Sound Design Themes and Goals.....Revisited

A while ago a wrote a post about defining themes and goals for sound design (http://sound-sculpting.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sound-design-themes-and-goals.html).  In summary, I noted that one of the things I obverse with those new to sound design is that they can go about it in a very literal manner.  That is, one action = one sound.  I then suggested that possibly a better way to go about sound design is to clearly define what you are trying to achieve with the sound before actually starting.  The reason I mention this again is that I have just watch the Mavericks of Sound Design Panel video from Moogfest and I was taken by the reflection of a lot of my thoughts on this matter being articulated by the panel.  If you have time this video is worth a watch as it contains a lot of additional points of view.

When you are planning your sound design projects ask yourself these questions, "What emotion do I want the listener/viewer to have at this point?" and "What aesthetics do I want to put across to the listener/viewer?"  If you can answer these questions you are at a good point to begin the sound design project.

Realisation of a Sound Design Portfolio

In my last few posts I have been considering the creation of academic portfolios for sound design.  In this post I will now examine the realisation options for building a portfolio.  Back in the "old days" a sound designers portfolio would normally consisted of a showreel that would be used as a showcase of their best work.  The advent of digital portfolios meant that it became possible to adopt the two faces of an academic portfolio that I have already spoken about in my previous posts.  From an academic point of view, the two faces makes lots of sense and can help to provide the foundations for a portfolio that can be carried forward into a professional career.  Recently work has been published that seems to advocate using different digital choices: Electronic Portfolios - ePortfolio (Dalziel 2006), Blog Portfolios - bPortfolios (Wicks 2011), Mobile Portfolios - mPortfolios (Barrett 2010), etc. However, in my opinion these seem to be missing the point!  I'm not sure that these different implementation technologies really make much of a difference.  For me it seems far more important to make sure that when implemented, the key elements that I highlighted in my previous post are covered with a suitable realisation.  For testing purposes I have built a prototype sound design portfolio using a platform called Mahara (https://mahara.org/). However, it should be possible to build a digital portfolio that meets all of these elements using different platforms.

• Planning what sounds need to be created to meet the brief and consideration of how the individual sounds will work together in the final content = blogging to create a Personal Development Plan (PDP) for the content being created and the portfolio itself 
• Log individual sound elements, complete with providing an inspiration for the sound created and details of how it was made and produced = blogging with possible document upload and SoundCloud can be used to embed audio content that can have comments placed at specific points in the content timeline
• Final content showing how the individual sound elements have been integrated together to create a final piece = blogging with text documents that can be either uploaded or embedded and SoundCloud can be used for audio content
• Formal report giving precise details of how one of the individual sounds was created and exactly how it was integrated into the final content = document created from the blog entries and can be either uploaded or embedded
• Provide a mechanism for students to reflect on what has been achieved = reflective blog entries
• Able to upload or embed different documents or media = support for web 2.0 technologies
• Provide storage for work in progress = local or cloud servers
• Allow formative feedback, ideally at corresponding points in the audio content = embed SoundCloud tracks
• Support for networking and conversation between both students and tutors = add "comments" to all content (audio, blogs, forums, etc.)
• Ability to keep some parts private and make others public = maintain an unpublished workspace and published showcases 
• Provide wider networking between to students and the "outside" world = externally visible blogs and forums
• Give confidential summative feedback and final grade = provide integration between portfolio and institutions Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) grade centre
• Allow the work to be showcased to the wider world when completed = combine appropriate elements from the above to create a showcase - use social media to help publicise

As well as these elements I have also identified that students need stimulation to develop their content and themselves, over an extended period of time.  The stimulation mechanisms maybe generated using the following elements:

• Student based reflection = reflective blog entries containing analysis and evaluation
• Formative feedback from the tutor = adding comments directly to the portfolio elements (audio, blogs, forums, etc.)
• Collaboration between students and the wider world = forums and making the content (showcases) visible on the internet

As I mentioned previously, I have created a prototype portfolio using Mahara as the complete implementation plateform.  Although Mahara fits very well with the academic requirements and does offer a very user friendly construction process (when you get your head around the different components), it does have a big drawback!  It does allow blogs, forums and networks to be created, however these do have a visibility issues.  In the sound design area there are already well established online communities and while using these institutional communities will work fine for collaboration between the students themselves, they will not open them up to the wider world.  This will then impact on the ability of the students to network with the professional/semi-professional sound community and build a reputation.  This is particularly important for the sound domain as most people work freelance and get into the industry through a long process of building a reputation and working their way up.  Ideally a portfolio started in their academic careers will form the foundations of a professional professional that will be continued through their Personal Development Plan (PDP).  Therefore, it seems important to not only use the institutional communities, but to also make the students aware of the wider communities and encourage them to fully engage with the networking possibilities.

