Sound design is an evolving art. The profession of sound design came into being about 50 years ago when audio and video media started elevating. Whenever explorers come across this field of design, they often have these two questions in their mind: “what is sound design?” & “what does a sound designer do?” This blog tries to answer these questions and inform everyone about this exciting design world.
What is sound design?
As the name suggests, sound design is an art that involves innovating sound. Sound designers work for various industries to record, mix, sample, tweak or score the sounds using different sound elements.
Elements of sound design
- Ambiance: The sound of the background is referred to as ambiance, and it is present in a way that doesn’t overwhelm a scenario and makes a scene look more realistic.
- Foley audio: Sounds produced while acting. A good example would be the chopping of fruits.
- Voice over: Voice produced by a narrator who may or may not directly involve the produced media. During this phase, designers focus on the configuration of sound equipment and training of soundboard operators.
- Audio effects: Sounds that are produced artificially. A relevant example would be speaking aliens.
- Music: Sounds that are produced instrumentally as well as melodies.
Sound designer responsibilities
Most sound designers work up in a 3-step order. Designers may be responsible for any or all of the steps mentioned below. Each stage has a different set of responsibilities associated with it:
Recording and Designing
In this step, sound designers are involved in gathering audio through recording. This recording is either done by an artist or is sourced from an existing library, and the goal is to produce original tracks.
Editing and applications
In this phase, sound designers tweak and synchronize the recorded tracks with video media. Techniques like cropping, remixing, etc., help designers achieve expected results. Additionally, a sound engine helps designers implement as per their needs.
Mixing
Mixing is that sound design phase that involves the addition of sound effects to the recorded sound.
Sound design process
Sound designers are a part of a three-phased process. This process revolves around the production and designates different activities for each step. Here’s a brief rundown of everything associated with the process:
Pre-production
The design team sets up a meeting with directors and producers in this step. Rehearsals, reviews, and collaborations occur to develop a soundtrack that meets the use case. The budget allocated in this stage is utilized for licensing, talent, catering, production crew, and voice-over recording.
Production
During this phase, sound designers focus on configuring sound equipment and training soundboard operators.
Post-production
In post-production, sound designers are primarily involved in sound refinement activities. Activities like visual sync, dialogue placements, timelines, and adding audio effects to recorded sound are a part of the post-production process.
This wraps all that you need to know about sound design. If you wish to learn more about Sound Design, enroll in the sound design course on ProApp today! The course covers topics like noisy dimension, props, sound sources, and best practices that help understand all there is to know to embark on your journey to becoming a sound designer!