Analysis - Daredevil

The movie Daredevil by Mark Steven Johnson features Steve Boeddeker from Skywalker Sound as sound designer.

Right from the beginning, with credits morphng ot of braille, the DVD presents an enfolding soundscape with some touches of LFE. Thunder, an exhaust mutating into a chord, 1 sec long cutting visual and sonic flashbacks, sirens, then helicopters circling.

Next you enter a church for some rest in the quiet resonance. A voiceover takes you back in time for the prologue, the ambience of which is defined by trains and dogs barking in the distance of hell's kitchen. Music is nicely interwoven.

The scene where Matt looses his eyesight is very well defined, leading to silence before his shocking discovery of his enhanced perception. He experiences a sensory overload when first confronted with the world of noise all around, finding rest only when the clang of chuch bells focuses his attention.

I like the idea of Matt resting in a double-walled, water-filled coffin that is sealed airtight. The incidental music he turns on in the morning to accompany the routine of his daily preparation - contrasting to his nightlife, to be revealed later - comes from a surround receiver. And well-crafted surround it is to be.

It is a foley-artists' dream, all sounds, big and especially small, being prominent to Matt and the viewer / listener. His is a world of enveloping and defining sound, and so is ours, at least while the movie lasts.

Well done!

Digital Microphones

Disclaimer: At present I don't own a digital microphone and have not used one either. I have worked with the Nexus installation at the Konzerthaus in Berlin in 2004, and it was a very interesting experience.

How does a "digital microphone" work?

You take the output of the capsule and feed it directly to a high-resolution ADC [Analog Digital Converter] that is designed to optimally complement the capsule. Optional DSP processing allows for transient suppression, limiting etc, and since the standard also calls for information flow to the microphone, various parameters are remote-controllable, including the ability to change the characteristic of dual capsule systems.

Some history...

In 1996 Beyerdynamic premiered the MCD 100 based on an 24 bit Stage Tec TrueMatch ADC - with a true dynamic range of 22 bit. The Berliner Reichstag was equipped with 200 copies of a simpler version, the MCD 803, after which Beyerdynamic retired from that stage. The first microphone to implement the AES 42 standard was the Neumann D-01 in 2001.

An important concept in this regard is gain ranging: Every ADC has an optimal range for incoming signal-levels. In the case of Stage Tec's TrueMatch technology the signal is amplified by +-00, +20, +40 and +60 dB and fed each to it's own 28 bit ADC. A subsequent DSP-unit then picks the optimal representation and digitally scales it to match the continuous output.

Here is a list of companies currently manufacturing digital microphones (in alphabetical order):

Microtech Gefell MV 230 digital
- Measurement microphone

Neumann Solution-D
- Uses a two-tiered approach to optimizing the ADC-input
- Connected though the DMI-2 digital microphone interface

Oktava MK-012 USB preamp
- USP output only, no support for AES 42

Schoeps CMD 2U
- Puristic (non-DSP) approach
- No adaptive gain ranging
- No Mode 2 support for reasons of simplicity

Sennheiser MZD 8000
- Designed from the go to support 2 channels, according to AES 42

The DMC-842 by RME is an 8-channel interface and controller designed to work with all AES 42 compatible digital microphones.

Any concerns anyone?

I wonder if the capsules themselves are linear with regards to their frequency response. When you have a look at the companies manufacturing modular systems this should not be much of a problem as their preamp is designed to work with their selection of interchangeable capsules. With other manufacturers it could be an issue though.

I personally am very happy with my interfaces by Metric Halo.

• They feature very well designed microphone preamps that I don't have any issue with sonically or handling-wise.
  
• The adjacent ADC's are very transparent.
  
• Metric Halo's 2d has had a great impact on my workflow, optimizing it in many respects.
  

I can not image myself lugging around a dedicated controller for digital microphones, but having a few that I can run into my interfaces' digital inputs is conceivable.

OTOH, have a look at Zaxcom's wireless digital systems...

It's not how much stuff you log around...

A while back I arrived to record a choral concert with three choirs and >100 singers in one of Hamburg's churches. I carried my bag (a Crumpler "Very busy man") on my back, a mic stand bag with two stands and 6 lengths of 10m mic-cable over my shoulder. My bike was parked outside.

A collegue of mine was just tearing down. He had recorded a girl's choir in the morning and was now lugging three huge trunks into his van. He seemed a bit unnerved my appearance and asked me if I was doing a stereo recording. I said no. I would be setting up a six-channel recording. That's why I was so loaded...

On my website I advertise my enterprise as an "environmentally friendly studio (traveling by bike, train and bus)", and this is what I do for most events, the sole exception currently being my biannual trips to London, although I have meanwhile discovered a way to comfortably get there and back by train, which I will soon put into practice.

The reason it is possible to work lightweight is the availability of mature digital audio solutions. I am using very high end interfaces by Metric Halo as mic-pre's and AD's, I verify my headphone-based sonic evaluation by running SpectraFoo, and microphones don't take up much space. What's left to lug around?

Tip: You can save on mic-stands by using the K&M 240/5 microphone holder's whenever you can clamp a mic (or pair of mic's) to a rail or so. I also like using the DPA 4060 that can be employed as a boundary layer mic, taped to walls, easily flown by it's cable or placed as an inconspicuous spot.

In the end the measure of how much stuff you have to lug around depends on the type of music, the venue, the proposed use of the recording and the recordist's expertise. A good selection of gear, a lot of experience with your mobile setup and meticulous planning help you optimize your rig, minimize setup and tear down time and maximize the quality of your work. Go for it!

Surround sound on DVDs - Part 2

Who is in charge of (re-)mixes for DVD?

As I detail in my analysis of the soundtrack of the Contact-DVD I was disappointed with the transfer and could not believe it had been overseen by the movie's sound designer, Randy Thom, who's work I have often enjoyed. I am glad to say it is possible that this process is not alway in the hands of the designer and / or re-recording mixer.

Gary Rydstrom states that "It's a different listening experience; I want to make the balance adjustments myself. Not as often as I'd like. [...] when I could do a DVD mix of a mix that I did I was very happy. [...] you're making balance adjustments based on a whole different standard listening level and environment." [IGN (2005): An Interview With Gary Rydstrom]