What is Sound Design?

Picture by Sergey Ziegle

Is the prophecy true?

Sound design is considered a fundamental part of visual arts, and it has been since the pre-historic times, in Japan, where they used music and sound in addition to theatrics for healing and religious purposes at shrines. 

It is also important to know that sound design also changes dependent on the project it is being used for. For instance, live theatre design will have different components to consider than sound for films and games. Yes, most of the principles will apply to all of them, but it is important to note that there may be additional changes. 

Ana Mixing ‘Marvin’ in 2018 (Heather Rodgers)

As a small independent sound company, we do pride ourselves in being very hands-on in whatever project we take on. But it is important to clarify that many other sound teams will be much larger, and again, their approach may vary depending on the project at hand. 

Let’s talk about what sound design actually is, and discuss a few of the potential environments where sound design is imperative to the artistic development of a project.

So, what is sound design?

Sound design is an artistic craft in which auditory or sound tracks are made, manipulated, and used in a variety of disciplines such as film, TV, radio, games, sound art, exhibits, installations and more. 

Typically, sound design requires audio professionals to acquire sound recordings be it through the sound capture during the production stage [for a film or television show], or in the post-production stage [for sound effects, voice over, etc].

Sound design also includes the editing of said sounds, and sometimes it extends to the creation of audio solely through technology and software, such as synthesisers which is one of our specialities at Black Goblin. 

Gabby and Ana on set of “Anna”

It is arguable that without sound design, a full creative concept will not be fully conceived. Even “no audio” in a modern-day film is a stylistic choice, and sound designers will be responsible for this.

Film, TV and Games - Oh my!

As previously stated, there are slightly different approaches to designing sound depending on the medium. When creating sound for film and TV, there is a similar approach. The work is divided in different stages which include as a minimum: Development, Pre-production, Production, Post-production and Distribution. We go into more detail about these stages in our course “An Introduction to Pre-production Sound for Film”, but overall, sound plays a crucial part from the pre-production stage [where the filming/recording of the film or TV show is planned and all the creatives are hired], the production [when the materials are captured], and the post-production [the processing of all recorded materials for their release].

Sound becomes this omnipresent voice when creating films and TV shows which allows the spectators to understand the narrative through well delivered dialogue, and even influence visual decisions such as camera placements and inserts when well thought and planned.

If you don’t believe us, think about any of the biggest franchises without their signature sound effects. What would be of Star Wars without the lightsabre sound [thank you, Ben Burtt and sound team] or the characteristic “blip” sound when Janet appears in every episode of the good place [thank you amazing and super big sound department, pictured below].

The Good Place - Sound department, sourced IMDb

But what about games?

Games and for that matter, animation as well, have changed the industry. Oversimplified, games and animation films all start in studios, and their development, preproduction, production and postproduction stages all get merged into one big development. More closely resembling software development in its management than filmmaking [although we can argue this is now changing], games bring in a new opportunity for sound designers to think about aspects such as user experience, interactivity. Having said this, the creative process starts sounding oddly familiar when you think about the psychology behind user interaction and aspects such as game feedback [such as hearing a sound when a button is pressed or a sound effect that sounds when a character’s life has been regenerated] or the design of ambients and character sound effect themes.

Assassin’s Creed, promotional Ubisoft

With the growth of computational power and the inclusion of creatives from the realms of film [notably sound designers] into the games’ industry, games development starts to look more and more like filmmaking. Narrative is evermore important, and crossovers between films and games occur very often. A great recent example is Assasin’s Creed.

So, while creating sound for games, film or TV might require specific technical knowledge to be developed for each area [programming, broadcasting knowledge, studio recording, etc.] in its artistic origin, sound design is all about developing unique audio worlds in which the spectator can be immersed, ultimately giving other filmmakers an almighty tool to connect with their audiences.

The importance of sound design

It is important to understand that various sound companies will specialise or focus on certain types of sound design. Black Goblin specialises in films, TV, games and soundscapes. Others will indeed specialise in creating sound for live shows. Each team of sound experts has developed and perfected their skills to suit their own niche craft. This ensures that when working on your project, your audio will reign supreme.

If sound design was new to you before this article, we urge you to start making mental notes next time you hear a really superb sound effect in your favourite film, or notice certain volumes, changes or pitches, that you may have not even thought about before. How would this film be without the sound? Would it matter if it wasn’t there?