Doing It Movie Editor Style
At CSS Music we’ve always believed in providing alternate
mixes. In fact, our PowerTrax library was built around this premise. And you’ve
probably noticed some new Project Platinum albums with alternate mixes and even
some cue loops. The question is, how to most effectively use these in
conjunction with the full mix cut? And what exactly are these alternate mixes?
Starting with the latter, an alternate mix is generally the
track sans melody. This allows the alternate track to provide “space” for
(usually) dialog. These mixes can also be simple stems—i.e. drums and bass,
high synth sequencer, rhythmic pad, etc. Or with some of the CSS Music vocal
tracks, we’ll supply a full mix without the vocal. Cue loops are very sparse
repetitious sections of a track that typically run :15 to :40 that you can
paste together as needed.
How to best use these alternate mixes? Let’s create a typical
scene—we’ll call it “Catching The Wiley Walleyed.” Here’s how you’d use a
track/companion alternate mix. (We’ll assume these are all hard edits.)
INT. truck; on way to lake; dialog Alternate mix
EXT: boat launches in water Full mix; action section
EXT: talent in boat; ambient SFX No music or light rhythm
CU: casting from boat; montage of casts Full mix; quieter section
MS: talent talks; decide on different locale Alternate mix under
EXT: LS of boat moving Full
mix; action
CU: casting from boat & dialog Alternate mix
CU: fish strikes! Full
mix; timed to track ending
The beauty in this type of editing is your show sounds like
it has been custom scored. Plus all dialog will be heard without having to duck
the track very much. CSS Music recommends you audition our PowerTrax library
and Project Platinum volumes 14-19. We think you’ll be cutting like a film
editor in no time!
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