TORONTO—Tattersall Sound and Picture is
currently providing final sound mixing services for the second installment of
the critically acclaimed limited series Fargo,
and the Toronto studio has come up with a unique way for the show’s Los
Angeles-based producers to monitor the work.

Using a blend of proprietary and off the shelf technology,
Tattersall engineers have turned one of the Los Angeles editing suites used by
the show’s picture editors into a virtual mixing suite. The edit suite is
linked to Tattersall’s mix stage and tuned to its acoustic signature so that
producers there hear precisely the same sound as the mixers in Toronto.

Remote monitoring of mix sessions is a common practice, but
it typically involves the linkage of two mixing facilities via expensive ISDN
lines. For Fargo producers, that
would mean leaving their production offices and booking time at a third-party
sound facility. “We looked for a method of making mix playbacks as painless as
possible for the producers to attend,” explains Tattersall Sound Chief Engineer
Ed Segeren. “We discussed the idea of building a virtual mix stage with the
producers, and they were very enthusiastic about the approach. They recognized the
benefit of not being at the mercy of another facility’s schedule or sonics.”

To make the virtual mix stage work, a sound engineer would have to
control and monitor the playback. The challenge was making that happen from Toronto.
“We tested several methods of remote monitoring of picture and sound, while
also including full control of the playback system,” recalls Segeren.  “The solution is a hybrid of several
technologies.” Tattersall engineers equipped the Fargo edit suite with professional acoustic control products, audio
monitors and an audio DSP system, all chosen to perfectly emulate the acoustic
response of Tattersall’s mix stages. 

“Behind the scenes, one of our Toronto operators remotely controls the
playback system and monitors the room to ensure that audio levels are playing
back correctly and the sound is in sync with the picture,” Segeren explains.  

As in a typical remote session, Fargo
producers are able to view HD picture while monitoring the full 5.1 surround
mix. “There is no longer any need for them to spend time in traffic driving to
and from an L.A. studio,” Segeren says.   “This new approach makes it easier for producers
to attend playbacks, while also giving them confidence in knowing that what
they were hearing is exactly what the mix sounds like back in Toronto.”

The second installment of Fargo,
which premiered in the U.S. on FX October 12 at 10 PM ET/PT, follows a young
State Trooper (Patrick Wilson) and his Sheriff father-in-law (Ted Danson) as
they investigate a grisly case involving a local crime family and a major mob
syndicate, and a small town beautician (Kirsten Dunst) and her husband (Jesse
Plemons) who inadvertently get caught in the middle. Emmy® Award winning
Executive Producers Noah Hawley, Joel & Ethan Coen, Warren Littlefield and
John Cameron all return for the new installment. Fargo is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions, with MGM
Television serving as the lead studio. 

About SIM Group:

Backed by Toronto-based investment firm
Granite Partners, the SIM Group is a leading supplier of production equipment,
workflow and post-production solutions, with offices across the US, Canada and
China. Our diverse services can be utilized on any production at any stage. In
Canada, our offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax service grip and lighting
from PS Production Services and can be complemented with SIM Digital
cinematography and playback equipment for any production’s needs.  Bling,
Chainsaw, Pixel Underground, Tattersall Sound and Picture and Post Factory
NY provide an array of services from dailies, to online and offline
editing, to final color/DI and visual effects, to sound editorial and mixing.
Bling’s services, which include a comprehensive workflow solution, are offered
at all offices across the US and Canada, as well as off-site service through
POD (Post on Demand).  Chainsaw’s full-service facility in Hollywood
provides creative editorial and extensive finishing services with some of the top
colorists in the industry. Rounding out the family of
companies are Pixel Underground, a Toronto-based post-production
company, and its associated service, StationEX, which provides physical and
file-based media fulfillment and encoding/distribution services, Tattersall
Sound and Picture, a provider of sound editorial and mixing for motion pictures
and television and Post Factory NY, one of the East Coast’s top independent
post-production facilities. For more information, visit simgroup.com