Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1448505
60 I M PS E . O R G "How many tracks do you do when you're putting together one of your hit songs?" And he's like, "That's not the right question. Because it doesn't matter if you're using 70 tracks, or one track. The bottom line is, how does it sound?" And I love that answer, because, oh, my god in a way, it's just so freeing, because it's more about the art than some sort of a technical formula. So I absolutely love that answer. Because that's not the expectation a lot of times. It's like, if 'they' don't see 200 tracks, you must not be doing a very good job. I feel the opposite. Sometimes with junior sound editors, who might have just started working with us, and you open up their session and it's just jam packed from top to bottom. Without even hitting play, without even hitting the spacebar, I can already tell there's just too much. So one fun thing, one fun exercise is to try to challenge young editors to do a scene but keep it to like 24 tracks maximum and just stay pure, be really specific and intentional with what you're putting into the track. It's almost like insecurity, when you've got 1000 tracks and tons going on, and multiple options playing on top of each other. For me, I want a point of view. Like, this is a choice, I'm making a choice. PL: That's really great information to editors starting out because more is not necessarily better when it comes to sound editorial. Is there anything else that you'd like to say to someone starting a career in this field? EA: Well, one of the awesome things with technology these days is you don't need a quarter million dollar piece of gear now to do professional work the way it was 25 years ago. Now you can do an incredible track on your laptop with good headphones. So I think that's the first step, start with yourself, start exploring that creativity and experimenting, getting fluent with the tools. So you're using the software, whatever it is, Pro Tools, Logic, as an instrument not as a tool, and you're doing a performance with that instrument, and become comfortable with that. I really like the path that I took. I think in hindsight, really helpful for me, starting in television, where the turnarounds are so fast. You might be doing a 30-minute animated project. And you'll have five days to cut the whole thing. It doesn't give you a lot of time to second-guess or over think. You kind of learn efficiency and speed. And then I found after practicing that way in television for a few years, when I got into features, I felt like I was Speedy Gonzales, and I'm thinking, "I have how many weeks to do a reel? Oh my gosh, this is gonna rock!" Erik Aadahl and wife Nia Canale at BAFTA Awards 2019. Satellite Awards 2019 LR: Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl, and Brandon Proctor.