Dalziel, C., Challen, R., & Sutherland, S. (2006). ePortfolio in the UK: Emerging Practice.  A. Jafari,& C. Kaufman, (Eds), Handbook of Research on ePortfolios. PA: Idea Group Reference. Ch. XXXIII

Wicks, D,, Andrew Lumpe, Henry Algera, Kris Gritter, Helen Barrett, Janiess Sallee (2011). bPortfolios: An Overview of Blogging for Reflective Practice. Seattle Pacific University School of Education August 2011.

Barrett, Helen. (2010). The future of mPortfolios (m=mobile) for Lifelong Learning. mPortfolios web-site, http://sites.google.com/site/mportfolios/

What is a Virtual Portfolio?

In my previous couple of posts I have been considering from an academic point of view exactly what a portfolio is and what is required of a portfolio for sound design.  In doing so it has started to become obvious that one of the things that is unique to creating portfolios for this area is the diverse range of content that is required.

Another area for consideration is although this maybe an academic portfolio it is for an art based discipline where it is important that the content can be showcased as a professional portfolio for the sector, such as a showreel.  This may not actually be that different to any other discipline, but being an art it is important that the aesthetics are showed off appropriately via the portfolios medium itself.  How is the best way to showcase a sounds that have been designed?  The normal way is to show them in-situ in the final content.  Although this does immediately show the context for the sound it may not necessarily be the best way to show some of the aesthetics of the sounds created.

Something else that I have considered is that not all content naturally lends itself to representation in a portfolio.  For example, if I were a sculpture of stone then my artistic medium would be blocks of stone.  This being the case then a paper or digital portfolio would contain virtual representations of the sculptures rather than the sculptures themselves.  This is the same for certain aspects of sound design, where the mediun is sound.  For example, if a sound is created with a synthesizer the artefact is the patch itself that makes that sound.  Although the patch file itself could be uploaded, assuming it's a soft synthesizer of cause, it will not mean a lot as it can't be played.  Therefore, a virtual representations, such as audio files or samples will need to be included.  This will also allow appropriate delivery content to show off the aesthetics of the artefact.  In this case the portfolio become a virtual portfolio of the actual output artefacts.  Hence it is a virtual portfolio.

Sound Design Portfolios

In my last post I tried to clearly define what a portfolio is and its purpose.  Having done this it is now time to start considering what this means for a sound design context. A sound design portfolio is not that different really to any other portfolio, except that many, although not all, of the artefacts will have a high media content.  This is likely to be different to other more academic disciplines, where the content range maybe less diverse.  For example, a sound design portfolio might contain elements of the following different types of media: audio recordings and tracks, samples, MIDI files, FX libraries, DAW projects, synthesizer patches, FX chains, videos, photos, FX and track list, scores, scripts, showreels, animations, sound installations etc.  As can be seen this is an extremely diverse range and some of these may not naturally lend themselves to digital delivery.

As well as considering the different artefact types that are likely to be required in a sound design portfolio, it is also worth considering what is required from both the student and the tutor perspectives.  In doing this I am very much thinking about my students and me as their tutor, but if you think I've missed anything then please let me know.

Sound Design Students

My undergraduate Music & Audio Technology students start developing a Sound Design Portfolio in their first year and continue through their studies.  However, in the first year this is what it is required:

• Planning what sounds need to be created to meet the brief and consideration of how the individual sounds will work together in the final content 
• Log individual sound elements, complete with providing an inspiration for the sound created and details of how it was made and produced
• Audio tracks, MIDI, patches, samples
• Final content showing how the individual sound elements have been integrated together to create a final piece
• DAW Projects, track lists and/or FX lists, final mixdown  
• Formal report giving precise details of how one of the individual sounds was created and exactly how it was integrated into the final content
• Provide a mechanism for students to reflect on what has been achieved
• Allow additional media content to be retained
• Images, videos, scores, scripts    

The portfolio should provide space for all of these individual elements to be formulated and developed over a period of time - like a true "workspace".

