I have always been of the
belief that there are no silly questions in life. What is silly is to
remain silent and not ask questions because of the fear of appearing foolish or
unknowledgeable. In any profession it is critical that you continually obtain
the necessary information that will help you master your craft and keep you
sharp. Stephan Stansfield, on Peregrine Poise,
basically communicates as one of his points that asking questions of other
professionals or experts in your industry is one of the keys to mastery. This
is also true for sound designers, both novices and experts alike. We should
never feel as if we have “arrived” to the point where we no longer need to
learn. Feeling so comfortable that we end our quest for knowledge, could lead
to a dangerous point of stagnation and subsequently falling below industry
standards.
In my quest for more information on the
topic of sound design, I found Designing Sound, which is a
wonderful website that provides information, resources, reviews, news, and
perspectives from professionals about the techniques and artistry of sound
design. The best part about this particular site is that there is no cost in
obtaining the quality knowledge they offer. In an Internet world where there
are many websites offering learning materials, whether books, DVDs, or services
for a cost, it is nice to alternatively have the option of obtaining quality
information for free.
Sound design connoisseur/researcher/public
speaker, Miguel Saza, founded this Internet resource in 2009. He later merged
his site with another website created by sound design professional Jacob
Riehle. According to IMDb,
Riehle has worked on sound for such notable films as “The Amazing Spider-Man”
and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” As if professionals with over ten years
of post-production audio experience on successful films weren’t already enough
validation, there is also a team of five experienced sound professionals
contributing to the content of this website.
One thing I like in particular about this
website is that the information is sound (no pun intended) and more
importantly, current. Some of the interviews are dated from as recently as this
month, which I have found is not always the case with other sites that tend to
possess outdated content. Another thing that I also found to be very useful is
that they offer a comprehensive listing of SFX libraries from independent
websites/creators, which any sound designer desiring to build their SFX
collection would love to explore.
In addition to the treasure trove of
information they already provide on their website, they also have Designing SoundTV,
which is a counterpart to their online resource and it can be found in the
Archives section. It is basically like an Internet television station for sound
designers, containing over 290 videos spanning from 2010 to 2012, with eight
different categories as well. I like the fact that there are videos that focus
on sound for film, games, and television; they provide video interviews,
tutorials, and features; as well as featured videos, ones about odd categories
of sound design, and numerous videos on sound effects. My only disappointment
is that they do not currently have any videos from this year, which suggests
that they may not be continuing with this division. Additionally, it probably
explains why it is listed under archives. Despite that, there is a wealth of
knowledge here for the visual learner that is not only informative, but also
exciting to watch at the same time.
There are several other aspects I could
discuss about this site that make it unique and inviting, but in the interest of
not belaboring the point, I will end my commentary with simple advice. This
website is an awesome example of what we as sound designers can find and obtain
in our unending quest for knowledge, so I strongly urge you to visit this
online resource in order to experience firsthand what I already have!
Furthermore, don’t let your quest end
here! Let this be either your beginning or continuance of a continually
fulfilling journey. Quality audio is an
art that definitely requires knowledge!
