When it was born, PMI was comprised of three original departments: Video Production (the shooters & directors), Video Post Production (the editors), and Audio Production (the sound geeks). [Actually, Audio had to wait a few months until its facility was completed – I remember that for my first session in PMI’s temporary space, Sue Hartford’s synthesizer was set on top of some cardboard delivery boxes.] 

Being a part of a video/film production house required that the Audio facility be designed specifically for streamlined post production.  In terms of hardware, that meant that we had to be able to synchronize our audio recorders to picture reference, which was a lot more complicated back in those analog reel-to-reel days, when video was committed to various linear tape formats.  But it also meant that, as opposed to stand-alone recording studios, those of us in PMI’s Audio Services department had to become specialists in audio post.  Sure, we’ve enjoyed doing a lot of “wild” recording too, creating original music, sound effects and voice-overs.  But audio post engineers think a little differently from other engineers.  We have over 25 years of experience coming up with just the right blend of ambiances, dialog placement, attention-grabbing (or subtle) sound effects, and precise music editing and mixing – all to enhance visual images, and tell the story that the director wants to tell.  

That experience has paid off, and our reputation has spread.  We do a lot of dialog replacement (ADR, or “looping”) with celebrities who are in town for film shoots, and we’ve also mixed the soundtracks for several local productions seen in film festivals across the country and around the world.  Our “specialty” has become so pronounced, in fact, that PMI’s Audio Services department is thought by many professionals to be synonymous with “Audio Post Pittsburgh”… so we’ve acquired that URL.  Check out http://audiopostpittsburgh.com, and please let us know what you think.