Audio post production
Encyclopedia
Audio post production is the general term for all stages of production happening between the actual recording in a studio and the completion of a master recording. It involves, sound design
, sound editing
, audio mixing
, and the addition of effects
.
, or automatic dialogue replacement. Sometimes the original, or production audio, lacks in performance or quality, and the actor or actors are brought into a sound studio to record some or all of their dialogue from the project. Other elements such as foley
, music
, and voiceover
are also added during post production.
, as this process happens after recording the musicians. In electronic music the workflow is usually quite different, and in this context the term "post processing" would typically not refer to the actual mixing process but rather what is applied to the resulting mix-down.
With today's increasing amount of music software and musicians creating electronic music in their homes, post production is often done by the musicians themselves. The process typically involves equalization
, audio level compression
, multi-band audio compression, and limiting. This process somewhat overlaps but should not be mistaken for the term mastering, as post production is usually performed on a per-song basis, whereas mastering is aimed at preparing an entire list of songs for a specific media type.
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
, sound editing
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, audio mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, and the addition of effects
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
.
Film
Audio Post Production usually refers to audio that is synchronized with video. This applies to TV, cinema, and commercials. One major aspect of audio post production is the use of ADRDubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
, or automatic dialogue replacement. Sometimes the original, or production audio, lacks in performance or quality, and the actor or actors are brought into a sound studio to record some or all of their dialogue from the project. Other elements such as foley
Foley artist
Foley is the reproduction of everyday sounds for use in filmmaking. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
are also added during post production.
Music
The post process in recording acoustic music is often referred to as mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, as this process happens after recording the musicians. In electronic music the workflow is usually quite different, and in this context the term "post processing" would typically not refer to the actual mixing process but rather what is applied to the resulting mix-down.
With today's increasing amount of music software and musicians creating electronic music in their homes, post production is often done by the musicians themselves. The process typically involves equalization
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
, audio level compression
Audio level compression
Dynamic range compression, also called DRC or simply compression reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds by narrowing or "compressing" an audio signal's dynamic range...
, multi-band audio compression, and limiting. This process somewhat overlaps but should not be mistaken for the term mastering, as post production is usually performed on a per-song basis, whereas mastering is aimed at preparing an entire list of songs for a specific media type.