Tutor Requirements

As a tutor of sound design these are the elements that would be expected of a sound design portfolio:

• Able to upload or embed different documents or media
• Provide storage for work in progress
• Allow formative feedback, ideally at corresponding points in the audio content
• Support for networking and conversation between both students and tutors
• Ability to keep some parts private and make others public
• Provide wider networking between to students and the "outside" world
• Give confidential summative feedback and final grade
• Allow the work to be showcased to the wider world when completed

Having given this a bit of thought, for me the key to effectively using a portfolio as a "workspace" is providing the students a space to "develop".  This takes time so an important part of a portfolio assessment process is engaging students so they use the portfolio over an extended period of time.  As well as giving them time, they need stimulus to develop.  It seems that this will come from three areas:

1. Student based reflection
2. Formative feedback from the tutor
3. Collaboration between students and the wider world

Any portfolio system must provide a mechanism to foster all three of these area.

What is a Portfolio?

I am currently about to start work on a "virtual portfolio" system that will be used for students to develop a sound design portfolio.  Before beginning work on the detail of this project I think it is worth clearly defining "What is a Portfolio?"  The normal academic reply to this question is something along the lines of...

"A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student's efforts,progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self-reflection." (Paulson 1991) 

Although this gives a very vigorous interpretation of the academic requirements, it does not consider the wider ramifications from creating a portfolio.  Therefore, it is worth asking the question "What is the purpose of a Portfolio?"  There are two main academic goals for a portfolio: one is as a "workspace" where students can develop their content and the other is a "showcase" where the students can present their work (Barrett 2011).  When considered from the students perspective the workspace is very much about the process, whereas the showcase is the presentation of the product.  However, from an academic point of view the portfolio offers a mechanism for assessment of the student's efforts.  When considering the process this will be about formative assessment, while the product can be used for summative assessment.  This means that the audience for the portfolio as a workspace is largely internal and the audience for the showcase will mainly be external.  It is this external view that carries wider ramifications for the portfolio, beyond just being an academic exercise and it is hoped that the portfolio will become a life-long exercise.

So what are the key elements of a portfolio?  First, it is a repository for holding work. This is a given, based on where the very word comes from (french for page carrier).  Next, it should contain elements of the following to meet the definition above and the academic requirements (Becta 2007, JISC 2008).

• Planning and setting goals
• Capturing and storing evidence
• Collaboration
• Giving and receiving feedback (formative)
• Reflections
• Presenting to an audience
• Networking and building a reputation

It is also important when planning portfolio work to have a clear target output for the portfolio.  This means identify a specific target audience for the portfolio and tailor the presentation specifically for them.

Next I shall consider exactly what is required for a portfolio in Sound Design.

Paulson, F.L. Paulson, P.R. and Meyer, CA. (1991, February). What Makes a Portfolio a Portfolio? Educational Leadership, pp. 60-63.

Barrett, H. (2010). Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios. Educação, Formação & Tecnologias, 3(1), 6-14.

Becta (2007), Impact study of e-portfolios on learning,  http://www.becta.org.uk

JISC (2008), Effective Practice with e-Portfolios: Supporting 21st century learning, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/effectivepracticeeportfolios.pdf

Sound Design Themes and Goals

I've written several posts now about learning and practising sound design.  When it comes to practicing, you could just sit down and experiment until you come-up with something that you think is good.  Although this is likely to be a very creative process, unfortunately it is not the way that most sound designers really work.  Sound Designers will generally work from a script or brief, and will only experiment with specific goals to achieve.  This being the case, a good way to practice your craft is to set yourself specific goals for your practice projects.  These should include aesthetic goals as well as technical requirements.  This will allow you to be much more focused in your practising and is more like how you will have to work in the real world.

