Picture editors have sometimes delivered me their edit and said, “The soundtrack is a mess. Sorry, but I don’t do sound.” I can say from personal experience that the very best picture editors are meticulous with their sound design and editing. Good sound editing takes time and skill and unfortunately, most non-linear editing software does not have the most intuitive sound editing interfaces. However it gets done, though, sooner or later, the sound will be cut, finessed, filled, designed and mixed. This post will detail some thoughts regarding a decent sound edit, with the emphasis on cutting the production dialog tracks.

The dialog track is always on. It is the master track, the main vehicle for telling the story through sound. There will be other sound elements, of course, including sound effects, music, Foley etc. The spoken word, however, will most likely be driving the story.

One of the key elements for this work is organization. Do the work right the first time and you won’t have to re-visit the work. Let’s look at this work from the point of view of a dialog editor and the choices the dialogue editor makes. They see their role as someone who adds clarity to the edit and prepares the work for the mix. The dialog editor will start by splitting out the tracks. Most of the time dialog is separated by microphone location. For example – they might split the dialog from a two-shot of the scene onto track 1, the over the shoulder of one of the character’s onto track 2, and the other character’s over the shoulder onto track 3. Since the microphone is capturing a different perspective of the scene with each different angle, this approach allows the mixer to process each of these tracks independently so they may ultimately blend together seamlessly. Another approach to the process would be splitting the tracks out by character. The specific approach used on any one project will have to be determined by how the material was recorded.

While creating these new tracks other tracks will also have to be created. These other tracks are what we call the PFX (Production Effects) track and the X track. The PFX track is where the dialogue editor will cut any sync movements or noises, such as running water or footsteps, that DO NOT include dialog. By separating out these “production effects” you are on the way to creating one of the final mix elements, called the “M&E track”. The M&E track contains the music and effects of the movie, minus the dialog elements. The X track is a track that is filled with things that you are not quite sure what to do with. It can contain weird noises, production chatter, such as the director directing, or lines that are to be replaced by dialog replacement (ADR). These are the elements that have been left in the edit by editor but you are not quite sure why. NEVER throw anything away! Trust me that, sooner or later, the weird off-camera laugh, deep breath or sneeze that you’ve “cleaned up” will be requested by someone at some point. Just stick it on the X track for later analysis.

One of the main duties of dialog editing is to make sure there is clarity in the tracks. This may mean looking back to the camera tapes or production DATs for alternate takes of a particular line in question. Maybe a line was “swallowed” or there is a “T” or a “D” missing from the end of a word. Look for an alt take to replace the line in question for clarity. Often, due to the way the picture was edited, you can use alt takes without worrying about sync. It may be an off-camera line, or perhaps you just need to replace one indecipherable word. Another example may be that you need an alt take to find a plate smash that is clean with no dialog so that it can be used for the PFX track.

Lastly, a note about roomtone. One of the first questions I usually ask is, “Did you get roomtone?” And usually the answer is – no. Dialog editing is where the roomtone becomes a key element. Weird lip smacks from the actor, the director shouting instructions during the take, a grip bumping a light stand after a line, these can all be fixed with roomtone. Call it what you will – roomtone, fill, presence – these audio files are the glue that holds your tracks together. Create an ADR scene by dropping the lines to be replaced onto the X-track and fill the resulting “hole” with roomtone. You’ll need a nice, smooth way to get in and out of your PFX tracks – roomtone. You’ll need a nice, smooth way to massage all of the production dialog tracks together – roomtone. Roomtone is the main weapon that a dialog editor has in his/her arsenal. Know it, use it, love it.

We’ve just scratched the surface on a very complicated craft, but the main key is to organize your work and be consistent. Keep all the goodies, find even more from the alternate takes, cut the tracks from perspective, and fill the holes with roomtone. Great dialog editors are a breed unto themselves. It’s tough work, it’s not glamorous, but someone has to do it. If you’ve done your job well no one will ever know that you cut, added or replaced a thing. Dialog editors are the unsung heroes of audio post.