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{{original research|date=May 2008}}
'''Sound design''' is the art and practice of creating
▲{{short description|Sound track creation}}
▲'''Sound design''' is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including [[filmmaking]], [[television production]], [[video game development]], [[theatre]], [[sound recording and reproduction]], [[Concert|live performance]], [[sound art]], [[post-production]], [[Radio broadcasting|radio]] and [[musical instrument]] development. Sound design commonly involves performing (see e.g. [[Foley (filmmaking)|foley]]) and editing of previously composed or recorded audio, such as sound effects and dialogue for the purposes of the medium, but it can also involve creating sounds from scratch through synthesizers. A '''sound designer''' is one who practices sound design.
==History==
[[File:KDujardinsCommedia.jpg|thumb|Karel Dujardins, ''commedia dell'arte'' show, 1657]]▼
The use of sound to evoke emotion, reflect mood and underscore actions in plays and dances began in [[prehistoric]] times
▲{{see also|Prehistoric Music}}
▲The use of sound to evoke emotion, reflect mood and underscore actions in plays and dances began in [[prehistoric]] times. At its earliest, it was used in religious practices for healing or recreation. In ancient Japan, theatrical events called ''[[kagura]]'' were performed in [[Shinto shrine]]s with music and dance.<ref>{{cite book | last = Brazell | first = Karen | year = 1999 | title = Traditional Japanese Theater | publisher = Columbia University Press | isbn = 0-231-10873-7 }}</ref>
▲[[File:KDujardinsCommedia.jpg|thumb|
Plays were performed in medieval times in a form of theatre called ''[[Commedia dell'arte]]'', which used music and sound effects to enhance performances. The use of music and sound in the [[English Renaissance theatre|Elizabethan Theatre]] followed, in which music and sound effects were produced off
Italian composer [[Luigi Russolo]] built mechanical sound-making devices, called "[[intonarumori]]," for [[futurism (music)|futurist]] theatrical and music performances starting around 1913. These devices were meant to simulate natural and man-made sounds, such as trains
===Recorded sound===
Possibly the first use of recorded sound in the theatre was a phonograph playing a baby's cry in a London theatre in 1890.<ref>{{cite book | last = Booth | first = Michael R. | year = 1991 | title = Theatre In The Victorian | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-521-34837-4 }}</ref> Sixteen years later, [[Herbert Beerbohm Tree]] used recordings in his London production of [[Stephen
Between 1980 and 1988,
===Digital technology===
[[File:Tainted blue studios control room.jpg|thumb|Modern digital control room at Tainted Blue Studios, 2010]]
[[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] and [[digital audio]] technology have contributed to the evolution of sound production techniques in the 1980s and 1990s. [[Digital audio workstation]]s (DAW) and a variety of digital signal processing algorithms applied in them allow more complicated
In [[theatre sound]], features of computerized theatre sound design systems have also been recognized as being essential for live [[show control]] systems at [[Walt Disney World]] and, as a result, Disney utilized systems of that type to control many facilities at their ''[[Disney's Hollywood Studios|Disney-MGM Studios]]'' theme park, which opened in 1989. These features were incorporated into the [[MIDI Show Control]] (MSC) specification, an open [[communications protocol]]
The rise of interest in game audio has also brought more advanced interactive audio tools that are also accessible without a background in computer programming. Some of such software tools (termed "implementation tools" or "audio engines") feature a workflow that's similar to that in more conventional
The [[World Wide Web]] has greatly enhanced the ability of sound designers to acquire source material quickly, easily and cheaply. Nowadays, a designer can preview and download crisper, more "believable" sounds as opposed to toiling through time- and budget-draining "shot-in-the-dark" searches through record stores, libraries and "the grapevine" for (often) inferior recordings. In addition, software innovation has enabled sound designers to take more of a [[DIY|DIY (or "do-it-yourself")]] approach. From the comfort of their home and at any hour, they can simply use a computer, speakers and headphones rather than renting (or buying) costly equipment or studio space and time for editing and mixing. This provides for faster creation and negotiation with the director.
