Es gibt verschiedene Methoden Wwise-Elemente in der Gameengine Unity zu implementieren. Zum einen gibt es es die klassische manuelle Implementierung mithilfe von Skriptbefehlen in den Programmiersprachen C# (am populärsten), UnityScript und Boo zum anderen gibt es auch vorgefertigte Skripte (in C#) und Funktionen, die ein schnelles Implementieren innerhalb des Unity-Editors ermöglicht.
Vorgefertigte Skripte
Diese Skripte werden bei der Installation von Wwise in einem Unity-Projekt mitgeliefert und decken eine allgemeine Bandbreite von unterschiedlichen Implementierungsmöglichkeiten ab.
Eine der am häufigsten benötigten Funktionen bei der Nutzung von Wwise-Elementen ist das Abrufen von Wwise-Events. Diese übermitteln Informationen an Wwise, die Anweisungen, wie die Audio-Engine handeln soll, beinhalten. In den meisten Fällen ist es das Abspielen oder Unterbrechen von Sounds. Das für Unity vorgefertigte Skript heißt AkEvent. Dieses ist an Bedingungen geknüpft. Häufig ist es das Betreten oder Verlassen eines GameObjects, wie z.b. eines Colliders. Ein Collider ist eine geometrische Form (häufig unsichtbar für den Spieler) im Spiel, die für das Triggern verschiedener Funktionen genutzt werden kann.
AkEvent, das auf das Betreten des Triggers ausgeführt wird
Zusätzlich muss dabei erwähnt werden, dass Collider nur auf GameObjects reagieren. In der Regel möchte man allerdings spezifizieren, welche GameObjects genau diese Trigger auslösen können, sonst reagieren die Trigger auf jedes Eintreten irgendeines GameObjects, also auch auf Elemente, wie überlappende Bausteine aus der Spielwelt. Mit dem Skript AkTriggerEnter kann man festlegen welches GameObject diesen Trigger auslösen kann. Häufig soll nur die eigene Spielfigur, die der Spieler steuert, triggerfähig sein.
AkTriggerEnter mit dem “Player” als einziges GameObject, das diesen Trigger auslösen kann
Ein Hochpassfilter (HPF) ist ein elektronischer Filter, der Signale mit einer Frequenz über einer bestimmten Grenzfrequenz überträgt und Signale mit Frequenzen unter der Grenzfrequenz dämpft. Die Höhe der Dämpfung für jede Frequenz hängt vom Filterdesign ab. Hochpassfilter haben viele Einsatzmöglichkeiten, wie z.B. das Blockieren von Gleichstrom von Schaltkreisen, die auf nicht Nulldurchschnittsspannungen oder Hochfrequenzgeräte reagieren. Sie können auch in Verbindung mit einem Tiefpassfilter zur Herstellung eines Bandpassfilters verwendet werden. Außerdem werden sie auch in anderen Bereichen wie der Mechanik, Akustik, Hydraulik oder in Antennenweichen eingesetzt, wo sie jedoch oft einen anderen Namen tragen. In der Tontechnik beschreibt er also, welche Frequenzen noch enthalten sind, werden also hauptsächlich als Equalizer benutzt werden.
Hochpass 1. Ordnung
Ein einfacher elektronischer Hochpassfilter erster Ordnung wird realisiert, indem eine Eingangsspannung über die Reihenschaltung aus Kondensator und Widerstand gelegt und die Spannung über dem Widerstand als Ausgang verwendet wird. Das Produkt aus Widerstand und Kapazität (R*C) ist die Zeitkonstante (τ); sie ist umgekehrt proportional zur Grenzfrequenz fc, also,
wobei fc in Hertz ist, τ in Sekunden, R in Ohm und C in Farad ist.
Tiefpassfilter
Ein Tiefpassfilter (LPF) ist ein Filter, der Signale mit einer Frequenz, die niedriger als eine ausgewählte Grenzfrequenz ist, überträgt und Signale mit Frequenzen, die höher als die Grenzfrequenz sind, dämpft. Der genaue Frequenzgang des Filters ist abhängig vom Filterdesign. Der Filter wird manchmal als High-Cut-Filter oder Treble-Cut-Filter in Audioanwendungen bezeichnet.
