The Sound of A.I. in HollywoodActors and writers reached their agreement with A.I. What about sound designers?

After some long and painful fights, the issue of A.I. — at least for actors and writers — has been resolved. For the rest of us in Hollywood, however, the unpacking of A.I. has only just begun. Navigating the future of the sound design industry will depend on engineers and editors understanding how to maximize the capability and productivity of A.I. tools. 

While filmmaking and production were shut down for most of the year by the long and painful strike, the industry of Hollywood has continued to churn. Though the “Barbenheimer” craze over the summer cushioned the economic blow for some studios, the last six months have seen major Hollywood studios bend over backward to improve profitability. 

Studios direct-to-consumer offerings — streamers — have borne the brunt of these efforts; in this grand experimentation, everything from storytelling structure to pricing models have been on the table. Streamers have merged, shifted, and cut entire projects in an attempt to impress investors with their bottom line. 

It’s a reasonable concern, then, that having failed with the actors and writers, other, less powerful and more technical groups — such as sound engineering — may be on the line for A.I. replacement and the presumed associated cost savings. And it’s not necessarily a wild leap: it’s inevitable that A.I. will, as with other industries, dramatically shift what the workflow for sound engineers will look like.

Sound engineers looking to forge their future not only during these tumultuous times in Hollywood, but also in the “civilian” sector, need to be smart about how they deploy A.I. There are already tools available that can help us speed up our processes and projects. Two good examples:

Sound cataloging and library management: Finding a specific sound in a sound library can be an incredibly time intensive process. I know that my own library is made up of over two terabytes of various sounds, and digging through it to find a specific one can take hours. There are A.I. tools on the market that can not only uncover a sound, but also generate timestamps inside each audio clip.

Audio description mixing: Mixing for audio description can be a rote process. Clients have specifications they want met, and save for a bit of artistry, the process is fairly straightforward. A program’s audio needs to drop at a certain point before the narratives begin, and resume shortly after it ends. A.I. can automate the process, doing an effective first draft of the work, creating time for the engineer to check and fix any mixing issues after the first rendering. 

As in other industries, these tools offer methods of speeding up delivery and service, and will eventually become the standard practice. As cost savings continue to be a major priority for studios, expect to see A.I. technologies implemented to a greater and greater extent. 

But will sound engineers face an existential crisis as a result of A.I.? 

Yes — and no. 

As the more basic tasks of sound design — such as sound effects cataloging and audio description mixing — are outsourced to A.I. tools, other novice positions, like interns and PA roles, will likely dry up. If companies can find cost savings by using technology, they will, and the impact will likely be fewer roles for individuals just getting started and learning the business. 

At the same time, sound design — like many other post-production positions — is both an art and a science. The best among us have the technical skills needed to create a cohesive soundscape, while also having the artful ear that can create a character out of the audio. Part of being a sound designer is having the ability to translate a director’s vision into a rich and immersive sound experience. 

In an industry that runs on connections and creativity, removing the position of sound engineer likely won’t happen, especially at the highest levels. Certainly, the lower tier and newer streaming services — those who are just creating content for content’s sake — may turn to some emerging A.I. tools to churn out fast, good enough sound designs that simply gets the job done. As TikTok and TikTok-like mini productions grow in popularity, rapid turnaround will be prioritized over quality. 

But there will continue to be a happy medium for sound design and engineering. Work in this industry long enough, and you know that relationships are everything. Directors are on the lookout for partners who have the emotional sensibility and creativity to translate their vision, add to it, and produce something even better. 

The Oscar-winning directors of the world aren’t likely to give up that relationship soon, attached as they are to the individuals who help to drive the creative process alongside them. Similarly, independent artists and filmmakers, who are driven by creativity and passion, aren’t likely to pursue ease over art. 

Soft skills will still win the day for sound designers, but smart studios can, and will, start bracing themselves for an A.I.-driven future. 

DAVID ZANG is the owner of AsparTateSounds in Los Angeles. He is an award-winning re-recording mixer, a sound editor, and a location sound mixer. Feel free to reach out to David on his website, www.aspartaterecords.com

