Why the Studio Is my Second Home and Why it Should be for All Music Supervisors

Rewind 15 years and the term ‘music supervisor’ was rarely heard outside of film and TV circles. Today, it's seemingly used everywhere... applied to roles across gaming, music licensing, production, publishing, advertising and more. On LinkedIn alone there are currently 7235 people who identify as a ‘music supervisor’, which speaks to just how much this role has expanded in both visibility and interpretation.

I’m aware that even I don’t check every box of what some would consider a ‘perfectly rounded’ supervisor. But through my career, I’ve discovered that music supervision is as much about collaboration and craft as it is about curating tracks. And here’s what I believe truly makes a leader in it.

Understanding the tools of the studio is fundamental to what we do. Some of the best supervisors that I’ve had the pleasure to work with, like Florian Lakenmacher at Supreme Music, Michiel Marsman at Sizzer, and Rory Doggett at Model Citizen Creative, all share one essential trait: they know their studio tools inside and out.

Strong editing, mixing, and a masterful touch for music-to-picture can elevate an entire project. At Supreme, every delivery involves bringing our music proposals into a single final “session” aka the digital workspace or DAW. In this session, we do the finishing touches on how the music interacts with the picture, voiceover, and sound design. We can fine-tune sync points, the mix and master, smooth out transitions or seamlessly integrate it into different environments based on the visuals.

As a supervisor with some audio skills, I co-pilot this process. Every track we send out has this crafted, intentional touch. It’s this very hands-on approach at the time of delivery that sets our work apart and ensures our compositions shine. And why I invest part of my week into audio skills.

Collaboration in the studio is about trust and respect. The best supervisors know that to get the best out of their composers, they have to understand their tools and workflow. Getting to know your composers happens through thoughtful, creative exchange and it’s perplexing to me that so many composers experience our industry in a way that seems the complete opposite.

Like many music houses, we often deliver a range of options to our clients. In the early stages, this could mean presenting demos from up to 6 different composers. Choosing the right team goes beyond skillsets and experience. People feel music, and it’s the track that resonates that will win.

As a music supervisor, I see it as my job to set the stage for magic. That means understanding what makes each composer tick, no matter their level of experience, and fostering the right environment for their best work to flow.

At Supreme, I work with extremely talented in-house composers in the studio every day. Reviewing work in real time and interacting close enough to touch the screen throughout the production process has helped me learn how to tune into them as artists. I use my studio skills when collaborating remotely with composers and musical talent of all experience levels from all over the world. I also bring their music back to our DAW for those crucial final touches.

Fostering such relationships fuelled me to start my own label, Field Supply, which has led to placements for Apple, Google, Samsung, Lincoln, Tommy Hilfiger and more.

The studio is where ideas evolve and take shape. “Getting under the hood” of a piece of music, experimenting with sync points, or collaborating with different or unique talents to create something unexpected is in essence the joy of music supervising. 

The best work is done where you can be hands on. Giving live feedback on vocal recordings, hearing the difference from one microphone to another, sampling different mixes or auditioning different instrumentation.

Working on a Christmas spot for Edeka, we hired a singer in London for a sweet swing-era song that grew to an enormous showtune peak. But on picture, it wasn’t 100% hitting the right emotion. As a spontaneous idea during the recording session, we asked the singer to perform the whole song as if it were for a friend’s funeral. It was completely wrong except for the final two magical lines which we edited in later.

Before joining Supreme, I never worked in a studio environment. I also didn’t fully understand my own potential as a music supervisor. What I’ve learned is that leadership in our business comes from being immersed in the production process. 

This is why I believe the studio should be at the heart of what music supervisors do: to create pathways for fresh, exciting perspectives in music for advertising and elevate our craft.