and production time. For shorter productions, the
prerecorded music and sound effects method is
recommended.
RECORDER AND REPRODUCER SETUP
Before beginning production, you should make sure
all the recorders and reproducers have calibrated levels.
Commonly, a 1000-cycle tone is used to set all the VU
(volume-units) meters (both in record and reproduce
modes) to 100 percent. The tone series as a reference
point for aligning the different recorders you maybe
using. Most studios have the tone hard-wired into the
control board or the control room patch panel. Other
production studios have the tone prerecorded on a
cartridge.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
In audio production, there are times when an
ordinary sound is not enough to convey the message or
the intent of the script. Accordingly, you may enhance
or change a sound electronically to produce an entirely
different effect.
The five most commonly used special effects are as
follows:
Filtering
Equalization
Reverb and echo
Phasing
All of the audio effects covered in this section are
produced electronically using studio equipment (except
phasing).
Filtering
A filter is an electronic circuit designed to pass only
selected frequencies and to eliminate all others. An
audio signal filtering device is often built into the control
board or wired into the studio patch panel. Using filters,
you can reduce the lows and enhance the highs of a
microphone signal to simulate a voice coming from a
telephone or radio speaker. Filtering is most commonly
used during the recording process.
Equalization
Equalization is similar to, but has more exacting
results than, filtering. An equalizer is a piece of
equipment that alters the frequency response of an audio
signal, allowing for the modification of specific portions
of the overall signal. In other words, whereas
equalization does not totally eliminate frequencies — it
does vary their playback level. You can use an equalizer
to match audio originating in-studio with on-location
audio by adjusting specific audio frequencies.
Another common use of equalization is to correct
acoustical problems that occur at remote recording
locations.
Reverb and Echo
The terms reverb and echo are often used
interchangeably, but are two distinctly different sounds.
Echo is defined as the repetition of sound and is often
achieved by using a reel-to-reel recorder. Reverb is the
persistence of sound until it fades away and it is usually
achieved by using a cartridge machine. The reason for
the difference is the distance between the record and
playback heads on the two different types of machines.
The heads of a cartridge machine are closer than those
of a reel tape machine. The closer the heads, the more
persistent or reverberated the sound. The farther apart
the heads, the more repetitive the sound, giving an echo
effect.
To get either effect, just open up that particular pot
(potentiometer) of the machine while you are recording
on that same machine. The more you open the pot, the
greater the effect. To achieve the echo effect on a
reel-to-reel machine, you must set the machine function
switches to both playback and record. This is not
necessary when using a cartridge machine because it
only has a record switch. Of the two effects, reverb can
be distorted more easily. Both effects can be overdone
to the point that the message cannot be understood.
Therefore, you should use these effects with caution.
Phasing
Phasing is that spacey, wavelike sound you
sometimes hear on the voice for rock concert
promotions. This effect adds depth to the sound and is
usually used to enhance the voice. It is achieved when
two identical audio sources are played back at slightly
different start times.
To get a better idea of what phasing is, try it out for
yourself. First, record a piece of copy, then make an
identical copy of it on another tape. Record both copies
onto a third tape, starting the first two a split second
apart. If you start them too far apart, you will have an
echo. If you start them too close together, the phase
effect will not be pronounced enough.
You can produce other effects in the studio using the
speed adjustments on the reel-to-reel machines. You can
also edit the audiotape, taking out the pauses in the voice
and making it sound as if two different sources were
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