Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
This blog explores how sound designers develop heightened auditory perception, enhancing creativity but also causing sensitivities like misophonia, requiring careful ear protection to balance their craft and well-being.
June 10, 2017
Over time you start to hear more details when working: lower noise floors become more audible, shorter transient clicks perk up your ears and the frequency content of sounds can be split into bands within your brain. This helps you make micro decisions much faster, and saves your clients lots of time. When working in Film/TV specifically, you have to be able to make judgement calls quickly in order to meet deadlines as a Sound Designer, so this developing perception really does make a difference.
The world's soundscape starts to become more apparent, noises feel louder and 'silence' feels more pleasing. The sounds of nature become more soothing, things that you would place in a film in peaceful moments such as birds chirping or water lapping become relaxing and your brain seems to be more in tune with the natural world.
You also find interesting tonality and musicality in everyday sounds. Multiple car horns can form a rhythmic melody, friends telling exciting stories now have a Major tonality, while pain and sadness in speech follows a Minor tonality. Any sounds which are digitally triggered around you, now leave a lasting thought process of how they were created - "was that synthesized or was it a real recording?"
You find inspiration every where you go. Every sound has the potential to be transformed into something that might work on the next project, at times this can be very distracting, but mostly it is a blessing. You appreciate the finesse of the Sound Mix when sitting in a cinema, and know that you may be the only one in the room noticing that moment where the animals moved to the rear speakers ever so slightly.
You experience ASMR on a whole different level. Beautiful and soft voices make your spine tingle and give you the compulsion to want to hear more. Delicate and closely miked sounds make you happy and content.
All of this does have its downsides of course, which leads on to...
You tend to also develop the opposite side of ASMR; Misophonia. Since you spend your days correcting objectively 'bad' audio (dialogue or sound effects with too much noise, clicks, pops, thumps or discontinuity etc), you are conditioned to notice these on a micro level. This means that people who lip smack a lot are almost unbearable to listen to, movie trailers with bad location sound ruin your experience and many online content videos feel difficult to watch.
The artistic choices you make also massively condition you and affect your real world perception. Since tonal wind and crows are examples of common sounds in scary film scenes, it is not uncommon to feel a minor fight or flight response when hearing them as you walk down the street.
You become extremely distracted by repetitive sounds, and find it hard to let them blend in to the world around you. Ticking clocks or even wrist watches can be irritable, car window wipers and alarms are a chore to listen to.
Even though your perception of sound can change for the better, working 12-14 hour days can temporarily fatigue your hearing and you may find yourself asking people to repeat their sentences, which is always a sure sign that you need a break!
It means that we have to take more breaks when working - the rule of thumb is that the longer you work per day, the lower the monitoring level should be.
It can mean that the enjoyment of many events can be hindered by bad sound - movies, gigs, live performances etc. can be unbearable.
Being aurally enhanced is a blessing, and one that should be preserved. That's why many Sound Professionals have to take drastic steps to protect and care for their ears. Swapping cotton swabs for olive oil cleansing is common, as is wearing (often expensive) custom moulded earplugs to protect your hearing at gigs, live shows and in some cases the cinema!
The fact that you can use this developed hearing to create art and offer services is wonderful. The progression of your hearing makes it fascinating to experience life while aurally enhanced.
This blog highlights why sound design should be planned from the start of a film project. It shares tips on working with sound designers, budgeting, and clear communication to create a great soundtrack.
June 10, 2017
Here at 344 Audio we love to spread knowledge and provide guidance on current industry workflows and practices, so we have decided to make our first blog post about how you can work best with a Sound Designer and Audio Post team to achieve a great soundtrack for your project.
When speaking with new clients about their film, the sentence I hear too often is "We have just shot and edited our movie, it is now ready for a Sound Designer to make it sound great."
While this is great optimism on the Producer and/or Directors part, the fact that they didn't hire us earlier during pre-production means that we aren't utilising every opportunity in the budget to make the film sound great, here's why:
1. The Sound Designer should be reading the script in pre-production, looking for opportunities and sound cues to formulate ideas and plans that match with the Director’s vision (both while filming and in post). In some cases we may need to start creating sounds before post-production.
