Christopher Robert Morgan

Christopher Robert Morgan, Ph.D. Audio for Video
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Sampling and Sound Editing Checklist

1) Are you using the best possible sound equipment (i.e., the equipment in B129 vs. Apple microphone)?

2) Is the sound format set to the following parameters?

Sound file format AIFF Sampling rate 44100 Hz
Sample Bit size 16 Bit
Compression None
Number of channels Mono or Stereo (for mixes)

3) Is there any clipping in the recorded sounds? (If so, redo them if you cannot delete the clipping without affecting the entire sound.)

4) Are the recorded sounds trimmed of any excess noise at the beginning and end?

5) Are there any pops or clicks at the beginning and/or end that need to have "Fade in/out" applied to them?

6) After mixing several sounds in SoundEdit’s or SoundMaker's multitrack view, have you saved or mixed them down to a final stereo version?
Have you made a list of the sounds you are using and what types of effects are applied to each of them? It is easier to keep this list as you go along instead of trying to reassemble it after you are down.

Troubleshooting

Q: Not getting a level into the computer (SoundEdit-16, SoundMaker, etc.)?

A: There are two places where the sound is getting lost: the mixer or the computer.

The Mixer:

Are you getting a level on the mixer’s level-meter?
Check Phantom power for condenser microphones.

Check the microphone input gain (trim).

Check the fader level.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Our mixer/computer setups require that you press the Mute-Alt3-4 button on a channel to route it to the computer. The advantage is that you are then able to monitor the sound from the computer but not re-record the computer’s output when you are recording new tracks. While this isn’t an issue with soundedit-16 (which doesn’t allow you to play one track while recording a new track) it is an issue with programs like ProTools and Digital Performer.

After you have confirmed that the microphone is working at the mixer, next check that the channel button Mute-Alt3-4 is selected so that the sound goes to the computer?

The Computer:

Check the computer’s sound input settings. This can be "corrected" at several places. The choices will vary according to system hardware and operating system. For example, not all computers will have a CD-ROM drive which could be selected as the sound input source (thereby causing the computer to ignore the microphone input).

Control Panels — Monitors and Sound and/or Sound (see below)

Control Strip — the microphone/CD icon. (see below).

Q: Not hearing the sound in the computer (SoundEdit-16, SoundMaker, etc.)

A: There are two places where the sound is getting lost: the mixer or the computer.

Make sure the volume is up in the control panels or control strip. On most computers there are two sound outputs: headphones or the internal speaker. Sometimes plugging in headphones disconnects the internal speaker, sometimes it doesn’t. For examle, on our G3-266’s, the output is "muted" but this only refers to the internal speaker. Sound is still going out of the RCA outputs. The outputs are connected to the mixer (channels 11-12) and should be turned up on your mixer.

Make sure that "main mix" is selected as the mixer's Source for your headphones.