Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
We delve into the current and possible future uses of artificial intelligence in audio post.
July 3, 2023
In the realm of audio post-production, the fusion of innovative technology and artistic creativity has always been at the core of delivering captivating sonic experiences to audiences the world over. With the recent boom of AI (Artificial Intelligence) development evolving at an unprecedented pace, the audio post-production landscape is witnessing a transformation exciting to some, but worrying to others. Today on the 344 Audio Blog, we delve into the current and possible future uses of artificial intelligence in audio post. Exploring the ways in which this fascinating yet controversial technology is reshaping the industry, and the steps you can take to future proof yourself in an ever-changing digital era.
As we all know in this craft, time can be a precious resource, and the integration of sophisticated algorithms into software has already had a profound impact on our daily workflows. This evolution gave birth to an array of remarkable tools, exemplified by Accentize’s reverb plugin Chameleon 2, and renowned noise reduction/restoration products like; Izotope RX, Acon Extract:Dialogue, and Cedar DNS One to name a few. Even Audio Editing software like Adobe Audition now incorporates built-in algorithms for tasks like noise reduction and dialogue enhancement, eliminating the need for third-party software.
By harnessing machine learning, these advancements enable sound designers to significantly reduce the time and resources required for intricate processes, unlocking newfound efficiency and freedom to focus on the creative tasks at hand.
Looking ahead, there are a multitude of tasks that could be streamlined with the advancement of machine-learning. Whether some of these tasks should be performed by or with the help of Artificial Intelligence will differ dependant on each individuals views on the matter, but the future certainly promises a fascinating interplay between AI automation and human creativity, leading to ever-evolving possibilities.
Mixing
AI has the potential to automate certain aspects of audio mixing. By analysing audio content and using predefined rules or learning models, Algorithms can intelligently balance audio levels, pan sounds, and apply effects to create a cohesive mix. One huge area we see potential for innovation is mixing templates. AI can learn from expertly mixed tracks and create mixing presets or templates for similar projects. By analysing the characteristics and common occurrences of a specific genre or style, AI could suggest or automatically apply mixing settings, serving as a starting point for further adjustments fuelled by the emotional decisions of the audio engineers and filmmakers.
Sound Design & Foley
Heavily creative areas such as Sound Design and Foley are seeing the largest debates within the community. The big question being, can machines replicate our nuanced, creative decision making considering human emotions heavily dictate the choices we make? While we think AI being put to use in this context is far in the future, if at all. We do believe that some tasks within these areas could benefit from some AI integration. For example; The development of an algorithm that analyses video footage, lets say a temp cut of your project. Then by learning from extensive databases of content, recordings and any libraries you own or have access to, AI could suggest or automatically generate an appropriate pool of sound effects for specific visual or environmental cues. This could save time and most importantly, allow sound designers or editors to fully delve into the world building process.
With the development of AI happening so quickly, having a wide range of skills has never been more important. Which is why we think that upskilling yourself is the strongest option to lay any worries about automation to rest.
Learning how to perform roles in other areas of Audio-Post would be the most logical approach, already working within the industry could allow you access to contacts or other opportunities to explore. If you wanted to branch out yourself, one huge advantage of modern technology is the amount of information available to consume almost instantly. With resources ranging from hours of video essays or tutorials, to blog posts and informative articles, all the way up to both degree courses or industry educational courses. The sound design course we offer at 344 Audio teaches the professional skills to efficiently use Pro Tools and perform any role in the post-production craft, within an active UK Audio Post workplace. For more information on our Audio Post Essentials Course, contact us here.
Alternatively, you could delve into a role within a similar sector to Audio-Post, A great example of this could be the visual side of the process. Like audio, there are many stages to the visual post-production craft, Editor, Colourist (Colour Grading) or VFX Artist to name a few. Having your irons in a fire that goes hand in hand with the skills you already have whilst remaining a separate skill is a trick as old as time to help bring in a more stable income.
Whilst Artificial Intelligence has made significant advancements in creative industries, it's important to acknowledge the indispensable role of human expertise and creativity in audio post-production. Financial implications usually result in such tools often being designed for other industries (i.e Music, Writing) and later adapted to assist us streamline workflows or specific tasks, helping us achieve the highest quality outcome for a project. This formed part of our conclusion that AI will not supplant the need for human judgment and artistic interpretation for many years to come. Emotional response is also vital for our craft. At each stage, narrative fuels our process. The connection between story, characters, and human emotions is the essence of a successful narrative. Something that, as of now, Artificial Intelligence cannot replicate.
