The Dimensioner
01-17-2011, 04:25 PM
Quite a few people keep asking me how I did such an excellent job on all the scores I've uploaded here. Instead of sending everyone the same directions, I thought I would make a thread detailing everything that goes into my work. Sit down and get comfy because this is going to be a long guide. Also, stay posted as I may update some details or change descriptions in the future.
I. What You Will Need
DVD Audio Extractor
This program can be downloaded from the internet--its purpose is to get the audio off of a DVD into a format that can be easily listened to and edited. There might be a free trial version of it--otherwise you'll have to buy it to get the full program. However, if you're good with computers you might be able to find a way around its locks. If not, send me a message. I've talked to other members about some of the other programs that have a similar purpose. If you know of any of these, post their names under this thread.
Audacity
This program is entirely free, and the tools from it that are needed are not too difficult to use. However, you may have to download the expansion pack of plug-ins to get all the available tools. This will be the program that you do your editing in, and will also be used to export your completed files
The DVD of the movie you want to work with
Believe it or not, some people try to make complete scores for movies without even having the DVD to get original sources from. If you don't have the DVD, you should probably try to find it first.
The original official release of the soundtrack
The majority of movies released do have a soundtrack that could have been bought around the time of the movie's release. If you missed that, then you can do a search on Google to find a place to buy or download that soundtrack. Having the OST will immensely help you in creating a good expanded or complete score--unless, of course, the OST is full of music that was unused in the movie.
Any and all other releases of music available for that movie
Search for any expanded releases of the score that may have surfaced on the internet. These might include expanded/extended scores, promotional releases, or recording sessions. Try to avoid using someone else's personal work on a score, as you will likely decrease the quality of your own score.
Also look for unreleased music posted on the composers websites (some examples are Geoff Zanelli's website and Magic Box Music), as well as any iTunes bonus tracks.
Lots of patience and listening skills that will produce the most accurate sounding tracks.
II. How to use DVD Audio Extractor
Once you have downloaded and installed DVD Audio Extractor and have your DVD available, then you must get all the raw audio off of it.
On the first window, you'll see a place to select your source at the top. It should already have you DVD selected. In the top left box, you'll see a list of 'Titles'. These are the different sections of the DVD. Typically the first one is the main movie and the rest are special features or trailers. When any Title is clicked on the big box on the right will fill up with all the Chapters that are a part of that Title. By default, all of the Chapters of the first Title are always already selected. The bottom left details what language you will be ripping the audio in. I do not have a full understanding of DTS versus AC3. Once you have selected all of the Chapters you want extracted, click next.
The next window details how the audio will be encoded. Using the .wav format will give you the highest quality. To avoid causing clicks between tracks due to different sample rates, you should extract the audio in a sample rate matching that of your original soundtrack. The only way I can see what the sample rate is through iTunes. For Channels, you want to have 'All 6 Channels' selected. If this isn't an option, then you are mostly out of luck. Make sure the checkbox at the bottom is marked--otherwise you'll only end up with one stereo track of audio rather than 6 mono tracks.
The third window asks for the destination of the extracted files, and also has some other options. The only other one I deal with is the checkbox for 'Save each Chapter into a separate file'. Normally I keep it unchecked so I can view each Chapter of the DVD in its original length. However, sometimes a song crosses from one Chapter into another, and in some cases when I line these up in Audacity...they don't play seamlessly together. In this case it would be better to pair the two Chapters together by checking that box. You can only find this problem through trial and error.
The last window is where you finally begin the encoding process. Depending on how many Chapters you are extracting and/or how long each Chapter is, this could take several minutes. The output files will consist of six individual mono tracks. These tracks are as follows:
Channel 1 will be the front left channel. Channel 2 is the front right. Channel 3 is the center channel (this is where most dialogue occurs). Channel 4 is the bass for the sub-woofer (or whatever). Channel 5 is the back left channel. Channel 6 is the back right channel. These two generally have less SFX in them but also the music quality may be decreased (the thing I found with pirates is that it sounds hollow and echo-y, and the back channels are missing percussion instruments).
III. Using Audacity to Edit the Music
So you've finally gotten your audio extracted from the DVD. What's next? The usually long and meticulous process of editing and mixing will now entail. But first, there's another step that could take a longer amount of time. If you really want to edit your tracks and understand the ways in which each and every cue works, you should take time to import each Chapter into Audacity (usually the two front channels are sufficient, but the center channel is useful in coming up with track titles based on dialogue from the movie). Take the time to listen to all the audio, and document all the cues you hear, divided by Chapter. It helps to provide yourself with a brief description of each cue, unless you already know the music fairly well.