2. The Sound Designer should be liaising with the Location Sound Team and Music Composers in pre-production to collaborate on solving potential sound problems on certain locations, or starting to build creative ideas alongside the script that may be enhanced greatly by three or more minds instead of one. Building this relationship early on will mean that by the time production and post-production arrive, the workflow will be established and less money and time will be spent on potential issues.
3. In some cases, it won't cost you much (or anything) to have a meeting with Sound and Music departments, even if it is over video chat.
4. The Sound Team should be speaking with the Location Manager about being 'sound conscious' when choosing shooting locations as well as your Producers and Directors about allotting shoot time to sound related activities such as: gathering wild tracks of dialogue, recording specific sound effects and recording room tones. This means we can save money on expensive sound libraries in addition to the cost of Dialogue Editing and Restoration.
As the entry level cost for making films decreases, a low budget mindset can alter the expectations of the Producer and/or Director when it comes to Sound.
You should be considering sound when deciding whether your budget can cover the entire script you have. To give you some perspective, imagine you want a drone shot for the opening scene but can't afford to hire the drone and operator. You would likely decide on a less elaborate shot for financial reasons. A comparable scenario to consider in sound might be when you are making a film full of action packed fights and complex moving parts. You should be prepared for the Sound Designer and Foley Artist to spend more time and require a higher sound effects budget than on a dialogue heavy, minimalist film.
If you are working with limited time, you must also consider how this affects the Sound Designer. Audio Post often comes last in the post production process, so adequate time must be left for the department to complete their duties. Under time pressure, artistic input is often limited. We want your film to sound good, but we can't effectively enhance your story if we don't have time to do so.
Learning more about our basic workflow and equipment costs will help manage your budget vs. time vs. quality expectations. There are many tasks and job roles that come under Audio Post Production, and if the budget only allows for one person to do all of the Sound Design/Editorial, Foley, Dialogue Editing and Mixing on a large Feature Film project, your sound budget is too low. Splitting the tasks between two or more people removes a lot of pressure and can lead to a more collaborative and exciting final product.
Even If you have a world class Location Sound Mixer, Sound Designer or Composer it won't be enough to hide weaknesses in each respective department. A great way to ensure consistency is to spread the budget you have across people who work at a similar level of expertise, resulting in a more rounded soundtrack that compliments the project.
Sound needs to be recorded correctly on set, which means you'll need a great Location Sound Mixer, great Boom Operators and a really helpful and involved team in every department that will support each other to get the best result. You will then need an Editor with attention to detail who understands Audio Post workflows so that the relevant files will be delivered to the Sound Designer in a tidy and compatible way. The full Audio Post team will need to have experience and understanding of their respective roles, this way they not only work well together, but their work shines the best light on your project.
Audio quality, just like video quality, should be retained from the moment it is recorded until the final delivery. The Industry standard format for sound is
24 Bit, 48 kHz WAV file, which means it should all be recorded in this format or higher and should not face any type of file conversion until it reaches the Sound Designer.
Never underestimate the role of the Re-recording Mixer/Dubbing Mixer. This person is crucial in taking all of the Dialogue, Sound Effects/Design, Foley and Music and performing a final mix that moves with your picture and story line while feeling natural to your audience. It is wise to budget for a separate Mixer to your Sound Designer on larger projects because the objectivity required can be difficult once the Sound Designer has been working on the same project for several weeks.
One of the biggest considerations when working with a Sound Designer should be allowing them to work with the final locked edit of your film (this can be before visual effects and colour grading if required). When working to your edit, they have created a tapestry of Sound Design and Editing which will be time consuming, expensive and could be compromised in order to match a new cut of the film.
Asking your Sound Designer for his file requirements to get started is essential, as he may be working in an alternative software, or your project may have special requirements that you don't know about yet. These should be mentioned to your Editor too, so that he can deliver them.
Ensuring the above will leave the Sound Designer time to work on things your project really needs which means the first sound mix you receive will be much closer to your creative vision.
