Audio post-production and restoration

It happens to the best of us. An interview at a location where the air conditioning kicks in, a lavalier mic rubbing against a jacket, or a recording with plenty of echo because that’s just how the meeting room sounds. On set there’s often no time to fix it, and only in the edit do you hear how bad it is.

Fortunately, a lot can be saved. To me, audio post-production covers everything that happens to the sound after it’s been recorded. From repairing a recording that didn’t quite work out, to neatly finishing the location sound under a corporate film.

Audio restoration

Hum, hiss, traffic in the background, a squeaky door or a voice that went into the microphone just a bit too loud. With the right tools, helped along by A.I., I remove much of it. I keep going until the voice sounds clear again, but without that typical ‘underwater’ edge you hear when something has been cleaned too roughly.

Older recordings too, say from a cassette tape or an old video, I can make sound fresh again. And if there really is nothing more to be done, I’ll simply tell you so.

Location sound for corporate films

For a corporate film, the sound is usually recorded on set, by the camera operator or a sound recordist. That sound goes into the edit, and that’s often where it stops. Even though there’s so much more you can do with it.

I make sure the different microphones match, so you don’t hear it when the edit switches camera or speaker. I smooth out the cuts from the edit, so no more clicks or sudden silences, and I fill gaps with the sound of the room itself. That way an interview cut together from ten pieces sounds like one continuous conversation.

Then I mix it all with the music and any voice-over, and deliver it at the right loudness. Whether the film goes online, on TV or on a big screen during a presentation.

Below you’ll find some productions whose sound I’ve post-produced.