Audio Branding

“I knew a guy who had been quiet, mild-mannered; you would never have thought that he would listen to death metal all the time. And it was, I mean, this thrashy, really, really violent music. He explained the reason he did it, that he liked it, was because he was deeply abused as a kid. He was violently abused as a kid. He had a lot of pent-up rage, and the music was a catalyst to vent his rage. So, he was actually a very calm, peaceful person in real life. But that was his vent. He could vent th...

“They loved what I did. They put it on the ad, and they reported back to me six months from then that the ad had over-performed, that it had helped them get more than half a million dollars in revenue. And they had gone from near zero brand visibility in that market to almost top of mind in the polls. Six months. So, I looked at that situation, and I said, ‘That was real value.’ Then I looked at the landscape, and I saw that virtually nobody was offering this to small businesses. I knew what sonic branding was, but th...

“In the early ‘60s, when he went off on his own, he created this company called A-I-R, which I believe stands for the Association of Independent Recordists, and that was the key. Independence. He took that model, and he was getting great residuals and everything from The Beatles’ work. So he had the money, and he built a recording studio in London, which he called AIR Studios, named after the group he had founded, and that, because of who he was, everybody wanted to go there, from Bowie to Queen. Everybody went there. But the ‘70s turned out to be this...

“If you’re a creator of sound, you’re in a blessed place, because you can not only communicate with somebody in that two-dimensional, ‘it sounds like this’ mode, but you also have the ability to touch their spirit. You have an ability to give them goosebumps. You have the ability to make them think differently about themselves, to question their belief system, right? Those things are powerful, and if we sit back and we defer them to a machine or a synthetic whatever, and we don’t pay the amount of respect for that, that very same society will rebel...

“And it’s also a progression, right, that you don’t know why that progression did it for you. Like, there is a moment in this one song by Manchester Orchestra where they hit this C [note], and I, the first time I listened to it, just ugly cried, and I had no idea what they were saying because I wasn’t listening. It’s this one note, and the way they hit it as like, a quote, like just as a unit, as a band, they come in together, and it just does something in me. And I recognize...

“That’s sort of how we, like, when we started the agency, then we started with just the two of us, and my role alongside Jared was everything. We did everything. And then as we expanded and grew, like, we realized, actually, like, not only my partner at the agency, but I am the chief listening officer. It starts with listening, and everything flows from there. And I think that one thing that makes our agency unique is I’ve worked with every other agency, like when we worked as creators, and we were getting hired. So you see the un...

“I would say they really need to not position themselves as a recording studio or a music studio, but to position themselves as a sonic branding agency and to understand that the first, most important part of the process is understanding the brand that you’re working with. If you’re coming into the industry as a freelance composer and that’s your approach, I’d suggest trying to work with a sonic branding agency at first to understand the process, then maybe venturing off and figuring it out by yourself. But we’re not a music studio. That’s a position I...

“You know, the Dr. Pepper jingle, a year ago, there was that jingle. So I’m not going to make any claims that the jingle itself isn’t great. It’s a great jingle. And I do think if you analyze it, there are a lot of ways you can dissect it to actually properly represent Dr. Pepper. But I do think that the main reason it became so viral and people are still linking it to Dr. Pepper is the roll-out strategy, even though it wasn’t intentional. I believe she was an influencer or an Insta or a content...

“My grandfather used to say, aim for the moon and you might catch a star on the way down. And at his funeral, I gave a sort of eulogy and told everyone this story and said, ‘I assume everyone’s heard this one from him because he was a storyteller.’ There were about a hundred people there, and they were like, ’ No, we’ve not heard that story. But afterwards, fifteen, twenty people did come up to me and say, ‘He sent me a letter, and he told me this, a different thing. And he told me that…’ And I guess one of my...

“I’ve been, so one of my writer friends who I published, a guy called Ian Kerner, he was one of the producers behind “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “Stay Another Day” by Seventeen and Kylie. He was a big producer, and I took him to Eurovision. He was the first person I went with, and he turned to me and said, ‘This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done.’ And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘But you were number one in America with Rick Astley.’ Yet he’s saying that he meant the show. The show was, ‘I’ve...

