April ’09

AFK GETS GORGED ON GREAT SOUND

Super-hero with a super appetite? You bet! And the Ultra-Sound crew used their super audio skills to help bring the animated Agent Fat Kid to life. Working with the animation from the Untitled Project, Ron provided the music score, including official Agent Fat Kid theme music, and Jeney created the sound design.

The cartoon stars a boy with an over active appetite, who uses his regurgitated food to right the world’s wrongs. For sound design, Jeney used hyper realistic sound effects. She said, “Since Agent Fat Kid’s power doesn’t come from the super-natural, I wanted to keep his environment close to reality, only more intense.” For Agent Fat Kid’s projectile justice, Jeney used an extended burp and splashing sounds. “Burps are always funnier than vomit,” confessed Jeney.

The first episode, “Fois Gras,” takes place in a factory full of, well, very full geese, and runs about two and a half minutes long. You can check out the Agent Fat Kid cartoon on You Tube, by clicking on this link: Agent Fat Kid

Jeney said, “Ron and I are both looking forward to the next episode, which we start work on next week!”
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March ’09

March Mixing and Matching

Ultra-Sound recently worked with Publicis/NY updating the current TV campaign for Hot Pockets. The :15 spot, “That’s What Makes It” mixed and matched elements from the previous spots with new announcer copy recorded at Ultra-Sound.

Ron created the updated :15 commercial by using elements from the :30 commercial recorded at a studio in Dallas, TX. Ultra-Sound’s Pro Tools systems allowed for a seamless combination of Dallas’ audio session with the new session done in New York. Ron was able to mix and match the audio files needed to match the new picture for the updated spot. Once completed, the new voice over was mixed in for a seamless integration of the old and the new audio elements.

Ultra-Sound also recently worked Avrett Free Ginsberg on the :15 TV campaign for Tidy Cat. These spots required mixing and matching of the on-camera dialog with the new announcer copy recorded at Ultra-Sound.

Since the on-camera dialog was recorded using several different actors in several different locations, there were tonal shifts that could be heard throughout the spot. Ron minimized the background ambience and noise of each scene by using a combination of Waves noise reduction and Focusrite EQs. This resulted in smooth transitions from scene to scene. In addition, some of the on-camera dialog was unclear. By cutting in outtakes recorded during the shoot, Ron was able to mix and match each line seamlessly while maintaining perfect lip-sync of the actor’s performance. Once completed, the new voice over was mixed in for a seamless integration of all the different audio elements.
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February ’09

Stand Sentry

Ultra-Sound’s Andrea Belley recently completed the sound design/dialog restoration/final mix on a short independent film for Producers/Directors Stephen Sheffer and Meghan Hemingway. The film, Stand Sentry, was based on a play of the same title written by the award winning Jason Hall.

One of the sound challenges was to create an off screen POW-style prison, which housed inmates who spoke an indecipherable language. The film used only three on-camera characters and the role of the unseen prisoners was essentially the films’ fourth character. To create this unseen antagonist, Andrea used a combination of foreign language crowd ambiences, and additionally, reversed several of the sound files. She said, “Playing the crowd ambiences in reverse not only made the language of the prisoners difficult to understand, but it also added tension. The prisoners are supposed to be unruly and a little crazy.”

There were several other constrictions for the sound design. Since the film is supposed to be in a military setting, all urban/civilian noises had to be removed or disguised. Andrea said, “The film was shot in Brooklyn, so I had to remove many car horns and bus sounds. When those noises were combined with the dialog, and therefore unable to be cleaned-up, I layered in other appropriate effects, such as trains or planes, to conceal the improper sound.”

Stand Sentry has already been entered in several independent film festivals, including Sundance and the LA film festival.
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November ’08

F.E.A.R. 2 Motion Comic

Ultra-Sound recently worked with the Untitled Project Productions, Inc. on a web promotion for F.E.A.R 2, a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment video game set for release in February. The web promotion art, done by DC Digital Comic, is in the style of a motion comic. This :60 promotion gives insight into the storyline for the new game, which picks up just before the end of the first F.E.A.R game.

