sound design

Making Music Fun: An Interview with Nick Morrison – Part 2

June 15, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“People don’t forget that stuff. They remember people that blow their minds. They won’t necessarily remember the music, people won’t remember the thing that you did, but they’ll remember the way that you made them feel, whether that’s by your actions or by the actual emotion that you’ve imparted to them via your music, or your sound, or whatever it happens to be.” — Nick Morrison

This episode’s the second half of my interview with bestselling author, professional musician, teacher, session artist, and composer Nick Morrison, as we talk about the process of turning imagery and emotion into sound, the importance of networking and building relationships, and about the most valuable advice he has to offer about navigating a freelance career in the digital age.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

Making it More Purple

As the second half begins, Nick and I talk about some of his memorable experiences with building an audio brand, including one particularly tricky suggestion. “His last note,” Nick recalls, “and this drove me crazy, was ‘can you make it sound more purple?” He reveals the answer to that mysterious request and we discuss a study, linked below, that showed how it’s audio, not video, that plays the biggest role in making or breaking a viewer’s experience. “Once you get better,” he explains as we talk about advances in audio technology, “you can’t go back with audio. There’s something in the human ear that, if you hear poor quality audio, it immediately turns off your brain and you stop listening.”

Always Say Yes

We also look at the role networking and building a positive reputation in the industry can play, and how online resources such as Taxi.com can help. “Places like that can get you a lot further, faster,” he says, “than just trying to put your stuff on one of the numerous websites that are just a repository of the world’s garbage. And that sounds harsh, but it’s like a needle in a haystack.” He also tells us his approach to forging lasting relationships with clients who are just starting out. “If I have a job offer or an opportunity that comes up, as long as it doesn’t hurt me financially or embarrass myself or my family in some way, shape, or form, I will say yes. Say yes to as much as you can.”

The World at Our Fingertips

Nick also offers advice on navigating the financial aspects of freelance audio based on his own experiences as a musician, and we talk about his bestselling, and unorthodox, instructional books on playing the guitar. “One of the biggest problems that I find,” he explains, “is that music is taught the same way as it was written down in the late 1700s.” Our interview concludes with Nick’s advice to anyone who’s looking to follow their dreams and make a living online. “We’ve got the internet and the world at our fingertips. There is no need to box yourself in and say ‘I am only this.’”

Episode Summary

The importance of sound in building a mood and creating a positive impression
Meeting the challenge of online networking and building client relationships
Financial tips about audio revenue and royalty income
How Nick’s working to bring music training into the 21^st century

Connect with the Guest

Nick’s Morrison Media Website: https://morrisonmediagroup.com/
Nick’s Guitar Dojo Website along with a free copy of Nick’s book Essential Chords and Scales for Guitar for new email list subscribers: https://guitardojo.ca/
Follow Nick Morrison on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theguitardojo/
Connect with Nick Morrison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnmorrison/
Follow Nick Morrison on Twitter: https://twitter.com/samuraifingers/
Subscribe to Nick Morrison on YouTube: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theguitardojo
Nick’s book Guitar Fretboard Memory Magic: Painlessly Memorize All the Notes on Your Neck Forever for Instant Recall: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T43569M/
Nick’s book Basic Music Theory for Guitarists: The Plain English Guide for Beginner to Intermediate Guitar Players: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BGN8Z4S/
Audio Engineering Society’s study “The Influence of Video Quality on Perceived Audio Quality and Vice Versa” (the study itself is behind a paywall, but the abstract can be read for free): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243786211_The_influence_of_video_quality_on_perceived_audio_quality_and_vice_versa/

Stay tuned next week for the second half of the interview as we discuss a surprising study about how much of a difference sound makes, advice on everything from building a professional network to borrowing against royalties, and some of Nick’s latest books and upcoming projects.

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Do you need a voice talent for your next project? Visit my voice-over website to find out more about how my voice can help you with your audio brand. You can also subscribe to the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube to watch the show’s latest episodes.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Making Music Fun: An Interview with Nick Morrison – Part 1

June 8, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“One of my Berklee professors, one of my favorite things that has stayed with me from my time there, said ‘you know, Nick, a bad day playing music is still better than a good day doing just about anything else.'” — Nick Morrison

This episode’s guest is an Amazon #1 bestselling author and a professional musician, composer, teacher, voice actor, YouTube creator, actor, and a music and media consultant from Calgary Alberta. He’s toured throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan as a guitarist, worked as a session musician, and as a writer and composer for Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Sony, MTV, ABC, NBC, HGTV, and HBO, among others. He was educated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied guitar performance and music business management.

In 2021 he began writing guitar instructional books and continues to bring his love of the instrument to as many people around the world as possible. His name is Nick Morrison, and our discussion runs the gamut from music, to sound design, to audio branding and everything in between.

