The further I got into this project I was realising more and more that something else was needed to liven the overall mix up and I realised that sound effects may be the answer. Using the BBC sound effects library I have been introducing sounds at certain points to bring the story to life more. This has worked in some areas and not in others, on many occasions I have had to use some processing on the sounds using EQ. This was the case on a certain point in the ‘Rockwell’ movement with a sniper gunshot that was very thin and lacked suitable bass frequencies, I solved this by boosting the low-end and added a high-cut to help the sound stand out in the mix. Using these sound effects has been trial and error as many of the sounds aren’t always appropriate to use. At one point I needed the sound of a crowd and then for them all to suddenly start screaming, I could have recorded this myself but at this point in the project I didn’t have the time to do this as I am just putting the finishing touches to the editing before mixing and mastering next week.

As the pro tools session has got a lot going on in it I have been saving on CPU by using the ‘AudioSuite’ function to process my audio clips as opposed to running the processing on the track. Doing this means that once I have rendered the processing on a clip then it cannot be undone, this has meant that I have had to make decisions there and then. At first I didn’t really like this way of working but I have found that it has been a good way of working for me as I progress through the project, quick decision making with editing is a bit like how music was made in the decades gone by with four-track machines and bouncing down to one track to free up other tracks for recording. Although there is a big difference, it has meant that everything with delays, reversed effects and EQ has been rendered on audio clips there and then with no going back if I wanted to change my mind at a later point. This technique during the editing has taught me that if it sounds good then there is no need to keep going back time and time again if you aren’t happy later on with your decision. Next week is the final week working on the project and I will spend the majority of the week mixing, mastering and putting the final touches to my soundscape.