What kind of audio studio do you own? Can I record vocals or instruments?
I own an audio post production for media studio. Meaning that I work in capturing, editing, and preparing audio for media release, namely podcasts and films.
At this time I’m not accepting any client projects for singer/songwriter/instrumentalist jobs.
What are your prices?
The needs of each project vary. Some may need a full podcast plan and system setup while others just a weekly episode edit. Some films are simpler dialogue narratives while others are fantasy that need tons of sound design. Because of this I price based on project on a case-by-case basis.
How do I get in contact to learn more or hire you?
You can sign up by heading to the main homepage and choosing the service you need, either podcast or post audio for media. That will redirect you to a very quick and easy contact form. After you submit a request I’ll reach out to you to plan a time for us to talk more.
Will I be given a price before signing up?
ABSOLUTELY! One of my core pillars for my brand is value. I will never corner a client into a contract without first making sure they have a quote in hand with an exact price! Quotes are NOT contracts, just a preview of what you can expect. No strings attached!
How does payment work?
After you and I agree to the project terms and I understand the vision you have for your story you’ll be sent an email. This email will contain a breakdown of everything we’ve discussed for both of us to double check and make sure nothing was forgotten. Attached will be an invoice for 50% of the total cost. This 50% upfront fee is non-negotiable and acts as an agreement to the contract terms, along with your digital signature. Upon approval of the final mix you’ll need to pay the last 50% BEFORE your files are sent over.
How should I export my video files?
AAF is preferred, OMF if necessary. I will not accept .MOV files for audio import as this is not an appropriate delivery file for audio post.
.MOV are only for reference videos only. (See below).
Please make sure:
- AAF has NON-embedded audio! This can strip files of meta data I use for quick file search.
- The AAF is 24bit, 48kHz
- You leave 10 second handles
- DOUBLE CHECK your desired frame rate and timecode. You should let me know what you’re expected values are just so I can triple check on my end.
- Your tracks are named and organized. If you have two mics for an actor please place them together in your video timeline (meaning one directly above the other) and name one, “Actor Name – Boom,” and the other “Actor Name – Lav,” etc.
- All sounds are on their own track!! Please do not place sound effects on the same track as your dialogue.
- You label all sound effects and music tracks accordingly. “SFX 1” is not appropriate. Please name it what the sound is, such as “chair move,” or “dragon.” If you have no sound effects or temp sounds added you can disregard this. If any sound effects are temp sounds please add “TEMP” after the name. Any sound effects not labeled “TEMP” I’ll assume you want in the final mix.
- You have proper licensing for any sounds/music you specifically want to keep already in your timeline. If you can’t obtain a license for a song or SFX I do offer licensing services which we can discuss during our onboarding meeting. I am not responsible for any claims on your content should you fail to license your assets properly.
- Please also export a reference video. Preferred format is MOV (ProRes 422 or DNxHD). If the file size is too big an H264 works fine.
**CRUCIAL – Along with the AAF please also include a zipped folder with all production sound included. These files should be named appropriately, such as “scene01_take02_actor-name_boom.” Not doing so will raise overall project rate as I’ll have to dig through takes in the event the AAF has problems or if I need to use a different mic for a scene. And if these files aren’t named appropriately then a quick 5 minute search turns into a 5 hour process of listening to every single clip and re-labeling. 🙂
Along with all production effects please make sure any sound effects or music you used are also included in a separate folder within the production sound effects folder.
Because you’re sending over an AAF with audio that’s not embedded, you need to provide ALL audio that’s linked to your session. Production sound, sound effects, and music/music stems. If you don’t then when I import that AAF into my program the entire timeline will be empty of audio. It’s kind of hard to do an audio mix with no audio! 🙂
All that to say, these steps will help ensure that file transfers between me and you or your editor are as smooth and painless as possible.
Any projects submitted not following the above criteria will be rejected and will need to be re-exported by you or your editor.
For more information you can check out this short blog post (blog post incoming shortly) on how to export an AAF from Premiere Pro or Media Composer correctly. If you’re using another editor, like Davinci, that might require some trial and error to export correctly.
And no, I don’t use Fairlight for Blackmagic hosted projects. 🙂
What files do I receive back from you?
- Stereo master of your project’s audio as a WAV 24 bit/48 kHz mastered to your pre-determined loudness level.
- For Indie and Feature films you’ll receive:
- Print Master
- MnE Mix
- Dx Mix
- SFx Mix
- Msx Mix
- For Documentaries:
- Everything listed above for Indie and Feature films
- Dipped and Undipped exports
- If you opted in for licensing services you’ll receive a PDF copy of your asset license for your personal records.
- NOTE – At this time my setup isn’t equipped to produce 5.1 and above mixes. I hope to able to offer those surround formats in the near future. 🙂
Final price was higher than the quote! What gives?!
Sometimes the scope of a project evolves over time. A good example is if I return an edit for a commercial then an hour later you send a revised visual edit and the audio needs to be re-conformed.
Cases like this are what’s known as “scope creep,” or “project creep.” And this is why I make sure to meet with each client and go over exactly what they need and want for their project before I start working.
Still, sometimes crap happens and you need extra services. That’s 100% OK! But your price will fluctuate depending on how much extra is needed.
I will NEVER raise a price or charge a service without talking to you first and getting your approval. If extra work is needed I make sure to let you know what and why. After we discuss it, if you decide to move forward, I’ll send a short contract extension with the extra services and price listed for you to sign.
How much are revisions?
NOTHING! Within reason 🙂
My goal is to help you tell your story. As creatives sometimes miscommunication happens or after you hear your project you realize what you thought you wanted had changed.
And I get that.
With each project you get free revisions. If the project consistently isn’t up to what you hoped then we might need to discuss what else is needed to make it work. If your revisions request are drastically different than we originally agreed that would fall under “project creep” and additional payment would need to be discussed.
But…if a project is delivered and accepted then three months later you request revisions (as an example) that will come with a charge which depends on how much revision is needed.
Do I need to have "picture lock" before sending files?
YES.
I will not accept a video that isn’t “picture locked,” or in the case of features, picture locked reels.
Picture lock means that all editing, apart from coloring and maybe some VFX, is DONE.
If I start a project and halfway through you send in a new edit then your final price will go up as a “re-conform” cost. If even two frames are changed the audio will be out of sync and I’ll need to spend time fixing it.
So please, for both our benefits, do not submit an edit that isn’t picture locked. 🙂
Do you offer project archiving?
Yes, for a small archiving fee. We can discuss archiving during out client onboarding meeting.
How much time before any festival due dates should I give you?
100% full transparency, if you send me an email asking for a full 90-minute feature mix to be done and exported in three days to make it in time for a festival the only email response you’ll receive is,
Plan better next time.
Directors and Producers, especially in the Indie genre, are notorious for not giving post audio the time they need to get a polished mix done.
Did you know that Ben Burtt, the sound designer behind Star Wars and Wall-E, spent between 9-12 MONTHS on both projects to get the sounds just right?
And that’s just sound design! Not counting dialogue, Foley, music, custom ambiance, and the final re-recording mix.
I say all that not to suggest you need to hire me out a year in advance but to stress the importance of planning ahead and giving your team time to bring your story to life.
You can get a bare-bones decent enough mix for a 90 minute feature done in about a month. If you want a more polished product plan for longer.
A week? A few days? You’re honestly lucky if you get file transfers done, especially if you use Resolve.
So, please, to give me the best chance at delivering a product both of us will be proud to put our names on and that will blow the lid off Hollywood, get with your producer and plan accordingly. Then stick to that timeline!