The decidedly dark and haunting graphics/storyline required an equally tense and menacing soundscape. The story opens after a city-demolishing explosion causes the main characters helicopter to crash. For this opening, sound designer/audio engineer, Jeney, kept the ambience sparse. “The spot opens with just the sound of wind and as the camera zooms closer to the crashed helicopter, the sounds of fire and system alarms are layered in. The minimal effects up front work two-fold. It immediately communicates to the viewer a sense of devastation, and it also allows the sound to build up to a gruesome explosion as the story unfolds.”

One main character behind F.E.A.R 2 is Alma, an eight-year-old ghost-girl who uses her powerful mind to control things around her, and ultimately, to wreak havoc. Since she is integral to game, she needed to stand out in the motion comic. “Alma and her power were sonically portrayed using a waterphone. This unique instrument, expertly played by Ron, has a high screeching metal sound that is as nerve jangling as Alma. It was a perfect match,” said Jeney.
]]> http://ultrasoundaudiopost.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/ultra-sound-november-08-newsletter/feed/ 0 audiojeney http://ultrasoundaudiopost.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/ultra-sound-october-08-newsletter/ http://ultrasoundaudiopost.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/ultra-sound-october-08-newsletter/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:15:43 +0000 audiojeney http://ultrasoundaudiopost.wordpress.com/?p=29 ]]> October ’08

PSA: The Worst Name in Safety

Ultra-Sound, along with The Napoleon Groups’ editing department, is working with writer/director Matthew Waynee on a series of web-episodes that parody the production of public service announcements. The show follows an embezzling producer who hires an eccentric crew to create bogus PSAs on a shoestring budget for topics such as glue gun safety. Click the image for a sneak peak of embezzling producer, Doug Sorbo.

The production dialog was recorded on location (a house near a six-lane highway on a busy street) in California. While some dialog clean up was required, the locations major noise issues were part of the joke. The traffic noise almost drowns out the actors’ lines at times, which was noted by the on-camera director. To emphasize this point, Ultra-Sound’s Jeney layered in extra truck horns, squeaky brakes, loud exhaust rumbles and thumping car stereo systems. “Had the traffic noise not been part of the joke, it would have been difficult to clean up the dialog. But since it was purposely bad, I was able exploit that flaw. Accentuating the traffic noise helped to smooth out transitions between cuts.”

In addition to dialog clean-up and mix, Jeney also created all the required sound design. During one scene, the safety expert character has an accident with a fan. For this scene, the grinding fan noises were added entirely in post-production. “I used the characters voice and actions as a guide for what noises the fan should be making. When the character jumped around, or rocked his body, I fluctuated the fan/grinding sounds to match his movement. As his screams became more shrill, I increased the intensity of the fan/grinding. The result proved very convincing.” Click on the image for a sneak peak of safety expert, Ernie Hambrick.

Each episode includes that weeks finished PSA. To emphasis the low budget feel of the PSA, a cheesy music track was used as a bed for the spots. “I found some bad electronic drums and organs. I wanted it sound like someone with no talent took a lot of time writing what they thought was a ‘great piece’. The music is exactly as I hoped. The song sounds serious in a cheesy way.” The episodes are set for release later this fall.

The Night Owls

Ultra-Sound, along with The Untitled Project, Inc, is currently working with Peter and Robert Timony (of the award-winning comedy team, The Mook Brothers), to create ‘motion comics’ of The Night Owls, a popular serial comic on Zudacomics.com. After completing their first successful season, and earning a new contract with Zuda, Peter and Robert Timony are taking The Night Owls to the next level by creating motion comics to release as web-episodes, and more.

A motion comic is like a comic book with a soundtrack. The story is driven by the artwork, using limited animation including panning and zooming, and a fully produced soundtrack, with narrators, character voices, music and sound effects. “Even though a motion comic isn’t fully animated, the soundtrack really helps to fill in the cracks. Visually, it is similar to an animatic, but the audio makes it feel like an animated feature,” said Ron.

