@caveport in a large production it not practical to record room tone at the end. That's because it takes time to clear the room, and also as ppl drive away you will have car noise if you are working on an open set. Easier to record room tone during a break, and you can also listen a bit to make sure the sound is what you want.

@matt_gh2 Did you carefully read my (and other members) reply to your mic challenge thread? A lot of the answers you ask regarding reverb (which you call echo, though if you do a google search you'll surely find some clear explanations of the difference) are there. Also, you should reread points 6 and 7 of location sound above. You have a number of options when it comes to reverb. The first option is to go to the location in question, record your associate/friend/partner reading the lines of the script corresponding to that locaction with your sound kit (do a few takes from different distances) then LISTEN to what you've recorded later on in a quiet location free of distraction. How does it sound? Sure there'll be reverb. However, a jail is SUPPOSED to have reverb since that's how sound waves will propagate and bounce in a small room with brick/concrete walls; that's the sonic signature of that kind of pace and it would sound wierd if the reverb was missing. Furthermore, if you have shots of another location intercutting the jail scene, or your character also has scenes outside of the jail, then the reverb reinforces his/her isolation during the jail scene(s) since the sound of an empty room/garage/tunnel is something almost everyone relates to intuitively.

Where reverb becomes a problem is when two or more characters that are supposed to be in the same space have different amounts of reverb in their dialogue tracks or when there is so much reverb that it becomes difficult to understand what your character is saying. The inverse distance law tells you that the closer the mic is to your character, the less of the roomtone (which reverb is part of) you will pick up relative to the voice, i.e. try to keep the microphone as close to the actor as possible (though sound perspective should be your guiding aesthetic principle). You can also baffle your location, reread your mic challenge thread for suggestions. Forget about fixing this in post as operating with a "I'll fix it later" ethic deprives your mind of the vitality that urgency imposes on you. I can't advocate that approach to any creative undertaking. Be curious, go out and get your hands dirty with a mic and a recorder, you'll be the better off for it.

Slates also make identifying and naming your files (which you'll be doing on a low-budget project) that much easier to get through. I did two shorts without a slate... Never again.

@spacewig Good advice - will definitely test on actual location prior to day of shoot. Will reread this thread and mic challenge responses. Apologies for any redundancy - my head is still spinning from the amount of good advice - still processing new information. Keep up great work - this is a good thread. Thank you.

@spacewig Exactly - I will do multiple tests at location until audio perfected. Project is close but I think I have at least 2 weeks, might end up being rescheduled for 2 months. Should have enough time to perfect it. Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated.

@DouglasHorn if you slate each cam, then you don't have a masterclock (unless you have a clock on the slate running faster than the framerate). Maybe I'm missing something--if there is an easier way to do it I would certainly prefer that to running around with a digital clock.

@spacewig totally agree with your point on identifying clips. Since we have a written schedule that is part of the set of computer files, technically we should not need a written slate on cam, but I must admit that when re-rendering clips that are say ten years old, you sometimes scratch your head and say, wtf is this? Or if the verbal slate is sometimes difficult to understand. Also, sometimes for whatever reason you have to go off schedule. If I look at a scene, I know immediately what it is, but suppose years from now someone else has to sort it out...I guess I'll have to get my slate out of the garage.

Bass traps: I will post this in a separate topic as I have a video that goes with it. Basically, blankets make the bass (and therefore the echos) more boomy as they act like a low pass filter by rolling off the treble. But your venue may not need them. I have to say I think they work great in a big space because everyone can hear each other better. In a big venue. Blankets affect directionality, which affects imaging.