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Sound report template
A clean, print-ready production sound report built the way a working sound mixer actually keeps one. Scene, take, sound file, timecode, track assignments, and circle takes. One page per roll or card, sized to fit a clipboard.
PDF, A4 landscape, prints clean in black and white. Free to use on any shoot.
What a sound report is
A sound report is the roll-by-roll record the production sound mixer keeps of everything the recorder captured. It ties every sound file to its scene and take, notes which track carries which mic, and flags the takes worth cutting into so post never has to open a file blind.
Get it wrong and the editor spends a morning matching sound files to picture by ear, or a wild line gets missed entirely. Get it right and sync is a formality. This sheet gives you one row per take and a column for each thing the recorder and the edit both need.
What is on the sheet
- SceneThe scene number, so the report lines up with the script and the camera log.
- TakeEvery take number, logged in the order the recorder rolled it.
- File #The exact file name the recorder wrote, so the file matches the log with no renaming later.
- TimecodeRecord-run timecode in and out, so editorial can find the take without scrubbing.
- Track 1 / Track 2Which mic, boom or which lav, is on which channel.
- CircleWhich takes the mixer or director called good, and which are NG.
- NotesWind, a generator, a plane overhead, a line that will need ADR.
How a pro fills it in
Head the roll
Production, sound mixer, recorder and format, sample rate and timecode frame rate, roll or card ID, date. One sheet per roll or card.
Log scene and take
Write the scene and take number for every take, in the order the recorder rolled them.
Note the file name
Write the exact file name the recorder wrote, the moment it is written, not from memory later.
Assign the tracks
Which mic is on which channel, so editorial does not have to guess whose voice is where.
Mark circle takes and NG
Circle the good takes as they happen. Mark NG for a false start, a wild line, or a take a truck ruined.
When to use it
Use one sheet per roll or card on any shoot with a dedicated sound mixer: short film, feature, documentary, or a commercial with sync dialogue. Start a fresh sheet every time you swap cards, and keep the circled takes and the notes column legible, because that is what the editor and the re-recording mixer both read first.
Preview and print
This is the exact sheet in the PDF. Print it as is, or hit Print this sheet above.
| Scene | Take | File # | Timecode In / Out | Track 1 | Track 2 | Circle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paper vs Clapper
The sheet is free. Doing it by hand is the expensive part.
Print the sound report and it will serve you well. This is only what stops being manual the day you log the same roll in Clapper instead. The download stays free either way.
| Paper sheet | Clapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to print | Free with a Google account |
| Fill it in | By hand on a clipboard | Tap on your phone |
| Sound file numbers | You copy them off the recorder | Auto-counted as you log, matching your prefix |
| Circle takes | Highlighter and a circle | One tap |
| Hand off to editor | Re-type the sheet into a spreadsheet | Export Premiere XML, CSV, and PDF |
| At wrap | Start a fresh stack tomorrow | Already done |
Skip the printout
Clapper does this report automatically
When the paper starts slowing you down on a fast day, Clapper builds the same roll-by-roll report on your phone. Log takes live in the browser, tap to mark circle and GOLD selects, and let it number your camera and sound files as you go. At wrap it exports a Premiere-ready XML plus a CSV and a printable PDF, so the editor opens the file already knowing what is good.
- Free with a Google account
- Works offline on set
- Exports Premiere XML, CSV, and PDF