Thinking in Sound: What Championing Future Talent Means to Gareth Smith
Gareth Smith is a creative producer at The Elements Music working across all aspects of the creative production process as well as composing original music.
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?
Gareth> Our starting point is to arrange a creative call with the client to dial in the music brief, being sure to ask all relevant questions for the custom or licensed music process, such as: what’s the vibe, pace, energy, should there be particular emotional shifts, will there be branded lyrical content, is it an instrumental or will there be a vocalist/lyrics, etc.?
Aligning on a clear creative music direction with the client is the most important part to allow us to dive into our creative process confidently. Once the ‘client ask’ is crystal clear, we translate that into a detailed music brief for our artists/composers, which is a really specialised skill set in itself.
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?
Gareth> I believe the best musicians are the ones who stay open to collaboration, and more importantly, creative feedback. My most memorable professional collaboration (outside of commercial music) was working with 10+ artists, Grammy-winning musicians and friends on a record called “In Bohemia” that I have locked away somewhere.
For some of the musicians I asked them to improvise lines over chord progressions, and I wrote arrangements around their on-the-spot visions. We created the whole record in a couple of days in a hole in the wall studio below a laundromat in Noe Valley on a giant API 2448. It only came about because of the levity and creativity of the collaboration. I still dream of those long nights!
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Gareth> The most satisfying part of my job is seeing an artist or composer get their first sync “win”, whether for a custom piece or a license of one or their existing tracks. It's so important to champion and foster future talent and allow hard-working people to grow.
The first time I made money from music was for a custom track I wrote for a regional Suzuki commercial. It was just a start, but it sparked a drive that still fuels me today! So when I see that same sense of accomplishment with up-and-coming artists, it really is the best feeling.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Gareth> In the 10+ years I’ve been in this industry, I’ve found there’s no real way to predict all the shifts and changes. However, I think it's really important to stay open creatively and explore new tools and technologies to stay ahead of production trends and styles that may be relevant to a particular project.
That could be staying up on new VSTs, updated DAWS, AI utilisation, listening to new music, developing relationships with topliners (artists who specialise in writing lyrics and melodies), working with artists who might stretch you, or learning new instruments or production techniques.
The great Suga Free said it best: “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready”.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Gareth> Some of my audio heroes are Van Dyke Parks (Zappa, Self Titled), Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), and Tim Smith (Cardiacs). All of these artists embody the archetypal virtuoso, and, in some cases, have paved the way for how modern music production and melodic arrangement exist today. The Elements actually have an interview with Van Dyke Parks which you can see via our socials!
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?
Gareth> I mainly reference the people in my life who opened the door for me to have a career in music-for-media. I’ve learned so much from being on a team that is fanatical about the kind of attention to detail needed to make music that is record quality. As most of our team come from a background of making records, we all have that shared sonic sensibility.
I love being on a team with people that are truly best in class - it really helps to challenge and evolve sonic sensibilities, taste levels, and sharpen my production and composition skills.
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?
Gareth> Considering how I make a career in background sound, I absolutely love it! I am the world's worst multitasker and background music pulls my attention from the work I need to be focused on. That said, when I’m doing something menial like yardwork or errands, I always throw on Radio Paradise, my Spotify playlists, or a podcast (Shoutout to the 'Tim Dillon Show').
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Gareth> Well, I always wake up to the shriek of my two cats yelling at me for food at 5am. After that I'll get hyped for the day with something like Yung Franco - 'Fallin’ Apart'. Then I’ll work all day listening to music, demos, temp tracks, music searches, etc. After work I'll throw on slower material like Haruomi Hosono - 'Pacific' or Arthur Verocai - 'Encore' while I cook and enjoy the ambience of the small town I live in. Then I'll fall asleep to the soothing sounds of random ancient history YouTube channels, lol.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take?
Gareth> I have a huge vinyl collection with tons of rare vinyls I purchased individually when I was in college. There really is nothing like physicality to music. The act of holding some wax and listening to its imperfections on house speakers while making food and dancing is a feeling I hope most humans can experience. That said, I do have my bird sound libraries and a Spotify that is full of meticulously curated obscure music no one would really like.
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?
Gareth> I am a huge ancient history and geology nerd. I actually have been on some archaeological digs and worked with the USGS making preliminary geologic maps of Napa County. Mainly, though, I run a website for the artifacts I have collected in that former line of work (I spared you the embarrassing rock collection) - S B Antiquities Gallery. It really has nothing to do with music, aside from the fact that it often gives me a rush of inspiration, which sometimes translates into some energised music-making sessions.
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?
Gareth> As a result of my working in music, I tend to take a break from it while on vacation. That said, about a half decade ago I spent two weeks in Barcelona in a flat above a square. We randomly went on this amazing holiday called San Juan day, a night full of celebration for the saint's birth. While this may not be music, and certainly not my first time traveling to a new city, the sounds I encountered there were unforgettable.
The night life, the fireworks, the families on their balconies, the beach parties, the alleyway conversations and libations - it all harmonised and solidified into an amazing memory that feels like an album.
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?
Gareth> In-spite of music engulfing most of my everyday life, my relationship with it is relatively the same as it’s always been. Whether it’s music-for-media that I produce for brands or music that I compose for my own pleasure, it's always a deeply personal experience.
Before I began my career in music, I was really just an angsty teenager gazing up at the stars writing songs for Myspace and Bandcamp. I still stare at stars and write, but now it’s more for myself, often hidden away on some flash drive that’s eventually lost to a house move or a round of spring cleaning. The act creating is cathartic in and of itself. So, in the end, my relationship with creating music hasn’t really changed, but my attitude towards the outcome of it certainly has.
Thanks for having me LBB!
