Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546054
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 67 PARTICIPANTS: JEFF WILSON Studio Audio Director TOM WRIGHT Senior Audio Artist MARI SAASTAMOINEN MINTO Senior Audio Director RODRIGO MORALES Audio Artist DAVID JEGUTIDSE Audio Director BRAEGER MOORE Technical Audio Director NATE ISKE Audio Director GONÇALO TAVARES Senior Technical Sound Designer DREW ELDER Audio Artist entirely on commercial libraries, so we went out and recorded our own source material, from impacts and dragging things like K-rails and shipping containers to small and subtle debris tails. Mari S. Minto: During recording, we often look for sounds that feel real, have character, and carry an interesting story. Then during the editing and design process, a lot of the work was about making sure we didn't polish away the things that made those sounds feel real in the first place. The small details that make something feel physical and believable. It's about knowing what to keep. The unexpected details. The little imperfections. The things that help a sound feel alive and connected to the world around it. Raw and gritty wasn't a processing choice. It was a mindset that guided the way we recorded, edited, and designed the soundscape. Rodrigo Morales: When editing and mastering, I was very picky with my layers and plugins. To get a gritty and visceral sound, we focused more on the texture and movement than on the initial impact. We found that having more movement and fine details made destruction feel threatening. You feel how things collapse around you and the danger it brings. Similarly, my mastering chain became "the basics" only. When you have good source material, there's little to no need to change its personality. Instead of using large plugin chains, I focused on only a few tools. It's always impressive how a little pitch or time stretching, compression, and some tasty distortion can enhance all the good qualities of a sound. How did the team balance authenticity with cinematic impact? Were there moments where realism had to give way to gameplay readability, emotional intensity, or player feedback?