Sound Design can be a very mysterious and misunderstood art form by both the audience and the crew. Sound is often said to be at least "50% of a movie" by various Directors and audiences but many are still not confident in understanding the process, which leads to some miscommunication in the feedback stage.
When reviewing a Sound Designer’s work, you should be looking for things that are distracting or not aligning with your creative vision as a Director. However, you should also consider how you communicate these ideas to the Sound Designer. Here are some tips:
1. Structure your feedback in a document which numbers each point and provides a time code reference of the start and end point of the film which needs some work.
2. Find a way in which both you and the Sound Designer communicate best. This can be in person, over the phone, video chat or just through notes.
3. Speak with each other in a language which you both understand. Working with a Sound Designer repeatedly will help you establish this.
4. Try not to go off on tangents with each point, and be sure to give the Sound Designer time to write up notes from your feedback.
5. Sometimes being specific can help guide a Sound Designer more efficiently. Try to compare the sound you desire to a real object and offer a section of a film for the Sound Designer to study.
Proper communication is the difference between a good project and a great film. You will definitely benefit from keeping your Sound Designer and Audio Post team in the forefront of your planning throughout each stage of your project.
Learn how using the Nintendo 3DS with Korg DSN-12 inspired creativity in music production, highlighting the benefits of working with limitations and unconventional tools.
February 23, 2017
At 344 Audio HQ we have a nice collection of hardware/software synthesizers and effects.
There is one that stands out to us as particularly interesting, not because it's analogue, or expensive or pretty, but because it is a great inspiration tool. We decided to make a blog about our experience producing a song using only the Nintendo 3DS with the Korg DSN-12 application and mixing with the stock plugins in Pro Tools.
The great thing about using the DSN-12 is that there are lots of technical limitations. It is monophonic, uses a tiny screen and has no midi input. The reason this works well is because limitations force creativity. As humans we naturally get creative when we have no other option.
As we made synth patches, ideas were flowing. We have to admit though, it was hard not to be distracted by the brilliant 3D oscilloscope display on the top screen...
The workflow is quite laborious compared with using a MIDI editing software like Pro Tools. You have to tap to create a note, and they can't be extended, you have to create multiple consecutive notes and then visit the 'gate' section to switch legato on. If you spend time with it though, you start to find shortcuts assigned to the various buttons, which helps with navigation. One thing that was great when deciding on the direction of the piece, was the ability to use the stylus to tweak synth parameters. Korg DSN-12 features a semi-modular subtractive synthesis structure and has quite a wide range of sounds at it's disposal. I noticed some features definitely leaned more towards aggressive sounding patches, with it's MS-20 style analogue modelled filter and oscillators.
We decided to make a Dubstep song due to the ease of modulation and the aggressive sounds available on DSN-12, listen to that here:
Once we got to designing sounds, our first instinct was to create a drum loop. The synth engine lent itself well to clicky kick drums, lasery toms and noisy snares. After creating a basic half time drum loop, we brought it in to Pro Tools to arrange and mix it:
The next recipe was of course the bass sounds! We used modulation on the filter cutoff and pulse width modulation to make some gnarly bass tones to stand up to the heavy drums. We then took these into Pro Tools and added stock effects to strengthen the tones within the mix:
The final element to create was a rise effect, common in Electronic Dance Music, letting the audience know when to get excited for the song's main section. We brought it into Pro Tools and then sampled some noise from the 3DS to layer as a white noise sweep:
Making a song on the 3DS and Korg DSN-12 didn't actually take a lot of time. The concept was made in less than an hour and the final piece was arranged and mixed in a matter of hours too. It shows that sometimes these limitations are beneficial - especially when musicians are experiencing writers block!
We also discovered the strengths and weaknesses of the software. It has a sound engine suited to aggressive digital sounds with a subtractive analogue vibe but can lack in desirable frequency content. We now know where to use this tool in sound design and music projects and how to play to it's strengths.
Another thing to take away from this is that Pro Tools stock plugins deserve a lot more credit than they are given. They can sound a little flat or harsh, but in the right hands they can still be used to sculpt and shape sounds, often crafting new and unexpected sonic ear candy.
