Tonebenders Podcast

Michael Babcock (re-recording mixer/sound designer/supervising sound editor) talks about the challenges of the sound work for KPop Demon Hunters. The animated film has quickly become a world wide sensation and Netflix's most watched title ever (523.6 million viewer hours)! Michael calls the project the most challenging film he has ever worked on. Coming up with sound design that compliments the massive music tracks that have to be the main feature put his skills to the test. This episode is a re-podcast of an episode from The Creative Leaders Podcast, hosted by Stepnen Scott. https://open.spotify.com/show/4nAAx7xPdTW0rxoOxgvygH Listeners in the Mexico City area, mark you calendars for the Tonebenders Event there on Oct 21st. Full details coming soon! SPONSOR: Sound Ideas’ highly anticipated Mid-Year Sale has been extended for a limited time. Unlock 50% off, on thousands of premium recordings, from epic cinematic sounds to authentic ambiences, ideal for any creative project. This applies to all Sound Ideas

Director Zach Cregger's latest film, Weapons, has been both a critical and a box office success. One of the film's biggest strengths is it's distinctive sound work, created by Luciano Vignola (Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording MIxer), Filipe Messeder (Sound Designer & Re-Recording Mixer) and Jake O’Brien (Dialogue Editor). They discuss what makes a jump scare work, the importance of ambiences and foley in the psychology of horror, getting a director to engage on the mix stage & lots more. A big announcement off the top as Tonebenders is going to Mexico City on Oct 21st! SPONSOR: After over a year of dedicated work, the entire Sound Ideas sound effects collection, over 500,000 individual files, has been upgraded to the Universal Category System’s, filename and metadata standards. With this enhancement, sounds are now more organized, searchable, and ready for seamless integration into your workflow. Head over to https://www.sound-ideas.com/Page/ucs-data-upgrade to learn more. Episode Notes: https://tonebe

This episode is a re-podcast of a live panel from last year's Sonic Days Conference, in Denmark. The panelists explore the creative process behind game audio development, diving into strategies for fostering innovation, overcoming creative blocks, and enhancing collaboration in the industry. The panel is made up of: Richard Lapington, Audio Director, Remedy Entertainment Katrine Amsler, Sound Designer, IO Interactive Simon Stevnhoved, Senior Sound Designer, Massive Entertainment Mikkel Anttila, Freelance Sound Designer Moderated by Niels Böttcher, Sound Designer Mark your calendars for Sonic Days 2025, and join Tonebenders' host Tim Muirhead, in Kolding Denmark on November 19th and 20th. Full details will be coming out soon...... SPONSOR: After over a year of dedicated work, the entire Sound Ideas sound effects collection, over 500,000 individual files, has been upgraded to the Universal Category System’s, filename and metadata standards. With this enhancement, sounds are now more organized, searchable, an

Black Mirror has consistently been a ground breaking series over the show's decade plus run. It has set a high standard within the sound community as well. The recent release of Season 7, keeps that sonic bar extremely high, especially on the Emmy nominated episode "USS Callister: Into Infinity". Supervising Sound Editor Tom Jenkins, Music Editor Poppy Kavanagh & Re-Recording Mixer James Ridgway tell us about the challenges of working on a science-fiction anthology series where every episode is completely different, the importance of having Poppy work with the music across the entire series 7, and what they learned designing the sound for an epic space battle. Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. https://tonebenderspodcast.com/tonebenders-sound-design-meet-up/ SPONSOR: Sound Ideas’ highly anticipated Mid-Year Sale has been extended for a limited time

The Righteous Gemstones is a big broad comedy about excess, except for the first episode of season 4, which takes place nearly 200 years before the main series. With the American Civil as the backdrop, this story is gritty and dirty, a complete departure from the bulk of the series. Pee-wee as Himself is a disarming documentary playing with what is true and what is Hollywood gamesmanship. Featuring an uncompromising interview with Paul Reubens as he wrestles with where Pee-Wee starts and Reubens ends. A common thread between these two projects is pristine sound work that leads the charge. The Emmy nominated Supervising sound editors/re-recording mixers for both Righteous Gemstones (Nicholas Renbeck) and Pee-wee as Himself (Daniel Timmons) join Tonebenders for a fascinating talk, as they compare and contrast working on these two very different projects. Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, prese