This would also be a great time to try to name all the cues. This will help when you actually save your Audacity projects for editing--it will help in avoiding confusion. In some cases, I group several cues together into one track. Another benefit in doing this kind of analysis is to locate any pieces that from the original soundtrack or other releases, or cues that sound similar to the OST.This will help in using a strategy that I call substitution.
Once you have all cues documented, it is time to begin the editing process. However, sometimes in my first analysis of a score, I separate cues differently from how I view them later on in the editing process. Only skip around to your favorite track that may occur later in the movie if you are certain your track list is. In one of my current projects, I documented 76 cues. It painful later on when I found it easier to group cues 15 and 16 together into one track, meaning then the score would only have 75 tracks. All track names and numbers after 16 had to be adjusted...and then it happened again with track 23. Of course, there might be batch-processing programs that could take away this issue.
The goal in using DVD audio to produce a complete score is to have the audio as closely as possible line up with the existing releases of material as well to maximize quality and minimize sound effects. However, there are many obstacles that the DVD audio may have; below is a list of obstacles I've encountered and what I do overcome them.
First off, the plug-ins I use most in Audacity are Amplify, Normalize, Fade In, Fade Out, and Declipper. A tool you must learn how to use is the Envelope Tool, which is just right of the Selection tool near the top left of the programs window. Other vital features to learn are basically everything under the Edit menu, and the 'Align Tracks...' sub-menu under Project.
Use Amplify to amplify the DVD's audio if it too quiet. This plug-in can also be used to 'un-amplify' stuff that is too loud. Use Normalize if the DVD audio or OST material is overamplified. Normally, I use Fade In and Out for the tracks that begin or end with DVD audio--this so that even before the music starts or after it ends, any SFX will be slowly faded in or out. Declipper will clip any audio that has gone above the maximum amplitude range, when the track is 'Quick Mixed', so it will look nice. Most importantly is the Envelope Tool which will help in reducing SFX.
When you come across DVD audio that either matches or sounds similar enough to something on a release containing no SFX, you should substitute that material in. In some cases the SFX-free material must be clipped or otherwise remixed to line up. Just be patient and look for similar wave patterns by zooming in both vertically and horizontally. This is the step that a lot of people miss. Oftentimes, people will not try to substitute in existing music for the DVD audio, leaving a score that could potentially have had much less SFX.
The music from the DVD audio is way too quiet: Amplify it as much as possible. If this still isn't enough to fit in with the rest of the soundtrack, you may have to un-amplify some of the existing material. If neither of these work, the problem might be due to a really loud sound effect in the DVD audio. This sound effect can either be clipped out of the audio or removed through other means (see later notes). NOTE: this may lead to an overall quieter score. Having and equal amplitude across the entire score is vital to making it enjoyable to listen to.
There are voice echoes in one or more of the channels: This one can sometimes be a game-ender. If the voice echoes are only in the front two channels, you can always check the back two channels. As I mentioned earlier, these may be decreased in quality and fullness, but typically they have less SFX. However, some DVD audio--like Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes--have voices echoes that extend clear to the back channels. If you run into this, you can include this music but it leads to a distracting listening experience. Alternatively, you can leave it out, in which case your score can only be considered expanded, not complete.
Now suppose there is a really loud or invasive sound effect in the left front channel. You can split the channels and highlight that area of the right front channel and duplicate it. Change this new one-channel track to left, and use the envelope tool to fade out the SFX in the left channel, and replace them with the new mono track. This may cause the stereo quality of the music to go down, but if you have the back channels of the audio supporting it, some amount of stereo should remain. This method works vice versa, as well.
What if there are really loud SFX in both front channels? You can use the envelope tool to fade them both out so only the back channels remain. NOTE: normally the back channels are in general quieter than the front channels, so some extra amplification is necessary. Sometimes SFX may be louder in the back channels than they are in the front. In this case, simply fade out the back channels. Other times loud SFX may reach all the channels you are working on. In this case the problem area can be clipped out by duplicating the tracks after the SFX and moving them up to before the SFX occur and using fading to mix the two sections together. If the SFX occur during an important theme, then simply removing the problem area will mess up that theme. In this case, the entirety of the theme may need to be clipped out.
On rare occasions, you may come across DVD audio that sounds like something on the OST except that it has extra instruments. In this case, you may be able to overlap the two--using only either the front or back channels, depending on if the difference occurs in the back channels--in order to reduce some SFX. An example of this is the track "06-Orders for Davy Jones" on my At World's score. The overlap begins at 3:34; see track 34 for the original arrangement of that cue.