A review of DopplerPRO by TONSTURM, a precise and intuitive Doppler effect plugin designed for quick and high-quality sound design, offering streamlined controls for realistic motion-based audio effects in film, games, and music production.
June 26, 2023
The Doppler effect is an audible phenomenon responsible for the change in perceived frequency or pitch of a sound when the source is in motion, and the observer is static. For example, an ambulance siren passes by. As the ambulance approaches, the pitch of the siren sounds higher, and as it moves away, the pitch sounds lower. TONSTURM have produced some game-changing design software in previous years, and today, we'll be taking a look at their Doppler-specific offering, DopplerPRO.
Company: TONSTURM
Product: DopplerPRO
Price: £95
Our Rating: 4/5
The TONSTURM DopplerPRO Plug-in is a powerful and versatile tool that gives users the power to recreate the sonic experience of objects passing by accurately, be it a car zooming past or a spaceship soaring through the cosmos. Using a 'vastly improved' Doppler engine, TONSTURM's focus here is to bring you a simplistic tool of inspiration. Allowing users to craft the best quality effects in the quickest timescale. Whether you're working on film sound design, game audio, or music production, DopplerPRO offers a comprehensive set of features that make it a valuable addition to your toolkit.
In their own words:
DopplerPRO revolutionizes your workflow with its powerful spatial engine. By offering precise rescaling of the space for the approach and away phases, it enables you to have ultimate control over the timing and speed parameters of the Doppler effect...DopplerPRO adds energetic movement and depth to your audio, creating captivating and engaging experiences for your audience.
When firing up DopplerPRO we were immediately struck by the well-designed, user-friendly interface. A simple layout makes the plug-in easy to navigate, allowing for quick and efficient adjustments. Minimal use of colour helps draw your attention to the most important parameters while sitting very nicely in a dark-themed Pro Tools session, making it easy on the eyes after long periods of time. The only downside here is some controls may have a little too much space to themselves. At the bottom of the window, below your parameters, is a scrolling bar which you'll need to access all changeable parameters (Gain and panning included). Admittedly this isn't a huge issue, as the rare ability to expand the plug-in window is included, but it did take us a couple of minutes and a little peek at the manual to spot said bar.
The plug-in comes with a reasonable amount of presets, both aimed at Post-Production and Music Production. And offers a wide range of customizable parameters, giving you the ability to shape the effect to suit a wide variety of needs. You can adjust the shape of the Doppler curve (Viewed in grid form, giving a great visual representation of the sound's movement), the duration, direction and speed of the effect, and even apply fade-ins and fade-outs to help smooth transitions.
While using this tool and thinking about other Doppler Effect offerings in the marketplace, we were struck by the realization that TONSTURM also produces TRAVELER, another Plug-in that has the ability to replicate the Doppler effect. Now, while both plug-ins offer exceptional capabilities, TRAVELER focuses on overall spatial movement with the ability to cater to environmental effects alongside being able to create Doppler effects too. Whereas DopplerPRO specifically hones in on achieving precise and convincing Dopplers, which are most commonly applied to individual or specified objects.
DopplerPRO will be an invaluable tool when it comes to everyday audio design workflow improvements. In comparison to other products, the simplicity and laser focus of this offering puts it in the running to be a go-to tool for artists. We would use this plug-in when looking to make some quick and straightforward Doppler effects for situations such as vehicles or creatures passing by.
TONSTURM may have become a victim of their own success with this release. Aside from a slight need for some layout refining, DopplerPRO is an incredibly solid offering.
Its specific use case allows them to streamline included features and keep only the most important options, allowing users to focus wholly on the creative outcome while making no compromises to the quality of your end product. Where DopplerPRO may fall short is that it carries the same price tag as TRAVELER while offering less variety of use cases.
DopplerPRO requires a compatible DAW and is available as VST, AAX and Audio Suite/Audio Units.
For more from TONSTURM and the purchase information for DopplerPRO follow these links:
Explore whether a sound design degree, industry course, self-education, or mentorship best suits your career goals and learning style.
June 19, 2023
Deciding a career path is a huge life decision we all face. For the next generation of sound professionals, there's a multitude of choices and decisions to take into account in this early stage. One of the big questions is whether pursuing a sound design degree is the key to unlock success. Sound like a tough call? Well, fear not! Today on the 344 Audio blog we'll weigh the pros and cons of various pathways into the industry so you can navigate this decision with confidence.
