The Art of Sound, Part 2: Tom Myers of Skywalker Sound

Until I met three time academy award nominee Tom Myers, it never crossed my mind that a blank page to a writer is total silence to a sound designer. That something as subtle as a dog barking in the distance in a movie is as intentional a choice as the more conspicuous murmuring of a populated cafe underneath the dialog of actors in a scene. The deeper Myers and I dug into what he does for a living at Skywalker Sound, the more I realized that sound design and sound mixing are forms of aural magic performed by wizards. Subtlety is art, ethos and praxis in this enchanting world. A world where the latitude between not enough and too much is shockingly narrow and requires good ears, a rich imagination and clever, clever instinct.

Listen to episode here, or follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Tom Myers sits in his recording studio, looking at a large mixing console and a screen displaying an ocean scene with a boat.

The Art of Sound, Part 1: It’s Simple – You Just Have to Listen

Close your eyes. Listen. Which sounds are soothing? Which ones drive you up a tree? Currently, outside my house there’s a mocking bird that’s making me a little crazy. But in the distance the sound of a freight train whistle is eliciting feelings of happiness. No doubt because of an experience I had around trains when I was 12. Bring that train sound two miles closer, it would probably annoy me to no end. Close, far, types of birds, types of trains, all of nature—this is Dr. Stéphane Pigeon’s world. And he’s built a way to bring it to the public on his site MyNoise.net.

From his days as an eighteen-year-old sound engineer for Roland synthesizers to recording the subtle voices of the natural world, Dr. Pigeon reflects on the art of crafting complex soundscapes, the beauty of silence, and how his work can invite you into the deeply personal search for the perfect sound.

Listen to the podcast episode now.

Everything Feels Legit

Big changes are afoot at Chaos & Creativity, as our long time producer and good friend Claire Duncan moseys down the road of life to her next big thing. We wish her nothing but the best.

Lest Kimi and Lou be left alone too long without supervision, we’re excited to announce the arrival of our new producer Cheramie “CJ” Johnson. We’re also thrilled to welcome Alexandra Covey to the podcast editing bay. She’ll be cutting together Chaos & Creativity as well as our sister podcast Mothers of Creativity.

In this episode: Everything Feels Legit—everything ends up on the nose as Kimi and Lou utilize an outline to attempt episode cohesion. What results is an extra dose of chaos, with Kimi and Lou covering everything from fellating a lightsaber to Y2K fashion and Facebook regrets to the reflecting pool and beyond. Come for the disastrous segues, stay for the synergy, and listen closely for hints of a 2-part series on the art of sound, coming soon.

I Got Two Acoustic Panels and a Microphone

In the latest minisode of Chaos & Creativity Kimi and I talk about my failed attempt at making a sound booth in my office closet. It turns out acoustics ain’t just about sound absorbing panels and quaint spaces. We also debate if new ancillary creative skills are worth learning versus delegating them to experts. Personally I’ve always been a delegator—not sure if that’s cleverness or laziness.

We finish up with a with a preview of our first limited series. A two parter inspired by my sound booth debacle: First I’m off to Skywalker Sound in Marin County to talk to a multi Academy Award nominated sound designer about how he creates the aural world of major motion pictures. Then I talk to a signal processing engineer in Belgium who spends his free time recording the sounds of nature. He has a clever app that allows you to mix and match his recorded tracks to create a unique listening experience for yourself.

Watch this space for the drop dates.

Truancy in the Face of Responsibility (Our First Post)

You’d think before launching this site we would’ve thought to have some content ready. A little something to read apart from an about page.

Nope.

Not mentioning any names and despite repeatedly being reminded of the deadline, our principal writer had a little tantrum and ran out of the office for a coffee. He hasn’t been seen since. His location tracking is turned off.

Romantic idealism would have us believe he’s in a park, feeling guilty, scratching out a little something for us to post. No one is holding their breath.

So, we’re cutting out early to grab some early bird sushi and catch a 6:45 showing of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

We should have our shit together by next week. Until then have a listen to one of our favorite minisodes from the Chaos & Creativity podcast.