How is it possible that it took until the 322nd episode of Tonebenders for a discussion about the sound design of the Star Trek franchise?! This episode, featuring two guests that have collectively worked on over a 150 episodes within the Star Trek universe, will finally give us a chance to dig deep into the iconic sounds of Star Trek. James Lucero (Supervising Sound Editor), from Star Trek Lower Decks, and Michael Schapiro (Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer) from Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks are absolute experts on what this sci-fi giant sounds like. Both have also been nominated for Emmys this year as well! Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. Also you have until August 15th to get your Listener Field Recording Stories. Full details on how to submit are at

The audio post teams from both The Penguin and Season 2 of The Last Of Us, sit down together to hash out the work they did on their respective series. Workflows are discussed and compared, favourite sound moments are shared and many other challenges, that must be overcome in these types of prestige series, are opened up. From The Last Of Us, Michael Benavente (Supervising Sound Editor) & Samuel Ejnes (Re-Recording Mixer) join Rich Bologna (Supervising Sound Editor) & Andy Kris (Re-Recording Mixer) from The Penguin, for this illuminating conversation. Also Congrats to all four for their recent Emmy Nominations! Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. Also you have until August 15th to get your Listener Field Recording Stories. Full details on how to submit are at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/field-recording-story-submissions/ SPONSOR: Sound Ideas’ highly

Adolescence is a limited series on Netflix consisting of 4 episodes, each made up of a single continuous hour long take. This "one-er" format presented tremendous challenges to the sound team, both on set and in post production. Intense planning was needed in order to capture everything in production, and constant panning was needed in the mix to keep the sound locked to the shifting camera movement. Production sound mixers Rob Entwistle & Kiff McManus tell us about the organized chaos during filming, while supervising sound editor, James Drake, and re-recording mixer, Jules Woods, discuss the intricate detail they dove into to create the immersive feel of the final mix. Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. Also you have until August 15th to get your Listener Field Recording Stories. Full details on how to submit are at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/fie

This episode has been a long time coming. I have been trying to figure out how to tackle a discussion about A.I. and it’s influence on how sound editors will all be able to do our work in the future. So when the MPSE put out a press release about A.I. created work and it’s eligibility at their Golden Reel Awards, I saw it as a chance to broach the subject. David Barber, MPSE President, and Brent Findley are both on the A.I. committee with the guild and have spent countless hours thinking about how A.I. is going to effect sound editors. Listeners in London England, come on out on August 24th at 7pm to the Crown and Two Chairmen to the second Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up, presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors. Also you have until August 15th to get your Listener Field Recording Stories. Full details on how to submit are at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/field-recording-story-submissions/ SPONSOR: Sound Ideas is Introducing the newest instalment to The Hollywood Edge’s legendary sound effect

Recorded in the legendary Formosa Trident Studios, this talk features someone on the sound team from every James Bond film released since 1973?!!!! Michael Fentum ( Sound Editor on No Time To Die), Karen Baker Landers (Supervising Sound Editor on Skyfall & Spectre), Mike Prestwood Smith (Re-recording Mixer on Casino Royal & Quantum of Solace) and Graham Hartstone (Re-Recording Mixer on Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day and more), talk about their initial thoughts when they found out they would be working on the Bond franchise, the scenes they are most proud of and lots more. Big “thanks” to the Motion Picture Sound Editors, for sponsoring this series of episodes featuring the interviews I did while in England.  To learn more about the Motion Picture Sound Editors, you can go to https://mpse.org/.  They are doing great work to support and advocate for sound editors around

