Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 6 - Index

A New Model Of Audio Post House Explodes In Chicago
By Amy Wilschke
The kinetic theory of matter – or particle theory – says that
all matter consists of many very small particles which are
constantly moving or in a continual state of motion (thank
you, Wikipedia). No, SCREEN Magazine has not turned into
a boring scientific journal. This is just a really great way of
describing Particle Audio, a newbie Chicago audio post
house that is swiftly rising to the ranks of more established
companies and has not slowed down since it opened its
doors in 2007.
SCREEN Mag was lucky enough to score some of the
busy company’s precious time for a quick chat about
the latest goings-on at Particle. Sound designers/mixers
Dave Kaduk and Katy Mindeman, executive producer
Maggie Wasserman and Bryan Rheude, who is a creative
director and composer at Particle’s sister company, Comma
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Music, all offered some great insight into the day-to-day
operations of the company and how each individual values
collaboration with – as opposed to competition against
– one another.
First things first, let us start by introducing Particle’s two audio
engineers, Kaduk and Mindeman. Kaduk joined Particle in
October of 2007 after stints at Chicago Recording Company
(CRC) and agency Element 79 (also Chicago), where he
worked on brands including Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker
and The Second City. He also mixed and edited the audio
on the agency’s 2007 Super Bowl spot for Frito-Lay. Kaduk
graduated with a BA in audio art and acoustics from
Columbia College Chicago and enjoys playing music in his
spare time.
Mindeman hopped on the Particle train this past February
after spending four years at Chicago post house Another
Country, where she started as an assistant and was working
independent sessions by the end of her tenure. At Another
Country, Mindeman worked on big-name brands such as
Propel, Budweiser Select, Secret and Kellogg’s. Mindeman
has experience in sound designing for both the theatrical
and commercial production arenas, which is proving to be
an asset at Particle.
Particle bills itself as a company that is breaking the model
of the way audio post houses have traditionally operated.
Though the physical space is very aesthetically pleasing
to the eye, its layout is also quite functional both for the
engineers and their clients.
“I think that we are breaking the mold in a few ways,”
explains Bryan Rheude. “I don’t know if you want to call
it aesthetic – I think it’s also functional. If you think of the
layout of the studio, the clients sit in an area that is more
a film type of studio. What that does is minimizes the role
of the equipment, so you don’t walk in and feel like you’re
[looking] at this big mixing console. It’s more of a creative
environment, more of a comfortable environment. Yes, that
has an aesthetic component to it but it’s also functional.”
“If the clients are more relaxed then the engineers are more
relaxed,” adds Kaduk. “It’s more of a living room feel and
there’s a lot of sunlight. I’ve worked at…studios that were
built inside and there really wasn’t an exterior window that
got any sunlight or anything, and they were the colderfeeling
[type of] studio. If I had a session that lasted all