Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277927
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 63 are balanced together so that the mixer can listen to my original intention before any modifications. So, I don't necessarily group the sounds made with Kyma. However, each sound made with Kyma is labelled with a Kyma tag. One of the things I notice about your work is your keen ability to create constant, ubiquitous atmospheres that feel very textured and specific. They become extremely emotionally descriptive and almost alive. Could you describe your process creatively when approaching such long sections of atmosphere? I have always considered cinematic sound as being like music, with its pianissimos, its mezzo-fortes, its fortes, its range, its tempo, and its silences. So much so that, when I approach an atmospheric scene, I think: music. That was specifically the case with The Hateful Eight, for which my mission was to create the blizzard for long sequences with the imperative of preserving the actors' dialogue. Before editing any sound to picture, I created a large library of gusty winds, each of which, in my view, could be used as the "orchestra conductor." I also created a library of steady wind, of all ranges, that the "orchestra conductor" could pilot, as it chose, thanks to Kyma. Then, during a first pass through the film, I chose my "orchestra conductor" for each sequence; using criteria that would give it the right climate (range and tempo), the right wind gusts (forte), and lengths of pianissimo necessary to protect the actors' dialogue. In short, I find the sound that has the right music to integrate the picture, before even beginning any editing. This often brought me to the point of pitching the sounds, cleaning up the false notes, filtering or de-noising the wind to retain only the range that was interesting to me. Once this was done, I edited my "orchestra conductor" to picture, to place the pianissimos, mezzo-fortes, and fortes in the right places (in other words, between the dialogue). The Haken Continuum Fingerboard Then, during a second pass, I chose the steady wind(s) that completed the "orchestra" in range in order to augment the orchestration by passing the steady winds through Kyma so that they would follow the "conductor" in amplitude and frequency. Finally, during a third pass, I edited the "soloist's interventions" here and there, wherever necessary. Most of these "soloists" were created in the same way as the entire "orchestra." For the snow, I worked with relatively steady sounds of sand, bird seeds, and debris, also controlled by Kyma. This method allowed the mixer to have the latitude to modify the balance of the "orchestra" by rendering it deeper, more medium range or higher, as all the components were on separate tracks. I really like the terminology of Kyma and can see how it would put you in a "musical" mindset. I also appreciate how, as a sound designer, you create your sounds around principal dialogue. I can also see how your sfx re-recording mixer would love to get those separate tracks to manipulate and how your dialogue re-recording mixer would enjoy the fact that the atmospheres already have a shape that naturally—through amplitude and frequency—hug around the character's words. Indeed, former CAS President and three-time Oscar-winning re-recording mixer Mike Minkler, who has mixed on many projects with you, comments, "The effect that Sylvain is able to achieve is to give his effects personality. He is able to create tension, suspense, and even comedy using organic material without inducing artifacts; avoiding what could be interpreted as obvious manipulation." After many years of working with this amazing tool, I have found that Kyma is the perfect complement to traditional sound design tools. If you can imagine a sound and have enough experience creating modules for Kyma, you can literally create anything your inspiration invents. It is a specialized tool that has allowed me to create not only organic, complex, and unique sounds, but has afforded me the opportunity to work with some of the best sound professionals in the world. Whether you are crafting long sequences, such as the blizzard in The Hateful Eight, or creating interesting and unique sounds used to punctuate the soundtrack at key moments, Kyma has proven to be the perfect tool for sound design. Learn more about Sylvain Lasseur here: http://www.sylvainlasseur.com/