Audio Trends for 2020 and Beyond
2019 is almost over, but it’s even more amazing that we’re about to turn the page on the 20-teens. It seems like just a couple of years ago sound professionals needed to connect to their hardware interface via Firewire 400 cable just to be able to load Pro Tools 7.4. Today, it is a frequent practice to go everywhere with an entire professional rig packed.
During the last decade, the audio industry has explored and grown exponentially, and we wanted to take a much closer look at where things stand today, and what is likely to help push the audio and sound industry forward into 2020.
If we were to answer the question “Which common technical or artistic trends would we want to hear more about?” we would find several answers, each as valid as the next. We love that sound artist and audio professionals are seeing themselves more as creative elements and collaborators with filmmakers, and are getting greater acknowledgment and respect because of their work.
Now, pretty much every sound professional has internalized the fact that telling stories through sound provides tremendous value, distancing themselves from their categorization as simple technicians. Today, we see that audio and sound artists are being engaged way earlier in the filmmaking process and are constantly contributing to all the stages of a film.
Technically speaking, today’s immersive audio tools and different mixing environments allow sound professionals to tell stories through sonic elements. In fact, when it comes to engaging with the audience they are the ones capable of generating all sorts of feelings and emotions.
In general, and as mentioned in other articles, audio professionals don’t focus solely on films — they also play a pivotal role in every audiovisual project. As of 2015, streaming services had been investing more in quality sound on the delivery end. Today, we see Atmos, higher bitrates, and more projects in surround. There are also new pieces of technology for immersive sound, soundbars, and speakers. The theatrical experience has been evolving from a room full of people into a living room full of people experience thanks to the high quality for today’s home viewers.
VR, AR, and MR are also gaining more traction. Spatial audio is becoming more and more popular, and today’s workflows are much more seamless than 4 years ago. Of course, there’s still a long way to go but, in general, the audio and sound industry has come a long way.
The Video Game Industry Decides to Take a Stand
When it comes to mixing, the whole concept has been gaining more popularity, especially in video games. Given the amount of video game platforms, the industry has been allocating more resources into sound development, and, thanks to the tools we have at hand, the ability to craft the mix as the project advances through development allows sound professionals to spend more time actually thinking about how to best execute a mix that provides real support to the whole experience.
Artistically speaking, we’ve seen that the video game industry is trying to do more than simply making a cool sound for their mechanics. Hack and slash video games, for example, are putting more thought into the aesthetic they’re trying to achieve whilst making something that supports the emotional level.
Foley, for instance, has been present for decades; however, today’s depth and complexity of Foley has allowed lots of TV shows such as Dark Crystal and Mindhunter to step up their storytelling game, making those shows a joy to listen to, but also has allowed lots of action-based video games to feel more natural.
Speaking of TV shows, there has been a trend of increased attention and budgets for the small screen sound-wise. 2019 yielded excellent shows, but 2020 will likely be a turning point in terms of the level of detail and quality, which can almost be associated with theatrical features.
The Interaction With Music
Music has always played a pivotal role in audiovisual projects. Whether it is a film, a short film, a documentary project, or even an ad, music is always present to some degree. Of course, the complexity of a soundtrack goes from the traditional worn-off jingle to a whole new composition.
Since the era of mass media and advertising started, the role of music strengthened the relationship between musical compositions and moving images, understanding moving images as any audiovisual project; however, this bond raises one question: why do all these musical elements fit so well in these projects?
Those coming from musical backgrounds normally enjoy crossing the lines between musical elements and sound effects. Earlier this year we were able to see several shows where this interaction took place in terms of rhythm, texture, and tone. It was highly satisfying to see Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker, Chernobyl) doing this and bringing it to media attention. Today, there’s a much larger grey area where musical elements can coexist with sound design. In fact, it can be interchangeable.
