At some point in every producers day there is a point where scouring your regions bin for a particular whole or partial file turns into a ‘needle in a haystack’ hunt. A feature not many people utilize is the region search function. Here’s a quick tip to help find that elusive region.
Find yourself longing for the ability to search multiple locations using Leopard, like you could with Tiger? Here’s a quick fix to get you up and running again.
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Figure one: A nagging CPU error I kept getting.
I recently updated one of my systems to Leopard and ProTools HD 8 and one of the first problems I encountered was a nagging CPU error. I could load a blank project and create one single instrument track, place one RTAS instrument on it and get an error within 3 to 13 seconds of hitting play. This is without any midi data on the track, without playing a single note, without any automation, without any other apps running.
I had a request to post a tip on creating shouts so here it is. This video uses ProTools 8 but everything applies to previous versions as well (except the expanded playlist feature). If you have any tricks to add or have questions please comment below.
Leading up to The Christmas Sweater, Glenn and I worked on creating a very subtle environment of sound design throughout the show. He wanted something which wasn’t necessarily noticeable at all times but simply added a sense of immersion for the audience - to place them in the same “space” as the character. There were also some points which he and I thought needed to be obvious and larger than life, such as brief flashbacks, which should rip the audience out of their current environment immediately (as it would happen inside the main character’s mind). One of the larger-than-life scenes was the storm. Since this is a pivotal and climactic moment in the show it need to envelop the audience. It was by far one of the most challenging scenes to design. Here’s a little insight to the process…
Welcome to the newly launched noisefreak website & blog. Over the last year we’ve spent a lot of time working on this project and I hope you all enjoy it.
Cheers,
Anand
Preparing the Sony Oxford console for the re-creation of Orson Wells’ “War of the Worlds” in 2003.
I see you’ve stumbled across this blog… and lucky you, it’s the first posting. Now you can tell all your friends you knew about it BEFORE it made it to digg.
It’s been a long process creating Noise Freak. It went from an idea I had years ago to being reality today and I hope it’ll continue to grow tomorrow. Originally my company name was “ReelFX” — it was even officially registered as my company name back in 1998… little did I know that was the name of a major production house and I couldn’t use it. Over the years as I learned the in’s and out’s of production and became better at my craft people would respond to a demo or imaging package I had produced by saying, “dude, you’re a freak - I love it” — ha, I wasn’t quite sure if I should awkwardly laugh or seek therapy.
My true passion lies in manipulating sound or “noise.” I can remember lying on the floor when I was about 8 years old listening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” over and over again because I just couldn’t figure out how he was singing with himself at the same time. I had no concept of multi-track then - so I’d record my voice, rewind the tape and record my “second layer” — and every time I’d play it back only the second take remained. I was baffled and insanely intrigued. Later I became familiar with the great sound designers of today, like Ben Burtt and Gary Rydstrom — when Jurrasic Park came out I remember not only were my eyes glued to the screen but my ears were perked up the entire time. The stomps, screams, snorts - it was amazing.
Later I went to school for recording and was fortunate enough to be hired by one of the best imaging producers in the country, Eric Chase. He mentored me on music, the art of editing, the power of brevity and life in general. I cannot say enough about the impact he had on my career. In fact, we still work together today.
On a final note: one day my dad said to me, “if you find a job doing something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” He was right. To everyone who grinned and beared it as I looped the most annoying sound over and over again, thanks. Your support helped make Noise Freak become a reality.
Nick
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