SOUND DESIGN THE CREATIVE GUIDE

The term ’sound design’ used to refer specifically to the task of producing music and sound effects for pictures, yet, while that definition still stands, with such an explosion of other media, it now covers everything from producing ringtones to game music, from synth presets to sample patches. Even if you do none of the above, and just produce music for fun, being creative in sound design can help you shape your own character, a sound you can be identified by. It can also help you move away from using presets which, while we endorse their use as that’s what they were created for, it’s always more satisfying to come up with something with your own stamp on it.

Fortunately you probably have many of the tools you need for creative sound design at your disposal already. Over the last few years we have also witnessed the release of hardware and software that, while perhaps not focussed directly at the sound designer, can be used to explore sonic areas never before thought possible or financially available. There’s hardware, software and apps out now that make creating your own sonic brand as easy as one, two, tweak.

There are also some very good tools, specifically created for sound designers, that can be used to manipulate and twist sounds beyond belief.

This feature will look at all of the options above. We’ll look at some of the areas that sound design is employed within, the tools you have at your disposal to cover some sound design basics and we’ll feature some top five buyers guides for all manner of sound design categories. Along the way we’ll have specific guides on certain pieces of software that we’ve been impressed by to show you how they can manipulate sound, and we’ll also cover found sound, that is field recording – one of the most natural ways of capturing a sonic signature for yourself. We’ll touch on sound for movies, TV and games, although foley use and dialogue