Audio Academy – a joint initiative of radioinfo and Abe’s Audio.
Learn from experienced professionals across the audio industry.

Thom Wood is an award-winning audio producer with years of industry experience, most recently as head of SCA’s The Studio, Sydney. He is now working freelance as a producer and voiceover artist – so he’s got a unique perspective.

Thom recently sat down with us to unpack the subtleties of great audio production. We talked to him about the techniques, creative instincts and tricks he’s found that can take an ad from ‘average’ to ‘memorable’.

Thom, what’s something small you do in production that makes a big difference to how an ad sounds?

Giving space to each element. Even if it’s just dialogue and music, understanding a track’s tempo and where each word begins and ends is important.

Have you ever taken a ‘bad’ script and made it work just through production? What did you change?

You can’t polish a turd, but sometimes you can roll it in glitter! Not all bad scripts can be saved, but great casting, direction and production can help.

For audio producers/sound designers starting their career – what’s one simple thing they can do to make a commercial sound instantly better?”

Spend time cleaning up your audio before you get into mixing and adding elements.

Look / listen to references that are out of the box. Don’t just listen to Ads to hear how Ads are made. Think about your favourite songs, movies and shows. Go deep, find and follow producers online to learn their tips and tricks.

Do you ever intentionally break ‘the rules’ to make an ad stand out? How?

I like to think there are no rules.

Too much importance is placed on the physical words on the page. Words are only one element. How they’re delivered is often more important. (I’m not sure if that really answers the question, sorry!)

What’s one audio ad you’ve worked on (or heard) that really nailed it – and why?

One I’ve heard… Reborn to be Alive. The best radio ad I’ve ever heard. Huge call. But true. Why? It doesn’t explain the WHY, it shows it. This showcases the power of audio in its finest form.

Listen here.

Thom’s Outro

Great audio production lives in the details – the space between words, the tone of a voice, the way sound is layered and delivered. While a strong concept and script do help, it’s the execution that really makes it pop. Focus on clarity, take inspiration from beyond the industry, and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Listen to Thom’s work here.