Fresh off of receiving 2 Emmy nominations, for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, the audio team from The Bear sits down to talk about their work on the latest season of the acclaimed series. Re-Recording Mixer & Supervising Sound Editor Steve "Major" Giammaria, Dialog Editor Evan Benjamin and Production Sound Mixer Scott Smith, break down the many challenges this series presents, both on set and in post production. They breakdown a few key scenes and follow how the dialog is captured on set, cleaned and prepped in editorial and finally crafted on the mix stage. Listeners in England mark your calendars for Sunday August 24th for the Tonebenders London Sound Design Meet-up presented by the motion picture sound editors. Full Details at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/tonebenders-sound-design-meet-up/ See you there everyone! SPONSORS: The Cargo Cult’s Matchbox 2 is a change management tool that is invaluable when doing comforms. It reveals the differences, reports on the damage, and then re-times your sound mi

Tonebenders' host, Tim Muirhead, tells tales of some of his favourite field recording (mis)adventures and invites all the podcasts' listeners to send in their own stories of capturing interesting sounds in the wild. Tim shares stories of recording in unusual places, when strangers find microphones left to record on their own, his favourite sound he has ever recorded and lots more. To get full details on how to submit your own recordings to be part of a future episode of Tonebenders, go to https://tonebenderspodcast.com/field-recording-story-submissions/ This Episode is an updated re-podcast, that originally aired Oct 5th 2023. SPONSOR: Check out Extension 12 of the iconic, General Series 6000 Library: Sound Ideas’ most popular sound effects collection. This newest addition features over 2,500 high-quality recordings, over a wide range of sounds for both the fantastical and the realistic. Including noises of nature, industrial sounds, magical creatures and lots more. Available in four resolutions with descri

While in Los Angeles I was able to get 3 of the city's busiest sound effects recordists together, in the same room. We had a talk about their careers and some of their adventures in capturing the sounds for Hollywood's biggest films. John Paul Fasal, Charlie Campagna & Eric Potter have recorded jets, race cars, and many more iconic sounds! They discuss how they approach different projects, what their responsibilities are and how things have changed over the years. We also announce Tonebenders' is collecting Listener Field Recording Stories, for an upcoming episode. So dig out your favourite recordings and tell us the stories behind them. Full Details on how to participate at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/field-recording-story-submissions/ Also Don't forget about Tonebenders London Soul Design Meet-up, coming up on August 24th, at The Crown and Two Chairmen in Soho. Full Details at https://tonebenderspodcast.com/tonebenders-sound-design-meet-up/ SPONSORS: The Cargo Cult’s Matchbox 2 is a change managemen

House Of The Dragon is one of the biggest shows on TV and the sound of the show is one of the big reasons for that success. Al Sirkett (Re-Recording Mixer/Supervising Sound Editor), Barnaby Smyth (Foley Artist /Foley Supervisor), Ruth Knight (Sound Editor) and Doug Cooper (Re-Recording Mixer) joined me for an in-person interview to talk about the immense challenge of building the world of Westeros through sound. They also discuss the many different kinds of fire recordings they used, and some keys scenes including The Battle of Rook's Rest, The Red Sowing and Blood and Cheese's mission. Big thanks to the Motion Picture Sound Editors, for sponsoring this series of episodes featuring the interviews I did while in England. To learn more about the Motion Picture Sound Editors, you can go to https://www.mpse.org. They are doing great work to support and advocate for sound editors all around the world. SPONSOR: The Cargo Cult’s Matchbox 2 is a change management tool that is invaluable when doing comforms. It

Arcane is a ground breaking animated series, especially when it comes to how the show used music and sound design, working together, all the way through the process. In this special conversation from the Riot Games Campus, in California, Supervising Sound Editors (Eliot Connors & Brad Beaumont) sat down with the series composers (Alex Seaver and Alex Temple) to talk about how each of their contributions, inspired the way the others approached their work. They discuss how the musical themes evolved throughout the series, how the sound design had to be based in organic sounds and their desire to make the sound live up to the impressive visuals of Arcane. If you enjoy this episode, go back to eps 309 for more Arcane talk, with the re-recording mixers Penny Harold & Andy Lange. SPONSORS: 
The O-MINI Microphone is a miniature omnidirectional electret microphone. Each one is hand made by Chris Trevino, a practicing field recordist, and a really engaged member of the sound community. He puts a lot of work into m

