Sound Ideas Blog

Sound Ideas Blog

This is the perfect space for sound ideas.

We are delighted to introduce Randy Thom, a prolific and well-respected Director of Sound Design, Supervising Sound Designer and Re-Recording Mixer as the guest blogger for Sound Ideas. Randy is one of the best in the field with Oscar, Emmy and Grammy nominations to his credit; as well as receiving C.A.S. Career Achievement and MPSE Career Achievement awards.

You can learn more about Randy here.

Can You Make It Like Nothing I’ve Ever Heard Before, Please?

November 28, 2025

Lots of film directors have asked me to find or design a sound that is unlike anything anyone has ever heard. When I get this request, I always respond politely, of course, but I know that they are not only asking for the impossible, they are asking for something that would not help their movie even if it could somehow magically be produced. Read More to find out why …

Functions of Sound in Storytelling

October 31, 2025 - Randy Thom

In storytelling, a given sound is usually doing several tasks at once. Being aware of all the roles sound can play is useful when deciding what kind of sound to insert.

Cacayanga Defined As "Useful Noise"

September 30, 2025 - Randy Thom

Cacayanga is a sound or set of sounds that seem authentic, but embody a mystery that pulls you deeper into the story in part because they aren't immediately identifiable... Useful noise.

Sonic Beds Put Me to Sleep

September 02, 2025 - Randy Thom

Movie sound design should be approached with an impressionist mindset to provide the audience with the best impression of a sound rather than trying to re-create ultra-realistic soundtracks, accord...

July 31, 2025 - Randy Thom

Big, hollow peppers, celery, cabbage and watermelons are among the most musically gruesome of veggies and fruits.

March 28, 2025 - Randy Thom

Enhancing Intelligibility in Sound Mixing One of the most powerful but subtle techniques in sound mixing is micro-adjusting the timing of words, sound effects, and/or music to improve c...

Sonic Analogies and Synonyms

February 25, 2025 - Randy Thom

Sonic Analogies and Synonyms Aspiring sound designers often ask how important it is to get an academic degree of some kind before pursuing a career in media sound. A degree itself isn’...

What To Leave Out

January 31, 2025 - Randy Thom

What to Leave Out In sound design for film, video games, podcasts, or ambient art installations, the principle of “less-is-more” is worth thinking about. Sound designers often discover ...

December 31, 2024 - Randy Thom

Offsetting Diverse Sound Elements Sound designers can improve emotional impact of short-duration events while maintaining believability in visual synchronization.This technique involves...

November 28, 2024 - Randy Thom

Giving Characters Personalities that Evolve Via Sound Design Installment Number TwoIn last month’s blog I included a little over twenty examples of films that use a character’s changin...

October 31, 2024 - Randy Thom

Giving Characters Personalities That Evolve, Via Sound Design Film characters become more relatable when audiences are invited to not just see their world but to hear it as they do, esp...

September 30, 2024 - Randy Thom

Using A Thesaurus For Sound Effects Searches When diving into a sound effects library looking for tornado-related sounds, a couple of search terms quickly come to mind: tornado and wind...

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