Read sound sources in iCouldPlay: offscreen sound is not automatically a score

A sound without a visible source is not automatically outside the story. Framing and narrative source need separate records. Use three original paper plans or produced owned copies in iCouldPlay to distinguish diegetic sound, offscreen sound and an added score. This is not automatic source separation or an inference from volume about recording origin or what a character must hear.

Create three plans with explicit provenance

Plan A shows cup and tapping hand with one matching tap. B keeps the same story space but frames another part of the table while the tap comes from outside the frame. C shows a still cup and explicitly adds an original musical passage not played by a device in the scene. These are creative premises, not completed recordings. Produce externally with owned/permitted material and retain originals if desired. iCouldPlay supplies playback, not promised sound-object recognition or automatic score classification.

Separate frame location from story-world origin

Record visible/unseen source separately from evidence of origin within the story world. A’s tap is onscreen and diegetic; B’s is offscreen yet diegetic under the premise. An empty table does not make it nondiegetic. C’s score classification follows explicit creative provenance, not merely absence of a loudspeaker. Retain evidence/unknown fields beside labels. Without production evidence, a real film may warrant only “tap heard, source unseen.” Do not force unknown sounds into these planned answers or confuse language with source category.

Do not infer character inaudibility from invisibility

For B, separately note audience audibility, source outside the frame and the story-space premise, without inventing character reactions. Diegetic sound may include more complex subjective/internal forms; this lesson selects an external tap without excluding other narrative strategies. An empty frame does not equate audience and character hearing. If later footage reveals a source, add that later evidence instead of claiming it was initially established. Categories describe narrative relations, not proof that a cup was physically tapped on set or sound recorded simultaneously.

Play normally before checking visible anchors

For produced copies, keep one output device and comfortable level. Confirm file/source in iCouldPlay and play from the start. In A log approach, contact and sound anchor; in B log framing and audible taps; in C log music and still image. Pause to inspect imagery but resume for sound, since silent pause is not deleted audio. Mark paper-only playback unperformed. Volume percentage does not classify source, and no sudden maximum level is required. Describe audible/visible evidence without guarantees across tracks or outputs.

Keep post-added sound separate from diegetic status

Create a paper control of A with sound added later in external editing while still representing that cup sounding inside the scene. Production method and diegetic status differ; post-added sound is not automatically a score. An unproduced control is conceptual, not evidence that A’s real track was replaced. Actual dubbing needs provenance, not perceived clarity. No in-app track replacement or original modification is required. Keep a separate “recording method known/unknown” field instead of making one pair of labels decide every technical and narrative question.

Retain unknowns without classifying by musical style

Unseen piano in real footage is not automatically a score: an offscreen instrument, radio or later reveal may provide evidence. C is classifiable because the premise specifies an external addition without a scene playback source, not because it sounds melodic. Log timbre, interval and visual anchors, then candidate explanations and missing evidence. Do not assert that every musical passage has a diegetic instrument either. Use sources for terminology, not copied scores/dialogue, and exclude unrelated computer music mistaken for the video track.

Troubleshoot wrong tracks and changed identities

If visible A contact has no audible tap, inspect copy, mute and available track controls rather than invalidating the definition of onscreen sound. Extra narration in B or missing music in C calls for checking version/track after preserving observations. Change one identified selection condition and replay the same anchor without clearing the library or replacing originals. Record unrelated app/device audio separately. Missing provenance does not become proven dubbing, and a recovery under one condition guarantees no uniformity across playback paths.

Reopen and hand over categories with evidence

Leave playback, reopen the same copies, replay A/B/C anchors, confirm file/track identity and restore everyday settings. Hand over framing, diegetic status, production method and evidence, marking creative premises, observations and unknowns. Paper-only completion is classification planning, not tested playback. Success explains offscreen-yet-diegetic B and why post-added sound need not be a score, while preserving unknowns. It authenticates neither character hearing, on-set recording nor automatic player recognition. New tracks, versions or outputs need separate records.

Related tutorials and sources

Listen to J cuts in iCouldPlay: incoming sound is not a global sync offset; Prepare non-dialogue sound cues for iCouldPlay captions.

Sources checked on 13 November 2026: the official iCouldPlay App Store listing and Apple Lookup show version 1.1.1, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. The workflow uses playback controls actually present and manual records. External capture, editing and sample production are not new automatic iCouldPlay features. Check installed version, engine and source. This batch claims no step-by-step device or private-server testing, and plans are not performed playback results.

Terminology reference: Yale’s sound analysis separately addresses diegetic status, offscreen sound and postsynchronization. The cup and three plans are original, without using its film dialogue, music or imagery.