Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544300
72 M PS E . O R G that sound designers have shared for decades. The craft is most powerful when it becomes invisible—when it supports the emotional rhythm of the film without drawing attention to itself. Ringnes explains, "But it's a dream for us as sound designers working with the original sound from Tron. And it's with great respect because the two previous films, especially the first... The previous films sounded so great and they had some new ideas. And the first film was totally new in a way of doing films. And of course, Tron: Legacy, led by composers Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo). That was a total new experience for the audience. And we tried to do that with this one as well." Over the decades, sound design itself has evolved dramatically. The analog tools used on the original Tron—synthesizers, oscillators, and experimental tape manipulation— have given way to powerful digital workstations and immersive audio systems. Yet the core philosophy remains the same. Ringnes expands, "We watched, especially the first film, we watched it so many times trying to figure out what's the core of the sound. It was amazing. The composer, Wendy Carlos, and the sound designers did great work. So, we went back and recorded lots of synthesizer moogs to try it because like the light cycles, we wanted it feel electronic and synthesized, but we also wanted to have some organic feel to it. And so, for me going back to use all synths was more organic than using new tools and blended with real recordings. We could feel the heaviness, the gravity, and the wind and everything." Whether working with analog synthesizers in the early 1980s or modern object-based mixing environments today, sound artists still begin with the same fundamental question: How should the audience experience this world? Technology may expand the possibilities, but the emotional language of sound remains rooted in storytelling. In many ways, the challenge facing the sound team on Tron: Ares mirrors the challenge faced by the original filmmakers more than 40 years ago. Both groups were tasked with imagining how an entirely new kind of environment should sound—one that exists somewhere between the physical world and a digital one. Ringnes explains, "For me, it's always about getting under the skin of the story—and the director. I try to understand what's really meant beneath the surface. You might watch a scene where two people are kissing, but what really matters is what they're feeling, what they want, and what the director is trying to say with that moment. That takes time. It takes discussion. You have to make sure everyone is aligned and telling the same story. At the same time, I try not to break the illusion. Sometimes we get so technical— breaking down scenes, analyzing every "Recording new sounds is the fun part. That's where creativity really happens." Tormod Ringnes, Baard H. Ingebretsen making the Tron: Ares sound with analog synth in their Oslo studio/Uhørt.