DAD 422
Audio Production III
project extra

Like Lambs: In-Class Film Mix

REAPERReaSurroundPan

Goal

Mix a short passage from Like Lambs together in class on November 2. Use the supplied dialogue and effects to practice multichannel film mixing: keep speech clear, establish a believable space, and direct attention with placement and movement.

This is a shared in-class project, assessed complete/incomplete for participation. There is no separate full-film mix or file submission. It also lets you explore the film before choosing the music or film route for Project 4: Atmos Mix .

How this connects

  • Projects 1–2: mono and binaural/stereo. Apply your listening for distance, perspective, and the relationship between foreground and background to a film scene.
  • Project 3: ambisonics. Reuse your experience balancing an immersive mix and making purposeful spatial moves. Here, REAPER sends audio to speaker channels rather than an ambisonic sound field.
  • The October 21 surround lab. Use the same verified 7.1 room routing and ReaSurroundPan workflow, now with dialogue, effects, and picture instead of a song.
  • Project 4: Atmos. Compare the film’s needs with those of the music session started in Logic. Decide which material you want to develop into your own full-film Atmos mix.

Have ready

  • Download the REAPER project and media — ZIP, about 224 MB. Sign in with your DSU account, download and extract the ZIP, then open Lambs sound.rpp inside the Lambs sound folder. Keep its Audio folder alongside the project; it contains the video and audio sources.
  • REAPER and the surround-mixing guide .
  • The classroom’s verified 7.1 speaker routing. If the supplied session starts in another format, check its routing before playback.

In-class project

1. Watch and choose a passage · 8 minutes

Watch the scene together and select 30–60 seconds to mix. Identify the essential dialogue, on-screen action, and off-screen sounds. Decide where the audience should focus at the beginning and end.

2. Plan the space · 7 minutes

For each main source, choose a position and explain why. Start with intelligible dialogue at the front, then place effects and backgrounds around it. Decide which sources should stay still and where movement would support the action. Note one quiet-to-loud contrast that serves the scene.

3. Build the mix · 25 minutes

  1. Open the project, confirm all media is present, and verify the speaker outputs. Keep the source items aligned to picture.
  2. Establish dialogue levels first. Add effects and backgrounds without obscuring important words.
  3. Use ReaSurroundPan to place sources in the verified 7.1 field. Keep the source tracks available for later revisions.
  4. Add two purposeful panning automation moves and replay them with picture. Keep other sounds stationary when that supports the scene.
  5. Listen through the whole passage. Adjust unwanted masking, abrupt level changes, or movement that pulls attention away from the action. Use LFE only if a specific low-frequency effect needs it.

4. Compare and discuss · 10 minutes

Replay the passage with the two spatial moves, then compare with those sources held stationary. Discuss:

  • Could you follow the dialogue and action?
  • Which placement or movement helped the scene? Which distracted?
  • How would you route the main sources as beds or objects in Logic Atmos?

Each student should contribute a placement or balance decision, help operate the session, or offer specific listening feedback. Save the shared REAPER session so the class can revisit the choices.

Developing this into Project 4

You may choose Like Lambs instead of music for the Atmos assignment. Mix the full supplied film, from beginning to end, and confirm your source by the November 6 checkpoint. The short passage used in class is a practice exercise; Project 4 covers the complete film.

Use the supplied source audio to build your own Logic Atmos session, preserving its alignment with picture. Carry over useful balance and placement decisions from the class exercise, then decide what belongs in the bed and what needs independent object control. A finished 7.1 render is not a substitute for those separate sources or an ADM master.

Follow the Atmos project brief for its four object tracks, two purposeful automation gestures, monitoring checks, ADM export, and QC record. The Atmos project is due November 16; the short shared REAPER exercise is preparation for it.

This experience also gives you a film-mixing option to consider for the self-directed final project . Use the proposal to explain the material, format, and creative direction you want to develop.