Thinking in Sound: Nat Jenkins on Exceptional Music and Sound
Nat Jenkins is a composer and producer based in New York City. He is a composer at Butter Music + Sound in New York City where he writes original music for television and radio commercials. He has scored commercials for brands including Toyota, Liberty Mutual, Squarespace, Olay, Taco Bell, Clash of Clans, Charmin, and more.
He’s scored short films that have screened in film festivals across the country and his original score for the Amazon Music feature documentary For Love & Country premiered in Spring of 2022.
Nat co-founded Satsuma Collective where he produces and co-writes with up-and-coming indie artists.
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?
Nat> The first thing I’ll do is think about the differences between the brief and my own ideas on how the project could go. I’ll see where I’m off and adjust, but I’ll also see where I might be able to do something a little unexpected. But it’s always a little bit of a process figuring out whether to present something a little unexpected, or to do the expected and nail it. I think both routes have a lot of value, and it takes skill to make that call.
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?
Nat> While I do think the creative process requires solitude at times, collaboration is an invaluable aspect of creativity in our current culture. For me, the pandemic provided a great exercise in finding a balance between artistic self-expression and collaboration. Collaboration is at its best when the people involved are able to bring their ideas as fully formed as possible. That will look different for everyone, and it’s important to be open about your own process. The most memorable collaborations for me are when someone brings a small idea and we’re able to realize together what the final form can be and get there together. There’s nothing quite like that feeling.
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Nat> I do love finally witnessing the finished product. There’s not many feelings like seeing your work fit seamlessly into a large creative production. But I also love the part just before: the last few revisions. I spend a lot of time polishing everything as we’re iterating through revisions. The revision process really allows me to put a lot of thought into each little aspect of the piece and make sure it’s all the best it can be.
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Nat> I don’t know that their role is changing too drastically. Music and sound will always be the backbone of most ad campaigns. But I do think exceptional music and sound has more and more become a way to truly legitimize a campaign and turn heads.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Nat> Mahler and Shostakovich for their understanding and transformational use of orchestration and harmony. Stephen Sondheim for the way he sets story to words and words to melody. John Coltrane. Stevie Wonder and Beyonce both for creating an epicenter of craft, form, genre, soul and fun! Kendrick Lamar for leveling the idea of “high art” and “low art.”
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?
Nat> Jonny Greenwood and Ludwig Görannson are both in a position I strive for. Not only are they able to traverse so many genres of pop music, film music and genres of film, people actually ask them to do so!
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (let's 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?
Nat> Personally, I don’t get a lot of time to listen to music other than when I’m doing non-composing work. So I like to take advantage of it. I do enjoy silence as well, though. I’ll usually do part of my morning routine in silence. I value a relaxed morning, and silence can really help with that.
LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context in that audiences listen to music/sound has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analog 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?
Nat> There are definitely a lot of things to keep in mind to make sure a mix translates across different mediums and in different listening environments. From a musical arrangement standpoint, it can help to avoid certain instruments that may not translate well on phone or laptop speakers. Some people may want to maximize loudness or boost certain frequencies in an attempt to help the mix cut. And while certain methods can help to some degree, In my opinion, a well organized musical arrangement with a clean and balanced mix will go further than creative that’s trying to cater to specific listening environments. Nevertheless, it’s still true a great creative idea is the most important aspect of any content to captivate an audience.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Nat> I listen to a lot of different genres from day to day. I work in headphones a lot of the time, so I try to make time to do some casual listening not only on monitors in my studio but also on smart speakers around my apartment. Adding the element of distance to my listening has been a great way to keep me aware of true space. It’s not only a great calibration for my ears, but it’s also a great way to de-stress in the way listening to rain or birds can.
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-organized Spotify-er…)?
Nat> I’m definitely a bit of a vinyl nerd. I’ve become a very large CD nerd again. I’m also an avid Apple Music user since it allows me to treat my decades old iTunes library like my own personal streaming service. I’m a bit of an archivist at heart, so I also have a very large collection of sound effect libraries, samples, music scores, etc. A lot of my time spent not working is actually spent organizing and reorganizing these collections.
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 (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!)
Nat> Film is another big passion of mine, and it’s quite obvious how that can be related back to music. But I am also always inspired by fine arts and architecture. There isn’t much that inspires me to create more than museum visits and beautiful cities.
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.
Nat> As a lover of cities, living in New York City provides me with endless inspiration. And on top of that, my travels to Paris, London, or Rome have each added to my source of inspiration. But an unforgettable experience for me was attending a performance of The Four Seasons in Chiesa della Pieta, Vivaldi’s church.
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 with the same intensity as in our youth. How has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?
Nat> I definitely don’t spend as much time re-listening, dissecting, and recreating my favorite music as I did when I was young. But I still do make time for analysis as much as I can. With the increase in the amount of content available, it becomes harder to make time to go back and re-listen to new music.
A big part of my college education was spent searching for new music, receiving recommendations and playlists from friends and professors, and challenging the music I grew up loving. But as I grow older, I’ve not only developed a new passion for all of my favorite music over the years, I also believe that repeat listening is a vital aspect of our creative growth. Music is so much deeper than you can get out of just a handful of listens. And while there definitely is a lot out there to keep up with, I think a piece of music speaks to you, don’t be ashamed to go over it again and again and again!
