Tag Archives: sound design

12th February 2013 – Music, Sound and War – Part Two

Posted on by
Reply

This is the second part of a two-part post about the destructive capabilities of sound and sound design.  Specifically, these posts talk about how sound design is used during war and the factors common to these uses.  Maybe a look at such extreme usage will spur ideas of how sound design can be used in more constructive, peaceful ways.  

From reading the previous post, you can see that the use of sound design in this context is both psychological and physical and it’s strength lies in being able to affect both the body and the mind; potent stuff!  This is no less true for another, more sinister application: the use of sound in torture.

If the use of sound design in war strikes you as sinister, you may be shocked to learn that it is also used in torture.  The idea apparently came from the North Koreans and Chinese who used sound to brainwash captives during the Korean War.  The Americans realised how powerful this concept was and therefore conducted research into how it might be countered so they could defend themselves against it.  This research actually ended up leading to the US using similar techniques employed by the Chinese and North Koreans and these techniques have been used at both Guantanamo Bay as well as the Abu Ghraib prison.

So, what has this torture consisted of? Well, reports say that very loud, aggressive music is played as an integral part of stress-based torture; loud sound is extremely fatiguing to listen to.  On its own, the music serves to isolate the captive and draw them into their mind while learning dependence on their captor.  Used for hours, the music keeps the captive awake and disoriented; the idea being that talking and divulging information will be seen as a release from the stress of not being able to rest and also of escape from the sound.

An interesting point to note about this audio torture is that Muslim detainees at these two prisons have also talked about how culture has played a part in their discomfort.  Music has very different, religious meanings for a lot of Muslims and being subjected to intense rock and metal music offends their beliefs, which are at the very core of their existence.  When paired with isolation and hopelessness, this imposition could be very powerful in changing thought patterns.

It is probably pretty obvious to you that very loud sound is very uncomfortable and you instantly want to remove yourself from it.  However, something called dissonance also contributes and is used in sound design with great effect.  Heard in much modern metal music, dissonance also produces an uncomfortable feeling.  Sound is basically the vibration of air molecules and the speed at which they vibrate is called frequency.  The frequencies of sounds that go well together have a mathematical relationship, one number is divisible by the other.  When sounds are dissonant, this numerical relationship does not exist and our brain interprets this as uncomfortable, making it a great tool for violent, unsettling music!  This effect comes from a cross between physiology and culture though:  Our cultures train our ears to what sounds acceptable but the effect is directly related to how sound moves as well as the way our brain is structured in interpreting these sounds.

So, as with the militaristic uses of sound design  as described in the previous post, torture also uses the basic power of sound as well as the psychological affects it has, creating an overall sound design. Too much of any sensory input is always painful so there is perhaps not much we can learn from this.  But sound is very important to our psychological make-up; sound is always around us, we cannot easily switch it off like we can with sight and the fact that sound is a constant in our lives (even when asleep!) means it can easily obtain meaning when paired with emotion.  Reverse these negative sounds to positive sounds and the affect remains.  Think of a nice relaxing summer afternoon in a park; what can you hear?  The gentle, hypnotising swish of the trees in a breeze; delicate birdsong and maybe even the calm of running water.  Now, keep the scene exactly the same but replace those sounds with violent, uncomfortably loud smashes and crashes and have a think about how your mood changes. The emotional pairing and content of sound is driving the feelings you are experiencing.  

Thursday 25th October 2012 – The Sound Portal (part four) – Sound in Design and Audio Branding.

Posted on by
1

Here is the last post in my four part series on the Sound Portal, displayed in Trafalgar Square as part of the London Design Festival last month. The Sound Portal displayed five soundscapes created by five sound artists.  This post talks about sound in design and audio branding.

In the previous posts I talked a little about my thoughts on the soundscapes and how these soundscapes relate to the human experience and how this might relate to design as well as audio branding. This week I’ll go into more depth on my thoughts about what these soundscapes can teach us regarding the use of sound in design and how sound can make any design brief stronger through audio branding (aka sonic branding).