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===Film===
{{See also|Sound editor (filmmaking)|Foley artist|Director of audiography}}
In motion picture production, a ''Sound Editor/Designer'' is a member of a [[film crew]] responsible for the entirety or some specific parts of a film's
The terms ''sound design'' and ''sound designer'' began to be used in the motion picture industry in 1969. At that time, The title of ''Sound Designer'' was first granted to [[Walter Murch]] by [[Francis Ford Coppola]] in recognition for Murch's contributions to the film ''[[The Rain People]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ondaatje |first1=Michael |last2=Murch |first2=Walter |title=The conversations: Walter Murch and the art of editing film |date=2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |page=53}}</ref> The original meaning of the title ''Sound Designer'', as established by Coppola and Murch, was "an individual ultimately responsible for all aspects of a film's audio track, from the [[dialogue]] and [[sound effects]] recording to the [[re-recording (sound/film)|re-recording]] (mix) of the final track".<ref name=reeves>{{cite web|last1=Reeves|first1=Alex|title=A Brief History of Sound Design|url=http://www.theawsc.com/2014/01/31/a-brief-history-of-sound-design/|website=Advertising Week Social Club|publisher=Advertising Week|access-date=13 October 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084311/http://www.theawsc.com/2014/01/31/a-brief-history-of-sound-design/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> The term ''sound designer'' has replaced monikers like ''supervising sound editor'' or ''re-recording mixer'' for
The advantage of calling oneself a sound designer beginning in later decades was two-fold. It strategically allowed for a single person to work as both an editor and mixer on a film without running into issues pertaining to the jurisdictions of editors and mixers, as outlined by their respective unions. Additionally, it was a rhetorical move that
The audio production team is a principal member of the production staff, with creative output comparable to that of the [[film editor]] and [[director of photography]]. Several factors have led to the promotion of audio production to this level, when previously it was considered subordinate to other parts of film:
* [[movie theater|Cinema]] [[Sound reinforcement system|sound system]]s became capable of [[high-fidelity]] reproduction, particularly after the adoption of [[Dolby Stereo]]. Before stereo soundtracks, film sound was of such low fidelity that only the dialogue and occasional sound effects were practical. These sound systems were originally devised as gimmicks to increase theater attendance, but their widespread implementation created a content vacuum that had to be filled by competent professionals.
https://web.archive.org/web/20211008071530/https://professional.dolby.com/content-creation/Dolby-Atmos-for-content-creators/2 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Some directors were interested in realizing the new potentials of the medium. A new generation of filmmakers, the so-called "[[Easy Riders and Raging Bulls]]"—[[Martin Scorsese]], [[Steven Spielberg]], [[George Lucas]], and others—were aware of the creative potential of sound and wanted to use it.▼
▲* Some directors were interested in realizing the new
* Filmmakers were inspired by the [[popular music]] of the era. [[Concept albums]] of groups such as [[Pink Floyd]] and [[The Beatles]] suggested new modes of storytelling and creative techniques that could be adapted to motion pictures.
* New filmmakers made their early films outside the [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[the establishment|establishment]], away from the influence of film [[labor union]]s and the then rapidly dissipating [[studio system]].
The contemporary title of ''sound designer'' can be compared with the more traditional title of ''[[supervising sound editor]]''; many sound designers use both titles interchangeably.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Müller|first1=Bastian|title=Sound Design: The Development of Sound Design for Hollywood Films and its Impact on Modern Cinema|date=2008|publisher=diplom.de|location=Hamburg|isbn=9783836618922|page=24|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2fpxAQAAQBAJ|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> The role of ''supervising sound editor'', or ''sound supervisor'', developed in parallel with the role of '''sound designer'''. The demand for more sophisticated soundtracks was felt both inside and outside Hollywood, and the '''supervising sound editor''' became the head of the large sound department, with a staff of dozens of [[Sound editor (filmmaking)|sound editor]]s, that was required to realize a complete sound job with a fast turnaround.<ref>{{cite book|author-link1=Norman Hollyn|last1=Hollyn|first1=Norman|title=The Film Editing Room Handbook: How to Tame the Chaos of the Editing Room|date=2009|publisher=Peachpit Press|location=Berkeley CA|isbn=978-0321679529|page=144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRSq9qWQeMIC|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref><ref name=dakic>{{cite book|last1=Dakic|first1=Vesna|title=Sound Design for Film and Television|date=2009|publisher=GRIN Verlag|location=Norderstedt|isbn=9783640454792|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wSVPl1TSOm8C|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref>
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{{See also|Sound reinforcement system|Architectural acoustics}}
Sound design, as a distinct discipline, is one of the youngest fields in [[stagecraft]], second only to the use of [[Digital cinema|projection]] and other [[multimedia]] displays, although the ideas and techniques of sound design have been around almost since theatre started. [[Dan Dugan (audio engineer)|Dan Dugan]], working with three stereo tape decks routed to ten loudspeaker zones<ref name=AES1969>{{cite journal |url=http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=1540 |title=A New Music and Sound Effects System for Theatrical Productions |last=Dugan |first=Dan |date=December 1969 |journal=Journal of the Audio Engineering Society |volume=17 |number=6 |pages=666–670 |publisher=[[Audio Engineering Society]] |access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> during the 1968–69 season of [[American Conservatory Theater]] (ACT) in San Francisco, was the first person to be called a sound designer.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Deena |last1=Kaye |first2=James |last2=LeBrecht |title=Sound and music for the theatre: the art and technique of design |publisher=Focal Press |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2gHgjAjGPYC&pg=PT31 |page=8 |isbn=978-0-240-81011-9}}</ref>
A theatre sound designer is responsible for everything the audience hears in the performance space, including music, sound effects, sonic textures, and soundscapes. These elements are created by the sound designer, or sourced from other sound professionals, such as a composer in the case of music. Pre-recorded music must be licensed from a legal entity that represents the artist's work. This can be the artist themselves, a publisher, record label, performing rights organization or music licensing company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicbed.com/knowledge-base/how-to-license-music/30|title=How to License Music|access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101083827/https://www.musicbed.com/knowledge-base/how-to-license-music/30|url-status=live}}</ref> The theatre sound designer is also in charge of choosing and installing the sound system —speakers, sound desks, interfaces and convertors, playout/cueing software, microphones, radio mics, foldback, cables, computers, and outboard equipment like FX units and dynamics processors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asoundeffect.com/theater-sound-design-podcast-sound-production/|title=How to succeed in Theater Sound Design, Podcast Sound Design, and Podcast Production – with Kirsty Gillmore, Jeff Schmidt, and Matthew McLean|date=8 January 2020 |access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805113948/https://www.asoundeffect.com/theater-sound-design-podcast-sound-production/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Modern audio technology has enabled theatre sound designers to produce flexible, complex, and inexpensive designs that can be easily integrated into live performance. The influence of film and television on playwriting is seeing plays being written increasingly with shorter scenes, which is difficult to achieve with scenery but easily conveyed with sound. The development of film sound design is giving writers and directors higher expectations and knowledge of sound design. Consequently, theatre sound design is widespread and accomplished sound designers commonly establish long-term collaborations with directors.