Well, for now, this is about all I can think of. Like I said, a lot of this will probably be updated or rearranged. If you have any questions, I'll probably answer them first in this thread and then try to clarify that section of my guide later.
I. What You Will Need
DVD Audio Extractor
This program can be downloaded from the internet--its purpose is to get the audio off of a DVD into a format that can be easily listened to and edited. There might be a free trial version of it--otherwise you'll have to buy it to get the full program. However, if you're good with computers you might be able to find a way around its locks. If not, send me a message. I've talked to other members about some of the other programs that have a similar purpose. If you know of any of these, post their names under this thread.
Audacity
This program is entirely free, and the tools from it that are needed are not too difficult to use. However, you may have to download the expansion pack of plug-ins to get all the available tools. This will be the program that you do your editing in, and will also be used to export your completed files
The DVD of the movie you want to work with
Believe it or not, some people try to make complete scores for movies without even having the DVD to get original sources from. If you don't have the DVD, you should probably try to find it first.
The original official release of the soundtrack
The majority of movies released do have a soundtrack that could have been bought around the time of the movie's release. If you missed that, then you can do a search on Google to find a place to buy or download that soundtrack. Having the OST will immensely help you in creating a good expanded or complete score--unless, of course, the OST is full of music that was unused in the movie.
Any and all other releases of music available for that movie
Search for any expanded releases of the score that may have surfaced on the internet. These might include expanded/extended scores, promotional releases, or recording sessions. Try to avoid using someone else's personal work on a score, as you will likely decrease the quality of your own score.
Also look for unreleased music posted on the composers websites (some examples are Geoff Zanelli's website and Magic Box Music), as well as any iTunes bonus tracks.
Lots of patience and listening skills that will produce the most accurate sounding tracks.
II. How to use DVD Audio Extractor
Once you have downloaded and installed DVD Audio Extractor and have your DVD available, then you must get all the raw audio off of it.
On the first window, you'll see a place to select your source at the top. It should already have you DVD selected. In the top left box, you'll see a list of 'Titles'. These are the different sections of the DVD. Typically the first one is the main movie and the rest are special features or trailers. When any Title is clicked on the big box on the right will fill up with all the Chapters that are a part of that Title. By default, all of the Chapters of the first Title are always already selected. The bottom left details what language you will be ripping the audio in. I do not have a full understanding of DTS versus AC3. Once you have selected all of the Chapters you want extracted, click next.
The next window details how the audio will be encoded. Using the .wav format will give you the highest quality. To avoid causing clicks between tracks due to different sample rates, you should extract the audio in a sample rate matching that of your original soundtrack. The only way I can see what the sample rate is through iTunes. For Channels, you want to have 'All 6 Channels' selected. If this isn't an option, then you are mostly out of luck. Make sure the checkbox at the bottom is marked--otherwise you'll only end up with one stereo track of audio rather than 6 mono tracks.
The third window asks for the destination of the extracted files, and also has some other options. The only other one I deal with is the checkbox for 'Save each Chapter into a separate file'. Normally I keep it unchecked so I can view each Chapter of the DVD in its original length. However, sometimes a song crosses from one Chapter into another, and in some cases when I line these up in Audacity...they don't play seamlessly together. In this case it would be better to pair the two Chapters together by checking that box. You can only find this problem through trial and error.
The last window is where you finally begin the encoding process. Depending on how many Chapters you are extracting and/or how long each Chapter is, this could take several minutes. The output files will consist of six individual mono tracks. These tracks are as follows:
Channel 1 will be the front left channel. Channel 2 is the front right. Channel 3 is the center channel (this is where most dialogue occurs). Channel 4 is the bass for the sub-woofer (or whatever). Channel 5 is the back left channel. Channel 6 is the back right channel. These two generally have less SFX in them but also the music quality may be decreased (the thing I found with pirates is that it sounds hollow and echo-y, and the back channels are missing percussion instruments).
III. Using Audacity to Edit the Music
So you've finally gotten your audio extracted from the DVD. What's next? The usually long and meticulous process of editing and mixing will now entail. But first, there's another step that could take a longer amount of time. If you really want to edit your tracks and understand the ways in which each and every cue works, you should take time to import each Chapter into Audacity (usually the two front channels are sufficient, but the center channel is useful in coming up with track titles based on dialogue from the movie). Take the time to listen to all the audio, and document all the cues you hear, divided by Chapter. It helps to provide yourself with a brief description of each cue, unless you already know the music fairly well.