Getting into Sound

We start things off with a look back at Nick’s earliest impressions of sound, and he tells us about his mother’s lifelong love of music and his happy memories of growing up in a musical family. He talks about the surprising influence the original Super Mario Bros. had on his lifelong career and how it inspired him from an early age to devote himself to music. “It was at that point that I really decided,” he tells us, “that I was like ‘I’m going to do something with music.’ I didn’t have the vocabulary then to know specifically what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to get into sound.”

The Cat and the Piano

“A cat can jump on a piano,” Nick jokes as we talk about his early music lessons, from the violin to the piano to his first guitar, “and it’ll sound good.” He tells us about the unique musical challenges and rewards that each instrument offers and how he’s come to embrace his role as a teacher and focuses now on helping people who might be returning to their love of music after a long career elsewhere. “What can I give to those students,” he says, describing his approach to teaching new musicians, “that in those fifteen minutes they can get the most out of the time they have with their instrument as possible?”

Making Music Online

We also take a look at remote learning, online groups, and how our post-COVID shift to virtual lessons and meetings has changed the musical landscape. “I can’t think of a single industry,” Nick says, “that doesn’t have at least some computer animation or computer modeling or computer monitoring or computer connectivity to keep us in touch and to help us with our jobs.” He gives us a few examples, such as how his Guitar Dojo Facebook group works to make learning about music fun for its members and listeners alike. “My mission statement,” as he puts it, “is to make music fun again.”

With Music and Sound

The conversation turns to some of the old computers we grew up with, and how MIDI controllers and digital sampling have transformed the creative process. We talk about some of the television and advertising themes he most admires, and about how licensed compositions compare to life on the musical road. “I’d rather be playing guitar,” he says, “writing music, talking about guitar, teaching guitar, composing music… something to do with music and sound and the thing that I love.”

Episode Summary

Nick’s memories of sound and experiences with video game music
How different instruments can result in different creative approaches
Nick’s focus as a guitar instructor on helping students reconnect to music
Teaching and performing music in the age of virtual learning
The blurry lines between modern commercial and creative music

Connect with the Guest

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Musical Alchemy: An Interview with Eric Singer – Part 2

June 1, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“One of the wonderful things about music is that it’s by and large pretty universal, you know, when almost any culture will perceive a minor chord as something that feels sad. Even my 4-year-old son can identify that as ‘oh that’s sad.’ But there are more subtleties too, you know, and that may affect instrument choice, it might affect tempo, and it might affect chord progression.” — Eric Singer

This episode is part two of my interview with audio producer and creative director Eric Singer as we discuss the advantages of virtual audio presentations, the challenges independent artists face in an increasingly online industry, and some surprising new advances in advertising technology.

Creating Music and Sound

We start the second half of the interview with a discussion of how the industry has changed over the past few years, and how virtual conferences and Zoom meetings have all but replaced direct presentations. Eric tells us some of the limitations, as well as a few unexpected advantages, of online audio demonstrations, and how Coupe Studios is rising to the challenge of bringing authenticity to audio branding and marketing. “We discovered along the way,” he says, “that we really, really enjoy applying that authentic creativity, that art form of creating music and sound, to advertising.”

A Whole New World

The topic turns to the indie bands that Coupe Studios also supports, and how social media and the new sonic landscape have impacted smaller bands and artists. “It’s a whole new world out there,” Eric notes, “but I think the plus side of that is that there’s so much content, not just advertising, podcasts, streaming video… there is so much content that needs music. There are infinitely more opportunities to get your music heard.” He also tells us about Coupe’s strategy for localizing jingles for companies all over the world, and how collaboration is the key to a successful sound design. “We try to make it a pretty big party where we get input from anybody who has something valuable to bring to the table.”

For Your Ears Only

As the episode comes to a close, we look at the new technologies that might change the advertising industry in the near future. “One thing that I believe we’re going to see much more of,” Eric tells us, “in probably the fairly near future, is hyper-targeted, out-of-home advertising,” such as directional sound technology that can send targeted audio messages to a single individual within a crowd, and new ultrasound systems that can expand its reach to cover each and every customer in a store. “Now that the cost is starting to come down,” as he puts it, “advertising is the obvious application.”

Episode Summary

How virtual presentations have changed Eric’s approach to audio
Coupe Studios’ journey from classic rock studio to brand compositions
The challenge indie artists face in the digital music industry
Directional sound technology and the future of audio advertising

Connect with the Guest

Website: https://coupestudios.com/

Connect with Eric Singer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-singer-audio/

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Musical Alchemy: An Interview with Eric Singer – Part 1

May 25, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“There are generally two things that I want to focus on when presenting the creative to a client. First, and I think the most important, is the why: what is the justification for why we have done this or why we’ve included this instrument, why we’re including this long breakdown section, why this tempo, whatever it is.” — Eric Singer

My guest’s first love in this episode was audio, but it took him a while to get back to it. He’s been with Coupe Studios for sixteen years, and before that he spent time as a magazine editor, a photographer, and even a semi-pro football player. Now a partner at Coupe, he’s focusing specifically on sonic branding and music for advertising and film. His name is Eric Singer, and I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say about where audio branding is now and where it’s heading into the future.

