Audio Design is a practice in which people-sound engineers– create soundtracks or auditory effects toward a project. Audio design includes: editing of live or recorded audio, sound effects, mixing, and music. Audio can make or break anything. Could you imagine watching a marvel movie with cheap soundboard effects? It’s most likely that the sounds would contrast the movie so greatly that it would almost be impossible to focus on. A good example of Audio Design would be Hans Zimmer, his sounds emphasize the visuals of a movie and bring it together in a neat little package.That is exactly the goal of Audio Design. 

So, who works on Audio Design?

Sound engineers work on Audio Design. Just like the example I gave above using Hans Zimmer, a sound engineer’s job is to create something that brings out the best in the visuals to enhance the users experience. Sound engineers create multiple layers of audio and rearrange them to capture what is currently happening on screen, like dialogue or music. Some sound engineers even work together with composers to create music fitting of their footage/animation. 

Every single show, movie, or game has some type of music or sound playing in the background. Sometimes it might be blocked out as white noise, but without it something would be amiss. Sounds help to make connections to the real world  and bring any project to life. Horror movies without music would not be scary. The technique that is used in horror movies creates an overwhelming sense of paranoia and fear, and when paired together with visuals, it is indeed a worthy opponent. Arguably one could say that Audio Design is the most important part of any project. 

Apps to help you start

Popular software’s used by professionals in the industry and beginners are:

• FI Studio-It includes unlimited playlist options and allows a wide variety of mixer channels. Mostly used by musicians.
• Cubase Pro-Used by the famous Hans Zimmer. Provides some of the highest fidelity audios and includes a songwriting toolkit
• Apple Logic Pro X- Huge plug in collection, library access to a multitude of instrument samples and synthesizers.

That just about covers the basics of Audio Design, see you next time for more informational articles about multimedia and technology!