[Bill Davis]

Charles,

Your experience might be different than mine, but looking back on my studio construction experience, I can say with authority that SOUND is much more problematic than anything else. The construction industry is built around square boxes as the most cost efficient form. Right angles are cheap, simple and every worker knows how to use a framing square. However, a square or rectangular box is just about the WORST shape for sound. Standing waves and reflections wreak all sorts of havoc with audio in a box shaped studio. So you’re right to think sound treatment. (I actually built my control room with all non-parallel surfaces, and ended up having to hire a 70 year old carpenter out of retirement because he was the only dude who could sit down with an envelop and a pencil and figure out how to make all the non-right angles come out properly. However, I’d bought a bunch of Owens Corning 703 white nubby sound board that I was going to mount on resilliant channel to improve the control room reflections, but as soon as the room was built, I did some tests and discovered that I didn’t need ANYTHING else. That’s the kind of plan vs reality I’m talking about.

The second hardest issue to deal with was HVAC and electric. Silent air handling is VERY hard to do well. As is running clean and dirty circuits everywhere making sure the clean circuits that will be used for audio and video are properly grounded to eliminate circuit noise.

Also, spec way, way more electrical outlets than you think you could POSSIBLY need.
For example I spec’d 5 surface mount quad boxes (20 outlets) just behind my edit desk for monitors, speakers, et al, and the day I installed my gear, not only did I use ALL of them, I needed at least 4 6-outlet power strips in addition!
I think the studio electrical plan ended up with more than 70 ac outlets in my 1800 sq ft studio. And while I don’t use all of them all the time, on a big shoot, there’s normally something in every box and a good percentage of the boxes are full.

Finally, don’t forget to wire power for a craft services area. Nothing dumber than spending all that money to purpose build a studio only to discover you have to run a stinger 10 feet to the coffee pot!

Good luck with your studio plan. Mine was sure a hassle to plan and build, but every day it makes my working life SO MUCH easier!

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Personally, I can’t STAND flat black walls in a studio. I understand the reflection killing deal, but I’m unwilling to pay the psychological price of my studio looking like it was designed by a bunch of outlaw bikers.

Remember, in the absence of light, ALL surfaces are black. So if you have the luxury of controlling ALL the light in your studio – you can work with reasonable wall, ceiling and floor colors and still make things work.

Personally, my studio is painted a medium light grey. It reflects light without a color cast, tho even grey usually skews either cool or warm at the point of paint selection – I went with cool grey.

For killing reflections, my space is fitted with a big ceiling mounted curved track that supports a 30′ heavy black floor to ceiling drape that I can move into any position on the three “non control room” walls. In practice, however, I rarely use that for light control, but use it a LOT for sound reflection control.

That’s the problem with studio design on paper. You can THINK bout issues all you like, but a good percentage of what you thought would be an issue won’t – and things that you thought would be simple, turn out to be a major hassle.

Such is life!

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Walter is absolutely correct that if you get lucky enough to work with a producer or creative director who actually know what they’re doing – you should welcome them with open arms and relish the creative collaboration you’ll be in and learning from.

However, in my current experience, ALL THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FIRED ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY.

In the headlong rush to “slash overhead” every company on the planet – without exception – came up with the same brilliant idea that in order to save the maximum amount and keep their financial overlords happy they’ve jettisoned the most expensive human assets between the line worker and the executive suite.

This means that they’ve functionally LOST all the people who actually had real experience and therefore knew what they were doing – simply because firing those people drove the greatest momentary bottom line savings.

So now we have to get used to the fact that there’s nobody left who has a CLUE how to supervise an edit session.

Yes, much of the above is hyperbole. But that doesn’t make it any less illustrative of a larger truth.

If you find yourself in an edit session these days with anyone who has an actual clue – keep them close and learn EVERYTHING you can. They’ll likely be gone soon.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Advice from someone who’s been there many times before….

Watching someone else edit makes watching paint dry seem like a roller coaster ride.

Viewing editing is, of necessity, BORING. The actual work happens in a singe persons brain. Even with the most talented of directors or supervisors watching, the typical pattern is for a decision to be made, then everyone beside the actual editors tune out, surf the web or make phone calls or otherwise occupy their brains until the editor gets the work done, then they “tune in” just long enough to give a thumbs up or thumbs down.