How does he let their clients know that their audio is important? How does Coupe Studios differentiate itself in a steadily growing audio-forward market? If you’re trying to decide why audio branding is important for your company, this discussion will give you a firsthand look.

A Multisensory Experience

We begin the interview with Eric’s account of his earliest memories of sound, a Fischer-Price turntable that he used as a child to play the classic Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. As he puts it, its unconventional sound design and ambient effects “planted the seed for me in terms of a love of audio.” He goes on to recount his very first experience as a radio DJ during high school. “It was this multisensory experience,” he says, “where you’re looking at the album art [and] you’re reading the liner notes. The center of it was the music, but I loved talking about it just as much.”

Digging in Deep

Eric tells us about how he discovered his affinity for editing and production, and how it led to his role as an audio producer. “We have this extremely talented, dedicated team of composers and sound designers,” he explains, “and my job is to stay out of their way.” We talk about how he works with clients to help them understand and navigate the sometimes overwhelming process of finding just the right creative strategy. “There’s no better way, I think, to emphasize the value in what we do than working collaboratively with the client or with the agency and really digging in deep.”

Flying Below the Radar

Next, we look at the process of building a sonic brand for a client, whether it’s a new company that’s starting from scratch or a major brand like McDonald’s with an established audio brand. Eric explains that a new brand can offer more room to create a unique sonic identity: as he puts it, “it’s nice in the sense that we can often get involved before they’ve really thought things through.” We also talk about how easily audio is overlooked, and how that can sometimes be as much an opportunity as a challenge. “It’s a tricky position to be in,” he says, “but it’s also kind of fun to fly below the radar.”

The Emotional Aspect

“The second piece of it,” Eric says about the two parts of creating a sonic brand, “is the emotional and the subjective aspects of it.” We discuss how individual experiences and impressions, everything from cultural nuance to an unpleasant memory, can have a powerful impact. “The idea of something totally subjective killing a really great piece of work can be really scary,” he says while telling us how he guides clients in making the right decisions when it comes to crafting a unique brand.

Episode Summary

Eric’s early experiences with radio production and advertising
The secret to being a successful creative producer
The importance of practical and original sound elements
Designing a new sound vs. working with an existing brand
Navigating the subjective side of audio composition

Check back next week for part two of our interview as Eric and I talk about how our post-pandemic world has changed his presentation strategy, how Coupe Studios works to support indie bands as well as sonic branding, and some of the most cutting-edge developments in audio technology.

Connect with the Guest

Website: https://coupestudios.com/

Connect with Eric Singer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-singer-audio/

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

The Sounds of Silence – A Tale of Noiseless Movie Props

February 2, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

Have you ever thought about how quiet the world of television and movies can be? If two characters are eating at a restaurant or working in an office, we don’t have to worry about trying to hear them over the sound of clinking glasses or crinkling paper, or anyone else who might be making too much noise in the background. Cinematic sound tells us just as much of the story as the images, and unless they’re part of the story, footsteps and rustling clothes aren’t usually something we want to hear coming from the speakers.

Movies are filmed in the same noisy, unpredictable world we all live in, though, and life doesn’t come with a mute button, though it’d be nice if it did. So how do they do it? The right microphone, soundproofing, and studio environment all go a long way, of course, and a talented sound editor, such as my own editor Humberto Franco, can work wonders in post-production. But there’s only so much that can be cleaned up or kept away from the microphone: everything we do makes some kind of sound. That’s why prop masters also use something called “silent props,” or “noiseless props,” to take the everyday noise that we can’t get rid of completely and turn it into a different, more soothing kind of sound.

One prop master whose TikTok videos earlier this year helped bring the idea of silent props to the public eye is Scott Reeder, who’s been working in Hollywood for over three decades. For recording a conversation during a game of pool in the show Friday Night Lights, without having the actors pausing for each shot, he came up with the idea of repainting soft plastic racquetballs to look like pool balls. When the camera needed to show one of the shots, he swapped the prop balls with the real thing and then switched them back.

If you’d like to check out Scott’s mixture of movie-making insights and punny dad jokes, you can find the link to his recent video on creating silent horseshoes here:

When it comes to recording cinematic dialogue, there’s a surprising amount of unintentional sound that needs to be hidden from the microphone. UK filmmakers Robert Carr and Richard Scott, who run the YouTube channel The Film Look, talk about the challenge of filming an authentic restaurant scene, and how masking the sound of a glass being set down on a table, which is usually about the same height as the actor’s microphone, can be as simple as discreetly placing a cushion on the table, or as involved as having a stagehand hiding just below the frame to take the glass from the actor.