Motion comics are not a new concept. They are often used by the film, game, and advertising industries to pitch or test creative ideas, or as part of viral marketing campaigns to stimulate interest and awareness of a new movie or product. For example, Dead Space, a motion comic series created by Electronic Arts, was designed to create interest in, and tell the story line, of the video game set for release in October of 2008.

Not just limited to marketing, this style of animation brings comic books into the digital realm. For example, motion comic episodes of the Batman and Joker series, Mad Love, are available for download to watch on certain cellphones. Also, the classic graphic novel, Watchmen, is being released by Warner Brothers as motion comic episodes, available for download from iTunes (just as a popular television series would be). “There are so many more outlets available for media than just television. Digital media allows big ideas to come to life on a smaller budget. The Night Owls already has a solid storyline and interesting artwork. From the first record session to the final mix, we’re very excited to create the soundtrack that we believe will take their story from 2D to reality,” Ron said.

Snoop Dogg in the Librizzle

Ultra-Sound added over 800 GB worth of music and sound effects to their existing collection. These new libraries allow Ultra-Sound to provide their clients with more choices when it comes to a great sound.

Music Libraries

Want the music of the London Philharmonic for your next commercial? How about Snoop Dogg? Ultra- Sound is your connection to top music talent, through Extreme Music. Extreme Music uses first-rate musicians for their stock-music tracks. Each track is a full sonic-spectrum experience. Now, Ultra-Sound offers the entire Extreme Music catalog (230 GB worth of music). Whether it’s quirky Loungecore, or elegant opera, Ultra-Sound can find amazing Extreme Music stock-tracks, produced by industry professionals, to fit your need.

Need something not so Extreme? Ultra-Sound also uses APM Music, which has over 250,000 instantly accessible stock music tracks online. Every month, APM adds new albums to their online library, which keeps their music selections fresh and up-to-date. Looking for a stock-track with the latest alternative rock sound? Or a track that’s just light and simple? Ultra- Sound can find it all on APM Music.

Sound Effects

For sound effects, Ultra-Sound chose the Sound Ideas Ultimate SFX Collection to add to their existing resource. The Ultimate SFX Collection is 587 GB of high-resolution 48k/24bit audio files. It combines 102 of the most popular Sound Ideas effects libraries into one massive collection. This includes sound effects from: Lucas Films, Turner Entertainments, Universal Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Amadeus, and Disney Ideas to just name a few.

The Stars Come Out at Ultra-Sound

From telecom to toothpaste, three celebrities have recently recorded at Ultra-Sound to lend their star power to advertising.

Holly Robinson Peete, full time actress and mom, used her beautiful smile and beautiful voice for a Colgate Total Advance Whitening :30 radio spot. The UniWorld Group produced the spot in combination with a television campaign featuring the actress. Peete was a perfect choice for the commercial’s fun comparison of being a superstar to being a supermom.

Jamie Lee Curtis, also a full time actress and mom, worked with Avrett Free Ginsberg on a public service announcement for Casa Family Day.org. The on-going campaign features an anti-drug message and the importance of family. Since Curtis lives in LA, Ultra- Sound connected with LA’s POP studios via ISDN for the recording session in New York. Many of Ultra- Sound’s clients know that working with anyone (celebrity or not) using the ISDN lines is like being in the same room together. The team from AFG was able to direct Curtis in LA from New York all for a good cause.

Scott Gomez, NHL player for the New York Rangers “checked” in to Ultra-Sound to complete a :30 television commercial for GCI cellphones. The Napoleon Group worked with SprocketHeads, a film and HD production company located in Anchorage, Alaska, to shoot the finished spot. Linking Alaska and New York was easy using standard phone lines that were fed into Ultra-Sounds talk back system. This enabled the producer in Alaska to communicate and direct the session while Gomez was on the mic in New York. Senior Audio Engineer Ron DiCesare said, “Since our client was in Alaska, this session brought a whole new meaning to the term ‘remote’ recording.” And knowing that Gomez is the Center for the New York Rangers, Ron joked, “Recording Scott in the booth was a lot of fun, but I was just glad to be safely on the other side of the glass from him!”

