Reviewing mixes with directors has become a regular part of the job working in post sound. There are plenty of solutions on the market that let you stream audio and video over the internet, but the quality of the connection depends on both parties having a fast connection for it to work well.

Enter the new-kid-on-the-block, Soundwhale. With Soundwhale, the filmmaker loads the video on their local MacOS or iOS device and the mixer is able to remotely control the video while streaming the mix in sync to the filmmakers device. To enable this functionality the mixer needs to sign up for a Level 3 Soundwhale account ($29.99/month) and download the Soundwhale app for MacOS. The filmmaker just needs to sign up for a free Level 1 account and download the app on the Mac or iOS device.

Setting Up The Software Is Easy 

In Pro Tools

Set your playback engine in Pro Tools to Soundwhale.

In the Peripherals menu’s Synchronization tab, set the MTC generator to Soundwhale Sync Input

In the Machine Control tab, Enable Midi Machine Control Master and set to Soundwhale Sync Input. ID should be 126, set the Preroll to 24 frame.

In the preferences menu’s Syncronization tab, make sure both boxes under the Machine Control section are checked.

In Soundwhale

Under the Audio Tab, set the sample rate and select your input and output source for your mic and speakers.

Under the Sync tab, set the frame rate to match your session in Pro Tools

Lastly, make sure Sync Network and Send are selected in the transport section. If everything is working, Soundwhale’s timecode will now be locked to Pro Tools.

Connecting With A Filmmaker

Before your mix, make sure your filmmaker has signed up for a free Soundwhale account, downloaded the Soundwhale app on the mac or iOS device and are logged into their account in the app.

From the Soundwhale app on the mixer’s computer, search for your client’s username and link icon next to their name and start a non-video connection (because they will be playing back the video on their own device).

On the filmmaker’s side, they will need to click Accept in the Soundwhale app.

The filmmaker will need to turn on the mixer’s stream and enable Sync. The filmmaker will now be able to hear the mix for the mixer’s computer and the mixer will be able to control the video timeline on the filmmaker’s device.

The filmmaker will use the Open File button on their device.

In my testing, the system worked great, even over 5G. Wifi is still recommended when available. If you get into a situation where the filmmaker (or the mixer’s) connection is less than ideal, the mixer can use a couple of tricks to reduce dropouts (of the audio) if they occur.

The first thing to try is increasing the buffer setting in the Soundwhale preferences.

I usually start with the default of 256. If needed, try selecting either 512 or 1024 and see if that helps.

If you are still having problems with audio dropouts, you can enable Compression or Network buffer until you find a usable combination. In all of my testing, I only had one issue and switching the Buffer Size to 512 fixed the issue.

Soundwhale offers a straightforward solution for remote reviews with directors over even the weakest internet connection. I personally look forward to seeing what they come up with next!

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels