Active. Reactive. Interactive. Hyperactive? How do we approach making sounds for things that make sounds when things happen? What are the considerations and affordances necessary obscure the strings enough to make the sonic marionette believable and delightful? What really defines interactivity? … [Read more...]
Monthly Theme: Sound for Live Theater
"Stand-by SQ 01, monthly theme... monthly theme Go!" Ok, so this month we're going to be taking a look at the world of sound for live theater. This is the world where many argue the term "Sound Designer" found its first use. A world where multi-channel discreet sound systems going into the hundreds of speakers could be found long before film. Where the dynamic, adaptive … [Read more...]
Monthly Theme: Failure
Failure can be scary. As artists and designers, we encounter failure regularly. At the worst of times it can even deter us from trying. How can we push past failure and come out smarter and stronger? … [Read more...]
Monthly Theme: Pure Sound Design
The word "audience" is derived from the Latin word "audire", which means "hear". From musique concrète to pop music, radio imaging to radio dramas, audio books to audio tours, there are still times in our overly sensory stimulated lives when we're asked to simply, "just, listen". Typically though, whenever you're playing the role of an "audience" member (whether you're watching … [Read more...]
Monthly Theme: Tutorials
Want to be a sound designer? There's lots to learn. There always has been, really--but today it feels as though it's happening all at once. Here's a primer: You've post-production: signal flow fundamentals, editing, library management and deliveries. There's a host of DAWs to choose from, myriad ways of customizing them, and an ever-expanding selection of plug-ins, … [Read more...]
Thanks To This Month’s Contributors
As April's topic closes out, we want to extend a thanks to this month's contributors. Our Inspirations / Distractions theme brought in an incredible amount of content from the community--and we hope their words have given you something to think about. Here's a chance to re-read them all. See you next month! Andrew Rohrmann -- Post | Twitter | Site Akash Thakkar -- … [Read more...]
Inspirations / Distractions – Spencer Riedel
Spencer Riedel is a composer and sound designer at Bearcowboy. "Some people need to be left completely alone to contemplate, or to distract themselves before their mind will be ready for that sudden blast of light that makes the way forward clear. I am not one of those people." Outsourcing Eureka Moments ... Every time I have had a “breakthrough” with a problem I’m … [Read more...]