As an audio engineer, you want to showcase your skills and creativity in your portfolio and demo reel. But how can you stand out from the crowd and impress potential clients and employers with your unique sonic aesthetic? Here are some tips to help you achieve a distinctive sound that reflects your personality and vision.
One of the first steps to developing your own sonic aesthetic is to identify and analyze your influences. What are the artists, genres, albums, and tracks that inspire you and resonate with you? How do they use sound design, mixing, mastering, and effects to create their sonic identity? What are the common elements, techniques, and tools that you can learn from and adapt to your own style? By knowing your influences, you can build a solid foundation for your sonic aesthetic and avoid copying or imitating others.
Another way to achieve a unique sonic aesthetic is to experiment with different sounds and sources. Don't limit yourself to the conventional or expected sounds for your genre or project. Explore the possibilities of using unconventional instruments, samples, field recordings, Foley, synthesizers, and sound generators. Try to create sounds that are original, surprising, and engaging. You can also manipulate and process sounds with various effects, filters, modulators, and distortions to create new textures and tones. Experimenting with different sounds can help you discover new sonic dimensions and express your creativity.
A signature sound is a sound that is recognizable, memorable, and associated with you as an audio engineer. It can be a specific instrument, sample, effect, or technique that you use frequently or exclusively in your portfolio and demo reel. A signature sound can help you establish your sonic identity and brand, as well as attract and retain your audience's attention. However, a signature sound should not be overused or forced. It should be relevant, consistent, and coherent with your overall sonic aesthetic and vision.
A signature sound can be a blessing and a curse in the age of multi genre producers and engineers. However a signature sound can also be something as simple as doing the basics really well. Some of my favourite producers signature sounds came from the type of synth they used but then there were also a couple of them where I could not always identify their work which I think can sometimes be a good thing. In essence I feel that a signature sound is something that can be developed naturally overtime and should not be forced as it may take away from your authenticity and focus, rather than make you known for it.
Having a "signature sound" can pigeonhole you and decrease the amount of work you get. Conversely, being highly adaptable and responsive to a broad range of different clients' likes (and knowing how to achieve the results they're seeking) will lead to your getting more work as word of your deep skill set spreads. If your client has no stated preferences, just record and mix the way you think sounds best for the project; don't try to force a signature sound on it, just to establish your uniqueness.
While it is important to experiment and diversify your portfolio and demo reel, it is also important to be consistent and coherent with your sonic aesthetic. This means that you should have a clear vision and direction for your sound, and maintain a balance between variety and unity. You should avoid using too many sounds, effects, or styles that clash or contradict each other, or that distract from the main message or emotion of your project. You should also use similar or complementary sounds, effects, or styles across your portfolio and demo reel, to create a sense of cohesion and identity.
The final tip to achieve a unique sonic aesthetic is to get feedback and refine your sound. Feedback can help you improve your skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and gain new perspectives and insights. You can get feedback from your peers, mentors, clients, employers, or online communities. You should be open-minded, respectful, and constructive when receiving and giving feedback. You should also use feedback to refine your sound, by making adjustments, corrections, or enhancements that align with your sonic aesthetic and vision.