Tiefpassfilter gibt es in vielen verschiedenen Formen, darunter elektronische Schaltungen wie ein Rauschfilter, der in Audio verwendet wird, Anti-Aliasing-Filter zur Aufbereitung von Signalen vor der Analog-Digital-Wandlung, digitale Filter zur Glättung von Datensätzen, akustische Barrieren, Unschärfe von Bildern und so weiter. Die in Bereichen wie dem Finanzwesen verwendete gleitende Durchschnittsoperation ist eine besondere Art von Tiefpassfilter und kann mit den gleichen Signalverarbeitungstechniken analysiert werden, die auch für andere Tiefpassfilter verwendet werden. Tiefpassfilter bieten eine glattere Signalform und entfernen die kurzfristigen Schwankungen.
Beispiele für Tiefpassfilter finden sich in der Akustik, Optik und Elektronik. Eine steife physikalische Barriere neigt dazu, höhere Schallfrequenzen zu reflektieren und wirkt so als akustischer Tiefpassfilter zur Schallübertragung. Wenn Musik in einem anderen Raum gespielt wird, sind die tiefen Töne leicht zu hören, während die hohen Töne abgeschwächt werden. In einem elektronischen Tiefpassfilter für Spannungssignale werden hohe Frequenzen im Eingangssignal gedämpft, aber das Filter weist unterhalb der durch seine RC-Zeitkonstante bestimmten Grenzfrequenz eine geringe Dämpfung auf. Elektronische Tiefpassfilter werden an den Eingängen von Subwoofern und anderen Lautsprechern verwendet, um hohe Töne zu blockieren, die sie nicht effizient reproduzieren können. Funksender verwenden Tiefpassfilter, um harmonische Emissionen zu blockieren, die andere Kommunikationen stören könnten. Der Klangregler vieler E-Gitarren ist ein Tiefpassfilter, mit dem die Höhen im Klang reduziert werden.
Tiefpass 1. Ordnung
Eine einfache Tiefpassfilterschaltung besteht aus einem Widerstand in Reihe und einem Kondensator parallel zur Spannungsquelle/-abnehmer. Der Kondensator weist eine Reaktanz auf, blockiert niederfrequente Signale und drückt sie stattdessen durch die Last. Bei höheren Frequenzen sinkt die Reaktanz, und der Kondensator wirkt effektiv als Kurzschluss. Die Kombination aus Widerstand und Kapazität ergibt die Zeitkonstante des Filters τ = RC. Die Grenzfrequenz (in Hertz), wird durch die Zeitkonstante bestimmt:
Diese Schaltung kann unter Berücksichtigung der Zeit verstanden werden, die der Kondensator zum Laden oder Entladen durch den Widerstand benötigt:
Bei niedrigen Frequenzen bleibt genügend Zeit, damit der Kondensator praktisch auf die gleiche Spannung wie die Eingangsspannung auflädt.
Bei hohen Frequenzen hat der Kondensator nur Zeit, eine kleine Menge aufzuladen, bevor der Eingang die Richtung wechselt. Der Ausgang geht auf und ab, nur ein kleiner Bruchteil der Menge, die der Eingang auf und ab geht. Bei doppelter Frequenz bleibt nur Zeit, um die Hälfte des Betrages aufzuladen.
Passive Filter basieren auf Kombinationen von Widerständen (R), Induktivitäten (L) und Kondensatoren (C). Diese Typen werden zusammenfassend als passive Filter bezeichnet, da sie nicht von einer externen Stromversorgung abhängig sind und/oder keine aktiven Komponenten wie Transistoren enthalten.
