Audio Branding

Mastering the Language of Sound: A Conversation with Daniel Hug - Part 2

“Step sounds in a game is a sample being repeated, and then people start to make little variations in pitch of this sample. And then they became increasingly sophisticated with middleware, and so a whole set of software emerged, a type of software game, audio middleware, that serves only the purpose of making sound, usually sample-based sounds, pleasurable to use in an interactive context. And there are many different strategies, layering, adaptive mixing, even spectral shaping and stuff like that. And, of course, generative approaches as well are coming in, and that’s so interesting.” – Daniel Hug This episode is the second half of my conversation with sound and interaction designer, researcher, and head of the Sound Design MA at Zurich University of the Arts, Daniel Hug, as we talk about what the Avengers and Matrix movies can teach us about sound design, how video games helped pave the way for audio-first UX, and the importance of learning not just music but the language of sound. As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. (0:00:00) - The Evolution of Sound DesignAs we start the second half of our discussion, Daniel and I talk about how Hollywood blockbusters have shown that a strong first impression can have diminishing returns, and how video-game design demonstrates the value of planning for repetition when it comes to sound. “Game sound, I always say, it has taught me probably the most about interactive or use-oriented sound design,” he explains. “Although you would not expect it from there, it’s not product sound design, it has nothing to do with cars or appliances or whatever, but it’s the [same] basic mechanisms. It’s about interaction.” We talk about his work on electric vehicle soundscapes and the sound designs in sci-fi movies that helped shape his design philosophy. “The sound of the car changes based on the way I press the gas pedal,” he says. “So if I’m being too aggressive, the sound can actually tell me, make me feel that, oh, now you’re overdoing it. And that’s what a film sound designer would do in a science-fiction film.”(0:14:37) - Empowering Sound Design for Everyday LifeDaniel tells us more about the considerations that go into automobile sound design, including legal concerns that go well beyond the car’s interior. “In Europe,” he tells us, “they have this regulation that from zero to thirty you have to have some noise generator. So even Teslas have, since, I don’t know how many years, but eventually they started to make noise as well.” We talk about how COVID and the shift to virtual spaces and online content brought more attention to sound design, and how the language to describe sounds is still evolving. “We have all kinds of visual languages that are established and normative, so to say,” he explains. “They tell us how to think, or to think of a certain image. In sound, especially if it’s non-musical, this is often missing. We have to come up with something.” Episode SummarySound design in films, games, and cars, and the challenges of preventing user fatigue.Daniels’ approach to integrating synthetic sound design into everyday life. Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.comConnect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVOConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategyhttps://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