“And I did get to do a session with Count Basie and his orchestra. You know, it’s a lot easier to record people that play well than people who can’t play well. Because, I mean, it almost records itself. I mean, yeah, you got to set up the microphones, you got to use the right techniques and so forth, and don’t overload the microphones. But these great players are much easier to record than mediocre players with the same equipment.” – Robin Gulcher

This episode is the second half of my conversation with sound designer Robin Gulche...

“I think that making images come to life with sound helps the audience with the story and with the emotion of the story. It puts them in the right place. They know what it is they’re supposed to pay attention to. We talked earlier in our first meeting about this line-of-sight editing, that is, a video editing thing that they do to get the audience’s eyes to move to what’s important on screen. And we can do the same thing with audio. We can tell them, ‘OK, this is important over here.’ And whether or not they saw it...

“I don’t think AI quite has us figured out yet because, as human beings, we’ll listen to sad songs to feel better. I don’t think it understands that. That’s true, it’s contrary… Yeah, I mean, I think that AI has its place. I’m not all against it, just as a matter of course, I just think that it shouldn’t replace our creativity. That’s what makes us human, and I don’t want to see a computer replace that. Yeah, I want it to clean my house and cook my meals so that I can create.” –...

“That’s one of the biggest things that scares me the most about composing with AI. It’s that, whatever AI model you’re on, how was it trained, and was that material copyrighted? And was there any kind of permission for that to happen? And you, as the end user, don’t know.” – Laney McCormick

This episode features a pair of guests who are passionate about helping creatives elevate their stories through music. As the founders of Scene Support Music, they specialize in pairing authentic music with visual media, ensuring that brands and stories stand out. As former musi...

“We did a sort of special launch episode with the King, um, who’s so knowledgeable, so passionate, you know. I don’t know whether he’d just read up about it, but it doesn’t feel like it. It feels like it really tapped into something that he wants to talk about and knows how to talk about. Um, so yeah, a dream guest, frankly, in so many ways. Um, and Kate’s a great interviewer, and there are another three episodes of that after it, but yeah, it was. When you talk about sonic branding, you know, there aren’t...

“So the answer to why is that podcasts, whether they’re audio only or, nowadays, the vast majority are including video as well, provide a depth and a nuance and a detail of conversation that is almost impossible to get anywhere else. So, you know, we live in an age where people are scanning TikTok and brands are trying to catch your attention for three seconds. And they feel like that’s a triumph. If you’ve stopped scrolling for just three seconds and looked at their thing, it doesn’t really matter if you’ve clicked through. And so, in an ag...

“Scientifically, it’s because that voice is vibration. So when it’s vibration, it needs a medium to be heard. Like, if we are in outer space, we hear nothing because there’s no medium to convey the sound. And then once we’re back on Earth, we have media. And when we are listening to ourselves, the sound is vibrating in the head. So, the medium, the media, they are liquid, they are solid, the bones, so that’s the medium that they are resonating in. But when we’re recording ourselves, the medium is air. And then of course, for...

“I think one thing we mentioned just now, which is equanimity, that, of course, for them, they didn’t realize the word. It was also something, the word that I’ve learned over the pandemic, so I think that’s one thing where that equanimity, how you can stay grounded and centered, even if you are going through chaos, even if there is chaos in your head. So how you can stand grounded, and you can sound calm when you’re talking to people, and even also in the pandemic, a lot of times the leaders don’t know the answer e...

“I guess that’s encouraging, and it’s scary at the same time, because, you know, there are a lot of people in the industry that depend on the creativity that they’ve worked years and years and years to kind of master and to get to this point. And then all of a sudden, someone says, I don’t want to pay this person. Let’s just have AI do it. And, you know, it does a comparable job, if not better. So it’s something that I think as a creative, I try not to be fearful of, but I do t...

“Sound is a really important part of how I make movies because I always tell people that if the sound is good and the picture is bad, then you’ll stick around to see what happens. However, if the sound is terrible and the picture is great, you’re out of there in like ten minutes. So sound is something that I always cherish. And I think that the right filmmaker who appreciates sound can really take advantage of what we think about and use, you know, the viewer’s imagination. A lot of film pictures start off in black an...

“When I do see really powerful sonic branding, it’s impressive. It stands out, you know? There was one I looked at, it was a luxury airline, or it was a luxury-like experience, I want to say. They sold, like, really specific vacations to remote parts of the world that were really luxury experiences and really interesting, and they had a really cohesive sonic branding that wasn’t music. It was just an intentional sound design approach where they had a lot of the sounds of the place, and they really focused on a sense of place. So when it was...

“Our brain really prioritizes vocal signals. They’re super important to the brain because human communication is a really big priority for us as a species. It’s a deep signal in our brain, right? And so, we were seeing a stronger reaction to the screams than to the music, and that sort of makes sense. There were more intricacies to that, but I can’t really remember the exact brain areas and all that. But it was cool to see that. Yeah, it is sort of mimicking, but our brain really separates them. You know, it may still get sort...

“I grew up near the west coast here in Denmark, so yeah, the sea has always been there. And Aarhus is also a harbor city, so definitely there’s something relaxing about going down to the water and hearing the whistling. We implemented that in Necesse, actually. We have a water fountain that’s spatial, so that when you get near to it, you hear it rustling. You can sit by it and actually get the feeling that you’re talking about, of just, you know, [dreaming] away.” – Rune Eskildsen

This episode is the second half of my conversat...

“When I started on the project of Necesse, we had maybe thirty sound effects. I’ve made around 400, 350 sound effects, so it’s become much more immersive. You can hear animals when you wander around in the different environments. And just the feedback you get by playing the game, it’s quite nice compared to before, which were much more… maybe empty is the right word.” – Rune Eskildsen

This week’s guest is a media composer, sound designer, and drummer based in Denmark. He writes music and builds sonic identities across formats, from commercials and podcast jingles to film scores...

“I think that sound drives the emotion of a scene, right? As much as dialogue, right? Sound and music, score in particular… I just think it helps to create emotion in a scene or augments the performances. Because you gotta have great performances, but great performance coupled with, you know, great sound design or a great score, it just makes you feel, it does something, it makes you tingle. It does something to you that just envelops you in that moment, right?” – Kenneth Johnson

This episode is the second half of my conversation with sonic storyteller and founder...

This episode’s guest is an award–winning supervising sound designer whose groundbreaking work has shaped the sound of some of television and film’s most iconic projects, including Netflix’s hit series Forever and Kevin Hart’s animated comedy Lil Kev. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he rose through the ranks of Hollywood post-production, breaking barriers as one of the few Black sound designers in the industry and earning multiple MPSE Golden Reel Awards and Emmy nominations. Today, he’s not only redefining sonic storytelling but also championing greater diversity behind the scenes, ensuring the voices shapi...

“The reason why brands and companies should be thinking about audio is because all of their consumers are, whether they know it or not. I mean, to your point about people knowing when something doesn’t feel right but not necessarily knowing why, a lot of times it’s audio. Especially now too, with so much AI slop and the level of inauthenticity that is being broadcasted, a really great song jingle, like a really well-crafted sound design for movements in things like action, sports, or what have you, that can bring in the viewer or the listener into a worl...

“To your point, like it can make or break campaigns, can make or break TV and film. I mean, you know, there’s mumblegate that’s happening, like with all the streamers where I can’t understand half the things that are being spoken... And in the interview, he was like, ‘Well, it’s just not important to me.’ I’m like, what?” – David Gielan

This week’s guest is a six-time founder and creative strategist who knows the power of sound in shaping stories that stick. As founder of Dominant Creative, a global agency and production company, he helps bran...

“Live is always going to be great. Human connection is the only thing that will differentiate AI from people and from artists. And that is, I think, going to be the key lever that artists have left. So in the same way as you might go and buy a handmade coffee cup for $20 from an artisan stall when you can buy one for a dollar in Walmart, music will still hold great value.” – David Courtier-Dutton

This episode is the second half of my conversation with the founder and CEO of SoundOut, David Courtier-Dutton, as we discuss the catch...

“When you hand it to the composer in sonic branding, at that point, it becomes an art, because the job of the composer, of course, is to translate those desired emotions into music. And it’s not [the] music that the composer feels, it is what it makes the audience feel when they hear it, and that is almost pure art. We have done some science around it, and we know what might help in terms of instrumentation and timbre and pitch and all that sort of stuff, but, at the bottom line, the sonic logo is only going to b...

