Sound Design & Technology 2
Brandon Reed - Spring 2026
In this class, I made a lot of sound files, as well as made a complete unrealized design for Mountain Mamas. Each project is explained below!
Mountain Mamas
For Mountain Mamas, we created paperwork for the whole design process. It only lacked an actual director for the show. A lot of this play is centered around the conversations Patsy has with herself, so whenever we enter her mind you can imagine her voice echoing through the space with a reverb effect done through MIDI. Given how many speakers I have access to with this system design, the echo and some other effects may pan around the room as Patsy speaks. As you listen to the show, be sure to see where the cues are on my cue sheet. Scenes are much longer than these audio samples. Each element made for this show is below!
Audio Samples:
Scene 6 Mining Collapse - Starting from the transition into scene 6, we move into Patsy's mind where there is a ton of noise. Patsy is very overwhelmed in this scene and the distortion of sound in the scene reflects her mental state.
Caleb's Sequence - Caleb is represented by a bird in this show, and this is a very heightened scene for Patsy. She is screaming a lot the cut off the noise in her head, but she can only hold it back so much. The script mentions the song Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire, so this is what is playing in the back.
Scene 9 - Think of this as an extended, heightened transition back to a tense reality after the climax of the play. Normally I would ask actors to replicate the protesting at the end, but I didn't have that option so it finishes a bit rough. I still believe this is good to showcase.
Next to Normal
This show was used to make paperwork specific to musicals, so it was used to make show files and DCA plots. Below is my paperwork!
Sound Sketchbook Projects
Throughout the semester, we had a list of sound sketchbooks. These are 30-90 second audio projects that we had to make every other week. These showcase some of my design work based on the prompts given. Below are some highlights!
Sketchbook 3 - Recreate the Sounds of a Real and an Abstract Photo
Sketchbook 6 - Band mixing a live recording
Building a Band Platform Layout
Earlier in the class, we had a small assignment that asked us to make a band platform layout for a group coming into my space. This would be more relevant with touring shows or shows with a fast load-in so I think it is good to highlight. Making a good layout often relies on a conversation with the music director.