       |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sound Designer
Simon has been in the business of audio engineering since 1979, although you wouldn't think so to look at him, many of his contemporaries have long since gone grey or indeed lost all their hair, such are the stresses of sound engineering across two centuries. In this time, the job has taken him to some of the more interesting and inaccessible parts of the world and indeed to some of the terminally dull and mundane. From Tajikistan, Thailand, Australia and Russia to Teeside, Tyneside, Merseyside and Rhyl, to name but a few.
Laughing in the face of conformity and a burning desire to avoid being pigeonholed has ensured that Simon has enjoyed a wide variety of work throughout his long and, judging by his shoes, reasonably successful career. The worlds of rock music, television, conference and special events have all huddled under his umbrella, but it is with classical music that he has well and truly established a reputation, lending a good ear to some of the greatest names in the business. Playing a mean fiddle is one thing, but making it sound sweet to 20,000 people another altogether.
With Shaolin Wheel Of Life, beyond the obvious requirement to reproduce John Harle's soundtrack as faithfully as possible, the sound design attempts to create atmospheres through the use of surround soundscapes, in order to place the audience within the 'sonic space' of the forest around the Shaolin Temple, in the heart of a raging storm during the battle sequence, or in the marbled, reverberant throne room at the emperor's palace. It is Simon's belief that an emotionally involved audience is a satisfied audience, and that his input goes some way to providing that involvement.