The first piece contained a chanting, processed voice. Language was central here and it’s use had a calming effect that induced security; but what is interesting here is the language used wasn’t decipherable and the fact that the voice was so heavily processed further removed it from humanity. Even so, the brain could still make out that some form of talking was going on. The fact that meaning had been removed from the voice seemed to allow the listener to experience the calm, meditative effect of the chanting while still appreciating that the voice had something to say. This shows that sound only needs to seem like a voice for us to register it emotionally. This could be important in the same way that some TV and radio adverts use audio branding.  Popular text message bleeps to activate our attention and awareness to make us more susceptible to receiving information. We are social animals and we like human contact, so the voice is emotionally stimulating to us; it just appears that content isn’t necessarily important to gain an emotional reaction. If we pick out the qualities of the voice that provide emotional reaction, maybe we can use them to add emotion to a work of sound. Of course, film sound designers have been doing this for years by creating evil voices that speak invented languages etc, but there could also be less obvious, more subtle applications that contribute to audio branding…

A couple of ideas stood out with the second soundscape. Firstly, the use of birdcall seemed to have a pleasant effect, even though the birds were caged. For some reason, the human brain responds well birdsong. You could say that this is due to melody but birdsong is still very pretty, or maybe even more so when there are so many birds that you cannot pick out individual songs. Again, what are the qualities of the sounds that evoke this emotional response? It could be said to be a product of evolution. Birds aren’t dangerous to us so we recognize their calls as comforting. If this is the case, then using ‘friendly’ animal noises in soundscape will produce favourable emotional responses. In terms of branding and audio branding, connecting positive emotion to a product helps people relate to that product, makes them more open to accepting it, and therefore increases the sale volume of that product.

The second idea that stood out here was the use of space and how this could be use din audio branding. During this piece, the soundscape moves through various spaces. On one level, as this happens, the listener gains a sense of journey as the scene changes, giving a sense of wonder and intrigue. On another level, the listener is moved through various sensations and emotions related to the spaces. Both ideas could contribute to audio branding. Think about how it feels to be in a large cathedral, a walk-in cupboard or on an open field; a sense of freedom and large space could be beneficial for somebody living in a small flat/apartment or a sense of coziness could be set up for those who want to get away from a sterile atmosphere. This could all be done purely in the audio realm, but space could also be manipulated by use of audio delivery – positioning of speakers, headphones, subwoofers could all be used to different affect.  All could enrich audio branding.

Tom Jenkinson’s piece, talked about last week, used hardware as well as sound. A quirky, interesting use of speakers could add so much to audio branding; imagine hidden speakers giving out sounds every now and then, or even speakers that are activated when somebody sits in a chair, etc.

The soundscapes exhibited at the Sound Portal also used music to varying affect. As described in an earlier post, using musical instruments to make sounds that don’t follow the rules of music invites the listener to think about the piece as music; this could allow the listener to create their own meaning. Of course, this relinquishes some control of the experience to the listener and their memories, which isn’t right for every design situation, but when you know the tastes and experiences of your target market, this could actually work for the designer; music genre in adverts is always tailored to the target market. Of course, the rules will change if the sounds used only suggest music but a stimulus that provokes meaning will offer intrigue and deeper cognitive processing that will cement an atmosphere and it’s associations in the listener’s mind.

The use of actual music can have more subtle effects away from audio branding too; did you know that faster music is used to encourage people to act more quickly in a store with the goal of increasing sales? Obviously, this is to do with tempo and rhythm not the likeability factor of the popstar, therefore designers do not have to pay huge copyright charges to gain this particular effect. On the flipside of music, in other situations where less is known about an audience, simplifying delivery and removing idiosyncratic meaning from audio will make it more relevant to more people. Some sounds are pretty much universally recognised as they reference the world in general and not a particular lifestyle; birdsong, gentle waves on beach, wind, rain, heartbeat, breathing, a calming melodic hum made by a person, etc.

