How To... Cut Through The Noise

We live in a distracted age – I caught myself juggling my phone and tablet in front of the telly recently. Visually I was lost in a fog of devices, but my interest was occasionally piqued by the sound of an advert – a great music track or some interesting sound design.

Sound is an important tool and has a big part to play in re-engaging viewers but how? Here are a few practical ways to make sure your project’s audio cuts through the visual noise.

Communication

Sound design is half art, half science and entirely subjective. Individual perception of sound can vary wildly from person to person therefore establishing a strong brief and understanding of the creative’s vision is important. You’d be amazed how often ‘this just needs some sound effects’ is my brief for a session but creating interesting or impactful sound design is as much about the communication and flow of ideas between sound designer and creatives as it is about the twiddling of the knobs and technical aspects. So it’s the creative fit that you really need to focus on.

Timing

With creative communications established, getting the best results comes down to allowing time for experimentation. A good sound designer knows how to get results quickly (it’s become a necessity), but really special work takes time and planning to reap real dividends – both creatively and financially. 

Involving your sound designer early in the process, ideally around the time the treatment is being put together, will add value, tailor the sound to your production and give you a better product. It will also save both time and money later. They’ll be able to help with budgeting – where costs can be saved and where special attention needs to be focused – discuss ideas and advise on how the work might be approached. For example, how to make the most of your location sound or possibly to recommend some bespoke recording.

I recently worked on some launch films for the Google Arts and Culture website where the brief was for very detailed and intricate sound design intended to trigger ASMR style reactions. Bespoke recording was essential for the unique sounds the creatives wanted.  Library SFX are useful, but more compelling results can often be achieved with bespoke recorded, sampled or synthesised sound. Consider a good off the peg suit and a bespoke one; both can look great, but one just has that little something extra. It can be intangible, but the difference is there nonetheless.

Collaboration

The right music track can make or break an ad. But consider the ‘fit’ with the other audio elements. A good composer will have an eye on sync points and the feel of the work but have they thought about VO position, SFX requirements and dialogue? The final audio mix needs to ensure that sound design, voiceover, dialogue and music all work together and cut through. Get the sound designers, composers and creatives to meet up and discuss what the sound is aiming to achieve – again the earlier the better.   

The right tools

With production music or commercial music consider approaching the library or publisher to get the individual stems of the track. This gives a lot of additional flexibility, which generally means better edits and more space for the right elements to shine through at the right moment.

A sound mix is more than the sum of its parts. When done well, all the parts come effortlessly together as a coherent whole, focusing your listener and engaging them on a profound level. Good mixes need good vision; good vision needs good communication and a good sound designer. If you nail the planning then you’re much more likely to nail the mix – and that is essential when trying to cut through the noise.