News

Sundance Breakout ‘Thelma’ Acquired by Magnolia via The Wrap

African Giants wins Slamdance Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, Acquired by Juno via Deadline

“Cinematographer David Bolen and sound designer Nathan Ruyle effectively and convincingly dress up ‘Thelma’ in the visual and sonic language of an action movie” via The Guardian

At 94, June Squibb is a leading lady at last in the Sundance breakout ‘Thelma’ via AP News

How ‘Barbenheimer,’ Taylor Swift and ‘Sound of Freedom’ Rewrote All the Box Office Rules in 2023 via Variety

A24 Sets Documentary ‘Open Wide,’ About Controversial Orthodontists Behind Viral TikTok Trend, at Netflix via Variety

Cabrini Gets 2024 Theatrical Wide Release via The Wrap

‘Sound of Freedom’ Sets Streaming Debut on Prime Video After Surprise $242 Million Box Office Run via Variety

Chelsea Peretti’s debut feature First Time Female Director in the New York Times, one of 3 TiSD films premiering at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.

Joyland wins the Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film.

TiSD feature films Citizen Sleuth and The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster premiere at SXSW 2023

Joyland shortlisted for an Academy Award in the International Feature category.

Pakistan selects Joyland as Oscar submission.

Nathan joins Filmmaker U to talk film sound design.

Malala Yousafzai joins Joyland as executive producer.

Nathan on building the TiSD Burbank studios and working with immersive audio on the Music Production Podcast.

Joyland wins Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes

TiSD Feature Film Joyland to premiere at Cannes Film Festival

TiSD Feature Film I Love My Dad wins the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at SXSW

Krotos interview with Nathan on his approach to dynamic, software driven sound design.

Building a Post Business: This is Sound Design’s Nathan Ruyle in Post Magazine

We are returning to SXSW in 2022 with two feature films: The comedy I Love My Dad and documentary Crows are White

Check out Nathan’s article The Invisible Art: Why Sound Design Is Finally Getting Its Due in Moviemaker Magazine

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Who We Are

This is Sound Design is an independent sound design and post-production studio, with facilities in Los Angeles and New York. Founded by Nathan Ruyle in 2008, TiSD builds relationships with filmmakers and digital media creators through design-centric audio post-production.

TiSD has developed a sound creation workflow that is focused on bringing original ideas to life through a collaborative process that integrates design into every step, from editorial and foley through the final mix. Through state-of-the-art facilities and integration of emerging technologies, we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with sound in cinema, broadcast and beyond.

This is Sound Design was built on an independent creative spirit which continues to inspire our original approach to the sound of each project. We are proud of the diversity of our team and our collaborators and are excited to empower this new generation of creators to tell their stories in their own way.

Nathan Ruyle

Founder | Supervising Sound Designer | Rerecording Mixer

IMDB

What We Do

Films

This is Sound Design was founded on the idea that the process of creating sound for a film is much more than a collection of services. As the tools have evolved in the last decade, most films can and should have a more personal and organic approach to realize the potential of the sound.

Just as a production designer develops the look and visual language of a film, we work with filmmakers to develop a sonic language unique to each project. Then our team collaborates through editorial, foley, and the final mix to realize the sound design, translating concepts and ideas into an original sound experience.

If you are interested in working with This is Sound Design on an upcoming film, please contact us for a collection of clips of our past work relevant to your project.

Navigate to our IMDB page for our ever-growing list of feature and short film projects.

TV

This is Sound Design is bringing our cinematic sound design and mixing process to episodic tv and web series. We are currently in production on an episodic series for Hulu/Disney+ that will premiere in the Fall 2024.

From the sci-fi series Alt produced by Gunpowder and Sky. Currently available on Amazon Prime Video

Podcasts

We are creating some of the most cinematic and highest quality sound for storytelling in the podcast space, drawing on our experience in traditional broadcast radio (Founder Nathan worked in Public Radio prior to founding TiSD) coupled with our workflows and creative approach to sound in film. Our new Burbank facility includes dedicated studio space for podcast production.

Hunted and Dark Woods, our narrative fiction podcast series produced in collaborations with Wolf Entertainment and Endeavor Audio, reached the top ten of the iTunes Charts in 2019 and 2021.

Commercials

We design and mix commercials and branded content for clients big and small, from startups and nonprofits to Google and Intel.

We have the knowledge, experience and tools to make your presentation sound great on any device, be it television, radio, computer, mobile phone, or tablet. For broadcast we have a trusted mastering process to assure compliance with US and European broadcast loudness standards.

Our primary facilities in LA are conveniently located and client friendly for voiceover, mixes and final playback sessions for up to 8 in attendance. We also offer remote voiceover and review sessions at our facility in NYC or from any internet connected computer.

Commercial Sound Design and Mix for Intel

Virtual Reality

This is Sound Design is pioneering cinematic sound design and mixing for immersive media. Our workflow for VR is built on our years of experience creating sound for films, combined with a deep background in emerging technology. We’ve been working hands-on with interactive audio in Max/MSP, Unity and Fmod for over a decade and are thrilled to have these parts of our work converging in immersive audio for virtual and augmented reality.

As both the production and delivery technology for VR is rapidly evolving, we continue to refine our process which begins with planning in pre-production, continues into the field or on-set with specialized microphones and recording techniques and then moves into post.

You can experience our work in VR on Hulu’s Interactive VR Web Series Door #1

Trailers

This is Sound Design mixes feature film trailers for theatrical, broadcast and online presentation.

We mix theatrical trailers for TASA compliance in our reference calibrated mix-stage with industry standard Leq metering. Using our custom delivery workflow we can be certain the theatrical experience of the trailer will be the same when viewing at home or on a smart phone or tablet.