Although sound has been designed to meet a brief (arguably) since Walter Murch worked on Apocalypse Now the late ‘70s, there are various applications that you may not even know about: the spaces inside cars are designed with their effect on acoustics in mind, as well as the audio for indicator tick-tocks, the engine sound and even what noise the door makes when it is closed. Audio branding is a growing application: companies think about what sounds they want associated with their business to allow them to project the correct image. This includes the music used in adverts and call-waiting as well as the noises their websites and software applications make. Music can easily be used to target a particular audience – taste and consumer habits are related – but the use of sound outside the realm of music really taps into the psyche; the space the sounds are recorded and played back in, the physical qualities of the sound, associations between sounds and emotion, evoking memory with sound, etc, etc.

Sound has uses from being specifically tied to a product, such as the noise of car indicators, to subconsciously imprinting atmospheres and emotions on a group of people. Powerful stuff.  Recognising that sound is as important as sight and touch opens up many exciting possibilities for design and also gives the opportunity for forward thinkers to get ahead of their peers and offer something unique to the world. Audio Branding in design could be applied to any type of event, a company’s reception office, a business website, retail environments, public spaces, promotional material; in fact I’m pretty sure sound can be used to bolster any brand or atmosphere in any traditional design situation.

If you would like to know about how sound and audio branding relate to your own work, please feel free to get in touch.

Thursday 18th October 2012 – The BE OPEN Sound Portal (part three)

Posted on by
Reply

This post is a continuation of a series of blog posts about the BE OPEN Sound Portal, displayed in Trafalgar Square as part of the London Design Festival, 2012. The BE OPEN Sound Portal exhibited five soundscapes created by five sound artists. The first post introduced the event and talked about the first soundscape exhibited and last weeks post talked about the next two pieces I experienced. This week, the third post talks about the remaining soundscape as well as the talk on the Sound Portal I attended which was hosted by Ben Evans, the Director of the London Design Festival. The fourth and final post will be about the application to real-world design of the ideas and lessons gained from this wonderful experience.

The last piece I experienced in the BE OPEN Sound Portal was by Tom Jenkinson, who created a classical guitar piece for the space. Here, different notes came from different parts of the room to create a whole singular piece with individual notes and note runs moving around the room, enveloping the listener. As with last weeks instrumental piece, meaning became unimportant except that instead of the focus being on the sound created, focus was shifted to the delivery of the sound. This interesting delivery also took the focus away from trying to understand the piece, contrary to how music usually makes us think; as the sound totally enveloped the listener all that was left to do was to sit back and experience. The experience of lush music swirling all around really was very special and this highlights just how important delivery of sound is; if the piece (however nice) was experienced with a plain mono or stereo delivery, it would have been just another guitar piece; many guitarists are capable of this standard of playing even if only in a band setting. For me, the use to design here was pointing out that other ways are needed for music to captivate an audience; especially in London where talented bands and live music are ten-to-the-penny. However talented the musician, the use of music still needs to stand out to be useful in a commercial setting.

The final day contained a piece by Jana Winderen who used subsonic sounds made audible to create a soundscape not normally for human ears. I didn’t manage to experience this one so please feel free to comment about it below if you did!

On the second day of the exhibition, I attended a talk hosted by Ben Evans, the director of the London Design Festival; sound artists Jo Thomas and Nathaniel Robin Mann; a representative of Arup who designed the portal and a representative of Sound and Music, who selected the artists. The talk was a fascinating exchange of ideas and commentary on sound, and soundscapes in particular, with regard to design. One of the first issues to be highlighted was that the idea of including soundscape as part of a more general design is fairly new. Look, and later on, user experience has been very central to design; however, the very fact that ‘sonic branding’ is actually taking place as a part of ‘sensory branding’ shows that people are realising the potential of sound. Rolls Royce reportedly hired an entire team to work on the sound of their car doors being closed, and Kellogg’s even worked on getting the crunch of their cereal just right. Paying attention to detail like that may seem very expensive and highbrow, but it needn’t be; the whole purpose is to immerse clients and customers in a brand and sound can do this very easily and in a way that doesn’t make the cost prohibitive. People out there are curious about how sound can affect people and about how they might be able to use it to differentiate themselves from the competition in an ever-crowded marketplace. The talk showed that people who share these curiosities are innovating and experimenting, and that there really are real-world commercial applications for soundscape that go beyond the aesthetic and gimmick values. Sound changes your perspective; transports you to other places and experiences; and also affects your emotions. Business and marketers are always looking for new ways to enable people to ‘live’ their brand and to get people to associate positive emotions with their products so that they will be more likely to buy them. Sound is a very immersive way to do this, and the use of it beyond plain music seems to be gathering pace. Next week, I will talk more about these potential applications using the experiences of the Sound Portal as research.

