Dialogue Editing

ADR Editing 281
plug-in pitch-shift processors, there’s a button called something like Speed
Correction. If you want to change the speed and pitch simultaneously so
that the processor works like an analogue tape recorder (faster speed with
higher pitch or slower speed with lower pitch), deselect this option. Remember,
if you don’t like the initial results, go back to the original (unprocessed)
fi le. Leave an already processed track alone to avoid accumulating
artifacts.
Speed and Length If you need to change the duration of the inserted word,
there are a few ways to go about it. TimeFlex, TimeFx, and Timestretch are three
of the many names for utilities that change the duration of a fi le or region
(and hence speed) without changing its pitch. Time expansion/compression
processors don’t necessarily work linearly, and as we saw in Chapter 12, they
represent a constant compromise between sync and rhythmic consistency.
Sometimes you need glitch-free processing and can forgo a bit of rhythmic
honesty. Other times cadence is everything, so you might be willing to
endure a glitch here and there. One way to get around this unsavory compromise
is to break the original region into smaller sections. When you
dissect a sentence like this, you’ll fi nd legato sections and staccato sections,
and you’ll also realize that there are probably stretches that require no
processing; they’re just surrounded by words of the wrong length. Don’t
process the sections that don’t need it, and treat the staccatos differently from
the legatos. Piece together the results and, odds are, you’ll have a glitch-free
line that has good local rhythm.
Here’s one way to safely and systematically use time expansion/compression
to make the inserted alternate word (in our case, the word “now”) a bit
longer:
Move the replacement ADR word’s region—in sync—to a free track.
This is the region you’ll process with the time expansion/compression
plug-in. (See Figure 15-14.)
Copy this region—again in sync—to yet another track. It’s useful to
have an unprocessed copy standing by.
Expose a bit of handle from either side of the region you plan to
process. Since AudioSuite plug-ins create a new soundfi le, you’ll want
to process more of the region than you need. Without handles, your
editing and crossfade options will be very limited.
Select the region and open the time expansion/compression plug-in.
There are scores of these available, and there’s a good deal of debate as
to their relative merits. Ask around, experiment, guess. Or just use the