The Art of Captivating Sound Design: A Conversation with Daniel Hug - Part 1

“And I read this book, it was about acoustic communication. It was about how sound in everyday life mediates our relationship to the environment, and how we use it to communicate with each other, and so on, and that opens really a totally new field for me. So this was kind of the ignition, probably, for me to enter the non-musical sound world, which I’m still in. So there’s the world of noises, of everyday sounds and so on, and that’s how it started, basically. And from there I then came into interaction game design more or less by accident, and they had no one that knew anything about sound. And I kind of built up in this relatively new field of interaction game design at the time. This was in the early noughties.” – Daniel HugThis episode’s guest is a sound and interaction designer who co-directs the Master’s in Sound Design at Zurich University of the Arts. His work explores how sound shapes our experiences, from health technology to movement and education. He’s a leader in Sonic Interaction Design who serves on the steering committees for key sound design conferences and awards, and through research, teaching, and hands-on design, he bridges science, creativity, and business. He’s also a fellow jury member of the International Sound Awards, which is how we met. His name is Dr. Daniel Hug, and we’ll be exploring how sound can influence how we feel, move, and interact with the world around us.As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that.(0:00:01) - Exploring Early Sound Memories and DesignOur conversation starts with Daniel’s earliest memory of sound, a lightning bolt striking a river one night when he was child. “It was like somebody just jumping on top of a huge church organ,” he says, “with the whole body, like really all the keys playing at once… it was really amazing, [and] I have never heard this again.” We talk about how he got into sound, from jazz school and piano lessons to his early work on video-game sound design, and he recalls how a book by composer Barry Truax changed his perspective on sound and music. “It was about acoustic communication,” Daniel recalls. “It was about how sound in everyday life mediates our relationship to the environment and how we use it to communicate with each other and so on, and that opened a totally new field for me.”(0:13:19) - Creating Environmental Sound InnovationsOur discussion turns to his work with Caru, a medical company whose devices use an audio-first UX, and the importance of considering how such work contributes to and fits into the user’s soundscape. “That’s our sonic environment and that’s our relationship to this environment,” he explains, “and by designing it, we design experiences or we contribute to experiences which are multi-sensory all the time. So even if there is no sound, there is a sound, but it’s one that you didn’t design.” We talk about how he draws inspiration from such wide-ranging sources as nature sounds to sci-fi movies, and how quickly those sounds can become integrated into our everyday experiences, regardless of their origin. “Design quality is only one aspect,” he says, “but the other aspect is to have positive experiences together with a certain sound that makes the sound actually work. Like a coffee machine doesn’t make a nice sound, but we love it because it’s related to this act of producing coffee.”(0:24:27) - The Art of Sound GrowthAs the first half of our discussion wraps up, he shares a few samples of his UX work and tells us more about how he blends familiar and impossible sounds together into a unique design. “I always try to design sounds in a way that uses layers,” he says, “actually many layers, really, along with traces of familiar, material sounds with more synthetic stuff, but with the goal that the individual components cannot be extracted clearly, that you get more the feeling of something.” We touch on the impact of AI and how it challenges sound designers to push themselves further. “Maybe that’s one positive aspect,” Daniel tells us, “it pushes you to focus on our thinking out of the box and thinking in terms that a probabilistic machine doesn’t anticipate, and thus creating sound experiences that are new.”Episode SummaryHow jazz, piano, and a bolt of lightning helped shape Daniel’s career in sound design.Daniel’s work on the audio-first UX design of Caru, a screenless medical alert device.Weaving new audio UX sounds and the surrounding soundscape into a seamless whole.Be sure to tune in for next week’s episode as Daniel and I talk about the cautionary tales that Hollywood franchises like the MCU offer to sound designers, what video games and household audio sounds have in common, and Daniel’s approach to making sound design more inclusive.Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.comConnect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVOConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategyhttps://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

AI, Sound, and Authenticity in Business with Wil Seabrook

“I said, ‘this is a tsunami that is coming, and I'm either going to be crushed by it and drowned under it and it's going to destroy everything I've built, or I'm going to learn to surf the big waves, and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to surf this wave,’ which is what I did sort of at the dawn of online video. I was sort of one of the first probably one hundred agencies in the country that were consistently making online video back in 2008 or 2009. So was a brand new thing, right? And so, I just decided, okay, I'm going to do that again. And once I made that decision, I actually got excited again, and my entrepreneurial instincts kicked in, and it was not fun. I sort of had to set off a grenade in the middle of my own business and say, okay, I'm going to start over.” – Wil Seabrook This episode is the second half of my conversation with singer, songwriter, and Light Touch Media Group’s founder and chief creative Wil Seabrook as we talk about where the AI revolution is leading the music industry, the one mistake small-business owners and freelancers make when it comes to finding clients, and how a retro-themed ad campaign made a splash in the TikTok era. As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. (0:00:01) - Navigating AI in Changing Business LandscapeThe second half of our conversation picks up with a look at AI’s growing impact on the music industry, and where Wil sees it all heading. “I am an eternal optimist as a person,” he explains, “and so I think we are in so many ways we're actually headed for a golden age. I think we're going to solve a lot of logistical problems, a lot of medical and health problems.” He tells us more about how we might eventually get to that point, and some of the hurdles we’ll need to overcome, and the role human artists have to play. “It needs artists, it needs creative people guiding it, shaping it,” he says. “If you're going to change the system, essentially change it from the inside. I think that's very important.”(0:10:29) - Evolution of Technology in BusinessWil shares the biggest mistake he sees when working with voice talent: “The number one mistake that I see small business owners of all kinds make, but this absolutely goes for voiceover artists [and] other types of creative people, they just don't promote remotely enough.” He offers his tips on getting your name and brand out there as an artist, and the value of human creativity, even if it seems like AI can do it all. “If you have an innate talent that moves people,” Wil says, “that people gravitate toward, it's special and it's worth cultivating. It's worth persisting, it's worth learning and stumbling and scraping your knees and getting back up again, because that's not a gift that everybody's given.” Episode SummaryAI's impact on the music industry, and how business models have begun to adapt.How COVID-19 democratized audio production and where things might be headed. Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.comConnect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVOConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategyhttps://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Sound, Storytelling, and Content Creation with Wil Seabrook

