3B0: The Fatal Rookie Mistake - Sound Speeds

It's almost a right of passage and therefore something I shouldn't tell you about but no, I'm not going to allow you to fail. Listen up because I'm about to tell you about one fatal mistake that sound department rookies almost always make.
It seems like common sense, and in actually it is, but film sets are often a place where common sense is overlooked in the haste of the moment. Don't let a little thing, that is actually a very big thing, ruin your team's opportunity to get sound on a quiet set for the entire show. Put your listening ears on and pay attention. Sound Speeds!
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[@cdmanza]

This was excellent, Allen! Great advice! This has happened to me before, and the whole "left keys in the fridge and can't drive home" has happened to a boom operator I work with frequently. He wound up sleeping on my couch that night and we were luckily at the same location the next day. As far as the techniques for remembering, they're all great. I personally use a notebook. A small, fit-in-hand notebook I keep in my pocket. It's my master log as a sound utility. The front has pages where I write out each day's things: IFB out, comteks out and to whom, timecode devices out, which actor has what wire and how they're wired, carpets and plants I've put out, what frequencies everything is on, and what things I've turned off. The back of the notebook has a running track of expendable and L&D information I use for bookkeeping, as well as contact info for production and audio houses. It seems like a lot, but I find it easier to write down a shorthand note for what I've just turned off than anything. Then at the end of the day, or a location change, I go through the day log, and make sure I got those plants and carpets, the wires, have a track of all comtek and IFB, and have turned on what I turned off. It's efficient, and I personally just need the organization. Using pen and paper is usually faster than trying to type stuff into a phone, and my memory is as such that the rubber band on the phone wouldn't make sense to me by the end of the day.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Chris Manza I hear you. You're system sounds very organized! The rubber band trick is something to trigger something in your mind - "why is that here? Oh yeah, because..." You're right though, brains are in another state at the end of a 14 hr day. I usually ignore notes I've written and drop erase boards so these trucks work for me. The point here is... Come up with a system!

[@voiceovervandeen]

Doorbell, Heating, fridge & phones. I now leave myself a note outside the studio door following a "warm milk, cold house" run in with the Mrs. Ooops!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Ahh, yes. Many a time have I forgotten to turn on the AC or something after recording in the house only to be *reminded* by an irate wife that woke up in a sweat. Oops

[@imark7777777]

I really like the refrigeration units with switches on the front. Unfortunately that was not the unit that was noisy last month. The one I remembered two weeks ago, thankfully it was just a six pack of sodas, ketchup and mustard. but I will have to apologize to the hotel when I'm back there.

[@SoundSpeeds]

👍

[@whitneyince3612]

I thought the rookie mistake was using the home owner restroom and clogging the toilet after you started talking up how good the catering is

[@SoundSpeeds]

Whitney Ince LOL! Well, that's certainly a mistake but not one that will potentially bone you the rest of the show.

[@JoeSmith9021090210]

Great video, Allen. Although it's not directly to my voice over work, I always get something helpful from your videos. Your audio quality is especially good in this video I feel? Warmer? What mic are you using for this? Any change to the way you're recording the audio?

[@SoundSpeeds]

George O Not really. After the participation video I did in the "Can You EQ a Bad Mic To Sound Good" series, I switched mics at the suggestion of a participant. I decided to try it and liked what I heard so I switched out my vintage CAD E100 (which I still really like) with one of my AKG C4000B mics. My standard processing was used aside from that. Could that be it?

[@JoeSmith9021090210]

hmm...could be. Regardless, you're sounding better than ever! :)

[@SoundSpeeds]

George O Wow, thank you! BTW, did you see me answer a question of yours in my video on Roll Off? kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIOVl6CJp5KCfdk

[@JoeSmith9021090210]

Sound Speeds I did! I really appreciate your responsiveness and passion. Thanks again, Allen!

[@SoundSpeeds]

George O Absolutely!

[@matthew.datcher]

Have you talked about the kit you take on location? Such as what do you carry? What do you carry it in? How do you organize everything? Thanks.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Matthew Datcher Not yet but I will. As a matter of fact, I can probably pull that one up if you would find it useful. Expect it soon.

[@matthew.datcher]

Thanks. I need to organize my kit and I was wondering how the professionals do it.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Matthew Datcher You'll know soon. Are you strictly a boom op or an ENG mixer who booms?

[@matthew.datcher]

Most of the time I'm the only sound guy on set, so I have to do it all: lav, boom, mix, and record.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Matthew Datcher That's a different creature. You're talking bag setup. You might subscribe to my friend Matt Price's channel. He's a bad mixer in London, England and has all kinds of info about bag mixing. kzbin.info