My mother would hum a tune and I’d hear it like a predictive live feed in my head. From as far back as I can remember, music always presented itself to me literally. They’d say how do you do that, come up with that melody, that lick or line. I’ve discussed this many times with other producers and artists. It's a very broad spectrum, so I can't help but ask, how would you describe the way you receive the sound and the music? You're the type of guy who perceives it in the form of pictures, I mean the visual things? You know, do you trigger memories, feelings, or do you perceive it in the form of frequencies and technical things? You're a sound designer, songwriter, as well as producer and engineer. It grounds meĪnd forms patterns and paths to new creativity. The 'mathematical side’ feeds the literal and pragmatic part of me and provides the anchor. Everything I value in life and in my career stems and flowsįrom this. I’d say it has to be the meld of imagination and fantasy. Which of these qualities are most useful to you in your career? So you seem to combine seemingly conflicting qualities in your daily work. You seem to be an individualist with a strict mathematical mind and great imagination and fantasy.
Steve, your professional path is very interesting. Steve Belgrave: Oh, thank you for having me Adrian! It's great to talk to you! He chose Lime and Ivory and what made them some of his basic tools in his daily work with sound.Īdrian Lucas Witaszczyk: Hi Steve, thank you for agreeing to meet! We will talk about his favorite plugins and find out why, among many Acustica Audio plugins
We will talk about working with The Rolling Stones, about Steve's unusual collaboration with Morgan Freeman. We will talk about how important this process is for building the brand image, which translates directly into the popularity and identity of the product, and thus also the length of its life in the market.
We’ll also talk about shaping the sound of an electric car and how to actually start creating its signature sound. We look behind the scenes of working on the sound design of a unique coffee machine. We'll talk about whether summing mixers are still irreplaceable today and about plugins promising true non-linear analog summing. We will talk about modern tools used in sound design.
They help us to understand what qualities should to be developed before we decide to equip ourselves with plugins and equipment. They also draw attention to what is important. The way Steve talks about his studio philosophy, the moments when he goes back to the days that shaped his sensitivity, all the memories that he decided to share are not only moving,
It will be like a colorful book full of travels and adventures. I strongly believe that this conversation will not only give you a different and very fresh perspective.
The interview you're about to read will be a journey through his extraordinary career, a journey through which you will learn other shades of working with sound. Is not afraid of challenges and often reaches for unusual, uncommon solutions.
He's a man who in an extraordinary way combines a mathematical mind and fantasy, who in his work He is also a passionate supporter of the independent music and audio development community. Steve is an engaging and inspirational speaker at audio and sound design events. He created the sound design for Costa’s award winning coffee machines and has completed successful projects for DreamWorks, Honda, Honor, Tesco, Sennheiser, Huawei and Nekton, along with sound design for installation and exhibitions, including at Silverstone.Īs a director for Method Design, London, Steve led the projects for Sky (Now TV), ING (Online Banking Portal) and a host of major blue-chip clients. For commercial clients, Steve leads and develops sound design for enhanced brand engagement. Steve has worked with artists, including The Rolling Stones, U2 and Noel Gallagher (Beady Eye) and as a sound designer and freelance creative audio director for the BBC, ABC, Discovery Channel and Channel 4. From composition to digital audio production, from VR/AR/MR to digital devices and automotive, Steve works with leading songwriters, brands and products, advertising, film and TV. Steve Belgrave is an award winning sound designer and creative audio director.