“I will say, as someone who has auditioned hundreds and hundreds, if not over a thousand, voiceover artists and listened to very talented people doing the same take over and over again, the recording quality, the sound quality, absolutely matters. And it's an immediate… There are so many people for me where it's an immediate ‘no,’ because the moment I hear the sound quality and it's not totally up to a pro level, I assume tons of things about that.” – Wil Seabrook This episode’s guest is a former Warner Bros recording artist and the founder of two award-winning creative agencies, and he’s produced over 8,000 videos and commercials for some of the world's biggest and most successful companies. His name is Wil Seabrook, and this week we’ll be talking about how sound design affects his creative process, what people should keep in mind about sound when it comes to their own projects, and what role he sees AI playing in the short and long term when it comes to sounds of all sorts. If you work in sound and you’re struggling to find your place in the modern marketplace? You’ll definitely want to listen in on this conversation. As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. (0:00:01) - Musicians' Early Sound Influences and JourneysAs our conversation starts, Wil recall his earliest memories of sound, and the impression that hearing a Simon & Garfunkel song made on both him and his parents. “I came home from preschool,” he recalls, “and I was talking to my mother, and I kept saying Funkle, Funkle. She's like, ‘what the heck are you talking about? You want a pencil?’ And she finally figured out that I wanted to listen to Simon & Garfunkel.” He talks about his early career as a musician, some of his missteps along the way and how he’s helped his son avoid them, and how social media has transformed the music scene. “I think the rise of social media,” he says, “the way things have changed in the last ten, fifteen years, you just realize what an incredible amount of talent there is in the world… now you can just sit down with your phone and a guitar and make a beautiful noise and inspire people, and I do think that part's neat.”(0:08:57) - The Power of Music in CommunicationThe discussion continues as Wil talks about his shift from working with Fortune 500 companies to helping small businesses establish their brand, and the different approach it requires. “It's a much more emotional journey,” he explains. “But I get to be more helpful with more things. I'm not just creating content, I'm helping them put it out into the world, improve their business, and I find that fun and engaging.” He also offers some firsthand advice to voice actors who might find themselves frustrated with the auditioning process. “Don't automatically assume that you did something wrong,” he tells us, “or that you've made a mistake, or that you're not talented, or that you're not doing everything right. You could do everything right and still not be the person who gets selected.”(0:14:20) - Creating Music for Brands With PurposeAs the first half of our conversation comes to a close, Wil shares a surprising discovery about the power of authenticity while recording an Instagram spot. “I did two versions in the studio and, on a friend's recommendation, I did a version on my couch, just to see. The version on my couch outperformed the other two versions, two to one.” He points out the work that can go into such seemingly organic spots, however, and cautions against not taking it seriously. “It's very important for people to understand that simple or homemade style does not mean that it's not produced,” he explains. “It's just a different medium, in a way, than trying to make a TV show or a movie.” Episode SummaryWill shares his musical journey, from old records and school choirs to recording singles.Sound’s subliminal impact on consumers and how clients can tap into that power.How the right environment and equipment can make or break a voiceover audition. Be sure to tune in for next week’s episode as Wil and I discuss AI’s place in the music industry and Wil’s own business, why he thinks we may be in for a new golden age once the dust settles, and how musicians and producers are adapting to the mile-a-minute landscape of social media. Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.comConnect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVOConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategyhttps://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