Ultra-Sound is now offering Skype, an online video conferencing program, for clients who cannot attend sessions. Once on board with a Skype account, clients will be able to see, hear, and participate in any recording or mixing session from the comfort of their own computer. With this new capability, working with Ultra-Sound can be done from across the street or across the world.

More Than Just A Pretty Face-lift

Renovations to the second audio studio at Ultra-Sound, a division of The Napoleon Group, have given it new look and a new sound. Originally used as a video editing suite, the room is now used exclusively for audio post-production. Since the room was not specifically created as an audio studio, there were many challenges to improving the room sonically and aesthetically.

Ultra-Sound’s Senior Audio Engineer, Ron DiCesare, worked with Tony Lefebvre from The Napoleon Group’s engineering staff to come up with an effective retrofit design that would stay within their budget. The three biggest concerns for the existing space were parallel surfaces, multi-level ceilings with numerous corners, and external noise.

After exploring several options, Ultra-Sound chose to treat the room using acoustic panels from RealTraps, bass traps from Auralex, and diffusers from pArt Science, a division of Auralex designed by Russ Berger.

One consideration for the retrofit was a large glass window that faced a busy hallway. This was a source for external noise and sound reflections within the room. The MiniTraps by RealTraps were the ideal way to solve both problems. Since the window is recessed, MiniTraps were hung in front of the window to completely block it off. The space between the back of the MiniTraps and the window allowed both sides of the MiniTraps to be used effectively. One side reduces the noise coming through the window, and the other side absorbs the reflections inside the room.

To address the multi-level ceiling, Ultra-Sound chose to use more MiniTraps. Several 2′ x 4′panels were suspended across the ceiling, starting above the mixing console and ending above the clients seating area. Each panel was hung at an angle to break up any parallel surfaces and to efficiently block the ceilings corners.

Keeping the rooms aesthetics in mind, Ultra-Sound turned to Auralex, known for their environmentally friendly products, to treat the room walls and corners. The Metro LENRD Bass Traps from Auralex provided the style and functionality they were looking for. The corner traps absorb frequencies from 125 Hz and below. The triangle-shaped back made installation easy, and the rounded front took up less space than traditional bass traps and kept the room from feeling closed in.

For the finishing touch, six pArtScience natural-wood SpaceArrays were mounted on the rear wall to diffuse the sound. DiCesare said, “The SpaceArrays have added so much warmth to the room. They have made a huge difference sonically, not to mention how beautiful they look. They really are an integral part of the room.”

Mixing, Mastering, and Remixing

Ultra-Sound once again worked with Mike Melito to mix and master his latest jazz record titled, “In The Tradition” due out this summer on Weebop Records. Ron has a long history with the upstate New York jazz drummer and this marks his 4th record for Melito.

Ron said, “I was glad Mike came to me to do the final mixes on the record. I’ve known Mike for so long (we were in grade school together), that I know how he thinks. No other audio engineer has such a long history with him and that just naturally played a big role in handling all the mixing and mastering.”

“Mixing a jazz record is both easy and difficult at the same time,” said Ron. “It’s easy from the standpoint of I did not have a lot of tracks or big effects going on. But it’s difficult from the standpoint of reproducing the exact sound of the acoustic instruments like you are in the same room with them. That can be more difficult than doing a very electronic and effected mix, since everyone knows what a trumpet sounds like.”

“In The Tradition” features Bob Sneider on Guitar, Paul Hoffman on piano, Neal Miner on Bass, John Swana on Trumpet, Grant Stewart on Tenor Sax, and of course, Mike Melito on drums. Melito is sure to be an active participant of the critically acclaimed Rochester International Jazz Festival, set for June 13th through 21st, 2008. For more info, go to rochesterjazz.com and www.mikemelito.com.

And from the jazz club to the dance club, Ron recently finished two remixes for the now defunct band, Girls Don’t Cry. Ron did two remixes of one of their most popular songs titled, “Cobain.” One version is a dance remix, like you would hear in any club, and the second one is more of a pop-rock version which is a nod to Linkin Park and Radiohead in its approach. To hear these versions and other remixes by Ron, visit Ron’s myspace page at myspace.com/ronremix.