Interview: Masters of the Air Sound Team
ComingSoon had the opportunity to speak with the Masters of the Air sound team, namely Jack Whittaker, Co-Supervising Sound Editor, Michael Minkler, Co-Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer, and Duncan McRae, Re-Recording Mixer. The trio dove into their process in creating the astonishing sound design in Apple TV’s acclaimed series.
We started this show with lots of conversations about how to build out the world of the 100th Bomb Group and the sound of the B-17 aircraft that we are with throughout the series. Those planes are a character on the show.
The first order of business was to record actual working B-17s, which we did over several days in Arizona. We recorded absolutely everything on the planes, both on the ground and in the air, so that we had a unique new library and also an audio reference of how the aircraft functioned—recordings we referred to many times while cutting the show.
Using that library of recorded sounds as the basis, I designed additional plane sounds to enhance specific moments as needed. We wanted to heighten the emotional aspect of the aircraft’s character as much as possible, and sometimes, the actual recordings didn’t quite have that dramatic punch a big soundtrack needs.
As is often the case, we continuously tweaked and expanded upon those sounds as the visual fx improved right up until the last day of the mix. Fortuitously for us, the period in which the show takes place was a wonderfully rich time sonically. Everything made a sound, and every sound had a unique character that allowed us to bring a vibrant energy to every scene. It was a real treat to work on something of this magnitude.
From the beginning of the production, we knew we wanted to immerse the viewer in the experience of being onboard with the crew. To do that, we put a lot of time into building the sonic world of the planes, both interior and exterior. We had four deafening Wright engines playing at all times and all kinds of other engine sweeteners to enhance
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