Aside from the possibility of student finance to cover the bulk of the upfront costs, one of the primary advantages of pursuing a sound design degree is the structured learning environment it provides. A University program offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers the technical aspects of sound engineering and digital audio production (some even include a number of Pro Tools Courses), along with more practical elements such as Foley artistry, mixing and more. Having tutors still active within the industry to analyse your work and feedback can be an incredibly powerful early-stage tool. Through hands-on experiences you can learn the fundamentals of sound manipulation and gain expertise in industry-standard software and equipment all while networking with fellow students and creatives within your local community to get those crucial first projects.
This incredibly in depth style and technical approach to learning is not the best path for everyone, the sound design degree path does bring with it some disadvantages. One of the most prominent is the huge time investment associated with the academic route. Usually taking 3 years (Sometimes 4) to complete, having to work along side studying can be problematic for some mature sound enthusiasts. Not to mention upon completion the obligation of repaying any student finance could begin. Personal preference to learning styles is a big part of whether this is the right choice for you. You may want to specialise in a certain job role within the industry and find spending time researching relevant information more efficient.
A degree isn't the only path to sound design greatness. Many successful sound designers have crafted their careers through alternative means. Industry Courses are becoming increasingly popular (and is the route I personally took) for young professionals. Mostly based around hands-on experience within active workplaces and sometimes including Pro Tools lessons too, these can equip you with a huge array of practical skills and a strong portfolio in a much shorter timescale with much less of a long-term financial investment. Having a heavy focus on practical skills and learning, Industry Courses do a great job at preparing you to navigate the often intimidating first steps in Freelancing and give you a more realistic view of what working in the industry entails. Another huge advantage to the Industry pathway is the opportunities that can come out of them. Most of these courses will take place with tutors who still actively work in audio post, and will be delivered in educational institutions.
The course we offer at 344 Audio has students learning in an active UK Audio Post workplace. Which means that students learn along side actual projects taking place.
For more information on our Audio Post Essentials Course, click here.
As a heavily practical based career path, the biggest downside of an Industry sound design course is arguably be the inability to get as in depth with the theoretical side of learning. While some of the scientific information isnt crucial to fulfil audio post roles, there is some level of understanding needed. An easy fix for this could be plugging theoretical gaps with some self-education and online research.
The internet has not only revolutionised how we live and work, it's also evolved how we learn and absorb information. In todays digital era, the wealth of online resources available is incredible once you've done a bit of digging. Including videos, Podcasts, Blogs/Articles and much more in-between there's a way of taking in the information which will work for you at a time and pace suitable for you. Putting yourself out there speaks for itself in 2023, it can be time consuming but consistently updating your social media and online presence through Show reels etc will offer opportunities to showcase your talent and catch the attention of employers.
As mentioned, the sheer amount of information available leads into one of the biggest downsides with this option...timescale. Now, to get to a place where you can deliver projects to a professional standard will take the longest amount of time out of all the options we discuss today and bring with it the most risks. Having no tutor or mentor to discuss things with can lead to bad habits and inconsistent workflows.
The final path is for those who may think an audio design course is not the right option for them. This may seem like a rare opportunity compared to 10 years ago, but there are still opportunities and people who are passionate about passing on their knowledge to the next generation of sound designers. It will take some level of prior commitment and knowledge to be able to hold your own in professional environments but working as part of a team is a skill that remains relevant for personal creative growth and learning how to do so in active workplaces with mentors invested in you can make a huge difference.
At 344 Audio we noticed that mentorship seemed to be missing from most available courses, so we kept this at the forefront of our mind when designing the Audio Post Essentials course. Our Course Leader, Alex offers unlimited guidance to students along with one-to-one mentoring sessions outside of scheduled lessons.
We spoke to a student currently studying a degree whilst completing a placement with us here at 344 Audio about his journey so far, here's what he had to say about the Degree vs Experience debate:
"Studying at University means I have access to great quality facilities and a huge amount of networking opportunities to take advantage of...But I've learnt a lot more practical skills and techniques to improve my workflows efficiency through my placement which is great to put to use in day to day tasks."
So, should you follow the degree path? Ultimately, It's a personal decision. A degree program offers a well-rounded education, providing you with a strong foundation to pursue a career in sound design. But it can also be a hefty long-term investment in terms of time and money. Whilst the Industry course path can give you a stronger practical skillset, with the trade off of less academic understanding. Overall, remember you should carve out your sound design journey with your long term goals in mind. There is no one size fits all approach, your end goal and learning style will determine the best path for you. The only thing you will need no matter the path you choose, is passion, and investment in yourself.
