London, UK (August 22, 2023)—Vaudeville Sound Group delivered the immersive audio design, mix and mastering for the popular Amazing War Stories podcast, currently in its second season.
“We wanted to re-create the cinema experience without any visuals. So, we referenced fast-cut, close and intimate action sequences of the likes of Band of Brothers, 1917 and All Quiet on the Western Front,” said Luke Hatfield, group head of sound for Vaudeville Sound. “We used large dynamics changes to effectively cut from scene to scene — to ensure the listener really ‘pictures’ the scene. Our sound brief quickly became ‘cinematic,’ engaging and immersive.’”
The complete design, mix, and mastering of Amazing War Stories was performed in Dolby Atmos, created in a 9.1.4 studio environment with binaural delivery.
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Hatfield details the “Kings of Kokoda” episode in series 2, where, at the end of the episode, Bruce Kingsbury and Alan Avery are in the jungle, being overrun by the Japanese. They take on heavy fire and Alan gets hit by a bullet through his belt. The narrator describes his world going into slow motion, and a sound effect of a deep hit with an echoey stinger starts the moment, as low drones and slowed down Atmos are pushed into every speaker. As time has slowed down, listeners can hear bullets whizzing by, albeit more slowly, perfectly enhanced by extra speakers in the Dolby Atmos setup.
Featuring noted World War II expert Bruce Compton, Amazing War Stories recounts remarkable true stories of heroism and bravery, all taken from museum collections worldwide. With official endorsement from military museums, organizations and armed services, the story-driven show aims to inspire listeners to support veterans’ charities and visit their local military institutions.
Sonically, the show initially let stories be led by Compton and his guests, with a few sections of sound design, mostly at the end of chapters, to bring key moments to life. Gradually, the production team wove more engaging audio elements through the story and under Compton’s dialog. Cold openings are used for each episode, throwing listeners straight into action. In series 1, the “A For Apple” scene is set in a quiet country field, and a Lancaster plane’s engine fires up, followed by two more Lancasters, culminating in take-offs over the listener’s head, with fully immersive effect.
“What really sets our show apart from other military podcasts is the incredible immersive sound design. Since the inception of our brand, we have worked closely with Vaudeville Sound Group to produce a show like no other, far beyond great storytelling and next-level research,” said Ed Sayer, producer of Amazing War Stories and former head of original commissioning at Discovery International. “With 3D sound design, Dolby Atmos and meticulously designed, authentic soundscapes, we used genuine audio from period weapons and vehicles to create a podcast that places the listener right in the heart of the action.”
