2009

• If you’re delivering your video master on an HDCAM SR or D-5 tape, you may be
requested to output all six discrete surround channels, plus stereo downmix channels,
onto the tape master itself. HDCAM SR supports 12 audio channels, and D-5 supports
8 channels.
• If you’re providing a Dolby E mix, distributors often ask for both stereo and surround
mixes output to the same videotape master, because most professional videotape
formats support at least four tracks of audio. For example, channels 1 and 2 would
contain stereo left and right, and channels 3 and 4 would contain a pair of Dolby
E–encoded surround tracks. A properly mixed surround mix can be downmixed easily
into a stereo mix.
Left/Center/Right
This option can serve as a “poor filmmaker’s surround mix.” With proper mixing, the
audible results of using three front channels (left, center, and right) can open up the
listener’s sound field and provide a more immersive experience than stereo, without the
extra work involved in creating a full-blown 5.1 surround mix. Using Compressor, you can
easily encode a left/center/right mix into a Dolby Digital audio file for DVD authoring. If
the three channels are properly mixed, you can use Final Cut Pro to downmix them into
a stereo mix for tape output, using the audio outputs that can be assigned in the Timeline.
For more information, see the Final Cut Pro documentation.
Alternative Audio Mixes for International Distribution
If you’re delivering a program for international distribution, there are several standard
audio mix deliverables that will probably be requested.
• Stems and music and effects mixes: Film distributors often require you to provide stems,
or dialogue, effects, and music submixes output to separate stereo pairs of tracks.
Television broadcasters usually ask for the original mix and a separate music and effects
(M & E) mix without dialogue. (One exception is that documentary programs often leave
the original interview dialogue in an M & E mix but omit voiceover.) For stereo or Dolby
E–encoded programs being output to videotape, the original mix is usually recorded
to audio tape channels 1 and 2, and the M & E mix is usually recorded to channels 3
and 4. These requests are to accommodate the overdubbing of dialogue into the native
language of distribution territories for which dubbing is the norm. Ask the distributor
or broadcaster how the various audio tracks should be mixed and organized, as delivery
specifications vary.
• Optional tracks: Some distributors also request optional tracks, to hold specific aural
elements such as nonverbal vocalizations by the original actors that an international
sound engineer may or may not want to use. Ask ahead for specific instructions, as
delivery specifications vary.
107Chapter 6 Mastering