Editing Sound design (section)

==Applications==

===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 soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sound designer|url=http://filmsound.org/terminology/designer.htm|website=FilmSound.org|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> In the [[Cinema of the United States|American film industry]], the title ''Sound Designer'' is not controlled by any [[professional organization]], unlike titles such as [[film director|Director]] or [[Screenwriter]].

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 same position: the head designer of the final sound track. Editors and mixers like Murray Spivack (''King Kong''), George Groves (''The Jazz Singer''), James G. Stewart (''Citizen Kane''), and Carl Faulkner (''Journey to the Center of the Earth'') served in this capacity during Hollywood's studio era, and are generally considered to be sound designers by a different name.

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 legitimised the field of post-production sound at a time when studios were downsizing their sound departments, and when producers were routinely skimping on budgets and salaries for sound editors and mixers. In so doing, it allowed those who called themselves sound designers to compete for contract work and to negotiate higher salaries. The position of Sound Designer therefore emerged in a manner similar to that of [[Production Designer]], which was created in the 1930s when [[William Cameron Menzies]] made revolutionary contributions to the craft of [[art director|art direction]] in the making of ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bordwell|first1=David|title=William Cameron Menzies: One Forceful, Impressive Idea|url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/menzies.php|website=davidbordwell.net|access-date=13 October 2015}}{{sps|date=July 2016}}</ref>

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. Dolby's immersive [[Dolby Atmos]] format, introduced in 2012, provides the sound team with 128 tracks of audio that can be assigned to a 7.1.2 bed that utilizes two overhead channels, leaving 118 tracks for audio objects that can be positioned around the theater independent of the sound bed. Object positions are informed by metadata that places them based on ''x'',''y'',''z'' coordinates and the number of speakers available in the room. This immersive sound format expands creative opportunities for the use of sound beyond what was achievable with older 5.1 and 7.1 [[surround sound]] systems. The greater dynamic range of the new systems, coupled with the ability to produce sounds at the sides, behind, or above the audience, provided the audio post-production team new opportunities for creative expression in film sound. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://professional.dolby.com/content-creation/Dolby-Atmos-for-content-creators/2|title=Dolby Atmos for content creators|access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=
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 potential 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.
* 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>

===Theatre===
{{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 in the USA 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 fulfill the needs of the production. If a sound system is already installed in the performance venue, it is the sound designer's job to tune the system for the best use for a particular production. Sound system tuning employs various methods including [[equalization (audio)|equalization]], delay, volume, speaker and [[microphone]] placement, and in some cases, the addition of new equipment. In conjunction with the director and musical director, if any, the sound reinforcement designer determines the use and placement of microphones for actors and musicians. The sound reinforcement designer ensures that the performance can be heard and understood by everyone in the audience, regardless of the shape, size or acoustics of the venue, and that performers can hear everything needed to enable them to do their jobs. While sound design for a musical largely focuses on the artistic merits of sound reinforcement, many musicals, such as ''Into the Woods'' also require significant sound scores (see Sound Design for Plays). Sound Reinforcement Design was recognized by the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards with the Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical until the 2014–15 season,<ref name="2010–2011 Tony Award Rules">{{cite web|title=2010–2011 Tony Award Rules|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/Rules-2010-2011FINAL.pdf|publisher=American Theatre Wing|access-date=26 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319152200/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/Rules-2010-2011FINAL.pdf|archive-date=19 March 2012}}</ref> later reinstating in the 2017–18 season.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/articles/2017-04-24/best_sound_design_categories_to_return_to_the_tony_awards.html|title=Best Sound Design Categories to Return to the Tony Awards|website=TonyAwards.com|language=en|access-date=2017-04-27|archive-date=2018-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929040600/https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/articles/2017-04-24/best_sound_design_categories_to_return_to_the_tony_awards.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Plays====
Sound design for plays often involves the selection of music and sounds (sound score) for a production based on intimate familiarity with the play, and the design, installation, calibration and utilization of the sound system that reproduces the sound score. The sound designer for a play and the production's [[theater director|director]] work together to decide the themes and emotions to be explored. Based on this, the sound designer for plays, in collaboration with the director and possibly the composer, decides upon the sounds that will be used to create the desired moods. In some productions, the sound designer might also be hired to compose music for the play. The sound designer and the director usually work together to "spot" the cues in the play (i.e., decide when and where sound will be used in the play). Some productions might use music only during scene changes, whilst others might use sound effects. Likewise, a scene might be underscored with music, sound effects or abstract sounds that exist somewhere between the two. Some sound designers are accomplished composers, writing and producing music for productions as well as designing sound. Many sound designs for plays also require significant sound reinforcement (see Sound Design for Musicals). Sound Design for plays was recognized by the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards with the Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play until the 2014–15 season,<ref name="2010–2011 Tony Award Rules"/> later reinstating the award in the 2017–18 season.<ref name=":0" />

====Professional organizations====
* [[Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association]] (TSDCA)
* The [[Association of Sound Designers|Association for Sound Design and Production]] is a charity representing theatre sound designers and engineers in the UK.
* [[United Scenic Artists]] (USA) Local USA 829, 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).

===Music===
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 composers and electronic musicians or sound designers. The latter specialises in electronic music techniques, such as sequencing and synthesizers, but the former is more experienced in writing music in a variety of genres. Since electronic music itself is quite broad in techniques and often separate from techniques applied in other genres, this kind of collaboration can be seen as natural and beneficial.

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>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sevwave.com/music|title=MUSIC|website=Suzanne Ciani}}</ref>

===Fashion===
In fashion shows, the sound designer often works with the artistic director to create an atmosphere fitting the theme of a collection, commercial campaign or event.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Computer applications and other applications===
Sound is widely used in a variety of [[human–computer interface]]s, in [[computer game]]s and [[video game]]s.<ref>{{cite conference | first1 = Viviane | last1 = Gal | first2 = Cécile | last2 = Le Prado | first3 = J. B. | last3 = Merland | first4 = Stéphane | last4 = Natkin | first5 = Liliana | last5 = Vega | title = Processes and tools for sound design in computer games | book-title = Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference | location = Goetborg | date = September 2002 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.78.5543 }}.</ref><ref>{{cite web | first1 = Olivier | last1 = Veneri | first2 = Stéphane | last2 = Natkin | first3 = Cécile | last3 = Le Prado | first4 = Marc | last4 = Emerit | title = A Game Audio Technology Overview | url = http://www.smcnetwork.org/files/proceedings/2006/10-A_Game_Audio_Technology_Overview.pdf | access-date = 2011-02-22 | archive-date = 2011-07-28 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110728031826/http://www.smcnetwork.org/files/proceedings/2006/10-A_Game_Audio_Technology_Overview.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> There are a few extra requirements for sound production for computer applications, including re-usability, interactivity and low memory and CPU usage. For example, most computational resources are usually devoted to graphics. Audio production should account for computational limits for sound playback with audio compression or voice allocating systems.

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.