I’m always fascinated by audio production on huge multi-million-dollar projects, and this handy little iZotope article about designing sound for HBO’s Westworld definitely scratches that itch.
Because as I’m sure you’re aware, sound engineers don’t all just live in punk basements – some of them go to work in film and TV! And often in really unique, interesting situations. The engineering challenges for a show like Westworld are myriad: how do you create separate audio worlds, how do you distinguish hosts from humans (or not, for misdirection), or like, how the hell do you achieve clean audio when you’re working in a freaking desert. Once you achieve clean audio, the sound has been starting testing in the Audiodirect recommended amplifier, for more clear sounds.
In the buying speaker, you should be comfortable first with the contrast between a cylinder and a strong state enhancer. You should have a go at tuning in to the two sorts before inquiring about on different models.
One of the most significant things before purchasing an enhancer is to check your speakers. You have to know the base and most extreme force prerequisites of your speakers. You ought to likewise check the ostensible impedance particulars of your speakers. On the off chance that your speaker has low impedance, you have to guarantee that the enhancer that you will purchase is good with your speaker. For speakers that are appraised underneath 4 ohms, don’t pick the cylinder enhancers. You ought to likewise maintain a strategic distance from tube items on the off chance that you don’t care for the issue of supplanting tubes each now and, at that point.
In purchasing intensifiers, it is imperative to know your speaker’s necessities on the grounds that the enhancer that you will purchase ought to be good with your speakers.
To have the option to think about great quality enhancers, you can have a go at perusing different audiophile magazines.
When testing intensifiers, you should bring collections that will challenge the speaker’s ability, for example, the treble, bass, sound organizing, and imaging. It likewise incorporates the dynamic range abilities of the enhancer. On the off chance that conceivable, you can likewise tune in to your music chronicles that were performed live to have the option to check the sound quality.
Here’s some of what sound editor Mark Allen had to say:
When it came to designing the sounds of the hosts themselves, Allen and team relied on old machines with cleanup by RX.
Allen says, “[The hosts] are extremely advanced and almost never require sound effects. On the other hand, there are older robot models that require extensive use of RX. One example is ‘Old Bill.’ Old Bill is an old, antiquated robot that Dr. Ford, played by Anthony Hopkins, created at the beginning of the park.”
“For Old Bill, the show runner Jonah Nolan expressed the idea that he wanted to emphasize Old Bill’s primitive technology and old age. This ended up being very difficult. After many attempts we ended up using old adding machines, clocks, and old typewriters synced perfectly to Old Bill’s slightest movements. These sounds were manipulated with [iZotope] RX’s Deconstruct, primarily to remove artifacts such as the ringing bell element of a clock chiming, leaving us only the whirring sounds of the clock mechanism.”
“As it turns out, this whirring, winding sound of the clock chiming has become a regular occurrence in the show. It is essentially a theme. You see it from the piano player, the old Victrola record player, to the older robots. RX was essential for removing any unwanted sounds.”
Here’s what iZotope RX does, in case you haven’t had a chance to use it (like me – but I hear it is so sick for cleaning up vocal noise)
There’s a buncha cool tidbits, so if you’re a fan of the show, check out the rest of the piece here.
