@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ This book aims to give intermediate electronic music producers advice on how to
If I end up working professionally in sound design — not just for electronic music, but for film, animation, or games — this book could eventually expand to explore how sound design functions across those mediums. In IDM, sound design is the foreground; it carries the structure and invites deep, focused listening. In film and animation, sound design supports another medium — it sets the mood, enhances the world, and reinforces narrative without drawing too much attention to itself. The techniques often overlap, but the intent shifts: where IDM prioritizes sonic innovation for its own sake, film sound must serve timing, emotion, and story. In both cases, though, sound design is applied sound art — and understanding how to shape, place, and transform sound remains a core compositional skill.
If I end up working professionally in sound design — not just for electronic music, but for film, animation, or games — this book could eventually expand to explore how sound design functions across those mediums. In IDM, sound design is the foreground; it carries the structure and invites deep, focused listening. In film and animation, sound design supports another medium — it sets the mood, enhances the world, and reinforces narrative without drawing too much attention to itself. The techniques often overlap, but the intent shifts: where IDM prioritizes sonic innovation for its own sake, film sound must serve timing, emotion, and story. In both cases, though, sound design is applied sound art — and understanding how to shape, place, and transform sound remains a core compositional skill.
.PP
.PP
I used to wish I didn’t take so long to compose. But I’ve come to realize the reason it takes so long is because I’m constantly experimenting — and that’s not a flaw in the process, it is the process. Each piece is built through trial and discovery. I’m not just composing, I’m conducting research. This book is a map of that ongoing research: a record of the tools I’ve tested, the techniques I’ve uncovered, and the paths that led somewhere unexpected.
I used to wish I didn’t take so long to compose. But I’ve come to realize the reason it takes so long is because I’m constantly experimenting — and that’s not a flaw in the process, it is the process. Each piece is built through trial and discovery. I’m not just composing, I’m conducting research. This book is a map of that ongoing research: a record of the tools I’ve tested, the techniques I’ve uncovered, and the paths that led somewhere unexpected.
.PP
This book doesn’t include companion code, and that’s intentional. The techniques and ideas here aren’t meant to be copied line-for-line — they’re meant to be interpreted, reshaped, and reimagined in your own workflow. Whether you work in SuperCollider, Max/MSP, a DAW, or something else entirely, the act of implementing these ideas yourself is part of the creative process. Writing your own patches or building your own signal chains will teach you more than any prewritten example ever could. Along the way, you’ll uncover your own tricks and pathways — discoveries that only emerge through doing, not downloading. I want this book to guide your thinking, not limit your results.
\" Dad: maybe provide a paragraph overview of all the different sections before getting into micro sounds? It might help people to consider how the different processes work together to create the whole composition before they start navigating the details of one.
\" Dad: maybe provide a paragraph overview of all the different sections before getting into micro sounds? It might help people to consider how the different processes work together to create the whole composition before they start navigating the details of one.
\" Me: yes, once I've written the chapters, that'd be a good idea.
\" Me: yes, once I've written the chapters, that'd be a good idea.
