Vaudeville surrounds Amazing War Stories
- Details
As the shows were being compiled during lockdown, the voice recording and mix sessions were run remotely. Live output of the mix was shared with the director so the team could run through mix notes and make changes on the fly. Avid Pro-tools was used to edit and mix all shows with an array of tools from Nugen Audio, Noise Makers, Zynaptic & Blue Ripple Sound.
With detail of sound design and field recordings at film level, it was vital to use the correct sounds not just to drive the story but to be accurate to the various military equipment being discussed. “We feel podcast as a platform really lends itself to 3D immersive sound with many listeners consuming with headphones” said Luke Hatfield, group head of sound at Vaudeville Sound. “The binaural aspect really enhances the effect of a scene where we have a distant MG suddenly jump to the 10 O’clock position and bullet impacts flying up all around us.”
Designed to be heard via headphones, the listener is immersed in soldiers’ experiences, battles and places are truly brought to life. “The sounds needed to be very focused and clear in the mix to tell the story to avoid single, literal sounds,” added Hatfield. “In the trailer an MG42 is mentioned but instead of just hearing an MG42 the listener hears it close up, as if the film camera is with the Germans firing on the Allied forces. The audio then cuts to the opposite perspective of the Allied troops to hear a distant MG42 and all the dirt being kicked up by the bullet impacts, ricochets etc.
“Many people haven't experienced 3D audio in this context before so it’s really exciting that these techniques are being used on the podcast platform as it really works in enhancing the listening experience.”