One topic that comes up quite often on Audio Branding is audio technology, and how far it’s come over just the last few years. Whether it’s choosing the right sound equipment, deciding if you should record with noise cancellation turned on (and just for the record, you shouldn’t), or taking advantage of advanced recording options like 3-D audio and Dolby Atmos, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to sound. But you might be surprised to learn that the science of sound optimization is a lot older than surround sound, or stereo recordings, or even aud...

“I give them a lot of credit because they use that so frequently, and that’s why they have so much success. I mean, it is an iconic melody in and of itself, but it’s that repetition and that usage, you know, whereas I feel like a lot of sound logo projects that come in, we’ll get to the finish line and they’ll be excited to use it, and then a month or two later, they’ll be like, ‘We’re not seeing quite the results that we’d hoped.’ It’s like, A, you’re not going to see it afte...

“Too much sound complicates things, it confuses things, and it causes annoyance and fatigue, too much brain power needed. Too much cognitive load, and it’s a known fact. So oftentimes companies will come to me and say, ‘Hey, we have, you know, sixty sounds we want to create.’ And I go, ‘Okay, cool. Let’s take a look at the list. Let me understand your product a little better and let’s try to find ways to strip it back.’ Because, you know, that can be very overwhelming for users.” – Connor Moore

This episode’s guest is a leading expert in...

“I think, you know, what I mentioned before would really apply, and that’s sit down and really come up with a plan over the next twelve months. What do I want to do? Do I want to release a single every month or maybe it’s a couple of singles leading up to an EP and then actually execute that. And, you know, at the same time, be consistent. You don’t want to be an artist that puts out a few tracks and then, you know, goes away for about four years and tries to come back and do i...

“What can we do to make that number a thousand? That’s the kind of stuff we really focus on. We have tools and analytics within our dashboard to kind of help guide you with that and provide insight onto what strategies are needed to get to that place. But also, I think what makes a lot of sense is to have the right team around you for independent artists. You’ve got to have a really good manager, obviously a great distributor, a good entertainment lawyer, a good publicist, and a good online marketing and social media strategist. If you...

“In this age of AI and, you knew I was going to go here at some point, so how can an artist differentiate themselves now that AI can basically create music with the push of a button? Like, it’s hard. It was hard before, and now we have this to worry about. I think you touched on it maybe indirectly earlier in the connection, the spirit of creating and being a human. I think it is the dopest superpower that we have, and I do believe that everyone has it. It’s just, you know, what level it’s in, bu...

“I mean, you know how it was with Michael. And when I heard that phrase, it was just... He saved my life. Like, what? He just sung a song, right? Like, but, you know, take probably one of my favorites, ‘Man in the Mirror.’ Man, it still gets me. So, just from an experience standpoint, and I’ve done some travels in mental health and, you know, talking to people, I do understand how important music, or how powerful I should say, music is. So it absolutely feels like that being a musician, and then, I think, if you’re a music...

“I’m blown away by it. So, when I close my eyes and I listen to these things, and I hear those textures and I understand the footsteps coming from afar and getting closer and, you know, like, this stuff matters. Like, it paints the picture [so] that I don’t even have to have my eyes open. I can see the whole movie happen with sound.” – Michael Dargie

This episode is the second half of my conversation with founder & executive creative director at Make More Creative, and Author of BrandJitsu™, Michael Dargie as we talk about his approach...

“I don’t know if you can see it, [but] that’s an octopus. Yeah, on my upper arm. If you’re not watching this, the audio version is, there’s sunlight coming through and it’s dappling across this octopus. I’m a scuba diver. I really did believe, when I was young, that I was going to be a marine mammal biologist. That was my destiny. I watched Jacques Cousteau and I was all about it, and then life happened and I wasn’t all about it. It was until later in life that I got into scuba diving.” –...

“I think there’s nothing that truly resonates across all of your senses like sound does. If I’m watching something gorgeous, it’s a feast for my eyes, and it starts and ends there. But if I’m listening to something, it’s the one thing that can truly always be in your brain presence — always bringing things up or bringing things down. I mean, if you’re in a bad mood, one of the five ways to get out of it is going to be put on music, guaranteed.” – Jeremy Toeman

This episode is the second half of my co...