Thinking in Sound: Finding a Way to Offer a New Perspective with Rich Martin

Absolute’s Rich Martin is a highly experienced sound designer and mixer with a vast array of award-winning projects under his belt. He has won numerous awards, including a British Arrow for Craft, three Music+Sound awards, multiple Promax awards and a Creative Circle award. 

A keen advocate for the craft of sound, Rich has been on the judging panel for the British Arrows and D&AD, as well as speaking at The Royal Institution for Promax. He also specialises in music composition for television and has written the channel identity music for a plethora of UK and international channels. He lists a particular career highlight as hearing one of his compositions being recorded by an orchestra in Studio 2 at Abbey Road.

LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down, and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?

Rich> We’re in the business of helping people tell compelling stories about themselves, their brand, or their product, and sound is an incredibly powerful way to contribute to this.

Sound designers often become involved at a stage where the idea is agreed in principle, but I’m always interested in finding a way to offer a new perspective on the execution. When I’m given the opportunity to help develop an idea, I can often suggest ways to use sound to bring a distinctive and unexpected dimension to the work.

LBB> Music and sound are, in some ways, the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?

Rich> I am lucky enough to have an exciting sideline mixing live sound at a small music venue near where I live. I’ve worked with some incredible musicians and have both witnessed and benefited from the intimate collaboration that is essential to putting on a great show. These musicians are a collection of specialists that come together to create art that’s greater than the sum of its parts. 

Our industry is similar. We collaborate by necessity, and in a multi-disciplinary studio like Absolute, we do our best work when every contributor is given the space to bring their unique talent to bear.

A great example of this is a recent campaign for Candy Crush, where I worked with the composer to adapt the music to ensure that the sound design complemented the 3D team’s animation. Had we all stayed rigidly in our silos, the process would have been notably longer. 

LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?

Rich> When a client is in one of our Dolby studios and we play their ad with sound design for the first time. Often, clients don’t realise just how much subtle sound effects can elevate their work, so I get a real kick out of re-invigorating someone’s passion for a project.

LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?

Rich> When ad land first started making ‘versions for mobile’, it was assumed that videos would be mute, much like people’s phones. But the perseverance of social media has given viewers a compelling reason to listen with headphones. Hallelujah!

Current and future generations can benefit from the highest-quality listening experience that we have ever known. It’s a true blessing. And as tech developments like binaural ambisonics, which are particularly suited to headphone wearers, become more widely adopted, we can enhance that experience even further.

LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?

Rich> Probably the most influential person in my career as a sound designer and composer is Brett Foraker, a former ECD at 4Creative. Brett has a brilliantly creative mind but is also a hungry and curious consumer of art in all its forms. He changed how I approach a project. He taught me to take a step back and consider the work as a whole and encouraged each department to consider the other. The first time I sat with a 3D designer was when we worked in tandem on the Channel 4 idents.

LBB> And when it comes to your particular field, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?

Rich> I love it when lines are blurred between disciplines. A great example of this is the sublime score that Atticus Ross created from the off cuts of Beach Boys’ session recordings for Love and Mercy, The Black Hole. His creative approach to what could initially feel like a curse— ‘being the second-best composer of music in a film’ —rendered extraordinary results.

LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?

Rich> I find background music intensely distracting. I only want to listen to music as a deliberate act. When I'm on the move, I find high-quality headphones for mobile listening too overwhelming; they divide my attention in an unwelcome way. I already have a wonderful listening environment in Absolute’s sound studios. 

I do love a good podcast or audiobook, though. It’s an excellent way to be transported on a dog walk or the commute, and a bit of live cricket commentary is a wonderful companion. Weirdly, I find voices less of a distraction than music.

LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years... how does that factor into how you approach your work?

Rich> Sound reproduction has improved immeasurably over the course of my career, and that brings greater fidelity and clarity to the audience. But it’s worth remembering that real-world listening environments still exist. Listeners at home may be dealing with background noise that they can’t control. There’s also something that is rarely considered in our industry - In the UK, over 11 million people have some kind of hearing impairment — around 900,000 have severe or profound hearing loss [Action on Hearing Loss, 2015]. I mean, my own mum is down to one ear, which encourages me to always take into account the listener, and their environment as I finalise the mix. 

LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like? Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take?

Rich> I love keeping an eye on new music and sound techniques. In fact, I set up Seeks Music, an internet radio station when the BBC threatened to close down 6 Music. It’s currently mothballed here, but is ready to spring back to life in the event they try it again. 

I love discovering music on the radio, with both traditional broadcasts and online services, but lately it seems I’ll most often hear the next big thing via TikTok, which is rapidly becoming the best way to keep on top of what’s around the corner. It’s beneficial to know what’s hot, especially for social content as some briefs are topical. You have to act fast, otherwise the trend might be over! 

TikTok is also home to reliable tastemakers like Gee Derrick, but the algorithm can also become a place for young musicians to go viral, like Cordelia’s hit ‘Little Life’ or Maleigh Zan’s ‘Gag’.

In terms of physically tangible tunes, I have a large (alphabetised) CD collection, but my vinyl collection is randomly grouped by genre. Analyse that as you will!

LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you, and do you ever relate that back to music?

Rich> Sound and music have permeated almost every aspect of my being. Please hold, while I have a moment of self-reflection.

LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?

Rich> OK, I confess to taking a field recorder to the Costa Rican jungle, and I documented a visit to SXSW’s new music festival. When visiting somewhere new, I like to seek out live music; everywhere does it slightly differently, but the way music unifies people is universal. 

We had the best night in Copenhagen last spring where we stumbled into a local bar to discover an acoustic sing-along with back-to-back Danish language pop songs. We didn’t know a single tune, but the vibe was so great we couldn’t leave. And there’s nothing like tracking down a folk session off the beaten track in a three-pub town (yes, that small) in Ireland.

LBB> As we age, our ears change physically, and our tastes evolve too... how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?

Rich> I’ve been doing this job for years now, and I can’t possibly match the energy that was the hallmark of my early career, but I see now that it was, at times, a somewhat unstructured energy that fuelled my exploration of the world of sound. 

I think I’ve grown into a more consistent sound designer now, and I’ve learned to listen to my collaborators rather than my inner monologue. Musically, I’m wary of nostalgia, and still enjoy novelty, so I have to look for it in ever weirder places. Radio 3 even soundtracked the school run this morning.