First decide what kind of project you are going to do: music, soundscape or soundtrack.  (As mentioned previously, if you want to get into sound design for moving image, take a video clip (film, TV or game) and remove the original soundtrack).  Then set yourself a "theme" for your sound.  For visual based content this will be partially defined by the images, but still think about what you want to achieve with the sound and formally define your "theme".  (Remember you can give the visuals a completely different feel with different sound.)  For music or soundscape projects the definition of a theme is even more important and it will give you a clear remit within which to work.  Just to give you a few examples: Summer Rain, City Streets, Jupiter's Moons, Apathy, Sea Breeze, etc.  You get the idea.

Having defined the theme for the project, next you should think about the main, over arching aesthetic/style/genre goals that you want to achieve.  These will inform how you go about all stages of the sound design process and what you are trying to accomplish.  Try and keep this short and succinct, using only three or four descriptive words.  So for something like the Transformers movies it may be something like: powerful, bold, dynamic and clean.  Although movies will have other sound styles in them at different points, these are the overall goals that set the mood of the final piece.   These would be completely different for other projects, but should always define the sound design direction.  Added or combined with this should be the aesthetic goals.  You will have much more influence over the aesthetics if you have full control over the project.  Having said that, at least think about whether you want the impact of your sound to be overt, subtle or subconscious.  This will at least give you a level to aim your sound at.

Once you have defined the main goals for the project it is then time to dig down into the piece and define what you are trying to achieve with each scene, act, movement, section, etc., of the project.  Again this will depend on the type of sound design project you are working on, but think about things like the message you are trying to convey, emotion and listening modes.  It is at this point that you can start thinking about particular sound design techniques that you want to use.  For example, Sound Narrative, Stylistic, Realistic, Hyper-Realism, Empathetic, Synchresis, Anthropomorphism, Leitmotif, Vectorisation, Temporal Linearisation, Counterpoint, Musique Concrète, Contrapuntal Music, etc.  Think of these definitions as a skeleton or framework on which you will hang your sound design.

Finally, you need to define some technical specifications for the project.  If you want to work as a professional you will always have to make sure your work meets the technical requirements defined by the initiator of the project.  Again, some of these will be define for you if you are working with image, but think about things like levels, format, spatialisation, duration, etc.

When you have defined all of these, it is then time to start practising your sound design.  Remember at all stages of the project to reference the definitions and ensure they are being met.  Be critical of yourself as in the real world this will be done by someone else and just because you created something, it does not by default mean it is great!

Doing all of this will give you a more realistic way to practice, you will create content for your showreel and you should be able to clearly explain what you were tying to achieve in the sound design.

Train Your Ears

Following on from my previous post on practicing sound design (http://sound-sculpting.blogspot.com/2011/07/practice-makes-prefect.html), another aspect that should be taken into account is developing "critical listening" skills.  Again these will take time and practice to develop and will not just happen over night.  For a newbie I would recommend taking a reference track, which could be music, soundscape or soundtrack and first listen to it as a "whole".  Then listen back to it and in your "minds ear" try to isolate one particular sound element.  The human auditory system as actually very good at this and with a bit of practice it is actual fairly easy to do.  When you have an element isolated see if you can work out its attributes: pitch, duration, timber, loudness harmonics, rhythm, envelop, textures, speed, frequency, length, panorama, intensity, dimension, interest, balance, etc.  Write down your findings so you can refer to them later.  When you have fully characterised the sound, move on to the next one, until you have decomposed the whole track.  Writing down the characteristics will help you when moving on to other sound elements as you can refer to what you have written and sometimes you may find that you will want to modify what you have previously written in-light of the sound element you have just listened to.  When completed it is really important that you listen back to track and listen to it again as a "whole" so you can hear all the elements together.  This is a vital process as it is so easy to design a number of great sound elements, but when they are put together they do not "gel".  This is often best done with fresh ears, after a period of rest so that you are not suffering from listening fatigue.  The more you go through this process the better you will get and the more your ears will be able to identify subtle sound elements that may have been hidden before.  It is my suggestion that over a few weeks you do this for 20-30 reference tracks.  Then when you reach a point that it starts to become easy, go back to your first reference track and listen back to it and evaluate the notes you wrote.  How did you do?  Can you pick-out things now that you missed before?  If you can, your ears are getting better so work back through all your previous reference tracks and see if your evaluations have changed.  It should also be noted that this practice should be kept up.  Even when you get really good at it, still analyse audio content that you listen to, especially your own sound design! 

