Multimedia: Cue Sheets

Within a soundtrack there are numerous sonic events, with the most emphasis being placed upon these five:

• Dialogue
• Music
• SFX
• Foley
• Ambience

When planning a soundtrack for a multimedia product, a cue sheet is used to organise each of these sounds. Cue sheets are effectively a timeline of events, a script for the sound producer if you will. Cue sheets are made via a method called spotting – which is effectively exploring the media and planning for specific events along a timescale. These are useful because, the vast amount of responsibilities placed upon a sound designer make it easy to miss opportunities to have effect. So, having a solid plan of action makes this less of a possibility.