Entertainment

The Age of UK Sound Restorations may never be heralded. It will not go down with the Elizabethan Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution. This does not mean that UK sound restorations are not significant. On the contrary, they are innovations that will probably stay around long enough to cross over multiple eras instead of merely defining one.

UK Sound Restorations and Hitchs Steps
When I was younger and living in London, I was taken to see a British Film Institute revival screening of Alfred Hitchcocks 1935 classic, The Thirty-Nine Steps. The visual quality was fine, still crisp black and white. The audio, however, was ruinous. There were constant hisses, crackles and muffled dialogue. The sound deterioration completely destroyed the tension of the movie. By the time Robert Donat got to question the memory specialist, you had heard so much popping you would swear it all a promo for Orville Redenbacher.

This was slightly before the digital technology boom that helped push UK sound restorations into prominence, after which, a delicate and meticulous process was created. It included such steps as the remastering of original sources, dissecting and picking out each flaw for a fine tune polish and then a reassembling of scattered tracks into a new whole that was so fresh sounding, you could swear you were at a live stage play if you shut your eyes.

I saw part of The Thirty-Nine Steps on a classic movie TV station recently. The job that top-notch UK sound restorations had done on the picture would have gained praise from Hitchcock himself. It was new and vibrant with silent silences and thrilling bangs (when there was supposed to be bangs). It made me wonder if there was hope for my familys quavering home movies. I found a website describing techniques that British restorians use and realized that there was a lot of hope, indeed!

UK digital mastering requires at least three hats that the engineer must wear. I dont mean literally (although if the individual wanted to, I wouldnt object.) Chef, surgeon and conductor: these are the three personas one must take on. I am not sure about the job in other countries but as far as UK digital mastering goes, this is the defining trio.

UK Digital Mastering in Thirds
Let us begin with chef. Understand that no actual cooking is involved. Like a culinary genius, however, a digital audio engineer must be familiar with every aspect and variation of his work. Where a chef must know about every food group, preparation technique and way to bake, boil, broil or saute, a sound recordist must be up on modern equipment and modus operandi of such, forms of music, entertainment genres and component variation before the job actually starts. The associating link is preparation.

Surgeon is perhaps the most demanding side of UK digital mastering. Once the sound is captured it must be opened and delicately gone through. The best qualities have to be plucked out, set and grafted to others. The bad stuff has to be removed. Nimble fingers for a doctor. Nimble ears for a digital engineer.

Finally, there is the conductor. Whether the task is music, voiceover or vocal broadcast, the best in UK digital mastering has to have an acute sense for volume, foreground, background and theme. There must always be a feel for rhythm and pace and the need to bring whatever points made into clear focus. We could probably find another three hats after these but lets leave it to internet exploring. Those digital techs who wish they could wear less could always move out of the UK. I hear Antarctica is hiring.

Let me share with you an adventure about mobile recording in UK wilderness. Be warned that names have been changed to protect the innocent (and guilty.) It in no way reflects upon professional mobile recording in UK except as an example of what those pros never do.

A Mobile Recording in UK Tragedy
As a youth, I attended a well-known dramatic academy in London. My class was intense and headstrong (as are all actors). Of course, we thought we could do things better than any West End venture. I was working on a first year production of Shakespeares MacBeth. I played Malcolm, my buddy Burt was MacDuff and our roommate Kieron was the bloody thane himself. Needless to say, it was just a budget-less studio staging put up so we could perfect verse and scansion but we wanted it to be more.

We decided to pool our own resources and create effects worthy of the National Theatre. After all, Ian McKellans famous version of the Scottish tragedy had been mounted sparsely. But he had wind, thunder, cracking trees, echoing witch moans and distant bagpipes. This is why three deranged Olivers went out to the country with a borrowed tape recorder, shabby boom mike and map of every pub en route to attempt mobile recording in UK.

Scotland being too far, we ended up just outside of East Croydon. In under three hours we trespassed on private grounds, got drenched by rain, became lost, were shot at, terrified children who overheard our witch moans (or bagpiping), destroyed a tree, received jolts from loose wiring and were nearly arrested. The results of our mobile recording in UK were more horrific than Banquos ghost. We never thought to use pros (today which are digitally capable to travel crime-free). We also had no internet to research advice (not that we would have). Good ale and a few winks from pretty girls were all we had to show for our showmanship.

What contribution does UK music for videos make? Its only an extra, isnt it? I mean, were not talking about music videos here like British MTV. We mean UK music for videos like How to Fry Chips or Day Trips to Tintagel. It is all the dry stuff you see at school or work or (worse still) educational television. What difference does music make?

Like most of us, you underestimate the element of theatricality needed to tell any taped or filmed story, be it documentary, industrial or learning variety. UK music for videos contributes focus. It helps to bring important points to the surface and pace to the telling. It keeps energy on the screen and adds tone to the subject matter. What would Maintaining the Gearshift or Roberts Rash be without music? A yawn and a scratch, most likely.

Recording UK Music For Videos
Sound houses all over Great Britain have excellent facilities for composing, recording and laying in the tracks of video underscore and theme songs. They possess vast music libraries to pull established tunes from or have songwriting and composing services if sharps and flats are not a filmmakers forte. Inhouse singers and musicians can be brought in if the pieces are original. Experienced engineers work side by side with directors placing and mixing in the scores so that nothing overwhelms or undercuts the finished product.

UK music for videos is a very significant enterprise. Dont listen to what that bozo in the first paragraph said. Do research on the Internet and show him otherwise. Howie Meaghers piano ditty for Yet Another View of Stonehenge may not be Nino Rotas Godfather theme, but its just as important.

I am not sure that the term sound recordists is in the dictionary. In fact, I am not even sure that it is English. I do, however, know what sound recordists are and have the utmost respect for them.

Sound Recordists Thesaurus
Perhaps it is my place in life to define sound recordists. Let me start with synonyms. Digital Technicians sound good. A sound recordist needs to have the capability of capturing vocals, music, voice work and effects in a studio and then use digital technique to separate, mix and master each element into a satisfying whole.

Maybe Re-masterers is better. This is, after all, an artist with both the mechanical and creative skills; able to pick apart multiple tracks he or she has recorded and audibly focus them. Re-mastering is an impressive job by itself, yet for sound recordists, it is just another part of what they do. Microphone Experts comes to mind. Any sound recordist has to know how to place, differentiate and utilize the astounding variety of audio equipment. When to use directionals over cardoids, booms over wireless. And then, theres Restorers who take existing, damaged sounds and master them new again.

In going over the list, I think I know why there is no definition for sound recordists: there are too many definitions that apply. I bet even a search engine would come up blank, but Ill try it any way. Talented Listener, Professional Ears, Audio Archivist all are the same. True but not quite enough to give Sound Recordists their entry in Websters.