Induktoren (Spulen) blockieren hochfrequente Signale und leiten niederfrequente Signale, während Kondensatoren den umgekehrten Weg gehen. Ein Filter, bei dem das Signal durch einen Induktor geleitet wird oder bei dem ein Kondensator einen Erdungsweg bereitstellt, weist gegenüber niederfrequenten Signalen eine geringere Dämpfung auf als Hochfrequenzsignale und ist daher ein Tiefpassfilter. Wenn das Signal durch einen Kondensator geht oder einen Erdungspfad durch einen Induktor hat, dann zeigt das Filter eine geringere Dämpfung gegenüber hochfrequenten Signalen als niederfrequente Signale und ist daher ein Hochpassfilter. Widerstände allein haben keine frequenzselektiven Eigenschaften, sondern werden Induktoren und Kondensatoren hinzugefügt, um die Zeitkonstanten der Schaltung und damit die Frequenzen, auf die sie reagieren, zu bestimmen.
Die Induktivitäten und Kondensatoren sind die reaktiven Elemente des Filters. Die Anzahl der Elemente bestimmt die Reihenfolge des Filters. In diesem Zusammenhang wird eine LC abgestimmte Schaltung, die in einem Bandpass oder Bandsperrfilter verwendet wird, als ein einziges Element betrachtet, obwohl sie aus zwei Komponenten besteht.
Aktive Filter
Aktive Filter werden mit einer Kombination aus passiven und aktiven (verstärkenden) Komponenten realisiert und erfordern eine externe Stromquelle. Operationsverstärker werden häufig in aktiven Filterdesigns eingesetzt. Diese können einen hohen Q-Faktor (Höheres Q bedeutet einen geringeren Energieverlust im Verhältnis zur gespeicherten Energie des Resonators; die Schwingungen sterben langsamer ab. Bei einem Filter ist dann die Grenzfrequenz steiler) haben und ohne den Einsatz von Induktivitäten Resonanzen erzielen. Ihre obere Frequenzgrenze wird jedoch durch die Bandbreite der Verstärker begrenzt.
Elektronische Filter sind Schaltungen, die Signalverarbeitungsfunktionen übernehmen, insbesondere um unerwünschte Frequenzanteile aus dem Signal zu entfernen, gewünschte zu verbessern oder beides. Sie verändern es abhängig von der Amplitude, der Frequenz und der Phasenlage. Filter können in verschieden Kriterien klassifiziert werden, wie zum Beispiel passive oder aktive Filter, analoge oder digitale, HP/LP/BP Filter, linear und nicht-lineare Filter. Die meisten der genutzten Filter sind lineare Filter. Die ältesten Formen von elektronischen Filtern sind passive analoge lineare Filter, die nur aus Widerständen und Kondensatoren oder Widerständen und Induktivitäten bestehen. Diese werden als RC- bzw. RL-Einpolfilter bezeichnet. Diese einfachen Filter haben jedoch nur sehr begrenzte Einsatzmöglichkeiten. Mehrpolige LC-Filter bieten eine bessere Kontrolle über Ansprechform, Bandbreite und Übergangsbänder. Der erste dieser Filter war der konstante k-Filter, der 1910 von George Campbell erfunden wurde. Campbells Filter war ein Leiternetz, das auf der Theorie der Übertragungsleitungen basiert. Zusammen mit verbesserten Filtern von Otto Zobel und anderen werden diese Filter als Bildparameterfilter bezeichnet. Einen großen Schritt nach vorne machte Wilhelm Cauer, der den Bereich der Netzwerksynthese zur Zeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs gründete. Cauers Theorie erlaubte es, Filter zu konstruieren, die genau einer vorgegebenen Frequenzfunktion folgten.
Filtertypen
Bei einem TP (Tiefpassfilter) werden alle tiefen Frequenzen bis zu einer Grenzfrequenz durchgelassen, alle höheren Frequenzen abgeschwächt. Das HP (Hochpassfilter) im Gegensatz lässt alle hohen Frequenzen durch und schwächt die tieferen Frequenzen ab. Die Kombination dieser beiden Filtertypen wird BP (Bandpassfilter) genannt, weil es zwei Grenzfrequenzen gibt, wobei alle höheren und tieferen Frequenzen abgeschwächt und ein mittleres Frequenzband durchgelassen wird. Das Bandrejectfilter ist das Gegenstück dazu, indem er nur das mittlere Band abschwächt und filtert, die Randfrequenzen jedoch durchlässt.