As well as training your ears on reference tracks you will also need to train your ears on the kind of audio processing you are likely to want to use.  This could be done by simply using a DAW with some audio content and just listening to the effect of changes you make, say to EQ settings or any other form of processing.  However, in my opinion some form of "testing" will yield better results.  There are web-sites and apps available that have been specifically designed for the testing of critical listening skills.  I have not reviewed all of these and I'm sure there are some other good critical listening testing solutions.  However, I would recommend the book, Audio Production and Critical Listening: Technical Ear Training by Jason Corey (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Production-Critical-Listening-Technical/dp/0240812956).  This is a great text and comes with an app that compliments the contents of the book and allows you to test your audio production skills.

A final area of useful training is the identification of audio "problems".  For this I recommend you take an audio track and apply processing to it to generate as many audio problems as you can think of.  Here are a few to get you started: over-compression, poor EQ, clipping, quantisation noise, reduced bandwidth, stereo width too wide or narrow, poor spatial impression, etc.  Bounce out several examples of each with different settings and name each file to correspond with the particular issue and the settings used.  Listen to the original audio and then playback the bounced files in a random order and see if you can identify the issue and settings used in each.  This will work even better if you have a friend that can generate the files for you so that you are listening to them fresh.  You could then return the favour.

Suffice to say, the more you practice listening, the better you will get at it.  This time and effort will then pay you back in your sound design and the more you design sounds the better your ears will get.

Practice Makes Prefect

No matter what discipline you want to be good at: athletics, writing, singing, sound design, etc., then you will need to practice.   Contrary to popular opinion, natural ability will only get you so far!!!  No one gets to the top of their game on talent alone.  David Beckham, Michael Schumacher, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton, Ben Burtt - all had to practice their craft.  Becoming a Sound Designer is no different - you will have to practice.  This will do two things: first it will let you hone your technical skills and second it will allow you to train your creative skills and ears.  In other words, the "how" and the "why" of sound design.  So you need to practice generating, synthesising recording and manipulating sounds.  Then practice some more.  Practice, practice, practice!!!!

How you practice will depend on the kind of sound design that you are interested in.  If you want to be a synth programmer then practice creating patches on a broad variety of synthesizers and samplers.  (Do not ignore the manipulation of acoustic sounds.  Working with real sounds is invaluable for learning "how sound works" - an important aspect of being a sound designer.)   Then once the patches have been created, integrate them into productions of some description.  These could be musical compositions, soundscapes, sound sculptures or preferable a mixture of all three.  These productions will give you practice of not only creating sounds, but will also demonstrate how the patches could be used.  This is vital knowledge and will greatly improve your sound design skills.

If on the other hand you want to get into sound design for moving images then take a video clip (film, TV or game), remove the soundtrack and create your own.  Again, not only create the sounds, but integrate them as a new soundtrack so that even if you don't want to work as a sound editor you will be fully aware of the whole post-production process.  You could even practice being a Foley artist.

Not only will these productions be invaluable practice, but they will give you a portfolio of work to show potential clients.  This is always useful as it will allow you to actually demonstrate what you can do across the entire production process.  What is more, as you will have full creative control over the productions it should be a fun and inspiring experience!  So if you are starting along the path towards a career in sound design, then get practicing.

Sound Design: To Tweet or Not To Tweet

Now this post might be a bit off topic, but if I'm honest I've never really understood the point of Twitter in any context.  Why would someone want to hear sound bites from me?  Why do I want to hear from others?  For me, what is the benefit?  It is going to cost me time and effort.  Important news is almost instantly lost in a timeline that continually updated.  People seem to tweet so often it just becomes noise (when I hear noise, I just want to process it into something interesting).

However, while on the Social Sound Design site (http://socialsounddesign.com/) the other day, someone asked which sound designers tweet.  To be honest I was amazed at the response.  Within a very short space of time several pages had been filled by fellow sound designers, not only saying they used it, but strongly singing its virtues.  So convincing was it, I started to wonder if I was missing out on something?  Is there more to tweeting than I realised?

