Hi,
When a distributor says they want M&E split track on your movie doesn't that mean that the dialogue is on one separate track and the music and effects are on a separate track?
From the name you would think that the music would be on a separate track and the effects on a separate track, but that's not the case is it? Is it not what I've explained in the first sentence?
Thanks for your help!
joe
M&E is literally MUSIC & EFFECTS. So those two tracks (typically two...stereo mix) are basically everything BUT the narration, actors voices, production audio. Just the music and just the effects that you added.
Often I will have to deliver a stereo mix...then M&E only. But some places want 8 to 16 channel deliveries, and when they do that, things are split up more...DIA only, Production audio only, Music only, effects only.
M&E is music and effects only...
Audio tracks 1 & 2 -- Original dialog, stereo music and effects (the complete mix)
Audio tracks 3 & 4 -- Stereo music and effects (for dubbing into other languages)
Is how it usually works.
But sometimes a distributor might insist on other things such as completely separate music with "stems" so that they have more to play with, change where it fades etc to better fit with a foreign language translation. A completely separate effects track might also be requested.
I have never seen a request for a stand alone original dialog track unless it is going to the audio studio for mixdown with all the other elements, certainly not on a finished master.
In any case, you should contact the distributor personally if you have questions. Any responses that you get here are just going to be guessing at what your distributor actually wants.
I've worked on foreign translations where they want the original dialog so that they can let it play briefly and then duck it under the foreign track. This is often done for documentaries.
And don't forget to fix all the places you got sloppy and didn't add a roomtone or worldtone track, relying instead on the ambience of your dialogue tracks. Take out the dialogue and you've got dead air. NOT good.
True enough - watched one about Andy Warhol a few weeks ago, the style seems to be getting more popular too.
When I was doing a lot of language dubs, it was always a complete dialog translation with a full mix together with new titles and lower thirds. We turned our noses up at studios who were just doing a narrative overlay.
Fun fact, there are some old James Cagney movies that were remastered in Germany with new voiceovers. Jimmy's German voice went on to become famous dubbing Alf (the furry alien thing) TV show. If a Cagney movie comes on TV now, I have to turn it off. It's just too freaky.
M&E Split Track?