Der Idealfall einer rechteckigen Grenzfrequenz ist in der Realität nicht erreichbar, daher wird normalerweise zur Bestimmung der Parameter von einem normierten TP ausgegangen.
Lineare- / Nichtlineare Filter
Bei nichtlinearen Filtern sind die Eigenschaften des Filters abhängig von dem Signalpegel und dem zeitlich verlauf. Es können Verzerrungen entstehen, daher werden sie auch als Begrenzer, Verzerrer oder Medianfilter eingesetzt. Bei linearen Filtern jedoch sind die Filtereigenschaften unabhängig von der Laustärke und das Signal wird nicht verzerrt. Die grundlegende Form des Signals wird nicht verändert, nur mit einem Faktor multipliziert. Dazu gehören auch TP, HP oder BP Filter.
The study, made by Kiyu Nishida showing the usage of natural resources, such as slime mold and aloe vera leaves in modern music performances. In this particular research and experiment, the aim was to show the novel possibilities of sound based on unconventional technologies such as integrating biological forms and structures into traditional circuits — in our case, aloe vera. A biosignal has been used in experimental music as the material for composition.
How does it work?
For controlling the sound with the help of electricity level, we need to use a resistor. Exist more complex resistor — memrisotor. The functions are all the same, but memristor can memorize information and use it for further notice. Fascinating, that there are couple of memristors in a nature, such as slime mold and aloe vera. They are the bio-memtistors.
Nowadays, people are trying more and more to connect technologies with nature. One by one. Result is not always successful, but always worth it. The aloe vera sound creates new possibilities for performance, music experimenters in a new unique way.
»If you want a great site, you’ve got to test. After you’ve worked on a site for even a few weeks, you can’t see it freshly anymore. You know too much. The only way to find out if it really works is to test it.«
– Steve Krug in Don’t make me think (2000)
To observe, if a (digital) product really fits the user’s needs and what are potential problems and pain points, there is a method called usability testing. I watched a talk of Steve Krug, experience professional and author, in which he explains why usability testing is so important and runs through some tips for improving your own usability tests. To break it down usability testing basically is watching people trying to use what you have created, even if it is just a prototype, and let them think out loud in order to have access to their cognitive process and looking for the frustration points, questions etc. It should start at an early state of the project and includes the user’s direct feedback into the creation process, to figure out the problems before you build them into your project and discover them at a (too) late status.
Why are we doing usability testing?
They take a lot of time to build, get the data, cost money and the main question is, is it all worth it? It is! There are many reasons for you to test your product in order to have a good user experience and improve your work. Steve Krug said:
»Usability is an attribute of good design«
Steve Krug
He defined a thing as usable if:
A person of average – or even below average – ability and experience (i.e., most people)
can figure out how to use the thing for the intended purpose
without it being more trouble than it is worth.
A common issue is that a deeply involved person e.g. a designer is very into the subject and gathered a lot of information throughout the research phase of the project. While designing the product, she/he of course uses all that knowledge and creates the prototype as if the user has all that knowledge too, because it is just obvious to her/him and why should anybody think of it different? Usability testing gives the creators the opportunity to watch somebody else have the experience without former knowledge about it and let the participant use it in their own individual, intuitive manner. This discovers lots of problems in best case at an early state of the project and can happen in only a very short amount of time if well planned and organized. As Leisa Reichelt, Head of Research and Insights at Atlassian, said:
»You are not your user and you cannot think like a user unless you are meeting users regularly.«
Leisa Reichelt
In his talk, Krug also mentions that we are basically all users and we imagine that everybody uses it the same way as we do, but we are not our users. He says that users are incredibly diverse and all use is idiosyncratic (depending on prior knowledge, situation, goals…). Sometimes it can be very hard for us creators to remember that the user does not know what we know.
