Monthly Archive for April, 2009

Acoustic guitars are used in all types of music; from rock to a solo classical guitarist. Depending on the type of music, the method for mixing an acoustic guitar can vary.

The notes an acoustic guitar is tuned to range from about 80Hz for an open 6th string to about 660Hz on the 12th fret on the first string. There is a lot more to a guitars sound than just the actual notes its strings are tuned to though. Vibrations from the body and noise from fingering or the pick also add to the overall sound of a guitar.

So what is a good starting point? In many mixes, the first place to start is by rolling off the low end. This can be anywhere from 60Hz for an accoustic set to 100Hz for a rock mix. Next, the boominess can be tackled. The boominess of an acoustic guitar usually lies somewhere  between 150Hz for an accoustic mix and 700Hz for a rock mix. Finally, giving a little boost around 2kHz and another in the 15kHz range can add some zing and sparkle to the guitar.

That is about all there is to it. Some people might like to add some very light compression, in the 2:1 range, but I usually just prefer to leave well enough alone.

Set during the cold war, The Hunt for Red October tells a story of a Soviet nuclear submarine, the Red October, heading for the coast of the United States.  Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst, believes the captain of the Red October, Marco Ramius, intends to defect.  The United States government gives Ryan a chance to prove his theory before they sink him to protect the nation.  The original story, written by Tom Clancy, was later adapted for film.  The film by the same name is directed by John McTiernan.  McTiernan utilizes formalism throughout the film to support and comment on the action of the story.  The climax of the story comes during a submarine battle between the American submarine, the Dallas, the Red October, and another soviet submarine.  In this scene, McTiernan packs all the aspects of formalism together: lighting, sound, mise-en-scène, space usage, camera techniques, and editing, to turn the already action packed plot, into a thrilling few moments.

The lighting is an important technical aspect in supporting the action this scene.  McTiernan utilizes an easily noticeable lighting scheme.  The Red October has a mainly blue color scheme.  The other Soviet submarine is lit with greenish light.  For the American submarine, the Dallas, McTiernan employs red lighting.  Submarine interiors are typically lit with red lights during combat so McTiernan uses this different lighting scheme for a reason.  There does not seem to be any readily available thematic interpretation for the lighting scheme.  Likely, the different colors are chosen to give each submarine its own character.  Cutting from one submarine to another, all dimly lit with red light, would make it difficult for the viewer to identify the location of the action.  Giving each submarine its own character helps avoid viewer confusion.  In this way the lighting allows the fast paced action to be easily understood.

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