Sound Design

Sound design is the creative discipline of conceiving, creating and arranging the sonic landscape of a film or television production — distinct from sound editing (which works with recorded production audio) and from foley (which creates synchronous physical sounds). The sound designer's territory is sound effects, ambiences, and abstract or stylized sound: the roar of a creature that doesn't exist, the texture of a spaceship engine, the eerie undercurrent of a horror scene, the rhythmic pulse of a montage. The role gained recognition with Walter Murch's work on Francis Ford Coppola's films (Apocalypse Now's opening is the canonical example) and Ben Burtt's iconic Star Wars sounds (Chewbacca's voice, the lightsaber, R2-D2's beeps, the TIE fighter scream). Modern sound designers work in Pro Tools with vast libraries of source material, processing tools (granular synthesis with software like Native Instruments Form, Output Substance, GRM Tools), recording in the field with high-end microphones (Sennheiser MKH-8000 series, DPA 4060), and at studio (Foley stage, manipulating physical objects to create unique sounds, then processing extensively). The craft balances narrative function (a sound must tell the audience something specific) with creative expression. Reference: Sonnenschein, 'Sound Design' and Holman, 'Sound for Film and Television.'