Guest Post by Kate Finan The studio owner skimmed my resume and nodded several times. He glanced up at me, back down at the resume, and then carefully set it back on his desk. “Your credentials are great. The chair of the Sound Recording Department recommended you very highly, and we have a close relationship with him. So, we will hire you… We will hire you, but you won’t … [Read more...]
Real Spaces
When we say “space”, people generally think of two things: outer space, or a bounded area that something fits into. It's a safe bet that most people in the sound community immediately think of the latter. So often we focus on the characteristics of a space...how far a sound carries, reflections and reverberation time, etc. Certainly that helps us define a space, but...for the … [Read more...]
Where We Stand…
At first glance, you may not think of this site as one where we would care about reactions to critical analysis of media. We care very much, in fact, and feel it is necessary to take a moment to discuss the recent reactions to the latest in Anita Sarkeesian's "Tropes Vs. Women in Video Games" series. I'm sure you've seen commentary about it on other sites already, but we … [Read more...]
On the Tony Awards
Guest Contribution from Randy Thom It was announced that the people who run the Tony Awards have decided to cut two of their awards categories….the two sound design categories. This is a sad piece of news for all of us in sound. It's yet another slap in the face for an important art form that struggles for recognition. The people who run awards shows feel constant … [Read more...]
The Details That Matter
Guest Contribution by Randy Thom When someone tells me that they admire the sound design work my team has done on a project they often go on to say that what they like most is the little sonic details we've covered in a given scene, like the sound of an object being picked up by a character in the background of a shot. I thank them for the compliment, but I'm usually left with … [Read more...]
Adding Your Voice to the Mix
Guest Contribution by Joel Raabe At night in the darkness, I often hear voices in my head. Though it’s strange to admit, as I drift off to sleep after a long day of cutting dialogue or mixing the latest program, indistinct voices emerge and converse in the surround field of my theta wave brain. The wash of leftover phonemes from the work day somehow eases me to sleep, a … [Read more...]
Creating a Unified Voice
This article is not what I originally intended. I started it, nearly completed it and then decided to rewrite it from a different angle. It’s core subject remains intact, speaking to our collaborators…the people who hire us to make their pieces of media “sound good.” Whether we work in film, television, games, mobile applications, interactive art installations or any other … [Read more...]