Usability issues can slow down the whole process of use, it can cause anxiety, be annoying and sometimes even scare people of to use something any further at all. Usability testing can prevent the product from all this, in order to guarantee a good user experience and usability throughout the process of use. Most usability issues and problems are contextual, it depends on the thing that you are building, there are only a few absolute truths in therms of usability and UX, says Krug. He gives a good example, talking about that people mostly get their jobs because of who they are as a person. He describes that e.g. people become a developer, because they like complicated stuff and figure out how things work. For a pure developer, interfaces can totally look different as if a designer or another involved person in the process looks at it and it can also differ from how the user would look at it. If you now take into consideration every member of a team, including developers, designers, project managers etc. it is sometimes just very hard to agree on something and make a decision and proofs the idiosyncratic use. A good solution can be to just test it and see how the user can cope with the discussed particular element.
In his talk, Krug gives a short introduction in DIY usability testing (nutshell version) and goes on by a live usability testing to demonstrate how easy it can be. After that, he goes on and introduces his 6 maxims, which you can also see in the video beneath.
For user centered design, it is necessary to be aware how the user would interact with your product or service, whether it is a website, an app, a streaming service or anything else. For me it influences my design decisions and helps to discover usability problems, that I sometimes would have never imagined to be a problem at all. Every design decision kind of starts off with a hypothesis, that this is how the user would like to experience something and this is also very much influenced by own assumptions and previous knowledge. User Testing proves your decision wrong or right and puts yourself in the user’s shoes to see the project from his point of view.
Sources:
Don’t make me think : Web usability – das intuitive Web by Steve Krug
The Vehicle Experience consists of a lot of different elements and each of these elements can be evaluated individually. Testing all elements of the vehicle experience is one of the most important steps during the development process of new cars. Vehicles can be evaluated objectively with standardized methods, driving maneuvers, and sensors or subjectively with the development team, external partners, or real users. With the rise of new technologies, the testing of the vehicle experience also gets more complex and complicated. There are a lot of companies out there that are specializing in testing specific features. Especially the ADAS, autonomous driving features, and other safety-relevant elements are tested meticulously during the development.
A lot of companies and public figures are also doing comprehensive tests of vehicles for their websites, blogs, magazines, YouTube channels, Instagram accounts, and many more. There are a lot of different resources where customers can get a lot of information about the cars they are interested in before actually visiting the dealership.
Examples for popular formats include Car & Driver, Evo, Motor Trend, Auto Motor und Sport, Motor1, Top Gear, Grip, carwow, and many more. Since a lot of modern vehicles also have a lot of techs inside, more and more technology-focused YouTubers and Influencers are also making comprehensive reviews of new cars. Because all of these formats also have a different target audience, they also test different features of the car in more detail. While most of these formats are also offering at least parts of their tests and videos for free on multiple channels, some still require subscriptions for more detailed information.
Car and Driver – Comprehensive Car Testing
Car and Driver Magazine has published a detailed overview of how they collect more than 200 data points for every single test they are doing. Since they are using the same procedure for every of the about 400 vehicles they are testing per year, the test results can also be compared with each other. Car and Driver are testing all cars in the following categories.
Performance Testing
To get a good overview of the performance, every car has to do different straight-line accelerations (standing quarter-mile, 5 to 60 mph rolling start, 30 to 50 mph, and 50 to 70 mph), a braking test, and a cornering test. Even though all of their data is recorded by a GPS data logger and therefore already very accurate, they are additionally accounting for wind, weather conditions, and a lot more external factors that might influence the performance of each car.
While measuring the performance on the test track, they are also measuring the sound-pressure level in an idle state, while accelerating and while cruising. Each of the sound tests is also done on the same section of the track to ensure the best comparability possible between the tests.
Another important piece of information for a lot of their readers is the fuel economy or power consumption of cars. To get a realistic real-world result, they have developed their own highway fuel-economy tests for combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles.
