What is ADR?
"Automatic Dialogue Recording" or "Automatic Dialogue Replacement"
ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement or Recording) is an important voice recording process during the post-production of films and TV series. In a quiet, sound-neutral studio environment, actors re-record their own lines or record new ones.
Why is ADR necessary?
Technical Issues
A large amount of ADR is required for technical reasons, such as loud ambient sounds, dialogue overlaps and interference noises on the on-set microphones.
Clarity
Sometimes, ADR is necessary to improve the clarity of certain lines and make it easier to understand. This is especially necessary in very silent or intimate scenes where the dialogue is quiet or could not be recorded close enough.
Performance
ADR may also be required to alter or enhance a scene’s performance. For example, this could be necessary if the script continuity has changed during the editing process of a film or TV series. In another case, the original ambient sounds may be replaced with quieter or louder ones during post-production, in order to alter the emotional impact of a scene. This means that the original performance no longer fits its surroundings.
Script changes
ADR can also be used to resolve or clarify any substantive issues that arise during or after the editing process. This can be done by adding new dialogue or amending existing lines.
How does ADR work?
Preview
Before an ADR cue is recorded, it is listened to in advance with all the necessary context, to ensure a full understanding of the emotional mood of the scene and its position within it.
Recording
There are many ways to record an ADR cue. For example, it can be done on-picture with a few seconds of pre-roll, or off-picture by copying the production sound after just hearing it. However, the most important thing is to always use the method with which the talent feels most comfortable.
Review
Once the ADR engineer has edited and matched the recorded line to the production sound in terms of timing, tone and reverb, it will be reviewed within the context of the scene.
"But isn't the original production sound always better than ADR?"
Yes, but no. We know it’s difficult to recreate emotional performances in a sterile studio environment. However, we do our best to get you as close as possible to it, drawing on all our passion and experience. We are not tech-driven audio nerds. We are film enthusiasts who can empathise with the work and feelings of the talents and directors. Therefore, we always seek to enhance the original production sound by adding as little as possible to it, rather than replacing it in the interest of achieving cleaner audio quality. We understand ADR to be a creative process, and we won’t be satisfied until you leave our facilities feeling positive, knowing that we did everything we could to support your production.
