Thinking In Sound: It's Music, Music, and More Music for Jason Ryan
As senior audio engineer, Jason oversees the PXP audio department while mixing spots for a wide variety of brands. This includes collaborating with editors and clients throughout the process, from brief to mix. As the first audio engineer at PXP, Jason established a workflow that has been instrumental for PXP to be efficient when collaborating with teams in various locations.
Jason started out at Chicago Recording Company, working on everything from albums and films to Super Bowl spots. From there, he moved to Lord+Thomas, the agency studio at FCB, where, as director of audio, he helped build and lead an audio department to work on anything the agency needed, from podcasts to Super Bowl campaigns to Cannes initiatives. In 2021, he joined PXP with the goal of building an audio department to service all the Publicis agencies.
Over the years, Jason has been fortunate to have worked on projects recognised by Cannes Gold Lions, The Effies, Radio Mercury Awards, the One Show, Adweek, and Ad Age. Jason lives in Chicago with his family of five and their Corgi, spending his downtime coaching baseball and occasionally traveling around in a rock band.
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?
Jason> When a project comes in, the first thing I like to do is check in with the creative team to understand their sound objectives. We often discuss elements that are important to their concept but not yet realised in the rough cuts, so discussing how to efficiently approach it from the outset is crucial.
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?
Jason> Definitely collaborative. Many people look forward to the recording and mixing stages of the spot they’ve been developing for months, and it’s my role to help translate and incorporate their ideas into the mix. Besides, it's rare when the creative agency AND their client approve the first cut or mix.
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Jason> The most satisfying part of my job is being in a session. Whether it’s playing music or making commercials, when we’re in a session, usually the first session for the project, and everything just starts to come together as we envisioned. It takes a lot of elements to align for this to happen, but there are jobs that come through sometimes when everybody feels it at the same time. These are truly good days.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Jason> Wow, this is a tough question! Obviously client budgets and timelines are shrinking, so our roles in music and sound are becoming increasingly creative and efficient. I’m an optimist, so I’m hoping this pendulum will swing back the other direction one day. Music and sound has always resonated with people and always will, which means it will continue to be essential in advertising. How this plays out in the future is anyone’s guess.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Jason> As a kid, seeing Ben Burtt’s name in the Star Wars credits first got me interested in this field, so he definitely stands out. Following him, working with Mark Ruff back when I was at Chicago Recording Company, taught me the importance of maintaining a work-life balance, which isn’t always easy in post-production.
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?
Jason> I consistently follow the work of Peter Erazmus and Eric Cauwels here in Chicago. These guys are consistently at the top of their game and are great examples for anyone in post-audio.
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 or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?
Jason> Having music in the background is an absolute must. Hands down. Soundtracking your life with silence or anything but music doesn’t seem right. I listen to WLUW and WZRD whenever possible.
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?
Jason> I adore surround sound. Nowadays, content needs to be effective across many platforms, so there’s something more fundamental that needs to cut through. Sonically, adopting a minimalist approach can make a spot stand out across multiple platforms. Of course, this depends on the project.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Jason> Outside the studio, it’s music, music, and more music. Doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as there’s a soundtrack to the moment.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?
Jason> I am indeed a collector of all sounds, yes to all of the above! Aside from my love of sound, I also have this passion to sort and organise, so collecting more things means sorting and organising more things – a win-win for me, ha! I have everything from four-track cassette tapes to Victrola shellac discs at home. The fun never ends, although my family might not always share my enthusiasm.
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?
Jason> As I’ve aged, I’ve become increasingly fascinated by how far we've come as a society, both technologically and artistically. It’s intriguing to consider that some practices, like bread making, have remained unchanged for millennia. And then, people have been making music for even longer, across all cultures. This continuity in creation and collaborate is comforting.
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?
Jason> Travel has often inspired me creatively, especially memorable was hiking with my family through the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It’s a hauntingly beautiful expanse of sharply eroded formations and vast prairies, seemingly untouched by time. I was a little taken aback at the stark and almost silent atmosphere there. It’s unforgettable. Elsewhere, I enjoy experiencing how locals engage with live music, which varies significantly from place to place.
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?
Jason> My relationship to sound and music has definitely evolved over the years. I know for a fact I’m enjoying genres that my younger self would scoff at, but I think that’s good, right? Sonically, I now have a more sensitive and wider sonic palate, which is also still evolving. I find myself appreciating and honing in on really fine things in a voice or ambience sometimes, which is really fun.
