sound opinions Asbjoern Andersen


We're very happy to present a new series here on A Sound Effect: It's called Sound Opinions, and it'll be featuring selected pieces on sound, sound creation, the sound community & more.

Working in sound is both intense, demanding and stressful at times, so it's vital that you look after yourself and the people around you.

With that in mind, let's start the series with an important reminder from Telltale Games audio director Michael Kamper, on creativity, feedback, validation - and what you can do to make a difference:


Written by Michael Kamper
Please share:
SoundMorph Halloween Sale 2025
 

The other day on my drive into work, I was thinking about validation. Specifically, as a person in a “creative” profession, what validation means to me.

One of the hardest lessons that I have learned over the course of my 20+ year career is how to take feedback. I was terrified to have my supervisor sit over my shoulder while I displayed the work I had been crafting for the past week. I would much rather have them review my work while I was out of the room and come back later to get the notes they left behind.

One of the hardest lessons that I have learned over the course of my 20+ year career is how to take feedback. I was terrified to have my supervisor sit over my shoulder while I displayed the work I had been crafting for the past week.

The thing to remember is that everyone else is just as wrapped up in just as much insanity in their lives as you are. They have just as much joy and pain and stress and anguish and hope and disillusionment as you. I figure 60-80% of their reaction/interaction with you probably has 0% to do with you and 100% to do with whatever they are dealing with at the moment.

Where I’m going with this is that as creatives we do what we do because we love to do it. However, we are always hoping to have some kind of external validation for what we feel we are accomplishing – be it from our boss, our compatriots, our product’s end-users – whomever is getting exposed and influenced by our work.

Unfortunately, as fractured and stressed as we are these days as a society, it’s almost impossible to get any kind of unsolicited and constructive feedback from people. Even getting a “yeah, that seems good” can feel like pulling teeth. Others will never see everything that we put into our art or understand the stress it takes to even get something into a state we feel we can share it with them.

My point is to be mindful of two things…

1) Don’t rely on external validation to justify your creativity, find that validation internally. Sometimes it’s the only way to keep going.

It’s cliche to say “believe in yourself” but that exactly what you have to do because you will always go through patches where it feels like one one else does and you need something to keep you moving.

2) No matter what position you are in – intern, manager, or CEO – find the time and make the effort to give people validation for the work that they do. If something impresses you, if you are moved by someone’s work, if you feel they have hit that sweet spot – tell them so.

You never know when the words of encouragement you share with someone will be just the right ones for them to make it through their day

Even if what they did works on a functional level but doesn’t quite hit the right emotion, tell them they are on the right track, give them the direction you are looking for along with the motivation they are craving.

You never know when the words of encouragement you share with someone will be just the right ones for them to make it through their day.

Be mindful, be encouraging, be constructive, be considerate, be helpful, be honest – whatever it is you do, ultimately just try to be the message you most want to receive from the world.

A big thanks to Michael Kamper for letting us share his insights!
Find out more about Michael Kamper here.

 

Please share this:


 



 
 
THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Environments & Ambiences Suburban Russia Play Track 56 sounds included, 173 mins total $19

    What could be better than summertime in the country?

    Of course summertime in Russian village!

    Those sweet sounds of hammers, lawnmowers, dogs, neighbors activity, forests, fields, rain and, of course, lots of cicadas!

    This library contains authentic atmospheres of villages and small towns of suburban Moscow, as well as sounds of nature, roomtones and doors of the old Dacha from Soviet era.

    KEY POINTS:

    • Authentic atmospheres of dacha, forests, fields, streams, rains, streets of small towns, night and day suburban activity and roomtones!

    • An excellent addition to your library for film, TV and multimedia – Suburban Russia during summer and autumn time

    • Recorded with Mid-Side Sennheiser MKH8040/MKH30 combo

    • Sorted by location-type categories

    • All files have metadata included

  • Introducing MOTION GRAPHICS, a complete Motion Graphics sound effects library from SoundMorph!

    Motion Graphics focuses on all the elements you might need for sound design on a trailer, a cinematic scene or a visual that is heavy with motion graphics, whether it be abstract or straight forward, Motion Graphics has all the elements and textures you could think of. Motion Graphics are something all of us sound designers run into at one point or another, so this library is an excellent addition to your sound effects tool box.

    Motion Graphics was created by and in collaboration with sound designer Rostislav Trifonov (SoundMorph Elemental library contributor).

    Motion Graphics features 650 24bit/96 kHz .wav files, all meticulously embedded with Soundminer & Basehead metadata.

    The library features:

    • 450 + designed sound effects
    • 190 + source audio files
    • Whooshes
    • Impacts
    • Risers
    • Stingers
    • Low end and Sub Bass
    • Impulse Responses
    • Passbys
    • Textures – noise, grit, glitch
    • Ambiences
    • Buttons and Clicks
    • Mechanical Elements
    • Granular effects
    91 %
    OFF
  • Modular UI is an advanced user interface library designed by world-renowned sound designer and musician Richard Devine.

    Designed and sourced entirely from Richard Devine’s personal and exclusive Eurorack modular synths and processors collection, the Modular UI soundpack combines the retro, clean sound of analog with the futuristic tech of the new wave of advanced analog and digital synthesis from modular synths, evoking flashbacks of iconic sound design heard in both classic and modern sci-fi films.

    The Modular UI soundpack gives you access to sounds created by one of the masters of modular synths and sound design, and is sourced from equipment that would take a lifetime to purchase and assemble, giving an incredible value to this soundpack both artistically and financially.

    Utilizing many Eurorack modules that have not yet been released to the public and containing samples equally suited to sound designers and electronic musicians alike, Modular UI is in a class by itself!

    91 %
    OFF
Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Kawaii UI Bundle is the ultimate bundle for cute user interface sounds.
    In this Bundle you get both volumes of our Kawaii UI libraries.
    Kawaii UI + Kawaii UI 2

    These libraries provide an adorable blend of cute, satisfying interface sounds, crafted to enhance user experience and feedback.
    Bring your games and apps to life with the Kawaii UI Bundle.

    It’s ideal for creating joyful menus, delightful HUDs, playful navigation and notifications, engaging pop-ups, and expressive text.

    Kawaii UI Trailer
    Kawaii UI 2 Trailer

    The source recordings inside are a treasure trove of physical button presses, clicks, pops, taps, mouth sounds, toks, shakers, general synthesised UI sounds, FM bells and telemetry style sounds.. Kawaii UI Bundle provides you with the essential building blocks to craft your own distinctive designs.  Combining these elements gives sound designers a robust sonic palette to create new UI sounds.

    13 %
    OFF
  • Vegetation Footsteps is a detailed collection of footwear and movement variations recorded on dry leaves and forest floor textures. Featuring walk, run, sprint, scuff, pivot, and single step actions, this library captures the nuanced crunch and rustle of layered vegetation underfoot. With performances in sport shoes, sandals, leather shoes, high heels, and barefoot, each sound is designed for realistic character movement across natural environments. Ideal for games, film, and animation, Vegetation Footsteps offers clean, focused assets for building immersive terrain interaction.

  • A collection of 135 potion sound effects.

  • A collection of 140 individual power up ability sound effects.

  • A collection of 103 bowling sound effects.


   

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HTML tags are not allowed.