Meet Shannon Deane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Deane.

Hi Shannon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a freelance sound designer/mixer for nearly two decades, and I also race motorcycles professionally. My fascination with sound began when I fell in love with music at a young age, starting with violin lessons at age six. I have carried that passion with me throughout my life. I spent over a decade as a touring/recording musician, then went to film school for audio engineering, where I fell in love with the unlimited creative possibilities available through the marriage of image and sound. I’ve enjoyed dabbling in all aspects of sound, including a long foray into the world of production sound, but have really found myself most at home in post-production, where I create soundscapes for film, TV, and video games. Most recently, I worked for PlayStation, crafting dialogue for the latest game in one of their biggest franchises, God of War Ragnarök. As a freelancer, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with some fantastic creatives, and I feel grateful to be able to immerse myself in so much of what makes Los Angeles, and Hollywood in particular, such a famous creative mecca. From comedy sketches with Will Ferrell to TV series to indie feature films, there’s been no lack of creative opportunity for an audio geek such as myself!

As much as I love doing sound design, I’ve also found the need to let out some energy after sitting holed up in my studio, being sedentary day in and day out. I stay physically active in a number of ways, but my favorite is through motorcycle racing. I started road racing in 2015, then got my professional license with MotoAmerica in 2021. Though my race bike has been in the shop more than on the racetrack lately, haha, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of piloting a bike as fast as possible on a road racing course. It’s not without its risks, of course – I’ve had my fair share of crashes and injuries – but the thrill of the speed, getting to battle some of my idols, and challenging myself both mentally and physically all make it worth it to me it at the end of the day. It’s actually very meditative. I know those worlds couldn’t be more different, but I love the challenges inherent in both, and I love the variety. Both in the studio and on the racetrack, I’m always looking to learn and grow and look forward to seeing what the future holds for me with this unique duo.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey hasn’t been without its struggles! The mere act of moving to Los Angeles (I’m from Austin, TX) and starting over again was a challenge in and of itself. Hollywood is full of people hungry to succeed, so of course, it’s very competitive, and I really had to hustle hard to get the ball rolling. I was taking every gig I could, sitting in my studio practicing my chops in between, until I slowly started to build a bigger and bigger client list and land bigger and bigger gigs. With production sound, there’s the sheer exhaustion of long days spent on film sets – sometimes up to 16 hours – lugging around heavy gear and dealing with occasional equipment snafus.

With post-production, there’s the pressure of tight deadlines, maintaining good lines of communication with clients to make sure needs are met, and the self-imposed pressure of wanting to do the best job possible, sometimes with limited time and/or resources. The first “big scary” moment I can recall is during a gig recording voiceover with Christopher Walken. I always test my gear beforehand, and this gig was no exception, but despite everything checking out fine, the minute I went to hit record I had no audio signal! Talk about instant panic. I had to inform him that sorry, we needed to pause as I had an issue I needed to resolve. I frantically inspected my gear while everyone in the room sat in awkward silence, attempting to appear calm and collected. I don’t tend to get starry-eyed over actors, but I love Walken, so I was already intimidated, as he seemed to either not look at you at all or to stare directly into the depths of your soul. Lol Turns out the phantom power to the microphone had gotten bumped off, effectively killing all signal. Easy fix! But I was sweating for sure.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in sound design – creating entire audio landscapes from scratch. This includes building ambiances/backgrounds for each scene, selecting sound effects and creating custom ones, adding in Foley (footsteps, clothing rustle, etc.), and then blending it all together in a pleasing way. Something I’ve also done a lot of is dialogue editing. I started off back in college doing voiceover recording/editing for radio, so I guess you could say that was kind of my roots. I call this the “dry” part of my work – removing clicks, pops, hiss, chopping together words and tone-matching – the kind of thing a listener wouldn’t really notice unless it weren’t done well. I actually find it to be creatively satisfying, though. One thing I really enjoy is custom sound effects creation and getting very experimental with things. I record a lot of my own sound effects. I’ll go out and record seemingly mundane things – a faucet running or a car starting – and then I’ll plop them into ProTools and chop them up, reverse them, change the pitch, combine them with other sounds, etc., to create something truly unique. I’d like to say that’s something that sets me apart, but I suppose my clients should be the judge of that. Haha.

In the world of motorcycle racing, I’m known for riding subpar machines fast. I’ve had race bikes with all sorts of problems, like bad suspension or brakes that don’t work well, and I’ll find a way to ride around the problem. Haha, It’s all about adapting to what you have and adjusting your riding accordingly.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Ooh, this is a tough one. How far back into childhood are we talking? Haha, I remember the first time I got to play an acoustic guitar. I was maybe nine. It was an old Madeira my dad had bought for my mom. I could only play single notes, but I remember sitting on the floor of my mom’s sewing room, plucking away. It was magical.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deanecreative.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanecreative/
• Other: www.girlontwowheels.com