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Robbie Stamp emphasises the importance of subjectivity

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Robbie Stamp's obsession with recorded sound came early when he discovered his parents' tape deck and microphone. Innumerable 'radio programmes' followed, stitched together from silly noises, playing vinyl back at the wrong speeds and reporting on the general goings-on in his household.

While playing in bands, Robbie became increasingly dissatisfied with the poor results achieved in recording studios and bought an 8-track reel-to-reel, a couple of mics and an 8-channel mixer.

Soon he was engineering and producing bands, making sample collections (as Cyclick Samples) and doing sound design work for theatre companies.

He's now about to create a new studio space (Sandpit III) in Bristol and continues to engineer, produce, sound design and write and record with his band, THiNK.

Why did you want to be a sound designer?

"It was never a conscious decision to get into sound designing, or any aspect of recording or producing audio. What I do know is why I continue to follow this path – the seemingly never-ending learning curve and the joy of hearing something you have created."

How did you get into it, then?

"It was essentially by accident! A theatre company my wife had started needed some sound – foley, voiceovers, incidental music – for its first show, and I could be obtained for a very small fee: a couple of pints and a nice dinner.

"I was just moving over from tape to a DAW – an early version of Cubase – and was keen to develop my skills at editing without a scalpel. The connections from that job then allowed me to get more work and thus build a profile of sorts."

What qualifications did you have?

"I have no formal qualifications that relate to my work – I didn't even do grades on piano – but the informal ones are in my opinion the most important.

"I have studied many aspects of sound along the way, eating up books on acoustics, psychoacoustics and audio electronics. These have really helped to open my ears and made me realise how the mechanics of sound and sound recording can be used and abused."

What are the best and worst bits about your chosen career?

"The worst part is that the work is ostensibly freelance, so the constant uncertainty about where the next pay cheque is coming from can be stressful.

"Initially, things like the sense of disappointment that comes with negative criticism, or when a job takes too long in proportion to the financial return, can be crushing, but with time you learn to deal with them.

"You learn to appreciate criticism when it is useful and ignore it when it isn't. Becoming more able to manage your time and other people's expectations also relieves a lot of stress. Overall, the good bits far outweigh the negatives."

What are the essential personal and professional skills for a good sound designer?

"For your own sanity, a good skill to develop is timekeeping – never work too long on any one thing, and be sure to take breaks and have a life outside of the audio world.

"The other main skills involve constantly listening to anything and everything around you and if possible studying other people's reactions to these sounds – sound is highly emotive and highly subjective.

"It's important to be open to the fact that you are always learning and will never truly 'plateau' with regard to your abilities, as there is always room for improvement.

"You also need to be business-minded – it's a common mistake to think that this isn't necessary for creative types, but it is if you want to get paid."

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