Thursday 11th October 2012 – The BE OPEN Sound Portal (part two)

Posted on by
Reply

This post continues from last weeks blog on the BE OPEN Sound Portal, displayed in Trafalgar Square as part of the London Design Festival. The previous post introduced the event and talked about the first piece and what effect it had on me as a listener. This week, the second post will talk about the next two very interesting pieces. The third will talk about the remaining pieces as well as the talk on the BE OPEN Sound Portal I attended which was hosted by Ben Evans, the Director of the London Design Festival. The fourth and final post will be about the application to real-world design of the ideas and lessons gained from this wonderful experience.

The second piece I experienced at the BE OPEN Sound Portal was created by Nathaniel Robin Mann and consisted of a journey through various sounds that were meaningful to the artist. Among other things, a folk choir, steam train and an aviary all featured, moving the listener on a journey from one space to another. In effect, this seemed to be an exploration of space and how it makes you feel; the various spaces were all very different and their mixture created further atmospheres. As each space visited the BE OPEN Sound Portal, the listener was transported to a different place and to a different set of feelings. The noise of the steam train, carefully intertwined with open urban spaces created a sense of freedom and re-assurance by immersing the listener anonymously within human interaction. For me, the visit to the aviary brought back exciting and wondrous feelings of exploring pet-shops and being mesmerized by exotic animals as a child; the recorded acoustics working wonderfully with the birdcalls. However, to somebody else, the notion of caged animals may bring an entirely different feeling. The interaction between the different spaces rather than what they contained created the sense of immersion and movement from one place to the next, solely through hearing different acoustics. This gives the listener a magical sense of travel and exploration, wondering where you will travel to next. The effect that space has on emotion and action is also very important, but more on this next week.

With the next piece at the BE OPEN Sound Portal, Jo Thomas aimed to create a hot space with the use of symbols. In a piece of improvisation, symbols were hit in various ways to create a sizzling mix of frequencies and pulses. This was a very interesting piece with only cymbals as a reference point. This very narrow focus meant that meaning is somewhat taken away from the equation, allowing the listener to focus on the physical experience of the sounds. However, the fact that the piece used a musical instrument meant that the listener is also tempted to create some kind of meaning usually associated with music ie. sense of story. Sound, instead of music was being used to influence the mind and other senses. Composers try this manipulation of the mind all of the time (think Vivaldi and The Four Seasons) but music is a very elitist method of communication due to its very abstract nature. Is simplifying the delivery going to make it more primal/human and therefore more relevant to more people and their experiences? More about this in a couple of weeks.

Thursday 4th October 2012 – The BE OPEN Sound Portal (part one)

Posted on by
Reply

As part of the London Design Festival 2012, the BE OPEN Sound Portal was commissioned for exhibition in Trafalgar Square to show the public ‘design that you can’t see’. The BE OPEN Sound Portal, a large black rubber box, contained a cutting-edge sound system which uses a system called Ambisonics: a system of recording, mixing and presenting sound that uses nine speakers placed all around the listener for total sound immersion. Over five days, five sound artists displayed their commission; one on each day.

Because this event was such a landmark for the use of sound in everyday design (my main interest!), I will talk about the BE OPEN Sound Portal over four weekly posts. This post will introduce the event and talk about the first piece and what effect it had on me as a listener.  The second will talk about the next two pieces and the third will talk about the remaining pieces as well as the talk on the BE OPEN Sound Portal I attended hosted by Ben Evans, the Director of the London Design Festival. The fourth and final post will be about the application to real-world design of the ideas and lessons gained from this wonderful experience.

