levels are incorrect. Ambient sound is meant
to not fully be noticed and only sets the scene in the background. If the ambient sound is too
noticeable it can be distracting to the rest of the scene. On the other hand, if it is not there at
all it can make a scene feel wrong and unrealistic. Ambient sound is always heard in the real
world and so if it is not used correctly it creates unrealistic scenes.
There is a misconception that bad sound can be fixed, this may be one of the reasons sound
can take second place to picture. The truth is that generally bad sound cannot be fixed. If
someone who is not a sound recordist notices a problem, then the sound is probably already
too bad to fix. Given a lot of effort, time and skill it may be possible to make things a bit
better, but unless you are very lucky you will still have unusable sound.
What are good examples?
Every location has distinct and subtle sounds created by its environment. These sound
sources can include wildlife, wind, music, rain, running water, thunder, rustling leaves,

5. distant traffic, aircraft and machinery noise, the sound of distant human movement and
speech, creaks from thermal contraction, air conditioning and
plumbing noises, fan and motor noises, and harmonics of mains power. These are all
examples of ambient sounds in the real world. These sounds used in scenes help to create a
realistic feel to the scene and pull the audience into the film or show itself.
Recording outside:
What is the process?
Some cameras have microphones to record videos and sound the same as cell phones
which some of them have good quality microphone and that makes the recording easier.
The first thing that the person that wants to record needs to do is choose the recording
equipment and choose an area which doesn´t have too much eco or ambient noise because
it would be bad for the recording.
Why is it necessary?
It's necessary because it is to guarantee a good sound quality on the recording. Good audio
conveys information. Great audio relays facts while adding detail and texture. This detail can
emerge from all the sound types, but especially natural sound.
Where has it been used?
Recording outside has been used in many tv shows and films. It is used to help create a
realistic feel for the audience. Allowing natural sounds to be present within the recording
makes the audience feel as though they are there as well.
What makes it effective?
Depending on your final product, the background noise can create a sense of setting for your
viewers or listeners. It’s important to connect with your audience. You’ll be more likely to do
this if you seem like a real person in a real setting instead of a talking head in a sound
studio.
The ambience of the outdoors adds depth and interest to your final product. It can also
create a sense of character and make you seem more authentic.

6. What equipment is necessary?
A portable recording studio requires more tinkering and fiddling. But if you’d rather spend
your time recording than setting everything up, you should minimize the complexity of the
setup. In other words, simplify.
You will probably need the following equipment to record in the field:
Portable field mixer
Microphones
Wind protection
Field recorder
Headphones
If you’re planning to use your mobile device to record audio outdoors, you’ll need even less
equipment than this. However, sometimes a field mixer is more useful than your
smartphone. You’ll be able to plug multiple devices, such as headphones and microphones
into it, whereas your smartphone only has one input. Although the mics on cameras and
mobile devices have come a long way, they’re not designed for professional recording. You’ll
have a hard time picking up the best sound outdoors with your iPhone mic, for example.
The fake fur used on the outside of the basket works on the same principle as the fur on an
animal. The energy in the wind is dissipated by having to force all those hair fibres to move
about, with the result that there is even less turbulence and wind noise at the 'skin' surface.
Usefully, the fur also helps to reduce the obvious pitter-patter of rain too, by decelerating the
rain drops slowly as they hit the fibres; at least up until the fibres become saturated and
matted.
When can it go wrong?
Recording outside presents a whole different range of problems and challenges than
working in the studio, but almost all are of a technical nature. The basic concepts and
practices of mic placement are unaffected; you still need to position a mic where it can 'hear'
the best balance of sound emitted from the source, and where the rejection null (or nulls) of
its polar pattern reject the most unwanted noise.
But perhaps the most obvious problem with working outdoors is that of wind noise, and it's
crucial to take measures to keep the air currents caused by wind away from the mic capsule.
One of the biggest obstacles to recording outdoors is the wind. When it blows directly into
the sound ports on a microphone, it clouds any other audio. At best, wind can sound like
static. At worst, it completely obliterates the speaker.
What are good examples?

7. Good examples of recording outside can be seen in most films or shows. Layering makes
audio more interesting. It’s a way to communicate different kinds of information at the same
time, just like a video shot might communicate one thing with a foreground object and
another with a background.