On the most recent episode of the Tonebenders Podcast, the guys talk to experienced sound designers Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl about their long and varied careers, working philosophies, and recent films. Some of the recent films Van der Ryn and Aadahl have worked on are Transformers: Age of Extinction, Godzilla (2014), World War Z, and Argo, among others. Head over to … [Read more...]
Music of Sound: Okarito Kiwi aka Rowi
In a recent entry on his blog, Tim Prebble discussed his experiences in trying to record the Okarito kiwi, or Rowi. The kiwi, which is the national bird of New Zealand, is nocturnal, and rarely seen or heard by anyone, even New Zealand natives. Tim digs into his fascinating adventures in trying to find and record this elusive creature here. Be sure to check out the recordings … [Read more...]
Sweet Justice: Sweetman’s Sweet Spot
In the most recent blog post over at Sweet Justice, sound designer Chris Sweetman shares some of his decades of experience, and discusses the importance of experimentation and the use of organic sounds in modern sound design. He also discusses some of his experiences on major films, as well as his approach to tools like Izotope Iris. Head over to their blog to check it out now! … [Read more...]
Sulpha: The New PS4 Mastering Suite
Sony for a very long time has spearheaded the effort to standardise loudness in games. The recent PS4 SDK update (2.500) includes a mastering suite -- Sulpha analysis tools -- to help developers master their titles for a variety of playback systems, from full range surround sound systems to TVs, to mobile devices. It features a 4-band equaliser, a 3-band dynamics processor, … [Read more...]
Failure…
...and the fear of it. Some worry about it more than others, but we all face it sooner or later. There are varying degrees of failure, and then there's the old line that helps to put things in a relevant light: "The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried." [Stephen McCranie...according to Google] Failure is a part of development and growth. It's … [Read more...]
Tonebenders: Oliver Machin and Mad Mad Fury Road
Once again our friends at the Tonebenders podcast have delivered a great episode! This month, they spoke to Mad Mad Fury Road vehicle recordist Oliver Machin about his work on the movie. Head to their site to take a listen, or catch them on iTunes and Stitcher. … [Read more...]
Actors of Sound, A Foley Art Documentary, now on Kickstarter
As many of our readers know, sound design is frequently overlooked when people start talking in-depth about media production. It's no surprise, then, that we here at Designing Sound get pretty excited when we find out someone is taking a closer look at an element of the craft. In that spirit, we wanted to bring your attention to a Kickstarter for Actors of Sound: A Foley Art … [Read more...]

