Learning from the masters

After my research I thought it would be a good idea to learn from experienced professionals in the industry. Learning about the ways they do sound design could help with my own process. Different perspectives on the topic would also expand my views and give me new ideas for my own sound design process.

Hideaki Utsumi

Hideaki Utsumi with his parrot Gumi

Hideaki Utsumi is a video game sound designer that worked in Capcom for 14 years. While working in Capcom he worked on Resident Evil series and Devil May Cry 2001.He now teaches sound design at Hal Osaka College of Technology and Design. Utsumi has been in the industry for a long time since 1996, and he has seen the rapid change the video game industry has been going through. In his view games should have a more dynamic sound with a big presence to give games more reality. In his games He has used a lot of dynamic sounds with elements having special music like the monsters in Devil May Cry 2001.


I might be making a film and not a video game, but that philosophy can be used for a film. Through music reactive to the actions in the film, like a musical with leitmotifs and music queues.

Devil May Cry 2001, Track list

Ben Burtt

Ben Burtt

Ben Burtt is a pioneer of sound design, he was the sound designer for The Star Wars series, Indiana Jones series, WALL-E,2008 and more. Ben Burtt has a style people know him for, one where he gets organic sounds, customizes them to fit them into the movie. These revolutionized the sci-fie genre especially as his work in Star Wars has inspired what we see today as the science fiction sound. Burtt uses a lot of sounds people wouldn't expect like sounds of animals and electric hums to give life to the movies he works on. In his mind being a successful sound designer means being able to choose and create the right sound, and that overly complication does not mean better.

When people play with toy lightsaber, they always do the sound effect with their mouth. It's something that without it, the lightsaber wouldn't be the same. And he made that sound. There is an obvious reason he is seen as such a big deal. His creativity of getting the sounds from areas, people wouldn't expect Is something That I hope to learn from him. 

Star wars,1977 Ben Burtt is credited for all the sounds of the creature and robots

Respect 

In every field, there are going to be people who know more and have more experience than someone else. It's important to be aware of that, respect them  and take in all the knowledge that experts can give, yet it's important to separate and not copy them. I hope to get inspiration from them, but I want to have my own voice too. It's a tricky balance but I'm hoping I'll be able to accomplish it.