Dark Arts: Mixing for Dubbing

21 November 2024

Dark Arts: Mixing for Dubbing

In a dimly lit studio, mixers often create entertainment magic, blending dialogue, sound effects and music to ensure a seamless audio experience for global audiences to enjoy. It’s a crucial step in the localisation workflow. Still, it’s considered a “dark art” due to its complexity and the skill required to match the original sound, making the dubbed version feel natural as viewers are immersed in the storyline.

We caught up with our mixing experts to uncover the secrets behind this intricate process.

Meet the mixers

What makes dubbing mixing so complicated?

Dubbing mixing is a complex process, blending studio-recorded voices to match the immersive experience of original scenes, creating a mix that goes unnoticed by the audience. Preparation is key to achieving this, as Allan noted, "In lip-sync, there's no good mix with bad editing." It's not just about fitting sounds or creating them from scratch; it's about capturing the essence of the original. To do this, Serge reinforced the importance of preparation and "staying current with the ever-evolving tools and technical requirements." This enables mixers to focus more intently on the sonics and creative aspects of the mix, ensuring every whisper, echo and roar feels authentic.

How does it differ from the original version?

Unlike the original mix, which involves creating the music and effects (M&E) from scratch, dubbing mixers work with pre-existing dialogue and M&E tracks. This means original mixers spend more time dealing with multi-channel production dialogue recordings and matching ADR to production dialogue. Allan explained, “The original mixers are like artists with lots of tools. Dubbing mixers take on the role of a craftsman, replicating the art of the person that came before”.

What is the main challenge?

The biggest challenge is to make controlled environment recordings sound believable and as though they belong in the scene. Oscar shared, "The aim is to mirror the original sound experience, evoking the same emotional impact within all dubbed versions, regardless of the final language". Marc added, “Sometimes it's more difficult to imitate sounds than to create them from scratch”.

What makes a dub sound "dubby", and what’s the difference between a good and bad mix?

If the adaptation, acting and lip-sync aren't believable, even a great mix won't help. The audience will only hear bad dubbing. Conversely, the result is still bad if the dubbing is excellent, but the mix is unconvincing. Pete mentioned, "The two parts need to work hand-in-hand to get the best results." A bad mix can occur when dialogue is too prominent, characters aren't balanced, or inappropriate reverb is applied. Serge pointed out novice mixers might often "exaggerate those perspective moves, leading to an unconvincing mix.” Good mixes are ones the audience doesn't notice. Marc explained, "If you start thinking about the sound and lose your connection with the action, it's bad mixing. Noticing strange noises and differences between audio levels are signs of an ineffective mix. The goal is to make the talent sound like they were always part of the scene, not just recorded in a booth”.

Why is it so loud and dark in mixing rooms?

The darkened rooms help people focus on the video and sound. Pedro explained, "We work with references that our clients give, and you need an aligned studio. Some moments in the mix might be considered loud, but if you change the level, you are changing the frequencies, so it cannot be aligned with other values. The darkness also helps as mixers spend hours looking at screens, and too much light can cause fatigue.”

What are the pros and cons of centralised mixing?

Centralised mixing involves a single or several mixers in the same facility handling multiple languages in one location, focusing on sound rather than language spread or original recording location. An advantage is ensuring consistency and efficiency, as the mix adjustments are made once instead of multiple times across versions. However, drawbacks can include occasional recording errors being discovered during mixing, and if mixed in-territory, it's quicker to resolve at a local level. Another is language. Pedro noted, "We must first set rules to avoid mistakes resulting from language barriers. For example, some words could sound like noise to non-natives. Still, it's a word with an associated pronunciation that may get overlooked." Additionally, customers sometimes like to attend mixing sessions. If it's all mixed in another country, they cannot come, which can be a significant drawback too.

Is mixing still important with on-the-go entertainment consumption?

Whether inside a movie theatre or watching on the go with headphones, one thing remains constant. Mixing is crucial to audience engagement. The goal is to achieve a good balance so the mix sounds great on most listening devices. Studios and mixing stages are calibrated to ensure a neutral response across various devices. Clients often evaluate the final mixes done on loudspeakers again using headphones. "The quality of commercial headphones has improved significantly. People can now notice mixing details in every pair of headphones, making it essential to ensure the mix is well-balanced and detailed for all types of listening environments," shared Oscar.

What is the future of mixing?

It is increasingly intertwined with automation and AI, but the art of mixing will remain a human endeavour. Pedro shared, "AI is our friend at this point and is already used to clean dialogue more efficiently, saving time to focus on the mix". However, it's crucial to balance AI with human involvement to ensure a personal touch that considers the emotive reaction of the audience and their impact on the acoustics of the scene. Oscar highlighted the importance of talent and sensitivity in achieving a good mix. He also suggested: “While AI can assist, the future may involve different audio formats, and mixers will need to stay up to date with new techniques as a result”.

So, what is the role of a mixer, and how do they create a "good" dub? Matching the original recording's tone, reverb and acoustics, they ensure an immersive audio experience, bringing global audiences along for the ride. It's a nuanced process, demanding exceptional creativity and skill. And it isn't for everyone.

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