An Introduction to Film

Mixing

Mixingis the process of combining different sound
tracks onto one composite sound track synchronous
with the picture. Each type of sound occupies an
individual sound track. Mixingis used in several dif-
ferent ways. Here the term refers to a single element
(one track for vocals, one for sound effects, one for
music, etc.) that can be combined in a multitrack
sound design. However, the term is also familiarly
used to describe a compilation of music included in a
movie and typically released for consumers on a CD.
The number of sound tracks used in a movie
depends on the kind and amount of sound needed
to tell each part of the story; thus, filmmakers have
an unlimited resource at their disposal. No matter
how many tracks are used, they are usually com-
bined and compressed during the final mixing.
Working with their crew, sound mixers adjust the
loudness and various aspects of sound quality; fil-
ter out unwanted sounds; and create, according to
the needs of the screenplay, the right balance of
dialogue, music, and sound effects. The result may
be an “audio mise-en-scène” that allows the film-
maker and the viewer to distinguish between back-
ground and significant elements that are arranged
in relation to one another.
This process resembles the typical recording
process for popular music, in which drums, bass,

guitars, vocals, and so on are recorded separately

and then mixed and adjusted to achieve the desired

acoustic quality and loudness. The ideal result of

sound mixing is clear and clean—that is, whatever

the desired effect is, the audience will hear it

clearly and cleanly. Even if what the filmmakers

want is distorted or cluttered sound, the audience

will hear that distortion or clutter perfectly.

With this background on the four basic stages of

sound production—the basics of what goes on dur-

ing sound design, recording, editing, and mixing—

we’re ready now to look more closely at the actual

characteristics that make up the sounds we hear in

real life as well as in the movies.

Describing Film Sound

When talking or writing about a movie’s sound, you

should be able to describe a sound in terms of its

perceptual characteristics (determined by its

pitch, loudness, quality, and fidelity), its source

(where it comes from), and its type (vocal or musi-

cal, for example). To that end, let’s take a closer

look at the perceptual characteristics of sound.

Pitch, Loudness, Quality

The perceptual and physical characteristics of sound

are linked as illustrated in Table 9.1. The following

TABLE 9.1 Connections between the Perceptual and

Physical Characteristics of Sound

Perceptual Characteristics

(what we perceive in sound)



Pitch

(or level)

Described as highor low.

Loudness

(or volume or intensity)

Described as loudor soft.

Quality

(or timbre, texture, or color)

Described as simpleor complex.

Physical Characteristics



(what constitutes the sound)



Frequency

(or speed—that is, the number of sound waves produced

per second)



Amplitude

(or degree of motion within the sound wave)



Harmonic content

(or texture resulting from a single sound wave or a mix of

sound waves)

DESCRIBING FILM SOUND 393