sound design
what is sound design?
Sound design is the art of influencing an experience through sound and audio.
Imagine a painter sitting in front of a blank canvas choosing which color she could brush onto the it. She might think to herself, "Blue might be nice. Perhaps burnt sienna? Could be lovely. What about blending blue and white?" She mixes colors with several different paint brushes and paints layers of shapes over more layers of shapes which will eventually form a complete visual experience art.
A sound designer paints sound.
The sound designer's canvas might be a film, where they need to pick sounds to make the theatre seats rumble. A sound designer's canvas might be an exhibit in a zoo, where visitors can close their eyes and imagine the sensation of standing in the rainforest. A sound designer's canvas might be an empty room in a quiet gallery, where it lures in curious visitors investigating what could possibly make that strange sound they heard from the other room. A sound designers canvas could be a video game, a theatre production, a live concert, a TV show, broadcast, or anything else where what we hear is informative, enjoyable, or important.
A sound designer decides what listeners hear.
Every sound we hear gives endless possibilities to be shaped and sculpted by sound designers. In the same way a painter uses paint to create, sound designers use sounds as their medium. They mix, blend, modify, and shape one sound or a dozen sounds to make a unique 'color' to use towards achieving their artistic vision to share with their listeners.
Imagine a painter sitting in front of a blank canvas choosing which color she could brush onto the it. She might think to herself, "Blue might be nice. Perhaps burnt sienna? Could be lovely. What about blending blue and white?" She mixes colors with several different paint brushes and paints layers of shapes over more layers of shapes which will eventually form a complete visual experience art.
A sound designer paints sound.
The sound designer's canvas might be a film, where they need to pick sounds to make the theatre seats rumble. A sound designer's canvas might be an exhibit in a zoo, where visitors can close their eyes and imagine the sensation of standing in the rainforest. A sound designer's canvas might be an empty room in a quiet gallery, where it lures in curious visitors investigating what could possibly make that strange sound they heard from the other room. A sound designers canvas could be a video game, a theatre production, a live concert, a TV show, broadcast, or anything else where what we hear is informative, enjoyable, or important.
A sound designer decides what listeners hear.
Every sound we hear gives endless possibilities to be shaped and sculpted by sound designers. In the same way a painter uses paint to create, sound designers use sounds as their medium. They mix, blend, modify, and shape one sound or a dozen sounds to make a unique 'color' to use towards achieving their artistic vision to share with their listeners.