Audio Production
Sound is all around us in our daily lives, and we likely take it for granted more than we think because it’s always just there. That is until it’s not. Some audio frequencies are more pleasing to the human ear, while others can be less appealing, harsh, or in some cases even painful! Crystal clear, ear-pleasing, high fidelity audio is far more than just the volume button on your TV remote, car stereo, or iPhone. It’s the difference between someone receiving your message quickly and clearly without misinterpretation or any discomfort. Porthos Media has been producing audio in Kelowna, Penticton and around the world for over two decades, keeping up with the latest trends, technology, software, and hardware to make audio come to life!
​
Let’s take a look at what we can do for you.
Want to work with the best in Audio Production?
We can't wait to help
you get started.
What does an Audio Producer do?
An audio producer can wear many hats depending on the project. Responsibilities may include songwriting and music arrangement, podcast planning and production, sound and audio design, music recording, voice recording, sound effects production, post-production, audio editing, mixing, mastering, and much more.
​
Do I need an audio producer?
​
It depends. If you have the skills and know-how or are willing to spend the time learning and money on equipment, hardware, software, plugins, etc. then absolutely you can produce your own high-quality audio productions.
However, we’re all busy with our projects, businesses, daily lives and may not have the time or desire to produce our own audio. An audio producer, engineer, or editor can take care of the tedious tasks that make a big difference in your audio projects, and take them to the next level.
Need A Producer? Call us!
What’s the difference between audio production and music production?
Audio production may refer to sound for video formats like film, television, Youtube and other social media platforms, podcasts, radio, among others, and could make use of music along with dialog, and sound effects. Music production would be focused solely on recording or mixing a piece of music or performance.
Need a Producer? Call Today!
Sound & Audio Design
Audio production will start with an idea and require a producer to plan and design a production to best facilitate that idea. You may act as your own audio producer at this stage and not even realize it. In music, songwriting is part of the production phase. In Podcasting, writing your script or planning your show is part of the production phase. Without a plan, your project has far less chance of success and will require much more post-production attention than it would with a well-thought-out audio design plan.
​
In music, you will need to consider the instrumentation and arrangement of the song and how you want it performed while recording. Will it be performed live in studio with all or some musicians playing their parts together? Or will the instruments be tracked individually or even remotely? These are details that must be worked out before any audio is recorded. Some prefer the “chemistry” or “vibe” generated by the group of musicians all performing simultaneously, feeding off one another. This can also be a huge time saver and a money saver when paying for studio time. On the other hand, recording your parts individually can allow for much more flexibility and precision for each musician and instrument track. The musicians could record in various home studios, project studios, pro studios, or a combination all over the world. These days it’s very common for musicians to record their own parts themselves at home and send their tracks to an audio producer or mix engineer to edit, mix, and master the final recording for release.
​
With a Podcast, your show style and format will largely dictate your audio production plan and audio design. For example, a true crime investigative style podcast would likely be produced like a documentary film. This means researching people, events, law, history, and more. You may need to record interviews with people involved or experts in certain fields to provide context or a better understanding of a certain situation or event. The timeline of your story you wish to present often won’t align with the availability of your interviewees or guests, and as a result your plan will be crucial to maintaining a timeline that will translate cohesively to the listener. An audio producer and a great audio design plan will ensure that when you reach the post-production and editing phase, your podcast will flow seamlessly and provide a spectacular listener experience!
​
Audio for video can be a game-changer for your video content. Platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, among others, all get millions of views daily. What's being paired with those views? Sound, music, dialog, and audio content for video. A great way to lose viewers of your video is by having lackluster sound quality. Take, for example, a how-to cooking video. You may be able to watch your favorite Youtuber slicing, dicing, and sautéing like the next Gordon Ramsay, but if you can’t understand the steps and explanation of how and why you use these specific techniques and ingredients, your recreation of that recipe will have you come off like a flippin’ doughnut on your way out of Hell’s Kitchen! Clear, crisp, clean audio starts with great planning and a complete audio design. Not only does your dialog need to be heard and understood, but it also needs to be pleasing to the ear in order to convey the proper message. Of course, there are exceptions when you want something to sound harsh or irritating to emphasize a certain point or perspective. Music can also be an incredible asset and add powerful emotion to your videos. It can emphasize tension, suspense, fear, love, or humor by using the right music and having it sit properly in the mix alongside your video. How and when to use music in video is essential to the overall production. This is all part of the audio production design and planning phase. From the types of equipment needed to recording locations and techniques applied, an audio producer will ensure you have your bases covered to achieve amazing audio for your video!
Need Production? Call us!
Audio Editing
Having a solid understanding of how to edit audio in today's media-driven culture could be the difference between an alright and spectacular audio production. Modern music has become very heavily reliant on great editing skills. In podcasting, editing is essential to ensure an amazing flow exists within your show, and without a doubt having top-notch audio editing for your videos will bring out the most in your video content.
The days of four fab lads in a circle around a couple of microphones, performing songs that would impact generations seem long gone. Now it’s not uncommon for drums to be completely replaced and edited with samples. Vocalists often sing their parts, only to have effects used to pitch shift them or manipulate them entirely. Sometimes these editing decisions are made for production reasons, other times to salvage a subpar performance or simply to save time. Recording live drums for example in a small home studio space can be a daunting task. Editing those drum tracks by means of EQ, compression, and the use of noise gates can almost trick the listener into thinking the drummer is actually in a much bigger space. An experienced audio editor will be able to work with multiple tracks of vocals, guitars, pianos, horns, strings, etc., and optimize them so they can be mixed in a dense, dynamic, powerful musical production. Let’s face it though, most listeners will only notice something when it doesn’t sound right, or something sounds off. If they don’t take much notice it likely means it sounds right.
Editing audio for Podcasts can utilize many of the same techniques as with music, specifically the vocalist, such as EQ, compression, gates, as well as noise reduction and normalization. Depending on the style of your podcast, you will most definitely need different types of audio editing. For example, a live broadcast obviously won’t utilize editing the same way as an interview-style podcast series. A live streaming podcast won’t have much editing on the fly, however, streams are often made available on-demand for future listeners to enjoy. This can allow an opportunity to fix, edit out, or add sections that could be improved upon or might be better off excluded. Advertising spots could be spliced in between segments, sound effects, intro and outro music, or credits if they aren’t possible to include while live. For podcasts geared towards current events, news, sports, or other topical type formats, editing will allow you to make sure the most important information is highlighted or emphasized in the best way. You may want to start your podcast with a teaser of what’s to come later. This could be recorded in advance, or after the podcast but edited in where most appropriate. These are all simple examples of how editing audio for your podcast can maximize the content for your listeners.
Audio editing for video will take your video projects to the next level. Why settle for the audio on your video camera or smartphone when you could record sound on a separate device designed to achieve excellent results? Sounds easy, and honestly it’s not that complicated, however, it does require some experience and skill to know how to bring that audio into your video project and maximize its effect. Overdubbing dialog over video is a fantastic way to convey your message while simultaneously showing video images of your subject matter. A skilled audio editor will be able to splice and edit your audio soundscape so it flows seamlessly with your video. Check out our audio production portfolio!