Elena Baturina, Russian businesswoman, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded BE OPEN, explained what the Sound Portal is all about: ‘Our project at the London Design Festival, the BE OPEN Sound Portal and associated events, involves working with people who represent the future of acoustic development. We will effectively be setting up an ambitious mobile laboratory for exploring the boundaries of what can be achieved with sound technology – an active demonstration of design’s transformational abilities – and holding talks and discussions to put these ideas forward. We engage with people across all platforms – the arts, science, education and the media – as we believe that the most innovative discoveries are made where these disciplines meet’

The first piece displayed at the BE OPEN Sound Portal was created by Russian Ivan Pavlov (also known as CoH).  It was an electronic piece that brought together precise digitized noises as well as the processed chanting of the human voice. The effect was a somewhat otherworldly quasi-religious feeling brought about by the chanting and ethereal noises. The function of all religious noise-making is to totally envelope the noise-makers and/or listeners to bring them closer to a deity and the immersive nature of Ambisonic sound really contributed toward this. For me, the overriding lesson that I learned from this piece is the power of the human voice and how it can be applied to really effect atmosphere and mood. Even though the voices in this piece were heavily processed, inhuman and were making sounds that made no sense to me, their power was so very strong and totally changed the environment of the Sound Portal. Language is very important to the human experience and actually shapes the way our brain develops; I have even heard it suggested that language can account for cultural stereotypes. For example, the German language is very ordered and logical – is it therefore more likely to produce a brain that uses these aspects in everyday life? The Welsh, for whom singing is a famous part of their culture, speak a language that seems to sing poetically. English seems to break all the rules; could this produce an eccentric, creative way of thinking? These are all stereotypes of course and therefore have limited value, but I think it’s food for thought – more on this later… to be continued…

Thursday 9th August 2012 – Sound for Events – Baralek Rendang

Posted on by
Reply

So, my collaboration with the innovative events company Azanaya of Jakarta, Indonesia went very well. If this event is news to you, I created a conceptual soundscape based on Rendang food to be listened to when experiencing the food and spices that go into it. Check out the press release.

The event was a huge success with ten or so representatives of broadcast and print media attending as well as the Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister. The Minister was very impressed by the event and hinted that there could be support for a Rendang World Tour in 2013… Very exciting! The love for accessible food, culture and events has really shined through with Baralek Rendang. This was truly an event for the people, while not being afraid to experiment; and it is this set of values that contributed to the success of the event. Much love was put into Baralek Rendang, and it follows that much love came out of it.

My contribution to this fantastic event was a fascinating challenge for me. I had to create a piece that described the slow, labour-intensive process of Rendang cooking; a process where much love and attention creates a dish suitable for ceremony and warmly welcoming special guests. Rendang is steeped in tradition and local culture with the complexity of it’s flavours only being matched by the complexity of the ingredients and cooking process. Each set of ingredients symbolises a section of the Minang culture: Leadership, religious leaders, intellectuals and the community.

As a backdrop, I used recordings of the Sumatran jungle and coastlines that echo the homes of the Minang people, who created Rendang; the sounds of the jungle changing as the day goes on. Solitary pipes then beckon in the traveller from their weary journey.  From this, distant celebratory folk music of the Minang emanates, getting closer and closer to the listener as the Rendang process matures. Sonic interpretations of the various spices used in Rendang cooking are then slowly introduced, each having a prominence of it’s own and part to say regarding the Rendang symbolism. The piece matures ever-so slowly and carefully but all of the sonic ingredients come together in an intricate and hearty peak showing that the Rendang is ready to enjoy. The Rendang is then enjoyed but the very heart of Rendang becomes more prominent in the form of the celebrations that caused it to exist.

If it didnt play automatically, the piece can be heard below, so put some headphones on and enjoy Rendang.  Of course, this piece is enjoyed better while enjoying Rendang food, so if you have access to some make sure you combine your tastebuds and ears… If not, then maybe a Rendang World Tour event will be coming to you soon…

Read Azanaya’s testimonial on this piece.

 

Piece is an MP3 to ease your loading time!

 

Thursday 12th July 2012 – Soundscape – Baralek Rendang.