From Portugal with Love: Talking Sound and Story with Humberto Franco

“I think sound is important because I believe it's the first sense that we develop even before we're born. And it's a way of knowing things, knowing the world. Even if you have your eyes shut, you can feel the place. You can feel if it's a big space, if it's an open space, a closed space. So I think it's our most basic feeling instinct that we have, and I remember, before my daughter was born, I would sing for her and her mom’s belly, would move. She would react to sound even before she was born. Yeah, so that's why I think sound is really, really important in everything.” – Humberto Franco This episode’s a little different than most of our podcasts here at Audio Branding. Instead of a conversation in my studio, this one follows my journey through Portugal, exploring the soundscapes of the Douro vineyards and a boat ride in Aveiro to the hustle and bustle of the Porto airport. This episode also features a very special guest. Humberto Franco is the producer and editor of Audio Branding: The Hidden Gem of Marketing, and he’s a professional, multilingual voice actor, a proud dad, an audio, video, and podcast editor and producer, and self-professed computer geek.We had a chance to catch up during my trip to Europe, and I know firsthand that Humberto has a great deal of insight into the power of sound, from how he approaches video and audio editing to his thoughts on how sound shapes every aspect of our lives. Stay tuned for a fascinating conversation about Humberto’s perspective as an editor and a behind-the-scenes look at Audio Branding itself, framed against the lively audio backdrop of the sights and sounds of Portugal. As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com, where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available, along with other interesting bits of audio-related news. And if you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help, and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts. You can leave one either in written or in voice format from the podcast’s main page. I would so appreciate that. (0:00:00) - Exploring the Power of SoundOur conversation begins along a bridge near the city of Régua, surrounded by green hills and lush grape vines, and Humberto shares his earliest memory of sounds, including his parents’ ABBA albums. “I started to wake up in the morning,” he tells us, “go downstairs to the living room, started to play ABBA music, which was a nightmare for my parents.” We move on to a restaurant in Porto and a conversation over dinner, one that begins with Humberto’s question about the process of becoming a guest on Audio Branding. He in turn shares his process for smoothing out the bumpy road podcast interviews can sometimes take. “I put all the files, the video files and the audio files, in sync and then I'll go through the conversation,” he explains. “If there's a mistake, I will take it. There are tricks that, if there's a cut that I need to make, that I'm able to hide it with some magic sauce, I'll do it.”(0:14:09) - Exploring the Importance of SoundOur next stop is a ride aboard a traditional moliceiro boat in the city of Aveiro, and Humberto talks about what inspired his career and his hopes for the future of sound. “For me,” he explains, “it's to see how far technology can take us, how deep can our knowledge and our curiosity can take us into the world of sounds, and to find new things, like small hidden corners of our brain that a sound can light up. And that's what the future brings.” As we arrive at the Porto airport, Humberto and I discuss the inspiration and goal of Audio Branding, and he closes with his thoughts about the importance of sound in our lives. “It's a way of knowing things,” he tells us. “knowing the world. Even if you have your eyes shut, you can feel the place… I think it's our most basic feeling instinct that we have.” Episode SummaryAs we travel through Portugal, Humberto and I discuss podcasting and audio production.The future of Audio Branding and the impact of sound in Humberto’s own life. Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast:Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.comConnect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVOConnect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!)Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest!https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategyhttps://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy