Sound Design on a Budget
The two most important audio aspects of any film, be it big or small budget, are the clarity of the dialog and an unobtrusive soundtrack. As the cliché goes, good sound is felt but not heard.

Unless you are doing a special effects film, budget most of your time towards these two attributes. Independent films often need to be worked on in steps – as soon as funding comes in, spend more time on the details, including sound effects, foley, ADR, and a professional sound mix. Until then, make sure the characters talk intelligibly!

A large part of creating unobtrusive audio involves adding ambiences to the soundtrack. A good sound designer will have a large library of background sounds, such as bird chirps, city crowds, and wind effects. The sound designer layers these sounds together, putting the actors in a more dramatic, yet more realistic environment.



Aaron Diecker is a New York City-based sound designer for film, television, music, and multimedia. His clients include Nickelodeon, HBO Latino, CBS, and Lions Gate Entertainment. He also sound designed the popular children’s television shows Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go. His work can be viewed online at www.aarondiecker.com.