Don't neglect the tools around you. Use that old synth, turn on that ancient keyboard, open up that old app on your iPhone and start making some music with it. You never know if you could design your next song with toys too!
Explore the connection between ASMR art and sound design, highlighting their similarities, techniques, and how both can enhance auditory experiences.
February 14, 2017
Here at 344 Audio, we love to explore the wider scope of Sound Design, and more importantly it's effect on audiences.
That's why for this week's blog, we teamed up with Ellie Carmody aka lumassen to create some ASMR content. We also gained insights into the similarities and differences between ASMR Art and Sound Design, and how their techniques can be used to benefit both art forms.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a feeling of mild euphoria, calmness or a 'zen-like' state many people face when exposed to external stimuli with certain audio, visual and situational cues. It is often described as 'tingles' or 'shivers down your spine'. ASMR Artists (ASMRtists) use soft whispering, crinkling paper and applying makeup etc. as common triggers for their audience. They often record video and audio for use on their YouTube channels to provide stimulation responses and temporary relief from illnesses such as Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and Panic Attacks for their viewers. Here is an example of an ASMR video by lumassen:
Sound Design is the process of creating, recording, finding and manipulating Audio to achieve a desired result. It is used in a variety of artistic mediums such as Film, Video Games, Advertising and Music to serve a purpose. This purpose can be anything from evoking an emotional response (fear, laughter, disgust etc.) to adding another layer to the viewing experience of a project. Sound Designers use a variety of materials and technologies to perform, capture and implement their work to offer the best auditory experience for the audience. Here is an example of Sound Design work by 344 Audio:
ASMRtists perform sounds in almost every auditory response based video they create - yet many don't even realise that they are Sound Designers. ASMRtists speak in a whisper and use shorter words to create the most calming Audio experience for their listeners, they also alter microphone positioning to achieve the desired hyper real effect in their speech and Sounds. They take mundane items (like a Foley Artist picks props) and find the best way to enhance subtler sounds, making them the forefront of the experience, enhancing the pleasure audiences feel. These are all forms of Sound Design and these artists are taking advantage of some of the most typical tools used.
Sound Designers often (intentionally or unintentionally) use ASMR, but could stand to use this tool more often in certain situations. They also use a phenomena which is the exact opposite of ASMR (Misophonia) in Horror and Thriller movies. Sounds such as bowed cymbals, screeching nails on chalkboard and gore sounds can all trigger Misophonia, especially when a visual cue matches chillingly with the sound. Misophonia (unlike ASMR) has been shown to provide a negative response, leading to anger, disgust or a 'fight or flight' response. Surprisingly, the stimulus mostly comes from the human mouth; sounds such as chewing food, gulping and slurping being common offenders. Arguably, the reward and punishment sounds designed for video games can provide both mild ASMR and Misophonia. Examples being the 'coin collect' sound effect in Super Mario Bros. It's ascending metallic texture lets the player know that they gained some points, providing a sense of fulfilment. In Tomb Raider, when you die you hear the punishing scream of Lara Croft which provides a mild Misophonia response.
Both ASMR Art and Sound Design often pair their auditory experiences with visual stimuli, when combined these can trick the brain into a false sense of reality. ASMRtists often re-enact medical examinations and imitate speech, sound and the environment of these examinations, mimicking the way that picture and sound in films also get us 'hooked' to the characters and story with a continuity.
The soundtracks for ASMR Art videos and films are vastly different. ASMRtists typically use a wide stereo image with binaural recording techniques and low self noise recording devices - even on dialogue sounds. This allows them to get that sense of hyper realism and quality which enhances the experience. Their whole piece is often made up of a single stereo left/right audio track with almost no post production processing. Because of this, they will often create many test videos, trying out different microphones, recording devices, windshields and positioning to see which workflows and systems offer the most pleasurable response for their fans.
