Articles
Case Study: 8dB Sound Remote Workflows - Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere.
With many post production studios having to close during the Covid-19 pandemic 8dB Sound found itself having to find new ways of working to meet the needs of its customers. At the height of the pandemic, production companies still had projects on the go but needed to ensure that their talent remained safe. Some actors had their own studios but many did not, and the added complications of having to be technically self-sufficient was detracting from the creative imperative. A new way of working was needed, that enabled the actor to record dialogue, while remaining in theirs and the production’s comfort zone.
8dB Sound’s owner Alan Sallabank, pioneered a new way of working remotely to record dialogue. After a lot of research and experimentation, he developed a remote recording rig that could be sent out to actors anywhere, enabling voice recording to continue without the actor having to be in a “traditional” studio environment. For the actors it's no different to going to a normal recording studio. They do not have to get involved with adjusting any levels or operate any software or equipment. They are able to fully concentrate on what's important – acting, and the production is able to concentrate at getting the best performance and result possible.
The equipment comprises of:
To make sure the equipment arrives to the location safely and securely, 8dB Sound uses a special courier who guarantees meeting Covid-19 safe protocols. The equipment is set up with clear labelling with all the connections clearly alphabetically coded. All the actor has to do is connect, for example, "plug A into socket A". A Whatsapp video call with the talent beforehand is made to talk through the ideal physical locations for the equipment and address any queries. Within an hour of unpacking the equipment, the recording process with multiple creatives in (virtual) attendance can happen.
Recording takes place using full resolution WAVs, to picture, with real-time feedback from creatives. This ensures that the quality of the recordings is infinitely superior to using a "lossy" internet connection or a service like Zoom, where the second pictures become busy, the audio degrades. Because there is real-time creative feedback, it is possible to get as much work done as a normal session, without having to go back endlessly for retakes. This also ensures technical and performance consistency.
8dB Sound has also been approved by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, for Covid-19 Safe operating procedures for Voice Recording, on studio premises. This means that if for any reason the studio cannot service artist(s) with a home recording solution, that 8dB’s Covid-19 safety precautions and working practices have been approved by the world’s biggest Actor’s union, which represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals, across the world.
8dB Sound continues to make Covid-19 Safe Remote workflows as seamless as being there in person, ensuring that the talent and production are comfortable, so that they can give the best performance. The studio’s motto used to be, "Good Sound For All". Nowadays, it adds, "Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere".
8dB Sound’s Covid-19 workflow can be heard in action on the forthcoming documentary series, “Earth At Night In Colour” (AppleTV), and, “Becoming You” (Wall To Wall), and on Season Two of “Snowpiercer” (Netflix).