====Musicals====
Sound design for [[musical theatre|musicals]] often focuses on the design and implementation of a sound reinforcement system that will
====Plays====
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====Professional organizations====
* [[Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association|Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA)]]
* The [[Association of Sound Designers]] is a trade association representing theatre sound designers in the UK.
* [[United Scenic Artists]] (USA) Local USA829, which is integrated within [[IATSE]], represents theatrical sound designers in the United States.
* Theatrical Sound Designers in English Canada are represented by the Associated Designers of Canada (ADC), and in Québec by l'Association des professionnels des arts du Québec (APASQ).
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In the contemporary music business, especially in the production of [[rock music]], [[ambient music]], [[progressive rock]], and similar [[genre]]s, the [[record producer]] and [[recording engineer]] play important roles in the creation of the overall sound (or [[soundscape]]) of a recording, and less often, of a live performance. A record producer is responsible for extracting the best performance possible from the musicians and for making both musical and technical decisions about the instrumental timbres, arrangements, etc. On some, particularly more electronic music projects, artists and producers in more conventional genres have sometimes sourced additional help from artists often credited as "sound designers", to contribute specific auditory effects, ambiences etc. to the production. These people are usually more versed in e.g. electronic music composition and synthesizers than the other musicians on board.
In the application of electroacoustic techniques (e.g. binaural sound) and sound synthesis for contemporary music or film music, a sound designer (often also an electronic musician) sometimes refers to an artist who works alongside a composer to realize the more electronic aspects of a musical production. This is because sometimes there exists a difference in interests between
Notable examples of (recognized) sound design in music are the contributions of [[Michael Brook]] to the [[U2]] album ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'', [[George Massenburg]] to the [[Jennifer Warnes]] album ''[[Famous Blue Raincoat (album)|Famous Blue Raincoat]]'', [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]] to the [[Pink Floyd]] album ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'', and [[Brian Eno]] to the [[Paul Simon]] album ''[[Surprise (Paul Simon album)|Surprise]]''.
In 1974, [[Suzanne Ciani]] started her own production company, Ciani/Musica. Inc., which became the #1 sound design music house in New York.<ref>
===Fashion===
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===Computer applications and other applications===
Sound is widely used in a variety of [[
Sound design for [[video games]] requires proficient knowledge of audio recording and editing using a [[digital audio workstation]], and an understanding of game audio integration using audio engine software, audio authoring tools, or middleware to integrate audio into the game engine. Audio middleware is a third-party toolset that sits between the game engine and the audio hardware. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yannisbrown.com/about-audio-middleware/|title=About Audio Middleware|date=9 March 2016 |access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=May 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210530213513/https://www.yannisbrown.com/about-audio-middleware/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Interactivity with computer sound can involve using a variety of playback systems or logic, using tools that allow the production of interactive sound (e.g. Max/MSP, Wwise). Implementation might require software or electrical engineering of the systems that modify sound or process user input. In interactive applications, a sound designer often collaborates with an engineer (e.g. a sound programmer) who's concerned with designing the playback systems and their efficiency.
==Awards==
Sound designers have been recognized by awards organizations for some time, and new awards have emerged more recently in response to advances in sound design technology and quality. The [[Motion Picture Sound Editors]] and the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] recognizes the finest or most aesthetic sound design for a film with the Golden Reel
North American theatrical award organizations that recognize sound designers include these:
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* [[List of sound designers]]
* [[Musique concrète]]
* [[IEZA Framework]]
* [[Video production]] - in connection with short music films
==
{{
==External links==
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* [http://www.associationofsounddesigners.com: Association of Sound Designers]
* [http://www.soundesign.info: sounDesign: online publication about Sound Communication]
{{Stagecraft}}
{{Film crew |below}}
{{Design}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Design}}
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