Hospitals are really hard to create sound design for. The walla and general soundscape of a hospital is very different than any other location, because they are dense but not necessarily loud. Plus there are lots of medical machines that need to be accounted for. In the new HBO emergency room drama, The Pitt, this challenge is amplified as the show takes place entirely inside an especially intense ER. Supervising Sound Editor Bryan Parker and Re-Recording Mixers Ed Carr & Todd Grace, tell us how they used the sounds of The PItt to increase the tension, emotions and payoffs..... all with almost no score in the series. No detail was left to chance, as a map of the fictional emergency room was used extensively by the sound team, to motivate panning and what kind of sounds are heard by the audience. The use of sound design to draw you into the story is one of The PItt's greatest triumphs. SPONSORS: Check out one of Sound Ideas latest libraries The General HD vol 6, which brings over 4000 new effects, to add to yo

With "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina" hitting theatres, it is a good time to talk to the sound team that, for some, have been working on the John Wick films for over a decade. Supervising Sound Editor Mark Stoeckinger, Re-Recording Mixers Andy Koyama & Casey Genton and Sound Designer Luke Gibleon discuss designing massive gun sfx, the challenge of each film getting bigger that the last, their relationship with the franchise's directors and how they find ways to make room for the huge music and sound effects that give the John Wick films their signature sound. SPONSORS: Sound Ideas Annual Memberships put Sound Ideas’ full range of over 600,000 sound effects, music tracks, and production elements at your fingertips with three tiers to choose from based on your Sound Design needs. The Creator’s Access Plan is perfect for the independent creator working on a smaller scale, looking for high-quality sound options at a great price. With up to 100 Downloads, you’ll enjoy significant savings compared to buying

I was able to get 4 busy dialog editors all in a room together, to discuss the highs and lows of working on dialog for films, series and games. They talk about the tools they use, the road blocks they regularly encounter and the ways they use problem solving and creativity to get clean dialog tracks for each project they work on. Sophie Mapplebeck, Louise Burton, Robbie Mann & Michael Maroussas share their experiences working on everything from blockbuster films, AAA games and prestige series. Big “thanks” to the Motion Picture Sound Editors, for sponsoring this series of episodes featuring the interviews I did while in England.  To learn more about the Motion Picture Sound Editors, you can go to www.MPSE.org.  They are doing great work to support and advocate for sound editors around the world. If you are in The Toronto area on June 13th, come out to the Back To The Future Screening screening with one of the original sound editors, Scott Hecker, in attendance for a Q&A about how they came up with all the

Penny Harold and Andy Lange tell us about their work as the re-recording mixers, on Season 2 of the hit Netflix animated series, Arcane. This is a show with intense dialog, massive sound design, soaring songs, and a bombastic score. Wranglng all of these elements into a cohesive whole, was a fun challenge. Arcane's groundbreaking artwork and visual style, made it a tall order to match that level with the series' soundscape. Penny and Andy discuss their workflows, how they work as a team on the mix stage and the importance of finding the perfect compressor! SPONSORS: Sound Ideas Annual Memberships put Sound Ideas’ full range of over 600,000 sound effects, music tracks, and production elements at your fingertips with three tiers to choose from based on your Sound Design needs. The Creator’s Access Plan is perfect for the independent creator working on a smaller scale, looking for high-quality sound options at a great price. With up to 100 Downloads, you’ll enjoy significant savings compared to buying individ

While in London, Tonebenders was invited to Wave Studios in Soho, to talk to Johnnie Burn and Paul Davies. I brought them together, to talk about their varied approaches to finding the "sonic voice" of each project they work on. They discuss the importance of a good relationship with a director, spotting sessions, pouring over a script well in advance, identifying the ambitions of a film and lots more. SPONSOR: Big "thanks" to the Motion Picture Sound Editors, for sponsoring this series of episodes featuring the interviews I did while in England.  To learn more about the Motion Picture Sound Editors, you can go to www.MPSE.org.  They are doing great work to support and advocate for sound editors around the world. If you are in The Toronto area on June 13th, come out to the Back To The Future Screening screening with one of the original sound editors, Scott Hecker, in attendance for a Q&A about how they came up with all the iconic sounds in this classic film. If you are interested in going to this screening,