Posted on by
2

Below is the press release for an event in Indonesia that I recently created a soundscape for. The event is being put on by Azanaya, who won a ‘Best of 2010’ award in ‘Time Out magazine – Jakarta’ and I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to work with such forward-thinking, and creative people. While talking to Lisa Virgiano, of Azanaya, I got such a huge sense of her desire to create events that are unique and innovative. We seem to be living in times where these qualities are taking centre stage once again, making our times very exciting indeed. Some people only see the problems we are currently going through so it’s refreshing to be part of a process that focuses on people and innovation; these are the people that I aim to reach with my work.

This event was interesting to me for a number of reasons, but the chance to work on a soundscape conceptually really gets my brain working, which I love! The soundscape I created uses sound to help evoke sensory memory and ties in the philosophies and heritage of the Rendang method of cooking. Rendang cooking is an important tradition of the Minang people of Sumatra, Indonesia. The different ingredients symbolise the various factions of their culture and the various types of Rendang dish are used ceremonially in important events.

Well, that’s enough from me; have a read below and if you will be in Jakarta on 4th August, 2012 get in touch with Azanaya here. I’ll publish my soundscape and talk a little about it after the event.

————————

“Baralek Rendang is inspired by the manifestation of the Indonesian cuisine heritage, Rendang, which has been ranked as the most delicious food in the world by CNNGO (September, 2011). We dedicate this event to all food lovers who would like to engage in a mind-opening gastronomical experience by inducing their senses through touch, sight, taste, smell, and even sound, in the setting of communal dining.

The event is something different and a breakthrough because for the first time in Asia, a combination of sound design, aromatic spices, and the experience of flavor will be used to enhance the dining experience. A conceptual sound manifesto to bring out the philosophy of Rendang as an Indonesian cuisine heritage has been created by talented UK sound designer Jay Harris; the participants are not only stimulated through sight, smell, and taste, but it is also a great chance to experience how sound can be delicious and food can be harmonious!

Baralek Rendang Concept:
Baralek means colossal banquet in the Minang language..

Many don’t really comprehend that Rendang holds an exceptional position in a particular Baralek celebration; it is an honorable representation of a host’s hospitality.

And Rendang is NOT a noun. It is actually a verb!

Rendang is a process of cooking, not merely a food. It is an elaborate and elegant cooking process that involves intense labour, craftsmanship, an understanding of fine spices, and perfect timing. Rendang is not only made from beef shanks; it can be made from different ingredients, such as forest leaves, mussels, black glutinous rice, eggs, chicken, exotic jack fruit, and many more. A proper understanding of Rendang as a cooking process should be ensured through fun and interactive presentation, taste education, and games. That’s why we initiated Baralek Rendang, to promote this understanding.

We will guide guests to another magical dining experience through a provocative and delectable Rendang sensation. An exploration of flavours, heritage values, and exotic ingredients are involved to make sure the event delivers the utmost local flavour to all guests.

Baralek Rendang will not only feature different varieties of Rendang from Minangkabau but will also present a fun sensory game for all guests in which they will deduce which ingredients are being used in the menu. An installation of fresh ingredients will be displayed for all guests to see, smell, taste, and touch, while listening. Later on, they will be given an opportunity to specify which ingredients are being used in the menu. The guest who produces the highest score will win a fabulous prize.”

Those readers that are in Jakarta should definitely check out this fantastic event!

A Soundscape will contribute towards your event being an unforgettable experience.  It could also be used to enhance your sensory branding to ensure that guests will think of you after they have left your event. Contact me for further information and read about past projects below.

If my work in soundscape for events, sound design for film or composing interests you join my mailing list to find out more.

Thursday 14th June 2012 – Sound Designer – Seeds of Freedom

Posted on by
Reply

Above is a wonderful documentary for which I worked on as sound designer. For those that don’t know, sound design in this sense is providing the incidental noises that you almost don’t notice and take for granted: noises like the sound of seeds falling into hands and vats, aeroplanes flying overhead, the sound of spraying water and machinery, as well as various other sounds. Some of the sounds in the film have been left in from the original camera work, but it was my job as sound designer to fill in the gaps.

I believe that the subject matter of this film is very important, so please do take time to take it all in while checking out my handiwork!

