Edendale Sound Blog

Netflix House Dallas: Sound Design for Live Experiences

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Today is opening day at Netflix House: Dallas. I had the pleasure of sound designing two live walkthrough immersive experiences there, one for Stranger Things and one for Army of the Dead. Both of these immersive games use sound as an integral part of the experience, not as set dressing but as a core storytelling and gameplay mechanic.

Designing sound for a physical space is a different discipline than mixing for the screen. In film post, the audience sits still and the mix comes to them. In a walkthrough experience, the audience is in motion. Sound has to guide them through the space, pull their attention toward the next beat, and warn them about what might be waiting around the corner.

There is also the challenge of working inside two established sonic worlds. Stranger Things and Army of the Dead each have a sound identity that fans know intimately, from the tone of the Upside Down to the chaos of crowd of zombies. The job was to honor what had been established previously, while building something new that only works in a physical room, where guests are surrounded by the story instead of watching it.

Netflix House Dallas is now open at Galleria Dallas, and it is free to walk in.

Brandy & Monica: Cinematic Sound at Arena Scale

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Brandy & Monica: The Boy Is Mine Tour has kicked off, and I had the pleasure of sound designing the video interstitials for the intro and the interludes throughout the show. It is their first ever co-headlining tour, built around the legacy of "The Boy Is Mine," the 1998 duet that spent thirteen weeks at number one and became one of the defining records of 90s R&B. Getting to contribute to a show celebrating two artists of that caliber was an honor.

Designing for an arena is also its own challenge. A mix that sounds great in a studio can fall apart in a space that size, where reflections smear detail and the system is tuned for music at high SPL. Every element has to be built to translate. And because these pieces sit shoulder to shoulder with live vocals from two vocalists of this caliber, the sound design has to hand off cleanly into the music. The last frame of an interstitial and the first downbeat of a song should feel like one continuous journey.

How to Build a Professional Sound Editorial Session

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Learn to cut sound effects faster and cleaner with a professional workflow.

In this tutorial, sound designer and re-recording mixer Nick Ainsworth takes you step by step through his editorial process for the animated short Solstice by Lynn Wang and Ed Skudder. From laying the groundwork with an initial background pass to cutting in layers of hard effects and Foley, Nick shows you the workflow, shortcuts, and organization strategies he uses to deliver a complete soundtrack that’s ready to hand off to a mixer or sound supervisor.

2024: Pro Sound Effects Year in Review

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

2024 wrapped up a full year of collaboration with the team at Pro Sound Effects, and their year in review is a good excuse to look back at it.

A big focus for PSE this year was education. They published more than 25 blog posts and tutorials aimed at helping creators level up their sound work, covering everything from fundamentals to worldizing with Richard King and career advice from Mark Mangini. I was excited to contribute to that push on the immersive audio side, including the tutorial on mixing ambiences in Dolby Atmos, which ended up being one of their most popular pieces of the year.

It was a busy year for the catalog too. PSE released 21 exclusive libraries totaling nearly 160,000 sounds, welcomed nature recordists Lang Elliott and Chris Watson to the roster, launched a redesigned platform with a single login across sounds, libraries, and SoundQ, and rolled out CORE 6 with new subscription options that make the bundles more accessible for working mixers and editors.

Working with a company that invests this much in the craft and the community around it has been a highlight of my year. Looking forward to more in 2025.

Mixing Ambiences in Dolby Atmos: Tutorial

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

As the demand for more engaging and realistic audio experiences continues to grow across various industries, learning to work with immersive audio can be incredibly beneficial for your career as a sound artist. Becoming proficient in immersive audio technologies like Dolby Atmos can help you stay competitive in the job market - while captivating your audience and transporting them into the heart of your narrative.

In part one of our Mixing Films in Dolby Atmos tutorial series, sound designer and re-recording mixer Nick Ainsworth demonstrates his process for mixing immersive ambiences in Dolby Atmos. Working in a 7.1.4-equipped room at Electric Ear Studio in Los Angeles, Nick gives an overview of the Dolby Atmos Renderer, discusses his Pro Tools template, and provides commentary while he mixes an ambience-heavy scene from the film Giro Prepares for Death. The sounds used in this tutorial are from the Cinematic Winds and Odyssey Collection: Ambiences libraries from Pro Sound Effects.

Mixing Hard Effects in Dolby Atmos: Tutorial

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In part two of the Mixing Films in Dolby Atmos tutorial series with Pro Sound Effects, I walk through my process for mixing hard effects and Foley in Dolby Atmos. Working with a scene from the animated film Beyond the Line by Jinuk Choi, I cover how I approach panning, object versus bed decisions, and blending effects and Foley into an immersive mix that supports the story. This video features binaural audio, so headphones or in-ear monitors are required to hear the spatial mix accurately.