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.
What They Want vs What They Think They Want
July 31, 2026
Realism and Naturalism can be straitjackets. Too many directors are under the illusion that sounds are more about physics than about story. Sounds are characters.
BROWSE THROUGH OUR POSTS
What They Want vs What They Think They Want
July 31, 2026 - Randy Thom
In post-production, all sound, in fact every sound, functions partly as music functions. It makes us feel certain ways. It’s almost always a good idea to take some artistic license to hit the emoti...
Read moreAre Sound Effects Copyrighted? Here's What Creators Should Know
July 30, 2026 - Sound Ideas
It's a question many creators ask before publishing a project: Are sound effects copyrighted? The short answer is yes, most sound effects are protected by copyright. Just because a sound is availab...
Read morePodcast Spotlight: The Art of Field Recording
July 27, 2026 - Sound Ideas
In Episode 366 of the Tonebenders Podcast, host Timothy Muirhead reunites three of the industry's most respected field recordists, John Fasal, Charlie Campagna, and Eric Potter, for the second half...
Read moreMeet the Next Evolution of Sound with General HD 7
July 15, 2026 - Sound Ideas
Every great production starts with great sound. That's why we're excited to introduce General HD 7, the latest installment in Sound Ideas' flagship high-definition sound effects series. Packed with...
Read morePainkillers Instead of Diagnosis
June 30, 2026 - Randy Thom
Temp music tracks have been defended as a “necessary evil” in film editing. A shortcut to convey emotional tone and pacing before a composer enters. But temp music an be a crutch that conceals stor...
Read moreWhat Makes a High-Quality Sound Effects Library?
June 22, 2026 - Sound Ideas
Not all sound effects libraries are created equal. While many collections offer thousands of audio files, quantity alone doesn't guarantee quality. Whether you're producing a film, podcast, video g...
Read morePodcast Spotlight: Bringing the Creatures of Wednesday to Life
June 15, 2026 - Sound Ideas
In Episode 362 of the Tonebenders Podcast, host Timothy Muirhead visits the Toronto-area studio of Supervising Sound Editor John Loranger for an in-depth conversation about the sound of Netflix’s h...
Read moreUnleash the Power of Rockets & Missiles Sound Effects
June 09, 2026 - Sound Ideas
From explosive launches to high-speed flybys, few sounds capture intensity and excitement quite like rockets and missiles. That's why we're excited to introduce Rockets & Missiles Sound Effects...
Read moreMay 29, 2026 - Randy Thom
Randomness is the soul of great Foley: there’s a paradox in Foley art: the more carefully controlled a sound is, the more artificial it can feel. The best Foley artists understand how to use random...
Read morePodcast Spotlight: The Explosive Sound Design of The Rip
May 20, 2026 - Sound Ideas
In Episode 357 of the Tonebenders Podcast, host Timothy Muirhead dives deep into the sound of The Rip, the recent Joe Carnahan directed action thriller that quickly became one of Netflix’s most wat...
Read moreElevate Every Production with Premiere Edition Volume 13 Sound Effects
May 13, 2026 - Sound Ideas
When world-class sound design matters, professionals turn to libraries they can trust. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Premiere Edition Volume 13 Sound Effects, the newest chapter in one of t...
Read moreWe Sketch Images in Pre-Production
April 30, 2026 - Randy Thom
Why Not Sketch Sounds in Pre-Production? The fundamental disconnect between how filmmakers think about image versus sound in pre-production. It’s completely different assumptions about what can and...
Read more
Get Free Sound Effects by subscribing to our newsletter
SIGN UP