Thinking In Sound: Charlie White Says Bespoke Composition Always Has a Place Amidst AI Rise
Charlie White is a composer, producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Sydney, Australia. He works in-house with Squeak E Clean Studios where he’s composed for the world’s biggest brands including Apple, Google, Netflix and Nintendo among others. He’s been recognised as a B&T 30 Under 30 Creative Finalist and an Honoree at the Webby Awards.
Outside of ad-land he produces and co-writes with artists collaborating in the domains of pop, hip-hop, electronic, indie and K-Pop. As a touring musician he’s shared stages with artists such as Pnau and Vera Blue. He also tries to get enough time in the sun when possible.
LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?
Charlie> For me it’s always a process of trying to understand what feeling the client wants to communicate through the music. As music can be incredibly hard to articulate we will usually have a few references that have elements of what they are leaning towards on a job. From there I will usually go to my cave (studio) and throw around ideas on either the piano or guitar depending on the genre of the brief. I always find the sound of my production will inform the melody and harmony - I really need to have a good sound cooking before I start to feel the spark of an idea. This is usually the longest part of my process. Once the spark is there it’s like the puzzle starts to put itself together.
LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?
Charlie> I usually work solo on compositions however I agree that music is inherently collaborative. That’s definitely the main difference between writing for film and writing for artist projects - working on singles is highly collaborative. In saying that, there is collaboration, it just looks different. The collaboration comes with talking through a job with my team to try and spitball ideas before starting the composition. Whenever I’m stuck it always helps me to go for a walk and chat it through again to get through any creative blocks.
My most memorable collaboration within ad land would have to be working with Australian artist Owl Eyes.
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Charlie> I think it would have to be following your intuition on a composition that takes a bit of a risk and then having it pay off. This is usually for jobs that have more of an open brief or it might even be the eleventh hour and the client is madly rushing to find the right music. I do love the adrenaline rush of trying to solve that problem in a short time frame.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Charlie> Music is an interesting facet of the industry as there are now so many ‘tiers’ of it - whether that’s production music, AI music or bespoke composition. There will always be low budget jobs that utilise production music or AI music - once the teething issues are sorted out with its current copyright issues. I also think bespoke composition will always have its place in some capacity. I see it remaining and becoming even more so a premium option in the industry.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Charlie> I’ve always loved performers. People like Bowie and Nick Cave come to mind straight away. They’re such well rounded artists in music, art and philosophy. I think it boils down to being able to tell a great story. I recently saw Genesis Owusu play live and an emerging Melbourne band called Radio Free Alice who were both full of that charisma. I just love these artists’ ability to captivate and hold an audience.
LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, whether sound design or composing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?
Charlie> There’s plenty of composers that are inspiring to me, whether it’s Ennio Morricone, Alexandre Desplat, or Thomas Newman - who initially piqued my interest in film scoring. At the same time I feel like I draw even more inspiration from record producers such as Rick Rubin (of course), Mark Ronson, and Ludwig Goransson - who is now famous for his film scores.
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music, are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background?
Charlie> I used to listen to background music more than I do now - if I have to really focus on something (like writing this!), I now find it more distracting than helpful. It’s a bit like turning down the radio to reverse park - maybe I’m just starting to get old...
I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years.
LBB> There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?
Charlie> For me, it usually comes into consideration during the mixing phase. I will reference a mix between different speakers, including on my phone. That seems to be the best way to try to cater for as many environments as possible.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Charlie> It’s all over the place! Typically I’m just listening to what I’m working on during the day. A good podcast might get me to and from work. Otherwise it’s a choose-your-own adventure with music genres.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take?
Charlie> Probably to my detriment, I rely a lot on my ‘liked songs’ on Spotify. If I’m feeling super inspired, I’ll make a playlist for an occasion, but otherwise it’s getting added to the ‘liked songs’ pile. I do have a record collection however it’s abysmally small right now - it doesn’t help that one of my speakers is broken...
LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music?
Charlie> Of course, I love film because it interrelates so neatly with music. I also appreciate design - whether that’s architectural, furniture, graphic or motion design. Other interests include woodwork and, more recently, jewellery-making.
LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?
Charlie> Travel is always so inspiring! I just got back from being in Amsterdam, Berlin, and London which each have their unique scenes. Big cities are always exciting to me as they have such a range of music on offer depending on which suburb you’re in. I was also in Mexico a couple of years ago and everything was so vibrant there. I felt like I finally started to understand Reggaeton and I lapped up a lot of Cuban music at the salsa clubs in Mexico City.
LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?
Charlie> I’m still very much in love with music though I do find myself listening to it less in my spare time. It makes total sense to me as my entire work day is filled with making the stuff. I feel like my ears usually need to rest by the time I get home. It’s a little bit sad in a way but I still get excited when great artists pop up and hit a nerve within me.