At about the same time, on a forum I'd posted details of this blog, someone expressed their frustration that they could not follow the blog without having a Google account.  It struck me that Twitter might give me an opportunity to keep interested parties updated about content on the blog.  So off to Twitter I went and setup a @SoundSculpting account and I followed all the sound designers that had left their usernames on the Social Sound Design post.  This instantly put me in direct contact with other like minded people working in the same field.  Now I'm not saying I'm a complete convert (there is still a fair bit of noise - some of these people need to spend more time working and less time browsing), but I'm starting to see the benefit.  As I've just said, I have instant access to the sound design community.  This means I'm now getting updates of articles, job opportunities, new tools, projects others are working on and just general sound related musings.  This can be important for two reasons: first if you are new to the field and are an aspiring Sound Designer then it is a good way to build-up contacts and find out what others that already work in the area do.  Second, if you are already working in the field and tend to work with the same people, it is easy to become very insular.  Talking to others in the field gives the "cross-fertilization" that can be so vital in getting the creative juices flowing.  Find out what others are doing, how they are doing it and why they are doing it.  This can be a truly liberating experience and even if you have years of experience, you may learn something new.  You are never too old to learn.

Now as you may have noticed I have added a Twitter follow button to this blog.  If you want to be kept up-to-date with the blog and what I'm working on, then press the button.  Now I'm really keen that I don't just end up generate needless noise, however I will tweet about updates to this blog and other sound design related stuff that I think will be of interest to blog followers.  Equally if you have comments or sound design items I might be interested in then I look forward to hearing from you.

Leave Presets Behind

If you are going to "make it" as a sound designer then you have to be prepared to leave presets behind. This can be a daunting prospect, especially when you are fairly new to sound design, but in my view it is a necessary step.  When you are starting, think of your synthesizer or audio effect as a "system", what an engineer will call a "black box".  The system will have some input information that it will processed in some way, in order to generate some output.  In this area the inputs and outputs will probably be with audio or MIDI information.

Then research the operation of this particular "type" of system.  For example, if it is a delay effect then learn "how" delay effects work or if it is a subtractive synthesizer then learn "how" they work and their basic operation.  Although you can do sound design purely by ear, in my experience if you learn and understand the lower level technology it will give you more possibilities and when you combine this with your ears, you'll have a lot more flexibility and potential.

Next look up the exact operation of the system that you have.  It may sound obvious, but the best source of information is the manual.  Now believe me, I don't advercate reading the manual from cover to cover, but keep it close at hand for when you are unsure of something.  Manuals will tell you exactly what the system will do and will generally also explain how the system performs its operation (if you are lucky it will also contain a fair bit of background information).  I have to confess that I do find it frustrating when I am asked questions that clearly tell me that the manual has not been consulted, hence RTFM. (Look this up if you don't know what it means.)

As you gain experience with a particular type of effect or synthesizer you'll find that you will start to understand what the controls do, without having to consult the manual continually.  Having said that, when I pickup a new effect or particularly an advanced synthesizer I always tend to lookout for a "block diagram".  This will show the "signal flow" within the system and the connection of the systems sub-components.  In other words, it is what is inside the black box.  This for me is a vital asset in understanding the intricacies of the sound design possibilities that the system gives.  Block diagrams come in many different guises, from being a written description and/or a drawing in manual:

They might be given as a representation on the front of the device (hardware or software):

Through to a routing matrix that allows the user the modify elements of the systems interconnections:

These combined with my understanding of the operation of each block, helps me workout how my sounds can be generated and/or affected.  I can then use my ears to refine what is created.  This takes practice and is something I'll consider in my next post.

Before leaving this topic it is worth pointing out what may seem like obvious aspects of block diagrams, whatever form they are in.  First, the inputs are generally shown on the left and the outputs are on the right (occasionally they may go from top to bottom).  This then defines the normal direction of signal flow within the diagram.  If the signal flow is in the opposite direction (output to input) then it is called a "feedback" path.  The signal path may split into multiple paths, and equally, multiple paths maybe combined to a single path.  Each sub-component block will affect the signal at its input in some way and generate an output signal.  Often there will a hierarchical aspect to the blocks so each can the thought of as a black box in its own right and they themselves may contain a lower level block diagram.  The idea of using this hierarchical black box paradigm is that it gives a mechanism for managing complexity.  You can concentrate on what each blocks does without necessary worrying about how it does its operation.  This keeps happening until you get down to the low-level building blocks for the system.  The lowest level is where the engineers that build the systems, will do their stuff and the top levels is where sound designers and producers will work.  Now I have come full circle on myself where I said that an understanding and appreciation of the lower level operation will improve your sound design possibilities.  Keep going down as far as you dare, but take it slowly and don't be put off when at first you don't understand what is happening at a lower level.  Just do a bit more research and learning.

