Find Out How Sound Designers Design Sounds

An interview with freelance sound designer and editor for TV and film

NEW YORK, NY (May 27, 2015) - Pro Sound Effects®, the next level sound effects library company, has posted a new installment of their "How I Work" interview series, which features freelance sound designer and editor David Barbee. Published on the Pro Sound Effects Blog, and inspired by Lifehacker, How I Work asks sound designers what inspires them and what tools they rely on to get their work done day in and day out.

Based in Los Angeles, Barbee is well known for his sound effects work on CSI: NY, Mad Men, Angel, The Number 23, and many more. He is currently working on HBO's Silicon Valley, Scorpion on CBS, and a pilot for NBC.

When asked where he finds inspiration, Barbee has a surprising answer:

"With any project I do, I need to have a direction in mind of where I want to go, while staying open to totally changing my plan if I discover something better. If I'm having trouble hearing it in my head when I first look at it, I'll sometimes do something that may seem a little nuts. I'll play a scene and I will literally vocalize what seems right, trying different approaches until I find a potential fit. Once I hear it in my head, I start trying to figure out how to get what's in my head into my tracks, by searching the library for the right sound, and the right processor(s) to help it along. Often, I end up heading off in directions I never would have anticipated."

One key tool that Barbee uses to turn his vocalizations into finished tracks is the Pro Sound Effects Hybrid Library for freelance sound designers. "The Hybrid Library gives me an excellent selection of a wide variety of sounds for a reasonable price. They find their way into my projects regularly."

Read the complete interview and see David Barbee's demo reel on the PSE blog: http://www.prosoundeffects.com/blog/how-david-barbee-works.