Improving Communication With Your Sound Designer Part 2
by Kane Minkus

Contents   Introduction   Tools Communication   Sample/Instrument Communication   Structural Communication   Printable version   Discuss this article The Series   Part 1   Part 2

Sample/Instrument

This is where music and sound effects diverge a bit, so we will discuss them separately.

Music

The instrument level discussions are incredibly important. This is the raw input you will be using to build your final product. Without the understanding of how to communicate your desires at this level, your composer might fundamentally start in a different direction then your vision.

1. Instrument selection – knowing your instruments and what sounds they make is vital. What instrument do you request when you want western music? (Dobro, Fiddle and Harmonica) How about Hawaiian? (Lap Steel, Ukelele and Stringed Bass) Relying on your composer to know these instruments is fine, but it is to your advantage to understand the layers and how these instruments work in each style of music. How about orchestral? (there can be hundreds of instruments). Or in a cinematic/film score – this could be any combination of orchestral instruments with modern instruments… Approaching your composer with a sense of what you like and dislike in the style of music you are trying to get is very helpful. (Note: Also, a good understanding of musical genres is important here. Asking for electronic music is too vague. There are hundreds of styles of electronic music. Knowing whether you want Downtempo, Break Beat, House, Electro, etc. is very helpful. This goes for all other genres too. There are lots of sub genres in every genre. Spending a couple evenings going through iTunes and listening to the different radio stations (which are clearly labeled by Genre and sub genre), while trying to clearly identify what instrument is doing what, will do wonders for your ability to communicate about the music.)
2. Performance – another part that makes up the instrument category is the performance of the musician. Sometimes the musician is your composer, sometimes the composer is producing other musicians. The performance of the individual instrument is key to a good sounding piece of music
3. Instrument/Sample Quality – the instruments/samples used for each recording should be the best available or to your liking. Although you do not have to know the difference in the quality of a Martin Guitar versus a Gibson Guitar, (or a Les Paul versus a Fender), if the quality of the instrument does not work for you, that should be individually addressed.

Sound Effects

A sound designer is using a very different type of sample building process. This will fit into one of three categories:

1. Organic Sample – this is a recording of an organic, real life sound: i.e. – Footsteps on gravel, door closing, explosions, etc.
2. Synthesized Sound – sound generated from a synthesizer (virtual or hardware). In case you are not fully hip on today’s sound design tools, many are virtual and are highly sophisticated sound generating engines with all sorts of complex synthesis going on. Few sound designers are still using physical hardware. These virtual synthesizers are called Virtual Instruments or sometimes Plug Ins.
3. Hybrid – since the Virtual Synthesizers need a source of sound, sometimes they use a fully synthesized sound generator, or they can take the organic recording and process it through its synthesizer engine to create an entirely morphed creation. i.e. taking a recording of a cow mooing, and processing it through a virtual synthesizer (by slowing it down, pitch shifting it way down and adding some synthesis magic to it) can give you a ferocious roar of a demon creature.

Structural Communication