How is Sound Design Different to Sound Engineering or Producing?

On a forum recently I was asked to clarity the difference between sound design, sound engineering and production.  Were does one stop and the other start?  The flippant answer would have been that a sound designer is the person that creates sounds, but is not necessarily involved in the production process.  However, I think it is a bit more complicated than that.  There are two things muddying the waters here.  The first is the blurring of boundaries between job roles.  Back in the days of the "super studios" the roles had more definition and individuals would have specific jobs to do.  However, the advancement and affordability of technology have meant that today someone can realistically do sound design, recording, editing, mixing, mastering etc.  Today most people “producing” music and audio do undertake all of these things.  These people would probably call themselves “producers”.  The second factor is the common misuse of the terms "engineer" and "engineering".  This started in the 1980s, before this engineering meant what it still really is: "The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, processes, and systems." (dictionary definition.)  In the 1980s everyman and his dog started calling themselves engineers whether they did science and maths or not.  Plumbers became "Heating Engineers", TV repairmen became "Audio/Visual Engineers", etc.  This also happened in the music and audio sector and the term “Sound Engineer” became commonly used.  The term is usually used to describe a person that does recording, editing, mixing, mastering etc. under the direction of someone else, usually a producer.  I personally don’t like this term due the misuse of the word engineering, but I seem to be in the minority.  Having said that, as most producers work on their own these days it is a role that only survives in large studios, and there are not many of these left.

So back to sound design.  In my opinion, sound design is the creative construction and manipulation of sound.  As I’ve said, it is very easy for this to blur into production, although it does not necessarily have to.  For example, if I create a synth patch, that is a sound I have “designed”.  I might not use it in a production.  I might for example just sell my patch.  In this case, I have created the sound, but not been involved in a production using it so can’t call myself a producer.  To give another example, when Ben Burtt (sound designer for the original Star Wars movie) designed the sound of a lightsabre he did a bit of different roles: to paraphrase “production recordist, a sound editor, a sound mixer”  (http://www.filmsound.org/starwars/burtt-interview.htm).  He did not actually do the production editing (that was the sound editor), but he did the “creation” or “design” of that sound. 

Other associated areas such as, acoustics, studio design, production hardware design, software audio programming, etc., are in my view all forms of true “engineering”.  That is, the application of science and maths.  They do require creativity, but in science and maths, rather than arts and aesthetics, such as in sound design and production.  For example, look at the “Audio Engineering Society” (http://www.aes.org/about/), they are the ones that design all of the equipment we use in a studio.  They don’t do the actual recording, mixing, production, sound reinforcement etc., but rather they design and produce the equipment that is used in all of these disciplines.

Now although sound design can be done entirely by ear, in my opinion it sure helps if you do know a bit of the science as well.  What frequencies does a sound contain? What harmonic components does a particular waveform contain?  How do waveforms combine when added (mixed) together?  How does a sound change when in a different acoustic environments? Etc.  Although you may think you’re not doing any science, you are, even if your measuring equipment is your ears. 

I personally tackle sound design in a very engineering manner, as that is my original background.  I look to combine my science and maths background with my creative skills and apply these to “making” sounds.  That in essence is what this blog will be about.  

How to become a Sound Designer?

I guess if you are looking at this blog then you are interested in Sound Design and might be considering it as a career path.  So how do you become a sound designer?  Well in my experience most end up in this field almost by accident.  Until recently there was no way to study sound design academically.  This meant people either ended up sound designers from other associated fields or worked they way up through the industry.  For my own part, by accident, I have been able to turn my hobby into my primary career.  I never meant to end-up here it just sort of happened to me.  Having said that I'm very happy about my new career and very grateful to the happy coincidence that led me to my present location.

