6 sound stories worth reading: Crowd recording, indie sound studios, particle-based SFX, the sound of ‘Coco’ & more!

It's time for another roundup of the interesting audio stories you can find from our audio communities. In this recap, you can learn about creating the demanding sound design of Detroit, designing the sound of Coco, and complex soundscapes with Sound Particles. You can also read thoughts about running an ideal indie studio, living a day without sound, and approaching the sound for a level of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Happy reading!

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Capturing the best performance doesn’t always mean it’s the clearest take, especially when crowds are involved. In this piece, Jennifer Walden speaks with sound designer Paul N.J. Ottosson about this conundrum in designing the sound for Detroit. From cleaning performances of large crowds to balancing scenes with delicately-placed audio sources, Paul gives us a look at how he and the sound team met the demands of this challenging project:

Read the in-depth interview about the tense sound of ‘Detroit’

 
As an audio studio owner, you are in charge of not of only the schedules and budgets, but also the trust and personal happiness of your team members. Adriane Kuzminski interviews Gord McGladdery, owner of A Shell in the Pit, about how he began his studio and what he looks for in prospective projects. From appreciating the Vancouver community to meditating on Excel sheets, Gord shares insight into why his studio can work on the projects they are most passionate about:

Read the in-depth interview about A Shell in the Pit

 
Nuno Fonseca gives us a look into Sound Particles, his CGI-like program that uses – you guessed it – particle systems to generate dynamic 3-dimensional environments. Used in AAA games like Battlefield 1 and blockbusters like Justice League and Wonder Woman, this powerful tool creates complex soundscapes – up to millions of particles – without making you give up the control or detail of your design:

Read the in-depth story about Sound Particles

 

A Day Without Sound: On the Audiokinetic blog, Dr. Karen Collins shares her experience of blocking out sound for a day (with the help of two layers of earplugs). She talks about everyday experiences – going for a walk, feeding the dog, preparing a meal – and how the audio cues we’re exposed to both cause us to anticipate audible feedback and feel a little anxiety about the ones out of our control.
 
Shifting Perspective in FPS Sound Design: On his blog, Brian Johnson shares his approach in designing the sound for the “Operation Blood Storm” level in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Brian gives us a beat-by-beat breakdown of the internal and external cues that direct the character’s focus and how he subtly created a cohesive and dramatic audio experience.
 
Coco’s sound story — music, guitars and bones: Over at Post Perspective, our good friend Jennifer Walden speaks with the Skywalker Sound team behind the movie’s excellent sound design. Features supervising sound editor/sound designer/re-recording mixer Christopher Boyes, co-supervising sound editor J.R. Grubbs.