Sound Design and Mixing

Professional film sound has five layers: (1) Dialogue—the most critical; if the audience can't understand words, nothing else matters. (2) Sound Effects (SFX)—designed sounds that don't exist naturally (explosions, sci-fi elements) or enhanced real sounds. (3) Foley—performed and recorded synchronously to picture: footsteps, clothing rustles, object handling. Named after Jack Foley, who pioneered the technique at Universal Studios. (4) Ambience—the background sound of a location: room tone, traffic, wind, crowd murmur. (5) Music—score and songs. Each layer is mixed on separate stems, allowing independent control during the final mix.