Sound Designer Stuff

[DuckJordan]

I know there is a favorite tutorials thread but its more geared towards teaching about equipment and not so much as the process to designing a show. I would like to know what kind of things should a student be looking for as far as from a sound designers perspective. I know basics like buying/paying for rights to use certain music and sound. I just want to know if there are any informational sites that you have visited that either go through the design process or provide more information on designing a shows sound.

It seems to me that we focus more on the gear than the actual quality of the audio we put into the gear. Our theater has a decent system, not great but not bad either, but it generally sounds horrendous because of poor quality audio sources.

Basically I would like to see how people go about making sounds (doing their own recording for sound FX) and how they can change something like a pop can being hit to sounding like a car crash or something heavier. I understand the best way to make something sound like it is to go do it and record the exact thing, But not everyone has a tank in their backyard to record bullets tinging off the armor.

 

[wolf825]

Things to look for from a perspective of designing the sound is moreso to make it do a couple of general and basic things... First it must fit the time period of the show--1990's traffic, bus and car horns sounds for a 1920's era show and there is street noise--just makes it stick out like a sore thumb...so at all times the designer must ask themselves if the sound 'fits' the show and the period etc...

Second the goal is to make it sound not like a recorded 'effect' but a natural normal sound that fits the show--that is background or a part of the show...something that would be heard on stage naturally and expected to be heard given the location or items and situation--that can be done with the effect itself, but also considering the volume level of that effect, and lastly you want to consider the orientation of where the effect is coming from--so plan if there is any routing done for that effect. For example, if you are playing a radio static sound from a prop radio located upstage--ideally for most effects is to have the sound come FROM the radio or just upstage nearby so the audience can get that audible orientation, instead of out of everything the mains.. A nice effect is to start your effect upstage and slowly bring it into the mains if its needed--gives the audience a feel of the effect and then it just 'blends' to the rest of the sound. Another example: If your actors are deep in a forest at night--crickets sound great coming from stage side-fills but they can be a distraction coming from the mains or at too high a level. another example--If a sound is a crash off stage left--the sound should come primarily from off stage left ideally...and not from all over the stage equally. These little touches and basic considerations help greatly with the entire aspect of the show for the audience. Not everyone may have the gear to do things or go crazy with routing...but when you can you wish to do proper orientation of the sound for the audience perspective.

When planning a design you want to go thru the entire script--note when and where (act/scene) there are sound effects or potential ones. Everything from doorbells to 'enhanced noises to augment (foot stomping) or other background noise for the setting etc. All designers should be having meetings prior to discuss the aspects of the show they are charged with.. In those meetings you will want to iron out and discuss the effects--and you will need to determine how much of this will be done by you in recorded effects, what will be done by the orchestra, and what is going to be 'live' (i.e. mic effects, crashbox or thunder panels offstage etc etc). You will need to determine if the effect is an actor/action triggered cue, a cue the SM can call--or even if its a visual cue the board op will take if there is other timing to consider. You will also need to consider your equipment and its limitations..a digital hard drive or Instant Replay device is great--but not everyone will have those... If you are doing CD cuts--you have to plan on your recordings, their show order including repeats and the durations--will they loop or fade out half way or play til the end and then you have to plan your recording for those.

One other thing for a student designer to consider is that if you are designing--you are only a link in the chain that makes a show.. Every sound effect for what it is, where it goes and for how long etc--as a designer you have some freedom to create but its always best to discuss this plan and so on, and even audition sound effect options if you have them, to the Director long prior so everyone is on the same page and happy with the progress as you get closer to tech week. Many directors look for this to a degree to happen from designers to take initiative etc (and yes its OK if the effect is auditioned during tech week if time has not been your friend, but ideally you wish to try and do this or make an effort to do so prior.). Then you will have some teacher-directors who just don't care that much--or at least not until you are in the middle of tech and they decide the effect they are hearing for the first time doesn't 'fit' what they were planning or imagining... So you have to be able to plan and have "plan B's" in the works you can turn to just in case... If you are recording and making your own (Foley) sound effects and so on--great--but understand such can take a lot of time and practice..don't practice on a show. If you want to design sound--start doing so on your own and learn the recording and mic techniques and tricks of EQ and effects that can be your friend later on when you do have a show..practice doing basic music with a keyboard synth 'all in one' toy that can give you the ability to make interlude music or introduction music...