The film is narrated by Jeremy Irons and was Produced & Directed by Jess Phillimore.

Camera – Jess Phillimore, Jason Taylor, Damian Prestidge.

Sound Designer – Jay Harris.

The film was Produced by The Gaia Foundation and the African Biodiversity Network, in collaboration with MELCA Ethiopia, Navdanya International and GRAIN.

Feel free to peruse my website to find examples of other projects which I have been involved in as Sound Designer.  You will also find other works of sound including orchestral and band composing as well as my soundscape work.  Soundscape can be applied to film as well as your experiential marketing campaign and sensory branding to enhance your project’s success.

Contact me if you would like me to work on your film or discuss your entire audio package.

If my work in sound design for film, composing or the use of soundscape in events interests you join my mailing list to find out more.

Thursday 17th May 2012 – How to Make a Robotic Dinosaur – Jay Harris – Sound Designer

Posted on by
Reply

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an old advert that Geoffrey Lebreton had put up asking for help creating sound design and music for his animated short. The advert was old so he had found the help he was looking for, but as I really liked the trailer I asked him if he wouldn’t mind me making my own version of the trailer. He consented to this and here it is!

The trailer only really presented one problem and that is it’s fast-moving nature. This adds to the excitement and mystery of the animation, which is vital for a trailer but meant it could be difficult to follow.  To ease this, I wanted to emphasise continuity and detail.  Continuity was actually handed to me due to the presence of the ‘runner’s-eye-view’ sections that punctuate the piece. The idea behind adding detail to very short movements was that such detail would make the viewer catch these occurrences as they should serve to prick up the viewer’s ears. I had to be careful though as too much would make the whole thing messy.

With these ideas in my mind, I started work on my favourite part, and that was creating the noises that a gigantic mechanical dinosaur may make!

I started off with the roar at the end of the clip. I could have created my own dinosaur sound, and probably would have done it by combining the noises of various animals (I hear elephant and lion roars are popular) but I heard a perfect ready-made dinosaur sound so I used that instead! The interesting part here would be making it sound mechanical. I did this by trawling through my own recordings and included a clattering fairground ride, the noise of a very old and powerful motorcycle having it’s engine revved and another mechanical-sounding noise (I cant remember where this came from though!).

Next came the sound of the dinosaur running. This was achieved by combining recordings I had made of my electric car windows going up and down and also of the car door slamming shut. These were shifted down in pitch to make them sound lower and therefore more massive. These sounds still weren’t cutting it though as they still sounded far too small. To combat this, I found a synth recording that sounded like giant footsteps and overlaid it. This had a lot of bass in it and was therefore perfect for conveying immense size. On a technical note, I passed all of the sounds through the same compressor and reverb unit to ‘glue’ them together and make them seem as one. Finally, I fed the roar through a further compressor far too loud to make it distort and give a sense of the sound being painfully loud.

Next were the shuffles and movements of the other characters, which were recorded in real-time as a foley artist might. A few takes were made and combined to get things just right. Then, I recorded the gasps and vocalisations of the characters. These were made using my own voice and then processed and shifted in pitch to sound more alien, as if the characters would have made the sounds themselves.

Of course, some kind of background soundscape was also needed to place all of the characters in a realistic atmosphere. This was achieved by using three recordings of various deserts found online. These were trimmed to take out any parts I felt unsuitable.

After getting all of the volume levels just right, I played and recorded the instrument sounds to add atmosphere, got the levels right and then subjected the whole mix to the same reverb and compression to make it sound like that the recordings are all of the same space, and to also ‘glue’ them together more as a single experience.

Well, there’s only so much you can say about a 16 second short so please do have a watch! See if you can spot the noises that I added!

 

Feel free to peruse my website to find examples of other projects which I have been involved in as Sound Designer.  You will also find other works of sound including orchestral and band composing as well as my soundscape work.  Soundscape can be applied to film as well as your experiential marketing campaign and sensory branding to enhance your project’s success.

Contact me if you would like me to work on your film or discuss your entire audio package.

If my work in sound design for film, composing or the use of soundscape in events interests you join my mailing list to find out more.