So what advice would I give someone that wants to get into sound design?  Well I think the step-by-step advice given by Andrew Diey (http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/drama/advice_diey.shtml) says a lot of what I'd want to say.  In addition to this, if you are just starting out I think I'd offer the following advice.  First, study the science of sound, normally called acoustics.  You really need to understand how sound "works" if you are going to be able to replicate different audio effects and synthesis required sounds.  Second, in the early part of your career do not restrict yourself to one form of sound design.  As I have said before, sound design is a varied and multifaceted discipline and although you may have a greater interest in one area than another, you need to develop a wide range of skills to be viable.  Finally, train you ears - learn to dissect every sound.  What frequencies does the sound contain?  How does it change with time?  Does it have multiple layers?  What are the layers? Does it sound the same to both ears?  How do you perceiving the sound?  What sound components match the sound you are hearing?  This takes practice as it is not something most people don't do it instinctively?  There are tools (level metres, scopes, spectrum analysers, goniometers, etc.) you can use to help you with these questions, but there is not substitute for a good pair of ears.

Another thing to bear in mind, in this day and age you need to be technologically competent and this likely to be computer based.  It is not about learning one particular tool (DAW) over another, but rather about learning the underlying principles.  Then if you need to use a tool you're not familiar with you should be able to make the switch.  With this in mind, I would recommend that you learn one of the major DAWs (Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools).

What does all this add up to?  In short, all this adds up to learning your trade....

What is Sound Design?

The phrase "sound design" means different things to different people.  As a result, I think it would be useful to clarify what I mean by the term and what this blog will be about.  To me, sound design is the generation, synthesis, recording (studio and location)  and manipulation of sound and I like to think of it as "sculpting" sound.  Therefore it means all to the following are different types of sound design: synthesizer programming, generating and recording found sounds, foley, applying effects during audio production, etc.  This covers an exceptionally wide range of skills and techniques, but to be successful in this arena you need to embrace every aspect of sound.  Sound design is required in many areas including: music production, soundscapes, film, television, theatre, computer/video games, live sound and sound art.  For me sound design for visual content is very rewarding as it gives you the opportunity to immerse the audience into the world defined by the visuals.  Whereas pure audio based sound design can be highly creative experience as there no constraints.  This can be a positive and a negative thing!  You need imagination.

So whose sound design do I have the most respect for?  In terms of sound design for visuals, I guess because of my age, the original Star Wars film stands out.  This film introduced me to sounds I'd never heard or even imagined before.  What's more the sounds were "just right" for the visuals so most people watching did not even think about them.  This is truly the essence of good sound design for visuals.  (If the audience consciously think about the audio content, invariably there is something wrong.)  If you're not familiar with this work you should really check it out, even if you're not into sci-fi (http://www.filmsound.org/starwars/).

In terms of music, it was around the same point in my life when music took, in my opinion a hugh leap in a magical new direction.  For me there were three tracks the ushered in a new era of music.  The first was "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer.  I think it was the first time I'd heard electronic sounds at the forefront of a track.  I loved the way the sounds evolved and changed as I was listening.  This was then complemented beautifully by the sweet sounding vocals.

The second was "Are 'friends' electric?" by Tubeway Army (Gary Numan).  I'd never heard such striking, in your face, electronic sounds before and the contrast of them to Numan's erie vocals was pure magic.

The final one was "Das Model" by Kraftwerk, a track of ONLY electronic sounds that were then set against ridged vocals in German.  In my opinion, this was the inspiration for the "electronic 80's" and paved the way for bands like The Human League and Depeche Mode.

These early sound experiences were so influential and to this day are the inspiration I aspire to.  (Having said that, this is the first time I have written down these thoughts and until now it was an informal jumble in my mind.)   As a result, I am never happier than when I'm sculpting sound in some way, shape or form.

So what is this blog about?  It is about all types of sound design and everything to do with it.  The content will probably be fairly random and likely to relate to whatever projects I'm currently working on.  It will probably have a strong link to the technology used in sound design, especially computer-based, as that is my background.

I final note:  I'm dyslexic so there are likely to be typos and grammatical errors in this blog. So in those famous words "This is a journey into sound...".