Erik Hedin, a seasoned sound designer and composer, shares his journey from a curious child to respected theater sound designer. He explains how OmniGraffle's visual mapping features orchestrate theatrical performances. Erik emphasizes the importance of iteration and collaborative feedback, showcasing his work-in-progress to collaborators. He also discusses the surprising use of OmniGraffle as a visual program for sound design.
OmniGraffle is an essential tool for sound designers in the theater industry, allowing them to visually map out performance sounds and receive valuable feedback from collaborators.
Creating sound maps using OmniGraffle enables sound designers to visually represent sound effects, music, and emotions, providing insights into the progression of emotions and the overall sound journey of a theater production.
Deep dives
Eric Heading's Journey into Sound Design and Composition
Eric Heading, a sound designer and composer, shares his career trajectory and how he found his passion for sound and sound effects from a young age. Starting with his early experiences on a Commodore 64 computer and later studying theater, Eric combined his interests to become a sound designer for theater. His love for sound and theater led him to discover OmniGraphil, a program he uses to visually map out performance sounds and emotional flow for his theater shows.
Discovering OmniGraphil and Its Role in Sound Design
Eric first encountered OmniGraphil while studying sound design for theater at the university. Initially using a demo version, Eric recognized its value in drawing maps of the stage and placing speaker icons. Over the past 20 years, Eric has continued to use OmniGraphil, upgrading to newer versions and incorporating it into his software portfolio. Despite being a sound designer, Eric receives more inquiries about OmniGraphil when showing his sound maps, demonstrating its effectiveness in visually representing sound journeys and receiving feedback from collaborators.
Using Visual Maps to Enhance Sound Design
Eric explains how he creates sound maps, a visual representation of sound effects, music, and emotions in a theater production. Inspired by set designers who create models of stage designs, Eric wanted to offer a similar visualization for his sound design. Using OmniGraphil, he designs timelines with icons representing different sound elements, allowing him to engage directors, actors, and even deaf collaborators in discussing and refining specific aspects of the production. His sound maps provide insights into the progression of emotions, gaps, and the overall sound journey of the play.
Today we chat with Erik Hedin, a seasoned sound designer and composer from Sweden, now residing in Norway. We delve into Erik's fascinating journey from a curious child enchanted by sounds to a respected theater sound designer for over 100 shows. Erik elaborates on how the visual mapping features of OmniGraffle have become an indispensable part of his toolkit, allowing him to graphically orchestrate the auditory scenery of theatrical performances.
Erik also spotlights the importance of an iterative process, showcasing work-in-progress to collaborators for valuable feedback.
Some other people, places, and things mentioned in this episode: