What one looks like
The header describes the recording setup. Every file gets a line.
THE LONG DRIVE SOUND REPORT Day 6 3/10
Mixer: Dev Anand Recorder: (model) Media: CF card 06
Sample rate 48 kHz Bit depth 24 TC rate 23.976 ND File type: poly WAV
Tracks: 1 Mix L 2 Boom 3 Lav MAYA 4 Lav JOE
| File | Scene | Take | Start TC | Circle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14_T01 | 14 | 1 | 07:52:10:10 | Truck pass at end | |
| 14_T02 | 14 | 2 | 07:55:05:02 | O | |
| 14A_T01 | 14A | 1 | 08:21:40:18 | Joe lav rustle on "kept it" | |
| 14A_T02 | 14A | 2 | 08:24:02:07 | O | |
| 14_WT01 | 14 | Wild | 08:30:11:00 | Wild line: Joe "I kept it, okay?" x3 | |
| 14_RT | 14 | Tone | 08:32:30:15 | 30 sec room tone, diner, fridge off |
Take 14A take 3 from the camera report was MOS, so it doesn't appear here. That gap is intentional, and the camera report says so.
How the mixer uses it on the day
The production sound mixer types scene and take into the recorder before each slate, names the tracks at the start of the day (and again when a lav moves to a different actor), and adds notes right after a take while the problem is fresh. The boom operator or sound utility flags things the mixer can't see, like a lav rubbing on a jacket zipper. Wild lines and room tone get logged as separate files so editorial doesn't need to hunt through takes.
What goes wrong
Track names that don't change when a lav is swapped to a different actor send dialogue editors to the wrong track. Scene and take numbers that don't match the camera report slow down syncing dailies. Frame rate mismatches between the recorder and camera cause drift. And notes that don't mention noise ("plane overhead, take 2") leave the editor to find out later, when ADR is the only fix.
Where it goes
The report travels with the audio files to the DIT or directly to editorial each day. The assistant editor uses it to sync picture and sound. Totals, such as the number of cards or files, can go on the daily production report. Later, the dialogue editor uses the notes to find alternate takes and wild lines during the post-production workflow.