So there are only a couple of reasons why someone other than a confirmed masochist would want to watch someone else edit.

They might be ignorant of how astonishingly boring the process naturally is. Which means you’re stuck with a newbie and good luck with that.

They might be a control freak who thinks that you can only do your job if they’re constantly monitoring your work and adding “help” along the way. If so, you might find one of the old shop mechanic signs around the net and print out one for reference. They typically say something like…
Shop Rates: $100 per hour.
If you watch $200 per hour
If you help, $300 per hour.

It’s also possible that they’re actually trying to watch you so that they can learn how to do your job and take over next time. If that’s what’s happening I recommend that you spend the first 10 minutes narrating loudly every single thought that comes into your head as you edit. Tell them where you’re looking on the timeline, describe making every choice, cut, transition and decision. Excruciatingly detail what you’re deciding, what keystrokes you’re keying, and about the sixteen things you’re thinking you’re going to have to do next before you’ve got the current ONE SECOND of your timeline ready to go. Do this RAPIDLY and LOUDLY so that when they get annoyed and stop you – you can demonstrate to them what it’s like to lose your train of thought and have to re-start a section – that will give them a tangible idea of how interrupting you will not just bother you but cost them MORE money.

Then, when their eyes start to glaze over, conveniently lose your voice and just sit editing silently – which is exactly what you’d do if they weren’t there.

Oh, and make sure you’re effusive about how much their presence helped you and tell them that you really appreciate all their “input” and “assistance” and how even tho it’s going to take you longer because you have to communicate everything to them verbally – thus slowing down your work and costing them MUCH more than originally planned – it’s so nice to have a client who really CARES so much about the work that they’re willing to shoulder the extra costs of working this way.

Good luck

(Honestly, a client who truly WANTS to “watch” editing is a client without a clue – proceed with caution)

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Mark,

Another option might be to simply grab a “skeleton” graphic off one of the free clip art sites – zoom to the chest area – apply a nasty gaussian blur to the result, then print it as a NEGATIVE image on a piece of transparency film.

Probably a buck or two at your local Kinkos.

Just trying to imaging an easy rights-cleared DIY solution – YMMV.

Good luck.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I’d concur with Noah,

The “two pulse” character and the spacing of the pulse groups seems to me typical of a cel phone ring tone pattern.

If you’re using balanced audio gear and all the balanced lines are properly functioning, I would expect this to be common mode noise that would be phase-cancelled.

But clearly it’s not.

If you cables test good, you need to look at isolating each stage of your audio chain until you can figure out at what point the RF signal is leaking in.

Something fundamental is not working properly.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Dear Mr. Holmes,

On behalf of the International Foundation for Simile Appreciation, I’m honored to inform you that your post containing….

“I will miss them like a dockside hooker misses crabs.”

Has achieved honorable mention in our on-going competition.

Well done sir!

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I used to drive a big, oversized, gas guzzling, heavy, but very useful and business-appropriate van.

Then I realized that I had enough money to also afford a smaller, quicker and more agile sporty vehicle for day to day driving.

My new vehicle was MUCH more fun to drive. And I noticed as industry standards changed and my equipment package got smaller and smaller, the I used the big, bloated van less and less, until one day I realized I hadn’t driven it in months – and it was just gathering dust in the parking lot.

And so it goes…

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I concur.

That’s the province of electricians who typically bring a 3-phase circuit feed to a property then break that out at a breaker panel into various 15 or 20 amp circuits that are then attached to common wall outlets.

If you haven’t personally studied electricity enough to be building code certified as an functional electrician – i HIGHLY recommend that you stay away from doing anything other than leaving this in the hands of working pros.

This is terribly dangerous territory for amateurs.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I haven’t used it myself (thank god the situation hasn’t come up for me.)

But some quick Google research showed up a couple of posts from people who seem to like…

Data Rescue 3 at Prosoftengineering.com

as a CF file recovery utility that runs about $100.

I know NOTHING about it first hand – just passing along info from another thread here on the Cow board.

YMMV.

Good luck.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner