– A sound design journey
My musical education started with my drum practice lessons when I was eight years old. Prior to that I had a little obsession with the handheld tape recorder, where I remember running through the house and recording everything I came across. At some point during my teens I swapped out my drumsticks with two record players and I started to mix vinyl records. This newfound artform of combining and merging tracks together to create a sonic experience and adventure has completely taken over most of my attention for years to come. During that time I also had my first ventures into producing music digitally via Ableton Live. This experience was at some point a little dampened by my then lack of technical abilities and expertise in the mixing and mastering field. This led to a newborn curiosity in the more technical areas of music production, especially in the art of disc mastering and lacquer cutting. It all started with the question ‘Why does this record sound so different compared to xyz’. To deepen my knowledge and expertise I invested in a desktop cutting lathe system for one-off and small run vinyl record production. This was followed by years of learning all the ins and outs of this cutting system, groove geometry and disc mastering in general. And finally ended up taking over the cutting room in a vinyl record pressing plant just outside of London, UK for the last 3 years.
Music and sound, to me, induces the strongest feelings and excitement out of any sensoric system in the body. There is nothing as beautiful as the sensation that can be experienced in music and sound from my perspective. As a drummer from heart, rhythm and groove is something that needs to be felt and experienced, rather than explained and understood. Nothing can connect and unite people across the planet and various backgrounds like music does. It is such a vital tool to society and has fuelled various movements and revolutions alike. The inspiration one can get through music is to me personally unique compared to other art forms. I also appreciate the story aspect behind a full album much more than just listening to single tracks and songs. The same is going for DJ sets and the intentional compilation of songs to create experiences, which was the reason I was so captivated when starting out playing vinyl records.
My prior interest in sound design has always been more from a sole music perspective. It was only about a couple years ago when I discovered some field recordings and the artist speaking about their craft. The way this topic was presented was so captivating, I immediately knew that I wanted to get involved as well. Since then I have experimented with different types of field recorders and microphones, from shotgun, ultrasonics and contact microphones. The idea of capturing natural sounds and mangling them to create fascinating soundscapes was always appealing to me. I always experimented with sounds and sketched ideas, more than actually arranging these into more finalized works. Therefore I am really interested in collaborating with people from different disciplines and creating interesting projects throughout my studies. When making the decision to further deepen my knowledge in the sound design field, but moreover get a better understanding of all the opportunities and challenges, it was soon clear to me that the course at FH & KUG would be a great fit.
For my creative work I would envision sound design to be the main anchor, as a supporting creative outlet for multi disciplinary media or in a standalone position. The main role should always be to contribute to a joint, well balanced experience. Without sound design I feel things lack emotion and a certain connection to the media. This is why it should always encourage a bigger goal and support the cause. Sound design should therefore be a well planned and calculated stage at the project, with input and feedback from most stakeholders. It will probably not be the easiest task to convince people about the importance of a well structured approach, but in my work and work environment I want to enforce this as best as possible.
Within the next two years I want to try out everything I can and see what kind of area is the most interesting to specialize and focus on in my future. I am very open to dive into the fields of interactive and linear media, but also have a hunger to learn more about the actual sound design process of a physical product and some material science behind it. In the craft itself I am trying to learn and soak up all the skills that would need to be necessary to achieve my goals. I am looking forward to learning more about storytelling and dramaturgy in general, which will strengthen my understanding of the topic, as well as the ability to work alongside a team and the internal communication that comes with that. My mission is to fully commit to every project with my passion for sound design by creating meaningful experiences. I want to find my niche, where I can then develop my personal style and skills to be sought after.
Specifically interesting would be to work in audio post production for a short movie or animation film. I want to learn the basics of mixing sound for media in dolby atmos or other surround formats. Within these projects I also want to focus on my foley skills and work. This would be both a creative and technical thrilling experience. Besides that I am also looking forward to designing audio assets for interactive media, like a video game. I do like the approach and process to this, especially with all the variations one might do on similar sounds. Another fascinating skill to learn would be the implementation of these sounds to create a realistic sonic environment in an animated world. The last major topic I want to engage in would be product sound design. I am inspired by how one can shape materials and form an audibly pleasing experience that creates a stronger emotional connection to an object.
Ultimately I am super excited to have taken this path and direction, within a field where my creative needs and my technical interests are both met complementary. I cannot wait to create holistic and immersive experiences to enrich and inspire people around the world. Sound is both my language and tool.
