Archie Presley’s Back Making Waves

For sound designer Archie Presley, returning to Wave Studios was something of a no-brainer. Stepping into the role of global engineer, working across the New York, London and Amsterdam offices, Archie is bringing his expertise, honed over five years spent at Wave in Amsterdam, to the studio’s global client base.

Returning from an 18 month stint in Australia, a decision Archie describes as, “a bit of a leap into the unknown”, where he explored the country whilst dipping his toes into the world of freelance, long form, and documentary work, he finds himself back in Soho “right in the thick of it all.” 

“Wave is a special place where I’ve learned a heck of a lot, and that’s down to the people. It’s a tight-knit group, and the collaboration here has always been a big part of the success. After spending 18 months freelancing where teamwork didn’t quite exist, I want a piece of that again.”

For some, working across three bustling studios might sound like an almighty undertaking. But for Archie, it’s a challenge he’s excited to throw himself into, “I’m looking to bridge some gaps and help us work together more effectively as a global team. We’re getting more direct-to-brand projects, where clients will be working with us across all three time zones, and I hope to be a constant throughout that process.” Primarily, Archie will spend his time between London and Amsterdam, reflecting, “remote work makes it easier to be in all three places at once, and I can access projects from all three studios”. 

The importance of the team at Wave, a deciding factor for Archie’s return to the studio, is evident, as he plans to work closely with the entire production team and head of new business Lucy Spong. There’s also a long-standing partnership set to resume with Amsterdam’s Randall W Macdonald now that Archie is back in the fold. 

A mentorship that evolved into a fruitful creative partnership, thanks in part to a zesty spot for Corona, the first project the pair worked on together. Featuring “hyper-realistic sounds of lime squeezing and fizzing. It was then that I started to understand his approach, and I was into it!” Since then, the duo have worked on countless projects together, and can “easily tag-team”, depending on the task at hand. Offering clients ultimate flexibility between Amsterdam and London, the partnership, which has already produced sound design work for the likes of Nike, VW and Virgin Active, is set to continue thriving. 

Describing himself as “detail-obsessed when it comes to sound design”, Archie begins each project by recording as many unique sounds as possible, partly for the “uber satisfying” moment of recreating each moment to picture, made even better if you’ve recorded it yourself. Keen to “blur the line between where the music ends and sound design begins”, his recent work for Alpha Industries with Provoke Labs showcases his style. 

Explaining his working process, he recounts, “In that piece, I manipulated parts of the track to flow with the picture, blending sound design harmonically and rhythmically with the music. Tonal sound design has always intrigued me, and this was a perfect chance to explore that.”

Focused on the idea that “working collectively lets you create something greater”, Archie is keen to instill the belief into the business at its core. With exciting projects on the horizon, such as the Amsterdam studio taking on a feature film, he tells us he’s looking forward to “diving deeper into film-specific workflows, expanding my knowledge there and bringing some of my own style into it.”

Keen to step into mentorship himself, Archie is looking forward to working with and nurturing some of the younger team members at Wave, “passing on what I’ve learned and helping them develop their own approach. Mariana in Amsterdam, for instance, is creating some incredible work, and her classical background brings a different angle to the team.” 

Ultimately for Archie, it’s all about the future, togetherness and collaboration with the goal: “I want to maintain Wave’s reputation as the top sound design studio across all three locations.”