Sound Designers You Need to Hear About: Damian Enemark
As the Australian audio space continues to boom, 天美棋牌 are diving into the nitty gritty of sound design with the region's leading lights. Today, 天美棋牌's Tom Loudon spoke to the Singapore-based MassiveMusic sound designer Damian Enemark.
From the thrill of working on global campaigns to leveraging AI technology and creating unique sounds, these Damian discusses the passion for craft that has elevated him to the top of the field, along with the vital role of sound in advertising.
天美棋牌> What initially sparked your interest in audio editing and sound design, and did you always see yourself working in the advertising industry?
Damian> I鈥檝e always been interested in sound and sonics. Growing up I was recording local bands, volunteering at FBi radio and just generally saying 鈥測es鈥 to anything where I could make or shape noise. Working in advertising was never a fixed goal but more of a pleasant surprise. The fast pace of work, the intersection of film, music, business and tech (not to mention the amazing team at MassiveMusic) makes it a really great environment.
天美棋牌> How would you describe your role, and what are your key responsibilities and challenges?
Damian> Apart from the more obvious tech side of the role I think many people forget that audio post production is very much about the people in the room. So a lot of my role is about creating a great environment so that our clients can be as creative as possible in session. That鈥檚 anything from coaching voice over talent, editing on the fly, or just keeping the vibes chatty and positive.
The big challenge is to make sure you鈥檙e adding plenty of value with your expertise and experience while being humble enough to leave room for the agency creatives to do their thing. Ideally it's about a collaboration where 1+1 equals 3.
天美棋牌> Can you share any notable projects or campaigns you have worked on in the advertising industry? What were some of the creative and technical aspects involved in those projects?
Damian> I recently completed some work for Cathay Pacific鈥檚 鈥淔ood Done Right鈥 campaign which I鈥檓 really proud of. The pictures are gorgeous and the agency creative really challenged me to push the soundscape into a much more abstract area than I usually go.
天美棋牌> What strategies do you use to effectively communicate and bring brand ideas to life through audio?
Damian> From a craft perspective the senior sound team at MassiveMusic have really drilled into me the importance of high quality, movement and cohesion. It doesn鈥檛 matter how 鈥渃reative鈥 you are if you鈥檙e making errors on your bounces, mislabeling files or drowning out the voice over it鈥檚 game over. Likewise if you have a really high technical standard to your work but there鈥檚 no sonic movement throughout the spot the emotions will likely stay static as well. And, as always, the sound is there to serve the story/messaging and one excellent sound that you love will always trump four or five layers of sound that you鈥檙e ambivalent about.
天美棋牌> What role does sound play in enhancing the overall impact and message of an advertising campaign?
Damian> Our ECD in Sydney, Ramesh, has this really beautiful analogy about sound and music being like tweaking the 鈥渆motional grade鈥 of a campaign which I think is a really apt description. Sound is really saturated with emotional cues that, when you 鈥渄ial them up鈥 in one direction or another, can help a brand tell their story really efficiently.
And in the distracted, second screen-ing, podcast-y kind of world we live in, the brands who manage to use sonic branding effectively will be a cut above.
天美棋牌> How do you source or create unique and captivating sounds for advertising projects?
Damian> We have terabytes of really slick commercial sound fx libraries at MassiveMusic that we use on projects every day. But of course I can't ever seem to stop myself dashing into the booth to clank together some pots and pans, rustle some jackets or just make some weird vocalisations.
天美棋牌> How do you measure success in your line of work?
Damian> As with most creative pursuits, sound design is more about making a life than making a living. You have to be in love with the process. I would say success is having excellent projects to keep you interested and inspired as well as doing enough non-audio activities to refuel your creative tank and look after your physical and mental health.