Sound Designers typically use mono microphones for dialogue, and stereo recording techniques such as Spaced Pair and XY for ambient sounds. This offers more flexibility and ease of use in post production processing. Although not usually sounding as 'realistic' as a Binaural microphone system, a mono Shotgun/Cardiod microphone usually provides the best signal to noise ratio and consistency for film dialogue because of extraneous sounds when shooting, as well as providing perfect playback on mono sound systems. This is an example of where sound for purpose is chosen over sound for pleasure.
The soundtrack for a film can easily reach a track count in the hundreds, because of this, every sound must be cleaned of any noises such as clicks, pops, wind and hums that can build up and limit the control the Sound Designer has over the film's mix. This is in direct opposition to what ASMRtists prefer, which is to not cut noise, lip smacks, clicks or any other mouth noises from the recording as these add to the hyperrealism. Sound Designers often create hyperrealism through effects processors and mixing in post production instead of embracing naturally occurring sounds within recordings.
We and lumassen recorded some examples to show the differences in our approach...
We were both given the same 3 random items (Tibetan Bowl, Hand Drum, Plastic Elf Ears) to record, design and deliver. Notice how lumassen softly touches and moves the items around the stereo field with very little post processing and we process the sounds beyond recognition:
Both and ASMRtists and Sound Designers have things to learn from each other's approach. Sound Designers may neglect spending the time to record a sound that is closer to their desired result because they know there are a myriad of tools in post production. ASMRtists sometimes neglect the use of post processing to a certain extent, there are methods such as corrective EQ, compression and stereo processing that can help enhance the experience for their listeners.
Finally, we teamed up with lumassen for a Q+A session regarding ASMR and Sound Design:
344 Audio: What are your thoughts on ASMRtists, is their work purely for pleasure, or is it also for purpose?
lumassen: It's 50/50, some people create the content for the community to create happiness for people in general. Some people do ASMR videos for specific people who fear travelling - in the video, when you take off on a plane it will say certain prompts. There are also videos where ASMR is used as a guide for teaching - all of these examples of Sound for Purpose. Some people do it as a profession which is for a purpose which can either be to meet new like minded people or to make a living from it.
344 Audio: Are ASMRtists Sound Designers in your eyes?
lumassen: Yeah, I wouldn't have said it originally, but the more my eyes have been opened to the world of sound design, I realise how similar we actually are.
344 Audio: Have you learned anything from making this Blog and content, if so, what did you learn?
lumassen: I didn't realise how similar our methods were. I didn't realise I was a sound designer too or they were even in the same category. It's another way to portray it in a good way, the industry is niche and being put into the sound design subcategory is good for our community.
344 Audio: What have you learned from being an ASMRtist?
lumassen: To have more respect for content creators. Everyone does things in their own way. You have to respect how other people do it. The first time I spoke to other ASMR people, it was so nice and a place where I felt at home.
344 Audio: Have you noticed a shift in perceptions of ASMR over recent years?
lumassen: Yeah, it's been around for 10 or so years. It started out anonymous, it was usually a sound effect or ambient sounds. It then evolved into role playing and people saw it as strange. But those people who looked into it further saw it a beneficial tool for relaxation. People are so creative with ASMR that it has become an art form.
Harness subconscious sound techniques—physical vibrations, mental triggers, and emotional cues—to deepen audience connection and enhance storytelling in film.
January 21, 2017
Here at 344 Audio we are big believers in the use of Sound to affect viewers on a physical, mental and emotional level. This use is demonstrated with many practical examples.
The Tibetan Singing Bowl fills a room and our heads with an almost meditative resonance and focus, the Tribal War Drums of yesteryear filled our ancestors minds (and bodies) with fear and blood lust, ASMR responses come from the use of soft voices and delicate sounds which help calm anxieties and induce relaxing sleep.
In this post we offer insights into how you can use the intricacies of the human body and psycho acoustical phenomena to capture your audience with Sound.
Sound in Film should help tell the story, establish the location and form a larger world around the screen. If you want your film to use sound systems to their full potential, you may want to evoke a physical response from audiences in certain scenes. There are many ways to do this and many reasons why you would want to.
