A sound report is a document that travels with your recorded audio files. It lists every take, describes the technical specifications of each file, and provides notes from the sound mixer. The editor and production office use it to understand what was recorded, which takes are preferred, and how to work with the files.
What's in a sound report?
A typical sound report includes:
- Production name and date
- Scene and take numbers
- Track names (which microphone is on which channel)
- Duration of each file
- Sample rate and bit depth
- Technical notes (recorder type, any issues)
- Mixer's notes (which take is preferred, on-set sound problems)
Who needs the sound report?
- The picture editor: uses the report during syncing to know which tracks to use
- The sound editor: uses it when building the audio session
- The production office: uses it for logging and scheduling
- The post-production facility: uses it for conforming and quality checking
The old way: filling it out by hand
Traditionally, sound reports were paper forms filled out on set by the boom operator or a sound assistant. Then they became spreadsheet templates. Either way, they had to be filled in manually, which took time and introduced errors.
The better way: generate from WAV metadata
If your field recorder writes accurate bEXT and iXML metadata into your WAV files, which all professional recorders do, then your sound report is essentially already written. You just need to extract that information and format it.
Wave Copilot reads the metadata straight out of your files. Load the day's takes, open the Reports tab, and the report is already populated. Set it up the way your production wants it, then click Export as PDF or Export as CSV. Seconds, not an evening.
Setting the report up once
The Report Settings tab is where the shape of the report is decided:
- Columns to Include: tick the fields you want. File name, scene, take, tape, channels, sample rate, start timecode, length, notes, circled and wild, among others
- File Order: sort the takes by file name, by timecode, by scene and take (which counts properly, so take 2 comes before take 10), or by creation date
- Include Files: keep or drop the circled takes, the non-circled takes, and the wild tracks
- Track names: off, as dedicated T1, T2 columns, or as a single Tracks row under each file. The column layout shows the first 8 tracks in the PDF; a CSV export carries all of them however many there are
- Notes as a row under each file, when the notes are longer than a column can hold
The Header & Recording tab holds the block at the top of the page: project, producer, director, job, date, location, folder, sound mixer, contact details, boom op, production company. Beside it, the recording information: roll, recorder, media, file type, sample rate, frame rate, bit depth, tone level, mics. Most of the technical fields fill themselves in from the first file's metadata, and each field has two switches, one that decides whether it keeps tracking your files or holds the value you typed, and one that decides whether it appears in the export at all.
Templates: set it up once per show
Save the whole configuration as a named template. Columns, file order, header information, recording information, all of it, restored in one click. On a multi-day production you load that template at the start of each day and the report is already configured. Set it up once per show and the rest of the shoot is a two-click export.
A live preview at the bottom of the page shows the first few files as they will appear, so nothing about the finished document is a surprise.
Conclusion
A sound report doesn't have to be paperwork, it can be automatic. If you're a location sound recordist who wants to deliver a professional package at the end of every shooting day, Wave Copilot's free trial, for Windows, macOS and Linux, is worth trying.