PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER… (In the Entertainment industry. What does production sound mixer do?)

Sound technician with mixer, boom, slate and multiple wireless mic transmitters and receivers 

/ Credit: Patty Mooney CC BY-SA 4.0

PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER… (In the Entertainment industry. What does production sound mixer do?)

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

Production Sound Mixer

Job titles vary according to the industry and can include sound assistant, sound recordist and sound supervisor.

Within film, specialist roles are available such as dialogue editor, dubbing mixer, production mixer and Foley artist.

While many sound technicians have degrees, it's more important to have acute hearing, technical knowledge and evidence of work experience

As a sound technician, it's your responsibility to assemble, operate and maintain the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance, mix or reproduce sound.

You'll identify the sound requirements for a given task or situation and perform the appropriate actions to produce this sound.

Sound technicians are required in a range of industries including:

• Advertising…
• Audio recordings…
• Broadcasting (radio or television)…
• Film…
• Live performance (theater, music, and dance)… 

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will vary depending on whether you work in:

• Production - the recording of all sound on set or on location…
• Post-production - the balancing, mixing, editing and enhancing of pre-recorded audio…

Working in production, you'll need to:

• Assess the acoustics of the performance area and assemble and operate the necessary equipment…
• Consult with producers and performers to determine the sound requirements…
• Select, position, adjust and operate the equipment used for amplification and recording…
• Apply technical knowledge of sound recording equipment to achieve the determined artistic objectives…
• Record sound onto digital audio tape or hard disk recorders…
• Monitor audio signals to detect sound-quality deviations or malfunctions…
• Anticipate and correct any problems…
• Maintain and repair sound equipment… 

Working in post-production, you'll need to:

• Integrate (synchronize) pre-recorded audio (dialogue, sound effects and music) with visual content…
• Re-record and synchronize audio (post-synching)…
• Mix and balance speech, effects and music…
• Create and alter sound effects for use in films, television, etc.… 

For large scale operations, such as film productions, you're usually required to work within sound teams. There are often separate sound teams for production and post-production. The job of a sound team is essentially to follow or interpret the instructions of the director, sound designer or sound supervisor.

A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew or television crew responsible for recording all sound recording on set during the filmmaking or television production using professional audio equipment, for later inclusion in the finished product, or for reference to be used by the sound designer, sound effects editors, or foley artists. This requires choice and deployment of microphones, choice of recording media, and mixing of audio signals in real time.

Usually, the recordist will arrive on location with his/her own equipment, which normally includes microphones, radio systems, booms, mixing desk, audio storage, headphones, cables, tools, and a paper or computer sound logs. The recordist may be asked to capture a wide variety of wild sound on location, and must also consider the format of the finished product (mono, stereo or multi channels). The recorded production sound track is later combined with other elements, i.e. effects, music, narration, foley or re-recorded dialog by automatic dialogue replacement (ADR).

Often, when taping on video, the sound recordist may record (single system) audio directly onto the camera rather than use a separate medium (double system), although a separate copy is often made, as it both provides an extra copy which may have more tracks and also may include other sound captured without the camera.

The sound mixer is considered a department head, and is thus completely responsible for all aspects of production sound including the hiring of a boom operator and utility sound technician, planning the technical setup involving sound including both sound equipment and ancillary devices involved in syncing and time offsets, anticipating and discussing sound-related problems with the rest of the crew, and ordering and preparing the sound equipment to be used on the set.

Skills

• You will need to have:
• Excellent aural skills…
• Scrupulous attention to detail…
• General technical ability, dexterity and agility…
• The ability to work as part of a team…
• Problem-solving ability…
• Good sense of timing and swift reactions… 

Work experience

You'll need practical experience to secure work as a sound technician. You can find part-time work or placements in recording and editing studios, or community and hospital radio stations.

Experience of working for equipment manufacturers can also be helpful as it will build up your technical knowledge.

You can get involved in projects such as doing the rigging and sound for amateur theatre or local musicians. Anything that helps to create contacts in the industry will be useful.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Entertainment Careers, Adhere Creative, In Deed, Glass Door, Pay Scale, Merriam-Webster, Job Monkey, Studio Binder, The Collective, Production Hub, The Producer's Business Handbook by John J. Lee Jr., David Yewdall. The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound, John Purcell, Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures: A Guide to the Invisible Art, Vincent Magnier, Le guide de la prise de son pour l'image, Jay Rose, Producing Great Sound for Film and Video, Longoria, Sam. Make Your Movie Sound like a Real Movie, Martinez, and Carlos E. Location Audio for Any Budget, An Introduction Rose, Jay Film/video tutorials written for DV Magazine and others, Prospects,

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