Making of Crash Course: Live Sound Design with the Team!

05 Sep 2024 (1 month ago)
Making of Crash Course: Live Sound Design with the Team!

Audio Processing and Editing

  • Callie, a sound designer, uses Ableton Live for basic mixing and editing and Adobe Premiere for sound design. (6m4s)
  • Callie receives audio files from the editor, Sarah, in an OMF format, opens them in Adobe Audition, and then exports them for use in Ableton Live. (6m41s)
  • Callie, the audio engineer, uses Adobe Audition to edit and mix the audio tracks, including music and voiceovers, to ensure a seamless and balanced sound. (25m24s)
  • Cie typically works on the audio of Crash Course videos in a specific order: host audio, then music, then sound effects. (49m47s)

Narration Processing

  • Callie's audio processing for narration includes using an EQ to cut frequencies below 60Hz and above 18,000Hz, a gate to reduce breaths and mouth sounds, a compressor, and a de-esser. (7m30s)
  • Sarah's voice is already compressed, so it doesn't need much additional compression. (10m35s)
  • Cali does more de-essing on higher-pitched voices to soften their sound and sometimes boosts the low end for a fuller effect. (16m0s)
  • Cali uses a noise gate to remove breaths and mouth sounds, but this step is sometimes skipped due to time constraints. (16m33s)
  • Nolan manually removes noticeable mouth sounds and adjusts audio cuts in Premiere Pro before Cali receives the audio. (17m30s)
  • Cali uses compression to balance the volume levels in the audio, making loud parts quieter and quiet parts louder, especially noticeable with Hank's speech patterns. (18m44s)
  • Cali uses de-essing to reduce sibilance in voices, making them less harsh and fatiguing to listen to. (20m12s)

Music Selection and Use

  • Music for each episode is sourced from a subscription service. (22m21s)
  • Bridget receives multiple music options and provides feedback on what sounds best. (22m43s)
  • Music used in the videos is sourced from Epidemic Sound. (31m0s)
  • The music in the videos is used to highlight important moments and elevate the content. (58m42s)

Sound Effects

  • The sound effects used for the art history videos are custom made. (33m55s)
  • Callie chose paper sounds for transitions in art history videos because the visual effects often resemble paper. (34m42s)
  • Callie uses a variety of sources for sound effects, including her own recordings, free sound libraries like freesound.org, and a subscription service called Splice. (36m44s)
  • The "Canon Cannon" sound effect, used in the art history series to highlight artists, is a combination of various sounds, including a spark, a clunk, and the cannon firing. (38m42s)
  • A balance is struck between whimsical, funny, dark, and serious tones through the use of cheering and other sound effects. (41m16s)
  • Sound effects are used to highlight movement and visual details, such as a scratching noise for a scene depicting the removal of debris from art. (42m30s)
  • Each Crash Course series uses a unique library of sound effects, with some sounds, like "Arrow," appearing frequently across multiple series. (44m2s)

Video Editing and Production

  • Bridget, the video editor, finds the rough cut stage, where sound effects and music are added, to be her favorite part of the editing process. (51m16s)
  • Cie combats ear fatigue by taking breaks every hour to remove his headphones and step away from the screen. (53m5s)
  • The audio and visual elements of the videos are designed to help viewers retain information. (57m9s)
  • Crash Course videos are moving in a direction to include more moments of repose to help viewers focus. (57m41s)

Art Preservation Examples

  • Limestone deteriorates easily when exposed to salt, which is a concern for the preservation of cave paintings on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. (10m59s)
  • Egypt's climate is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, threatening its historical sites. (11m16s)
  • Cecilia Jimenez attempted to restore a fresco titled Ecce Homo at her church in Borjas, Spain in 2012. (30m5s)

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