it’s all Greek to me

Being the only non-audio engineer in the office can sometimes feel like living in a foreign country. An unknown and indecipherable language (mostly made up of numbers) is all around me. I spend a good amount of time feeling like a 4 year-old asking “whats that?” or “why?” or “how come?”. Having not come from an audio background, the best advice a head hobo could give me was, just listen.

For the past three years I have done my best to follow that advice, and it’s amazing how much Ive heard just being in this environment. What’s even more impressive, is how that knowledge has impacted the way I watch movies and TV. I dont just watch anymore, I listen.

Visuals use to be my favorite part of entertainment; searching for continuity errors was a guilty pleasure. Now I find myself actively listening to the audio. I am able to pick out poor ADR or fantastic surround choices. Scenes filmed near the ocean or on the busy streets of NYC have become suspect to the amount of natural sound verse sound design. Futuristic movies open my mind to the endless possibilities of what combinations or manipulations were created. (Cat purrs can become car engine revs?!)

At the end of the day, working in this foreign country has opened my ears to a whole new part of the entertainment industry. I encourage anyone to watch commercial breaks with their eyes closed, or pay close attention to the intricate surround sound of video games. And yes, Ive even learned to lower the volume of my headphones (Mom would be proud).

007 Never Sounded So … EPIC

Really excited for the next installment of the 007 series. The latest film, Skyfall, dropped their first trailer last week and OMG! Not only do the icy blue eyes of Daniel Craig draw you in, but the trailers sound editing is awesome. It always amazes me when minimalistic sound choices can drive a story line. Even without hearing the action, you immediately get an adrenalin rush!! AHHHH!!!!! Its even a nice difference to not hear the theme song the whole way through; just a hint at the end to really bring it home.

 OCTOBER 26th

Check out the trailer here. 

Hobo’s Back From Baghdad

Check out the pics that Hobo’s own Steve Davies took on his trip to Baghdad!!

Ever wonder where the money goes??

Ever wonder where all the money goes while you’re filling your tank at the gas station? This animated short for the non profit organization, Oxfam, created by Talking Eyes Media, examines this complex topic in a simple and effective way.  Our very own Stephen Davies not only lent his voice for the VO, but also his musical talents, composing the end music track to the piece! Check out the video below!

Documentaries Make Us Smile

It’s great to say the words ‘Academy Award Winning’ and ‘Hobo Audio’ in the same sentence.  Especially when we had a fantastic opportunity to cast, record and mix the overdubs for ‘Smile Pinki,’ which took the Oscar for best documentary short in 2009.  Visit www.smiletrain.org for more information on this worthy cause.