This would also be a great time to try to name all the cues. This will help when you actually save your Audacity projects for editing--it will help in avoiding confusion. In some cases, I group several cues together into one track. Another benefit in doing this kind of analysis is to locate any pieces that from the original soundtrack or other releases, or cues that sound similar to the OST.This will help in using a strategy that I call substitution.
Once you have all cues documented, it is time to begin the editing process. However, sometimes in my first analysis of a score, I separate cues differently from how I view them later on in the editing process. Only skip around to your favorite track that may occur later in the movie if you are certain your track list is. In one of my current projects, I documented 76 cues. It painful later on when I found it easier to group cues 15 and 16 together into one track, meaning then the score would only have 75 tracks. All track names and numbers after 16 had to be adjusted...and then it happened again with track 23. Of course, there might be batch-processing programs that could take away this issue.
The goal in using DVD audio to produce a complete score is to have the audio as closely as possible line up with the existing releases of material as well to maximize quality and minimize sound effects. However, there are many obstacles that the DVD audio may have; below is a list of obstacles I've encountered and what I do overcome them.
First off, the plug-ins I use most in Audacity are Amplify, Normalize, Fade In, Fade Out, and Declipper. A tool you must learn how to use is the Envelope Tool, which is just right of the Selection tool near the top left of the programs window. Other vital features to learn are basically everything under the Edit menu, and the 'Align Tracks...' sub-menu under Project.
Use Amplify to amplify the DVD's audio if it too quiet. This plug-in can also be used to 'un-amplify' stuff that is too loud. Use Normalize if the DVD audio or OST material is overamplified. Normally, I use Fade In and Out for the tracks that begin or end with DVD audio--this so that even before the music starts or after it ends, any SFX will be slowly faded in or out. Declipper will clip any audio that has gone above the maximum amplitude range, when the track is 'Quick Mixed', so it will look nice. Most importantly is the Envelope Tool which will help in reducing SFX.
When you come across DVD audio that either matches or sounds similar enough to something on a release containing no SFX, you should substitute that material in. In some cases the SFX-free material must be clipped or otherwise remixed to line up. Just be patient and look for similar wave patterns by zooming in both vertically and horizontally. This is the step that a lot of people miss. Oftentimes, people will not try to substitute in existing music for the DVD audio, leaving a score that could potentially have had much less SFX.
The music from the DVD audio is way too quiet: Amplify it as much as possible. If this still isn't enough to fit in with the rest of the soundtrack, you may have to un-amplify some of the existing material. If neither of these work, the problem might be due to a really loud sound effect in the DVD audio. This sound effect can either be clipped out of the audio or removed through other means (see later notes). NOTE: this may lead to an overall quieter score. Having and equal amplitude across the entire score is vital to making it enjoyable to listen to.
There are voice echoes in one or more of the channels: This one can sometimes be a game-ender. If the voice echoes are only in the front two channels, you can always check the back two channels. As I mentioned earlier, these may be decreased in quality and fullness, but typically they have less SFX. However, some DVD audio--like Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes--have voices echoes that extend clear to the back channels. If you run into this, you can include this music but it leads to a distracting listening experience. Alternatively, you can leave it out, in which case your score can only be considered expanded, not complete.
Now suppose there is a really loud or invasive sound effect in the left front channel. You can split the channels and highlight that area of the right front channel and duplicate it. Change this new one-channel track to left, and use the envelope tool to fade out the SFX in the left channel, and replace them with the new mono track. This may cause the stereo quality of the music to go down, but if you have the back channels of the audio supporting it, some amount of stereo should remain. This method works vice versa, as well.
What if there are really loud SFX in both front channels? You can use the envelope tool to fade them both out so only the back channels remain. NOTE: normally the back channels are in general quieter than the front channels, so some extra amplification is necessary. Sometimes SFX may be louder in the back channels than they are in the front. In this case, simply fade out the back channels. Other times loud SFX may reach all the channels you are working on. In this case the problem area can be clipped out by duplicating the tracks after the SFX and moving them up to before the SFX occur and using fading to mix the two sections together. If the SFX occur during an important theme, then simply removing the problem area will mess up that theme. In this case, the entirety of the theme may need to be clipped out.
On rare occasions, you may come across DVD audio that sounds like something on the OST except that it has extra instruments. In this case, you may be able to overlap the two--using only either the front or back channels, depending on if the difference occurs in the back channels--in order to reduce some SFX. An example of this is the track "06-Orders for Davy Jones" on my At World's score. The overlap begins at 3:34; see track 34 for the original arrangement of that cue.
Well, for now, this is about all I can think of. Like I said, a lot of this will probably be updated or rearranged. If you have any questions, I'll probably answer them first in this thread and then try to clarify that section of my guide later.