Indie Guitarist shares Growth Hacks, How much 10M Spotify streams paidIndependent guitarist Bernth Brodträger plays in several European rock bands, though he’s probably best known for his YouTube channel with 1.06 million subscribers. But Bernth, as he is known professionally,. Continue reading
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Aux adds Direct, a print-on-demand Bandcamp Direct to Fan alternativeMusic creation app Aux is broadening its offering with Direct. This direct-to-fan service joins a growing list of startups adding direct-to-fan commerce since the coatic acquisition of Bandcamp by Songtrader. Continue reading
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From Universal’s busy week to BMG’s pivot away from live music… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpFive of the biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days
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Gateway Studios celebrates 2023 accomplishments
With a growing team of live music professionals, St. Louis based company Gateway Studios & Production Services has provided exceptional lighting, video, audio and more services for a wide range of musicians and events.
Ahead of a state-of-the-art rehearsal studio it will open in St. Louis later this year, Gateway Studios & Production Services reflects on all of its accomplishments in 2023, stating: "What a year! Looking back on 2023, we are proud of all our team has accomplished. While we are celebrating this past year's hard work, we know we are just getting started. A huge thank you to all our amazing clients this year."
Here are a just few of our 2023 Year Highlights:
Greta Van Fleet
Starcatcher World Tour
Video
Gov Ball NYC
2023 Governors Ball
AVL
PBR
World Finals
Video + Lighting

Gov Ball NYC
2023 Governors Ball
AVL
 

The Cliburn
International Junior Piano Competition
Video
 

Erykah Badu
Unfollow Me Tour
Lighting
 

The Doobie Brothers
Official 50th Anniversary Tour
Lighting

Phish
Summer Tour
Video + Lighting

LL Cool J

Rock The Bells Festival / The F.O.R.C.E. Tour

AVL

ODESZA

Festival Run / The Last Goodbye Tour

Video

Goose

Goosemas 10

Video + Lighting

About Gateway Studios and Production Services:

Gateway Studios & Production Services (GSPS) was conceived in 2020 and assembled a team of professionals to build a world-class live touring rehearsal complex and production services company from the ground up. They were challenged to develop one of the most advanced production services platforms currently available and a rehearsal studio campus that is unrivaled in the industry. GSPS has now broken ground, and soon this campus will provide multiple studios of varying dimensions where live music productions will be created and launched across North America.

Gateway Studios’ Executive Leadership Team has over 100 years of collective experience in the live touring production industry providing professional audio, video and lighting services for live events and tours. Gateway offers production services for a wide variety of live events ranging from small shows to national tours headlined by the biggest names in the business. From corporate venues to outdoor arenas and stadiums, there isn’t a venue type that GSPS doesn't have experience with — or a road they haven’t traveled. 

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Recent Classical Highlights for December 2023We're catching up on some Grammy nominees and, of course, there were the holiday music releases, but along with all of those are some stand-out performances worth sampling. French mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre recorded a wide-ranging program of love songs. Speaking of French music, Xavier Phillips (pictured) and Cédric Tiberghien collaborated to cover all of Fauré's music for cello. Two other noteworthy new releases cover music by Arvo Pärt, one by Cappella Romana and one by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Enjoy!

Give Back Through Music Announces Leslie West Tribute Concert To Benefit MusiCaresGive Back Through Music (GBTM) is producing its first annual American Classics concert, celebrating legendary American music icons who have left us. Scheduled for January 23rd at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, CA, the show pays tribute to Leslie West, co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain.

One of the most admired pioneers of rock guitar, Leslie has influenced many of today’s artists some of which are performing in this concert. The night will be hosted by Eddie Trunk and includes performances by Steve Lukather, Orianthi, Richie Kotzen, Jesse Hughes, Stephen Perkins and over twenty more artists.

“It’s wonderful to see all of our friends joining-in to pay tribute to Leslie and to support a great cause that Leslie felt so strongly about,” said Fabrizio Grossi, co-founder of GBTM. “We are building an immersive experience for the fans and especially for our high-level donors, who will have the opportunity to meet the artists.”

Give Back Through Music has chosen MusiCares as the beneficiary of this fundraiser. MusiCares has done so much towards the wellbeing of musicians, and was a favorite charity of Leslie’s.

“We love and embrace the MusiCares mission, ‘to help the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world’,” says Marc Reiser, co-founder of GBTM. “We’re so aligned as partners, because we empower music fans to give back and with this concert, to raise money for artists in need. We are especially drawn to the work they are doing to help fight hardship, by offering mental health and addiction recovery programs”.

Yamaha International is a founding sponsor of GBTM, and Dean Guitars is also helping to sponsor this show. GBTM will display items that will be included in an online auction in the weeks following the show, and the nonprofit will give away swag and gear during the show, to round-out the fan experience.

To purchase tickets:

Give Back Through Music Presents American Classics: Honoring Leslie West

About Give Back Through Music

We are a Los Angeles based nonprofit with the mission of producing exclusive music and event experiences that empower music fans to help charities advancing human and animal welfare.

Andreessen Horowitz’s thoughts on AI shows what the music industry will be up against in 2024The company's views place it squarely on the opposite side of the issue from much of the music industry
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The UK recorded music market saw 179.6 billion audio streams last year – up 12.8% YoYThe BPI has previously confirmed that there were 159.3 billion audio streams in the UK in 2022
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