Components of a Soundtrack

Components of a Soundtrack

Recently, in a conversation about the music in an animation film, I got confused between the different terminologies used when talking about sound. Sometimes I spoke about music, sometimes about a soundtrack, and sometimes about a score, while actually referring to the same thing. I decided to do some research about the components of sound used in an animated film and found my answers in The Animation Bible written by Maureen Furniss. The components of a soundtrack, namely the dialogue, score, sound effects and the sound mix, are discussed below. They all work together to create the overall feeling of the animation.

Dialogue

Dialogue is achieved in a soundtrack through voice artists recorded quite early in the production process before any animation is done. This voice recording can be done either by recording every voice individually or as an ensemble where the group records together. The advantage of this is that the finished recordings are more energetic than the individual recorded voices. Although the ensemble recording has its privileges it makes it more difficult to edit the individual voices when they overlap, and when one performer makes a mistake the whole group has to redo the recording (which takes more time and money).

All the recordings are combined into a ‘scratch track’ that contains all the dialogue in the correct order. The scratch track is then combined with still images from the story board that results in an animatic. This animatic shows the correct pacing of the work and can thus be a useful tool for detailed planning of individual movements. Pre-recording voices is not something all studios do as many animated films contain no voices at all, which is probably an easier way to go because no lip syncing or subtitles are needed which also makes the production cheaper. If accompanying sound effects or even music with words telling a story are added successfully, there is no need for voice-recording. Viewers rely on visuals, music and sound effects to interpret the story.

Score

Where dialogue isn’t used, score plays a significant role. Visual music works usually aim to create a visual equivalent to music by using design and other components of motion picture production. Sometimes films are done without any score and in silence the visuals are supposed to generate their own kind of ‘music’. Norman McLaren was a master of drawn and photographic sound.

The score is generally used to create an emotional context for the work or to create a bridge between images or frames. Instrumental pieces affect viewer on a more subliminal level whereas music containing vocals have a different and more direct effect. If, however, music with vocals is used that do not portray the intended message, the viewer can become confused and the visuals and music will be competing for the primary role. It is very important that the rights are cleared when animating to existing music. If not done correctly, the film will not be shown at festivals or distributed. This means that the existing music has to be replaced with other music. 

It is common practise to use popular music as a scratch track and then replace it with original music later. This method also helps the musicians to get an idea of the tempo and type of music that needs to be created.

Sound Effects

Sound elements can either be ‘diegetic’ meaning it comes from within the world of the film like footsteps or ‘non-diegetic’ which comes from outside like a voice-over. Diegetic sounds can be onscreen from sources that can be seen or offscreen coming from a world beyond its borders like unseen birds chirping. Sound effects typically added after the animation has been done are useful for developing spatial and temporal aspects of the visuals. Often an animated action happens more quickly than in real life. It is speeded up for effect and as result pre-recorded library sound effects used in live-action soundtracks are not always as useful but can be manipulated to achieve creative results.

Sound effects can be created by using instruments or objects. This process is called ‘foley’ where objects can recreate sounds like fire, rain, footsteps, birds in flight and campaign bubbles. Throughout animation history, zany sounds have been used to highlight the antics of cartoon characters.

Sound Mix

All the separate sound elements are combined in a re-recording mix where the various components are made louder to stand out or softer to act in the background. In real life numerous sounds occur at the same time but people tend to be selective listeners. This effect is recreated in film or animation film so that people don’t get confused. If not done, the viewers would find the sound unappealing. The sound designer is in charge of editing the sounds and music and balance out the elements in the story in order to manipulate the perception of the viewer.

The dialogue is generally the loudest but in some cases to create a certain effect the music may be louder. For instance if the sound effects are louder than the voices a curiosity may be  created about what is being said.  Silence directs viewers’ attention to the visuals and may heighten the impact of any sound before or after it.

All of the above components are important in creating a successful soundtrack.  I now know the right lingo or terminology to use when talking about the soundtrack for an animation film.

Reference: Furniss, Maureen. The Animation Bible. New York: Abrams, 2008. Print.