Thinking In Sound: Cutting Through the Noise with Calum Price
Calum Price is a music supervisor, working across music and audio for brands such as McDonald’s, TUI, Magnum and Dove. He is also an audio producer / composer composing music for film and producing techno records under various artist monikers.
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?
Calum> Initially, I’ll focus on the overall message of the campaign, what is the agency/brand trying to achieve and how can sound enhance this. I’ll look at what the brief needs and think about what role music and sound should play: Do we need to increase the dynamics, or should it be more of a bed for the VO? Is there an opportunity to reimagine an existing piece of music, or is something bespoke more appropriate? What is the relationship between sound design and music?
Getting to the root of what role sound should play for me, is key. Be it curating or creating music I’ll break it up into keywords and themes. This tends to highlight the tempo, genre and vibe, which allows me to start searching through catalogues or look for the right producers / composers.
I try to think about music and sound in a holistic way but I reckon anyone in the industry will tell you this is obviously led by how much of the budget is allocated. I think a big part of our job is showing clients how important sound is in disseminating their message - the earlier we can be involved in the conversation, the better we can steer the project.
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 collaborations?
Calum> Collaboration is at the heart of what I do; for me, this industry is built on relationships and bringing people together. It's vital to utilise different expertise and join minds from all areas. The more we can collaborate the better outcome. I get that's a fairly optimistic outlook, but ultimately, we're all striving for the same thing.
Recently, I worked on a project for TUI where we managed the entire end-to-end audio process (music, sound design, VO, mixing etc.), it allowed us to craft the whole piece rather than being siloed away. This approach, in my opinion, creates more cohesive work.
Outside of work, I also produce techno records and this tends to be super collaborative - whether mining for gems on a mate's modular synth or working with other artists. The producer Shifted remixed one of our tracks years ago and he also got us guestlist at Berghain so that was a proper highlight (albeit we couldn’t go because our flight left at like 5am, so annoying).
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Calum> I love crafting sound, be that for a campaign or brand, working with composers, producers, and artists or digging into catalogues. It's even better when we get to work with emerging talent, when it feels like you're actually helping them grow - where that win means so much more. I’ve been on that side, playing in bands, where you’re trying to forge a career from your creativity, so it’s such a good feeling when we’re able to achieve that for an artist or composer.
It’s a win-win really: the client can potentially discover an artist at the right moment, before they break, and the artist can generate revenue to invest in their career.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Calum> The constant evolution of technology just gives us more tools to be creative and we need to use this to our advantage; we can react to ideas quicker, present proof of concepts and have more time to think outside the box. For example, it can back up wild card tracks with data on how this will better reach their intended audience. Letting us be smarter with budgets and confident in taking more risks.
Now more than ever, audio is vital for brands to connect with their audience. We should be showing them how crucial it is and how it can cut through the endless void of content.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Calum> I studied music, innovation and technology at uni and this really opened me up to a whole new way of thinking about sound – that whole musique concrète thing, where literally anything can create a rhythm or a melody.
I hate to use that cliché of banging on about informative experiences at uni but around that time I started getting heavily into the UK underground club scene, labels like Hessle Audio, Swamp 81 and weirder stuff like Autechre. Looking at how producers craft their sound, the relationship between certain frequencies and the technologies they were using to create it.
For me, it's that link between music and sound design that excites me the most-artists like SOPHIE, and Blawan who blend this kind of melodic chaos with textural layers. A lot of my approach comes from this. That music and sound design are so intertwined they should be part of the same process.
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (lets say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?
Calum> I take a lot of inspiration from discovering new music or finding a new plugin/piece of technology but when I'm working on the aspects of my job which don't require me to listen to something I tend to give my ears a rest. I really value that silence; it gives me time to focus and take inspiration from other areas.
In my downtime, I'm mainly listening to podcasts or Radio 4 if anything, I love those chats where you get to listen to new conversations around science, technology, history, philosophy etc. I often find these super inspirational.
LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. 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?
Calum> We're living through an incredibly exciting time for how audiences interact with creativity. I studied an MA in audio production and part of my focus was in immersive sound – how to give the listener a sense of depth and presence within the experience.
It's super exciting to see where this technology will go and the opportunities it can bring to life. Whether that be giving fans the ability to create their own bespoke mixes, to move around a 3D environment or how this will be used in advertising like super targeted, tailored audio.
A lot of what I’m making now is in the box but using recordings of my modular system as the source. I use an analogue oscillator so processing this through various digital channels creates interesting results. Taking something like an analogue sine wave and heavily processing this with things like Reaktor or Max.
What excites me is exploring new and innovative approaches to sound that create something unique. I love the idea of leaving behind these sonic artefacts.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Calum> The very reactive nature of what I do means it's hard to have a set nine to five but when I can, I'll try and start my day with Radio 4, listening to 'The Today Show' as I go through general responses. After that I'm a big fan of 'Do!!You!!!' Radio, usually with Shazam open, it's such a good way to discover new music and Charlie Bones is such a legend. By this point I'd hope to be moving into more creative work - this can be anything from curating playlists and digging into catalogues or working with composers/producers on demos.
If I can, I try to end the working day with Radio 4 or a podcast. Again, that shift in listening helps me recharge creatively and gives my ears/brain some much-needed recuperation. After that, I’m probably listening to the latest 16-bar loop in Ableton, figuring out how to make it sound like it’s being pulled through a wormhole.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take?
Calum> My vinyl collection is pretty centred around DJ'ing so it's mostly Techno, House, DnB, and Disco records. My hard-drives full of sample folders that I've sampled from my Modular system, resampled through Max or Reaktor or just generally collected. I run a small techno label (Union) with a mate, centred around our own productions, so this collection usually finds its way onto there in some form.
I'm always adding to a Spotify playlist that I organise by seasons, not in terms of sound but just more that was the time I discovered the music. This will usually be by listening to shows on 'NTS', 'Do!!You!!!', or by digging through Bandcamp, and record stores.
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?
Calum> Film is a big part of what I do outside of music. My mates from school and I direct and produce short films, which I also compose the music for. Again it's all about collaboration. We lean on the help of others and make films that we want to make without the restraint of clients or budget. It's super refreshing. Our documentary picked up multiple awards at small film festivals, and we're in post production on our first scripted piece.
I'm always working through a list of films I've haven’t seen, and these ideas tend to translate in some way into what I'm working on.
I have to be careful with games, though, cause I can get pretty lost in them – particularly games like 'Elden Ring'. It'll oscillate between being completely immersed in the world to having not played in months, but the way sound is developing in that space is fascinating and definitely something I want to work more with.
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?
Calum> Recently, I visited our Amsterdam office after a period of feeling relatively uninspired. I find it hard sometimes to keep the momentum or inspiration of a creative project going when work is particularly busy but as soon as I got on the Eurostar back, I opened up Ableton and felt super energised creatively. Processing weird drones whilst hurtling through the Brussels countryside was a proper highlight.
I was also invited to Tallinn Music Week earlier this year and loved being part of such a vibrant, engaging city, watching some incredible artists. Attending super insightful talks and meeting inspiring people made me feel very lucky to be a part of this industry.
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?
Calum> I've always felt the need to express myself musically. Obviously working full-time means I have to be more structured in how I approach things outside my day to day but if anything I think that just furthers my excitement. I get to listen and work on music and sound every day. To be able to work on things creatively and for that to be your job is such a lucky position to be in, I don't think I'll ever not feel that drive or want to create.
