Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Nungary
Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up I had always loved music and sound. My earliest memories are of me laying on the living room floor with my dad listening to records at full volume. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. I remember vividly how excited he got when a bass or drum solo would be coming up. He would turn it up louder and have me listen intentionally to a specific instrument. I’ve held onto that and practiced what would now be called “active listening” ever since. This in turn catapulted me into a love affair with the sonic world. I joined the school marching band and eventually discovered my own lane in grunge, alternative and punk rock. I grew a mohawk and ripped up my jeans and mowed countless lawns to save enough money to buy my first guitar. It wasn’t much but it was something. It was also around that time that I became obsessed with movies and film too and what tied it all together was sound. I kept on the music playing journey for decades. In my 20s I started a punk band in South Lake Tahoe. We played endless shows, opening up for lifelong heroes of ours and had the time of our lives. By the time I was 30 I was ready for more. I always loved reading about where albums were recorded and who produced them and what gear was used. The studio life had always called to me and I answered. A friend of mine took me to Austin TX for the first time to the ACL Festival and I instantly fell in love with the city and culture of Austin. I knew in my heart that I had to be there. I applied to the Art Institute of Austin for audio production and a year later I packed up a van that I bought for 700 dollars and hit the road not knowing a single person there. When I arrived I got a job, concentrated on school, joined multiple bands and eventually landed an internship at Good Danny’s Studio run and owned by the incredible Danny Reisch. After paying my dues with countless coffee runs and endless studio floor sweeping I was finally assisting on albums and projects, setting up microphones, signal flows, learning how a tape machine works, building relationships with clients and the music community. The time had come again to go further and I knew that I eventually wanted to be back in California to continue pursuing my career. After meeting who would eventually be my wife, I packed up again and headed back west. Although it wasn’t a traditional recording studio, a friend of mine recommended Lime studios, an advertising post audio mix super hub. I knew little about the commercial world but I was curious. As soon as I walked in to deliver my resume I knew I had to work there. There was an energy there I hadn’t seen before. There were clients everywhere and assistants and mixers and producers, creatives, chefs and bartenders and ping pong tables and multiple mix bays. This was my introduction to the commercial mixing world. I landed an assistant mixer position with their senior mixer Joel Waters who taught me a lot of what I know and practice today in regards to mixing commercials, workflow and client relationships. How to work the room. As I took on more and more side projects, I met a director, Stuart Macintyre, whose wife, Stephanie Pigott, was the executive producer at Walker music owned by Sara Matarazzo. They were looking for a chief engineer. I took the job and was now able to combine my musical background, recording studio experience and commercial post mix into one. Walker was yet again an incredible experience. I was able to use my expertise to build out the studio space with gear that I knew and implement signal and work flows that I had learned along the way. That creative space enabled me to grow into the engineer that I am today and when Squeak E Clean Studios approached me to be their senior mixer and sound designer for the west coast I knew I had to take it and knew I was ready for the next step. So far at SEC I’ve worked on some of the most amazing projects of my life, not just in commercials, but also long form, documentary, film, and interactive. I work with an amazing team that is both local and global and we have some huge exciting plans for the very near future!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been all smooth- moving to Austin at 30 years old, a new city, and not knowing anyone had its struggles. Trying to maintain a high GPA while working full time and interning was difficult, especially at the age that I was at. Paying dues while starting at the bottom is always hard. There were many times I wanted to give up when it became too hard to balance it all especially after starting a family and having kids. Trying to make the right career decisions, moving from city to city and maintaining a work-life balance is not easy when you’re trying to push your career further. In southern California one of my biggest struggles is location and commute. I live in south Orange County and have been commuting to LA for over 6 years, sometimes sitting in traffic for up to 5 hours a day. There is also the struggle of constant learning curves with ever changing technology and the evolution of sound production and music. I like to keep things simple and I have a somewhat old school way of doing things as far as workflow but at the same time you need to keep up with what is current and where technology is headed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Sound Designer, Mixer, Music Editor
I specialize in sound design and mix for commercials and film.
I love to create sounds and tones that enhance a film or project and help propel the story. I use a very specific process relying on my ears and imagination to either create or find sounds that will match or support a scene. I think what sets me apart from others in my field is that I come from a musical background and I apply that knowledge and musical instinct to my mixes. I think of a mix soundtrack as a musical piece that has emotion, tone, rhythm, contrasts and dynamics that all help support the visual aspects and story of a film.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Ive had a lot of incredible people help along the way. From teachers to friends to fellow assistants and interns. I try to learn from everyone I can. I think it helps you to become a well rounded professional if you can stay open to other ways and to always keep learning.
2 people who are extremely important to me and who I consider my mentors are Danny Reisch and Joel Waters. I definitely would not be where I am today if it hadn’t been for them. Both are outstanding in what they do and have an intense passion for what they do not just on the technical side but also philosophically. I also owe a ton of credit to Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Piggott and Micheal Gross. All of these people have seen something special in me have believed in me enough to give me a chance and have enabled me to grow in so many ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ratherthansilence.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnungary/
- Other: https://www.squeakeclean.com/