FeedSpot has included our blog in their '25 Best Sound Design Blogs and Websites' list
May 12, 2023
Welcome back to the 344 Audio blog. In today's post we are delighted to share that our blog has been included in FeedSpot's '25 Best Sound Design Blogs and Websites' list. Read below to find out more!
FeedSpot used a variety of metrics to come up with this comprehensive list of resources for anyone looking to plug some Sound Design knowledge gaps. Also included are some audio-post heavy hitters such as; 'The Pro Audio Files', 'George Vlad Blog', 'Pro Sound Effects Blog' and 'A Sound Effect Blog'.
Huge thank you to FeedSpot for the mention in this article. You can read the list in full here: https://blog.feedspot.com/sound_design_blogs/
We review Extract: Dialogue, a noise reduction tool powered by Artificial Intelligence algorithms to separate dialogue from a wide range of background noises.
May 12, 2023
Dialogue is king. No matter how hotly debated Noise Reduction technology can be, having a strong, consistent dialogue track is a hugely important part of the post production process. Noise reduction can be a useful tool to achieve this in ways such as eliminating the need for ADR or simply removing that annoying bird from the background of the perfect take. Today we're taking a look at Acon Digital's latest offering for this; Extract:Dialogue.
Company: Acon Digital
Product: Extract:Dialogue
Price: £80
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Extract: Dialogue is a noise reduction tool powered by Artificial Intelligence algorithms to separate dialogue from a wide range of background noises. In the last few years A.I powered plug-ins have become common place in the industry, leading to a huge range of products available on all ends of the price spectrum. However, after just a few minutes with the plug-ins well laid out and incredibly simple interface, it's clear Acon Digital's offering has been designed with ease of use and efficiency at the forefront of their mind.
In their own words:
Extract:Dialogue is a plug-in that separates dialogue from common types of background noise such as wind, rustle, traffic, hum, clicks and pops. The algorithm works in real time and is based on deep learning. It has been trained on thousands of high-quality voice recordings and an equally extensive set of common noise sources. The extensive training enables the artificial intelligence to automatically distinguish dialogue from noise without user interaction. This makes Extract:Dialogue extremely easy to use – just add it to your dialogue bus and let it do its magic.
One of the first thing you'll notice upon opening Extract:Dialogue is the clean layout of the interface; made up of a Spectrum Analyzer, a small amount of adjustable parameters, a Solo Noise button and Three frequency band filters, all of which have a small description pop up if you hover over the parameter. This makes the tool quick, easy and doesn't give you much to get distracted by.
The adjustable parameters are small in number (5 in total), mostly due to the fully automatic nature of the plug-in. However, they do cover everything you'll need to have control over in order to get some good results in a short amount of time. These controls are: Sensitivity, Maximum Attenuation and Frequency Band Filters.
Extract: Dialogue will be of great use to anybody working with dialogue not just in film and TV but also radio/podcasting, games and live broadcast. The real time and automatic nature of the plug-in can allow you to get the settings you need very quickly, whilst also being able to make adjustments on the fly if needed.
The simple and well laid out interface makes it incredibly accessible to creatives of all levels who may not have the time or budget to dig into other advanced noise reduction tools such as Izotope RX or Cedar DNS.
We would use this plug-in for Dialogue Editing tasks. Particularly when noise cannot be attenuated through other methods or if another plugin is not providing the expected result.
Acon Digital's approach of developing a tool with a very specific use case makes Extract:Dialogue a breath of fresh air in the Noise Reduction market. The powerful algorithm is well developed and paired with its simple (all be it a little dull looking) user interface, users can easily adjust the settings to achieve the desired results in a quite impressive amount of time.
In regards to the U.I, it would have been nice to see more colour and perhaps a 3D spectrogram to separate it from other tools with less than inspiring colour schemes and graphics.
As a team who use products that fall in a variety of price ranges, the value for money you get with Extract:Dialogue is one of its strongest selling points. Acon Digital have managed to create a product you can achieve comparable results to the most expensive noise reduction options with, at a very small fraction of the cost.
Extract:Dialogue is available as a stand alone plugin or as part of Acoustica - Digital Audio Editor.
For more from Acon Digital and the purchase information for Extract:Dialogue follow these links:
https://acondigital.com/products/extract-dialogue