Cargo space is often stated in liters by manufacturers. To get better real-world data, Car and Driver is measuring cargo volume with cardboard boxes the size of carry-on luggage and with ping-pong balls.
Measuring the seating height is done with an H-point machine (HPM) that defines the theoretical location of the hip joint of the driver or passenger. With a laser that is mounted on top of this machine, they are also measuring the outward visibility and how much roadway is obscured by the car itself.
source: http://www.khiart.com/safety.html
Center of Gravity Height
The center of gravity (CG) is an important value for the dynamic of the car. The lower the CG is, the better the handling in corners and the lower the risk of a rollover in really tight corners or during a crash.
The safety of a car is determined by combining data from crash tests with some subjective evaluations of safety equipment. In the US these crash tests are performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) based on the US New Car Assessment Program (US NCAP) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) based on the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). The Euro NCAP is also the basis for crash tests in Europe. Since the warranty can only be tested during long-term tests, Car and Driver has to rely on the numbers from the manufacturers in this case. But since they are also doing long-term tests with cars from a lot of different manufacturers, they already got a good overview of the coverage and services offered by each of them.
The results of this category are based on the editor’s observation sheet (EOS) they created. Editors are usually collecting more than 170 individual observations during exterior and interior walkarounds. This sheet contains information about the year, make, and model of the car, paint quality, USB port locations, amount of cup holder, material quality, ergonomics, the usability of the infotainment system, and many more.
Infotainment
Since the infotainment system plays an important role in the in-vehicle experience, Car and Driver is also measuring input lag, response time, and the features that make up the infotainment system, including Apple CarPlay Android Auto.
The results from all of these categories are then combined with subjective evaluations of the drivers and editors and converted on a ten-point scale. Another important factor for their overall rating is that they are evaluating cars only in comparison to the direct competitors. If they are rating the handling of an SUV, it is not compared to handling a sports car. Each test is also discussed within the team before it gets published to ensure better comparability and fairness.
More details on their testing method can be found online:
The “Elektroauto Supertest” series from “Auto Motor und Sport” gives a really good overview on how they are testing electric vehicles and which categories are important to them.
Top Gear – Review
While Top Gear is mainly known for the TV show on BBC which is one of the most popular car shows on TV worldwide, they also post car reviews on YouTube.
Carwow – Drag Race
Carwow is mainly known for videos, where they are drag racing different cars against each other, but they (mainly Mat Watson) are also doing car reviews.
Tech YouTuber – Car Review
As already mentioned, a lot of tech YouTubers are also doing reviews of modern, mainly electric vehicles. The most popular ones are probably Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) and Unbox Therapy, but also some German YouTuber started doing car reviews with the launch of the new Mercedes EQS.
Car YouTuber – Reviews
Of course there are not only tech focused YouTube channels with a lot of videos about cars. There are far more car focused YouTube channels that make videos about different cars. Some of them are mainly focusing on the technical parts of cars and how to tune them, some are mainly focusing on showing and optimizing their own car collection, and some are mainly focusing on reviews. Popular Englisch car channels include Car Throttle, Shmee150, DougDemuro, Drivetribe and many more. The most popular German car-focused YouTube channels include JP Performance, Philipp Kaess, Auto Bild, Motor Woche, Car Maniac and many more.
Before starting, look at the top image. These 2 sets of sound files, mastered/limited at different levels. The first one is from the 90s and the second one is what is being done post 2010. Just by looking at the graphic representations, you can tell that the first song has a lot of breathing space and room for expression, while the second one looks a bit like the life has been squeezed out of it. This is the loudness war in a nutshell- people competing to squeeze in as much volume as possible within the range that we can digitally produce.
So why is the loudness war happening? Usually, we perceive louder as better, even if a song might not be better mixed. Basically, music is getting progressively louder as time passes, thus becoming less dynamic and lively.
