3x5 Interview with Jim Welch

3x5 interview with Jim Welch at creatingsound.com

[I tried to stop him but George Hufnagl did a third 3x5 interview for Creating Sound. Jim Welch tells us about his endeavours as a musician and sound designer.]

Website | Twitter: @WelchComp

Sound Design Reel 2011 from Jim Welch on Vimeo.

IN FIVES

1) In exactly five sentences, give us what you feel is important biographical information about your sonic background.

I grew up playing in rock bands and singing in choir. I went to college and obtained a bachelors degree in music composition. I got hired by FUNimation Entertainment to do music composition and sound design after I graduated. I’ve been doing both freelance and in house music composition and sound design since.

2) Please state, in exactly five words, your interest in sound.

A direct pathway to emotions.

3) Now please state, in exactly five syllables, how you might describe your process of work.

endless tiny tweaks

IN FOURS

1) Using the rhythm of the famous four-note opening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (i.e. short, short, short, looong), please tell us a fact about you that we may not know.

My-cat’s-named-squuuuuuirrel (Just ignore that last syllable. I won't tell your folks.)

2) Who are four people that have influenced your work?

Tyler Piersall, Austin Black, Nathan Madsen, Ben Burtt

3) Name your preference for starting work: Sound Library, Field Recording, Vocal Imitation, Writing it Down?

Field recording

IN THREES

1) Name three sounds that make you glad to have ears.

Wind chimes, distant children playing, crackling fire

2) Name three sounds that cause you physical discomfort.

my cat's demanding meowing, large trucks that drive by when my car windows are down, my wife sneezing

3) Address one way to change three of those sounds or three ways to change one of those sounds.

duplicate the sound and phase cancel it! (wife and cat cloning currently in R&D phase)

IN TWOS

1) List and describe two projects on which you're currently working.

One project I'm currently on (working title Lead) is a space shoot em up slated for the android marketplace late this year. I'm in charge of all audio for this guy (music, sound design, voice actors). Pretty typical spacey sounds for this one, though it’s a lot of fun to do space sounds as you can really get wild.

Another project Im currently working on is a turn based strategy game currently titled At³. It’s planned to be released for iOS and PC. This game is a lot of fun because in addition to being the whole sound team, I am also in early enough to give design input.

2) And how are they both going?

Excellent! both teams are made of mostly folks from the Dallas area. We have some serious talent lingering in the DFW!

3) How do you feel they are challenging your current skill set?

Implementation! creating sounds for games on mobile platforms is inherently restricting. You need fast load times and reasonable download size more so than any other platform, save for maybe browser based games. It involves a lot creativity when trying to implement an effective score, a variety in sound design, and dialog lines into the restrictions of the mobile platform.

IN ONES

1) Name one environmental element of the creative process that you find essential.

Proper lighting. Often times this is sunlight through my studio window. Occasionally it is very dim lighting. I try and get myself in the right mindset through lighting.

2) What is one area in which you hope to improve your work?

I want to use more plugins and processing in my sound design. Currently I mostly use layers of field recorded and library sounds and only very lightly process them.

3) What is one thing you would like people to know when listening to your work?

Pay attention to the tiny details!