Getting the right sound for a project is an endeavour that sound designers should always strive for, and pushing the boundaries of the technical means behind this pursuit is what we pride ourselves on.
The Right Sound, Whatever It Takes.
When it comes to sound design, sometimes the best approach is to go straight to the source. Nothing can compare to the authenticity of capturing a sound on location, whether it’s to enhance your sound design, or use the sound in its raw form, which is why we, at Baxter Sound, often go the extra mile in finding the right sound for that special project.
Working in the audio post production industry, many interesting recording opportunities can present themselves. For instance, this series of radio advertisements for Defence Force Recruiting involved casting a voice talent willing to be submerged in water during the middle of winter.
Defence Force Recruiting – Submariner
Fire Ready – Leave Early
In order to get the right sounds for this Fire Ready advertisement, we went on location to record the controlled burn of a house and a car, as well as various creaking and splintering objects in and around the aftermath.
With some sound elements, particularly the contrasting extremes and subtleties of fire and the aftermath; there can be difficulty in creating a sense of authenticity, which is why recording everything we could during and after the controlled burn helped us depict fire destruction much more accurately in this campaign, than if we were to have only used traditional methods.
One of the more extreme recordings was for Australia Post’s Travel Insurance commercial, ‘The Airborne Ad’.
The voice talent had multiple microphones taped to her chest, with all of the recording equipment stored in a bag strapped to her waist. The ad was recorded in free-fall from 14000 feet, capturing the voice talent in a real skydiving experience with all its associated sound elements.
Australia Post Travel Insurance – The Airborne Ad
Another production taking to the skies, this ad for Stanley FatMax, ‘Win A Serious High’, involved having the voice talent deliver lines while being maneuvered through the air at blistering speeds inside a MIG jet.
The extreme nature of the recording allowed us to capture a truly authentic performance from the voice talent, as well as the awesome sounds from within the cockpit of the fighter jet.
Stanley FatMax – Win A Serious High
Getting the right sound for a project is an endeavour that sound designers should always strive for, and pushing the boundaries of the technical means behind this pursuit is what we pride ourselves on. Doing whatever it takes to get these results is what separates the good sound designers from the best.