What are the basics of loudness? There are a few units used in measurement- LUFS (loudness units relative to scale and DBTP (decibels true peak). Our DAWs by default show a different unit- DBFS (decibels relative to full scale), which is does not show us the overall average loudness, just the momentary peaks. LUFS are actually closer to how our ear perceives loudness. It is similar to RMS (root mean square) but still closer to our own loudness perception. When mastering audio/music, it is highly recommended to get a measurement tool that includes at least these measures (but ideally give you access to more insights into your track’s dynamics, spectrum and similar):
Short-Term LUFS – Short-term peak at the current listening point
Integrated LUFS – overall loudness of the whole track
Dynamic Range – the difference between the quietest and the loudest part of the track
Momentary Max LUFS – the highest peak measured in LUFS within the audio/music that is being analysed
True Peak – The maximum peak level of the audio measured real-time, measured in DBTP. Different from the regular peak (which relates to individual tracks inside the mix)
Loudness range LUFS- measures the perceived loudness of audio material. Similarly to dynamic range, it tracks the difference in loudness between different parts of the audio
It is a big challenge to determine which loudness you should use, taking into consideration loudness perception, as well as different loudness standards presents on each streaming/music platform. Platforms apply loudness normalisation, which sets every audio file to the same integrated loudness. From my own experience, one loudness setting will never be perfect for every use case, but the most important thing is to find a compromise and choose a loudness/true peak level that sound solid on every service. Sometimes, the audio will be turned up, and sometimes turned down by certain services, depending on their own normalisation standards. Each platform will normalize the audio according to their own standards, so it is just important to make sure your source material dynamic range is good enough to not get completely squished by a music platform. The good news is that each platform recommends a dynamic range that is 9 DR or less (meaning 9 dbs difference between the loudest and quietest part).
Here are some of the standards used by the most popular platforms:
Spotify – -14 LUFS/ -1 DBTP (-11/-2 is also fine)
Deezer – -14 to -16 LUFS /-1 DBTP
Beatport – -6 to -9 LUFS /-1 DBTP
Apple Music – -16 LUFD/-1 DBTP
Bandcamp – No loudness normalisation, but -2DBTP is recommended for the peaks due to low playback quality they offer
How did rhythm in documentaries developed over time? The following blog post compares the documentary of Pennebaker “Bob Dylan – Don’t look back” of the year 1965 and the documentary “Amy – The Girl behind the name” about the singer Amy Winehouse by Asif Kapadia in published in 2015.
Don’t look back give an insight of the character, and the person of Bob Dylan, especially in contact with reporters and the situations before and after concerts. The film depicts the life of the 60s. In the conversation with reporters Bob Dylan shows revulsion and lack of interest towards journalists and denies them any understanding for his music. To a reporter of the Time magazine, he says: „You can call me a folk singer, but the people know better”. When a science student came to get to know Bob, the singer did not show any interest but played on the guitar when the student was talking. This mixture of talking and music accents shapes the film.
The documentary Amy – The Girl behind the name of the year 2015 shows the singer songwriter Amy Winehouse having much more trouble with her sudden publicity causing drug and alcohol problems and finally hear death.
Montage
A big part of the rhythm in the documentary Don’t look back is given by Bob Dylan’s music underlining the film.
The cutting rhythm in Don’t look back is marked by long shots. A lot of time one scene is shown without any cut, but the discussions are so dynamic that the prospectors are not missing anything. There are also scenes of 9 Minutes without any cut.
But there are also other rhythms giving dynamic to this film.
In the scene when Dylan’s girlfriend Joan Beaz is singing and playing guitar (29:36) Dylan is typing on a typewriter. The fast clicking that he is interfering Joans singing could also reveal his complete character. The clacking of shoes when Bob and his team steps on the wooden stage of the Royal Albert Hall shows the big impression Dylan leaves on a stage. The sound of the shoes echoes in your ear.
Words shape the rhythm of the documentary in a huge way, as Dylan’s talent to find words in a beautiful way has always been recognized. Next to Dylan’s quick-witted answers there are also word battles and even dispute scenes shown (18:23min (part 2)). These words and
The only use of original sound contributes to the outstanding character of the film.
Amy Winehouse’s music underlays the whole documentary Amy – The Girl behind the name. In addition to that different music and sound effects are used to intensify the spectator’s mood.
The documentary consists of interview scenes with Amy Winehouse at different TV shows, radio interviews and interview and voices cutouts with Andrew Morris (Bodyguard), Blake Fielder-Civil (ex-husband), Blake Wood (friend), Janis Winehouse (Mother), Juliette Ashby (Friend), Cynthia Winehouse (Amy’s paternal Grandmother) and Lauren Gilbert (friend) . The cutter Chris King
In contrast to the documentary of 1965 the cutting rhythm is much faster corresponding to the speeding up in time. Voice messages are overlay by all different archive material. In this posthumous documentary all kind of different video material was collected from media and friends.
Cinematography
Pennebaker’s camera work is marked by handheld shots including lots of fast pan shots and zoom outs from a detail shot to a wide shot. Pennebaker shot the documentary on 16 mm black and white film. He himself developed „a portable 16mm Camera“[1] with which he could follow the artist everywhere and pick up all spontaneous situations.
Besides rhythm in sound this documentary shows interesting rhythm in image. The repetition of car drives arrives throughout the documentary. The car is medium to rush to a new place and symbolizing the rush to new concerts in Dylan’s time of being famous. Other repetitions are newspapers and Dylan with a cigarette. There are also scenes where you can only see a black screen because of nighttime but you hear the screaming voices of fans (28:44). The repetition of phone calls shows the interest of other people having part of Dylans success and the managers discussing about it. The rhythm in image is part of the storytelling and giving glues to understand the character of Bob Dylan.
The film starts with a person holding parts of the Bob Dylan’s lyrics written on paper by listening to the music. This style reminds of the early stage of music videos.
The cinematography of Amy – The Girl behind the name is recognizable by its shaky, blurry images and video filmed by a phone camera.
Nick Shymansky (Amy’s manager) films Amy asking her questions in a driving car. This direct address reminds of the cinema direct, but it also is part of the storytelling. Asif Kapadia did not had influence on the material, but the chosen material let the audience being part of Amy’s environment. With including all the friend’s material filming her and asking her questions helps you understanding the pressure Amy felt by being filmed and addressed all the time of her fame and even before. The cinematography shapes storytelling of this documentary.
Rhythm is created by shaky camera movement and the flashlight being produced by the mass of photographers. Soft dissolves visualize the insidious disintegration of Amy Winehouse. Magazine Covers and Amy’s notes for new songs, pictures give the film a collage like style.
Narration
Pennebaker brings the “cinéma verité”[2] into the “Rockumentary”. As a silent observer he never intrudes in the situation and stays out of focus. Due to the intensive and intimate contact the filmmaker had with Bob Dylan you could guess that Pennebaker is a confederate and shows sympathy for him. The role of the filmmaker in cinema verité is to reveal the truth and leaving the audience to judge and making conclusions. Pennebaker totally withdraws his point of view, he never provokes certain situation but let Dylan act in his way.
The narration in Amy – The Girl behind the name works with off-voices by Amy’s closest contact persons or friends. Moments captured behind the scenes and interviews by media and friends work as a cinema direct. But the choice of statements made by Asif Kapadia gives the audience clear answers for the reasons of Amy’s death. Mitch Winehouse, Amy’s Father reacts to the documentary: “They are trying to portray me in the worst possible light”.[3]
Here I go again, trying to figure out what I like and why. Today’s illustrator is Beatrice Blue (@beatrice.blue) an Art Director and author/illustrator working both on publishing and the animation industry. Her work is very playful and colorful. What draws me to her work is her use of different analog textures in a digital setting. I like her the color palettes she chooses, they harmonize with her painting style and motifs. The illustrations she creates feel soft and comforting, but also very playful.
I think the biggest reason why I like someones work is if it triggers some sort of emotional reaction whether it’s curiosity, happiness, longing or a feeling of understanding. The work of Beatrice Blue definitely invokes happy emotions.
