Dialogue Editing

CHAPTER 9
Getting Started on Dialogue Editing
You have all the materials you need, or at least everything you’ll ever get.
Now you have to organize your workspace. There’s a huge temptation to dive
in and get to work, but dialogue editing is a process that benefi ts handsomely
from good preparation. A little time spent now will pay off manifold. I
promise.
Different jobs require their own approaches, but here is a pretty reliable list
of what you need to do to prepare each reel’s session for editing. Each task
will be discussed in detail later.
Sync the OMF 1 and the auto-assembly (postconform) to the guide
track.
Copy the auto-assembly tracks. Disable and hide the OMF and the
auto-assembly copies.
Remove redundant dual mono regions.
Set up your tracks (this is easier with a template session).
Add reference tones.
Add sync pops to match your head and tail leaders.
Mark the boundaries of the scenes on each reel.
The Monitor Chain
To make wise decisions, you have to be able to hear properly and you have
to trust both your monitors and your room. This means setting up and maintaining
the cleanest, shortest, and most consistent monitor chain possible.
Using the best amplifi er and speakers you can manage, and avoiding unnecessary
electronics in the signal path, will help you far more than you realize.
Don’t underestimate the impact of the room size, shape, and sound isolation.
1 The OMF will almost certainly be in sync with the edited guide track, but it’s worth
checking. An auto-assembly (auto-conform) will more likely exhibit region-by-region sync
problems.
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