The other aspect for the sound designing is the actors and mic techniques...do they project or do they whisper... This aspect of designing is more budget oriented then anything most times...you can have a cast of 50 but not everyone of them needs or can be afforded a mic so they can get their one or two lines delivered... so you have to plan aspects. The sound design can also vary greatly between drama shows and musicals...where you then have to consider bands or orchestras and so on.. Some designers are of the position that natural sound for drama shows is the only way to go--make the actors project--is a critical skill to the stage talent..use a little mic'ing as possible. Then you have some who believe every actor and every stick of furniture has to be mic'd... Again this can be heavily reliant in high school shows on the aspect of budget--what can you afford to do. Compromise in switching out mics, and area mic techniques of the set, can add and help when not every actor can get a mic... There is a WHOLE lot more to that aspect...in fact there is a whole lot more details and aspects to sound design that I have just scratched the surface.. Hopefully as this thread intended--it will address and touch on many of these finer points...

Just a few things to consider....I may touch more on this later. Others I'm sure will chime in with their views. Anyway I hope this helps get the ball rolling on a great topic that is not always given a balanced discussion beyond the gear...look forward to reading many inputs from many folks here on the subject of Sound Design.


-w

 

[Cameron]

That was probably the best explanation I've heard in a while. Wolf hit the nail on the head.

But something for you to mull over as well: "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." -T.S. Eliot

 

[Morpheus]

But something for you to mull over as well: "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." -T.S. Eliot

...uh, but not in the copyright context...

 

[JoeGriffin]

+1 on everything Wolf said, first off.

It seems to me that we focus more on the gear than the actual quality of the audio we put into the gear.

Lots of magazines, courses and online-atoriums focus on the gear and not the design process, so it's cool that you ask. You might look at sound-designer blogs: Nick Keenan (http://theaterforthefuture.com/), Heather Fenoughty (http://www.heather-fenoughty.com/blog/ --more of a composer but still quite good stuff), Sound Design Concepts (http://sounddesignconcepts.blogspot.com), me (http://toxicbag.wordpress.com/ --if I might be so bold) and others who talk a bunch about sound design process and technique.

Basically I would like to see how people go about making sounds (doing their own recording for sound FX) and how they can change something like a pop can being hit to sounding like a car crash or something heavier. I understand the best way to make something sound like it is to go do it and record the exact thing, But not everyone has a tank in their backyard to record bullets tinging off the armor.

Many of us lean heavily on sound effects libraries or sites like Audiosparx (http://audiosparx.com) where we can purchase individual effects as needed. I've got a modest sound effects library, made up of sounds from various libraries and my own past projects. I do create specific sounds from time to time; on a college production of "Machinal" last month I did a recording session with the cast to get all of the courtroom reactions just the way I wanted them. I also recorded many of the office sounds for the opening scene, because the director wanted a particular blend of modern and "vintage" office sounds.

I also did a custom recording with the cast of "The Regulars" to get the sounds of the restaurant descending into chaos. Some things you aren't going to find on libraries. I just did a bunch of recording by the El tracks in Chicago for an upcoming show.

As far as learning how to manipulate your recordings (pop can into car crash) --I also suggest reading about film sound design, because there's lots of good tips there. Mix Magazine online has a pile of articles about sound for movies, and many of the designers reveal how they did certain effects (the liquid Terminator's sound pallette includes a can of dog food, for example).

A couple of additions to Wolf's great post:

1: a cue you've toiled over in your studio might well not work at all when you put it up with the actors, the set, the lights etc. Hopefully this won't happen too often, but don't beat yourself up if it does. I joke that I go into every tech assuming that 30% of my cues are going to be cut. It's never that bad of course, but every so often there'll be something that, once the director sees it in context s/he will say, "nah, lose that." Even if it was approved previously--that's just how this stuff works. Rest assured it's probably happening to all the other designers too. Remember you're there to serve a greater whole and the director is the one who has final say over what serves that whole best.

b: when you're in production meetings and tech with the other designers, listen to and look at what they're doing. You might well draw inspiration from their design. Back to "Machinal," the lighting designer and I fed off of each other all through tech; I found new places to add sounds based on where he was putting light cues, and he changed some of his light cues to reflect what I was doing sound-wise. it's a collaborative art; let it be that.

I'm looking forward to seeing others jump in on this thread and share their insights.

Have fun!