Post Production
Diagram depicting the general idea for layering samples for underwater sequence.
Diagram depicting the general idea for the loop sequence for the entire piece – diagram only half completed.
Post production was achieved through the use of mainly 3 audio editing software:
1. Logic Pro 8
2. Audition 3
3. GarageBand ‘08, and
iTunes 7, for converting the bit rates of audio samples.
The duration of the entire sequence is nearly 10 minutes long.
For the intended purpose of the installation, the sequence was bounced (exported) six times, each of them had different tracks or sections of the tracks muted; every export was a different part of the full 10 minute sequence and they all had to be planned and synchronised very, very carefully.
Delays in playback devices were also calculated and added to the other playback devices so that all will have roughly the same loop duration.
The entire sequence is broken up into four parts:
1. Signature whistles (above water, underwater, jump, underwater)
2. Distress calls (pan from left to right)
3. The Commotion Part 1 (metal rods, distress, clicks and whistles)
4. The Commotion Part 2 (quieten down, and climax to end)
The Logic Pro project folder is 4.29 GB, and the project itself has 80 tracks, some of which were already bounced and mixed into one. This means that there could be close to 100 tracks in all.
Most of the underwater ambient effects were achieved through equalisation.
Other effects and audio units used were:
- track reverb
- track echo
- track delay
- hi-pass
- low-pass
- automatic filter
- distortion
- 31-band graphic EQ
- visual EQ
- stereo spread
- stereo imaging
- modulation spread
- compressor
- reverse
- pitch shifter
- vocal transformer
- time stretching
and many, many more.
Monitoring was done using
- headphones
- desktop speakers
- one L1 Bose speaker in Vista Lab
- two L1 Bose speakers in Vista Lab
- two L1 Bose speakers in E3 Hall
The climax/ending actually includes a club beat but you are not suppose to hear it.
By the end of the post production, all those working on sound suffered from post production syndrome: wherever we go we heard sounds that sounded like metal rods, dolphin squeaks, or Japanese men talking.
Logic Pro
Audition
GarageBand