In a later video, they demonstrate a do-it-yourself approach to concealing sound, using neoprene rubber and glue to create and attach soundproof pads to everything from the bottom of a coffee mug to the soles of an actor’s shoes. If you want to learn more about the art of indie filmmaking and cinematic audio, I have a link to The Film Look’s “Indie Film Sound Guide” video here:

But when it comes to bigger productions, the silent props are more likely being bought rather than built, and they’re sold by pioneering prop master Tim Schulz and his company Prop TRX, the only dedicated maker of noiseless props. From paper bags made from coffee filter fabric and gift tissue that hardly makes a sound to clear rubber ice cubes that don’t clink against the glass, his storefront’s becoming popular not only with filmmakers but with curious people who just want to see what the fuss is about.

There’s a video link on my blog to a wonderful interview with Tim Schulz about how he creates his silent props, as well as a link to Prop TRX’s homepage so you can take a look for yourself:

https://www.proptrx.com/

If you want to hear just what a silent lunch bag or noiseless cellophane wrap sounds like, there’s also a video link on my blog to one of my favorite ASMR artists as she compares everyday items with their silent movie prop versions. Even if you aren’t usually into ASMR, it’s a fascinating video that shows just how much quieter the silent props really are in comparison, and definitely worth a watch:

As the modern world becomes a faster, busier, and noisier place, more and more attention is being paid to the soundscapes that we create, intentionally or even by accident. Whether it’s with silent props, musical branding, or audio interfaces, we’re working to create a world filled with the sounds we want to hear.

Would you consider giving this podcast an honest review? You can do that here: https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding. And if you like what you hear (and read!) – please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

And if you’re interested in crafting an audio brand for your business, why not check out my FREE download – Top 5 Tips For Implementing An Intentional Audio Strategy at https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/

Audio Essentials with Filmmaker Kevin Elliot – Part 2

July 21, 2021 by Jodi Krangle

“It’s the biggest misconception is that successful creatives lay back on their talent.”

Kevin Elliot

Matching Sound and Matching Audio

As our brand interprets a project, you start at the perspective of what’s the first thing that strikes your mind? Kevin looks for the video’s vibe and creates a complementary soundtrack that goes along with the footage and feel of the brand. For one specific project, Kevin started looking through soundtracks and found the most wonderful viola piece.

He prides himself in grabbing people’s hearts and drawing them in emotionally to the soundtrack and visuals created. Kevin splits the difference between what you would expect to hear in a piece and bringing it to Wewa Films’ interpretation of the piece, which builds his brand.

The Distinct Look to Wewa Film Production

“It’s incredibly hard to take the talent that you have and become excellent at doing it.” Kevin believes that art is what organically comes out of a person. However, the teacher wanted to analyze and determine why his filmmaking looked different from other filmmakers’ video productions. He found two reasons for the cinematic difference between his production and other videos:

His partner is a wedding photographer, which taught her to be a ghost when shooting so she can capture those raw emotional moments.
She is a natural-born visual storyteller who knows how to put video clips in sequence

Making Everyday Work Look Like Magic

Kevin and his partner created a video for a local McDonald’s advertising their business. The client left a review that said, “You made our everyday work look like magic.” He enjoys taking everyday activities and creating beautiful art.

A sound design is needed whether you are shooting near a road or shooting a spectacular jet launch. “When you have a bold video, you’ll need to match your audio to compliment the visuals.” There are certain audio bites people expect to hear if you want to complete their experience. You want to make sure there isn’t any cognitive dissonance. If you don’t design the audio around the visuals, you can easily distract your audience.

Connect with Kevin Elliot via Wewa Film Production Studios https://wewafilms.com/

Like Wewa Film Studios, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wewafilms/ on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wewafilms/ and connect with Wewa on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/wafilms You can also chat with Kevin by tweeting with Wewa on Twitter https://twitter.com/wewafilms

Join me next week as we dive into Voice AI, its current and future applications, and Dr. Teri Fisher’s insight into how this technology will shape our future world.

In the meantime…

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Do you need a voice talent for your next project? Visit my voice over website to find out more about how my voice can help you with your audio brand. You can also subscribe to the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube to watch the show’s latest episodes.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Jodi Krangle

Musical Alchemy: An Interview with Eric Singer – Part 2

Musical Alchemy: An Interview with Eric Singer – Part 1

The Sounds of Silence – A Tale of Noiseless Movie Props

Audio Essentials with Filmmaker Kevin Elliot – Part 2

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