One of the most common comes with the use of low frequencies (120 Hz and under) employed through synthesis, percussion and sound design layers. Certain low frequencies affect internal organs and the body through vibration. This gives moments in film a sense of status, authority and size when used sparingly and is a great way to accent action, horror and dramatic moments in your piece. The soundtrack should be a journey though, and not a constant barrage of low frequencies, as this could lead to the effect losing its power. A great example of where we used this technique was in Feature Film 'Road' by designing a sub bass drop just before two super cars approached, giving them a further sense of power and speed.
Another tool that will affect audiences on a physical level is creating loud moments in your film - this can be used to raise the audiences heart rate through mild discomfort, remember though - the human brain works on comparison, your film's mix should flow in a way that gives the audience quiet moments, making the loud moments feel bigger. One of the most common uses for this is jump scares in horror movies.
A final way to affect the audience physically - is through the use of music. Upbeat pieces can cause an increase in heart rate and breathing, whilst calmer, more relaxing music offers a decrease in heart rate and breathing, so definitely think about which scenes could benefit from this when working with the Composer.
The brain is very, very powerful when it comes to sound and because it takes electrical signals from the ear and interprets them for hearing, there are many responses that get attributed to certain audible triggers.
A useful way to story tell with Sound and the human brain comes from repetition. You can repeat sounds in pivotal story moments to remind viewers of a location or character, or to reveal a narrative moment. We used this in Feature Film 'Six Rounds' where our boxer protagonist is reminded of earlier moments through the use of the same Waterphone sound, which becomes distorted to show that he has accepted defeat.
Another mental response with sound comes from the exploitation of the Misophonia response. Misophonia is the hatred of certain sounds, one we almost all experience is 'nails on chalkboard' which gives us an anger response. Misophonia varies widely from person to person but thankfully there are sounds that most people hate, which can be used to emphasise horror and psychological pseudo fear in your films. These sounds are mostly related to metallic, stone or plastic items which cause uncomfortable resonances in our ear at 2-5 kHz, so bare that in mind when designing your scary scenes.
Emotions are intrinsically linked to sounds in visual media, partly due to our survival instincts and partly due to the influence and conditioning from the world around us.
A commonly adopted storytelling tool comes from applying sound effects that have emotional associations linked with them. Certain sounds are associated with sadness and reflection for example: church bells, dogs whimpering, rain, human crying, a solo violin, a flat-line on a heart rate monitor, minor chords - all of which will likely emphasise moments in your film. Some sounds create fear - dogs barking, whistling cold wind, crows, fire, thunder, roaring animals, avalanche, volcanic eruption or earthquake. Other sounds create a sense of happiness and tranquillity: birds chirping, soft breeze, major chords, water lapping, eastern instruments, wind chimes, water bubbling, laughter, cats purring, applause. With these sound assets you can take many subjective scenes and give them a more concrete emotional canvass. We used this technique in Short Film 'I'm Not The Devil' where reptile hisses and animal roars were layered to accent the toughest enemies the protagonist faced, allowing the audience to empathise with his fear and struggle.
A second technique is the use of ultrasound frequencies (above 20 kHz) and infrasonic frequencies (under 20 Hz) which affect audience emotions in varying ways. Infrasonic frequencies are known to interfere with human perceptions and emotions - it has even been studied as a sonic weapon by the military - many cinema sound systems don't output these frequencies, but it is an interesting tool if your viewers are listening on a sound system that goes under 20 Hz. It has been rumoured that films such as Paranormal Activity employed Ultrasound and Infrasonic frequencies to give feelings of discomfort and fear response to the audience even though they couldn't detect the sounds consciously. Although many cinemas don't output these frequencies, they can still alter our perception of sounds within the hearing range.
A final tool is music, which is one of the strongest ways to get your audience emotionally invested. You can switch between responses fairly quickly. The soft embrace of a choral section through to the damning thump of the contrabass offer a variety of timbres that should be combined with musical intervals, experimenting with this is the best way to find direction for your piece. A combination of interweaving music and sound offers the smoothest and most immersive emotional compass.
Use these techniques where appropriate and you will create a deeper connection with your audience. Your intended message and narrative can connect with them more than just consciously, so capture your audience with sound on your next project.
