Steve Heinke

This week, I had the great pleasure to reconnect with Steve Heinke, brilliant sound designer and founder of Mountains Of Sound. Steve and I have worked together for over 20+ years and he always brings a positive spirit to every session, he’s terrific at directing voice talent (probably because he is a voiceover artist himself), and he has a keen ear for adding just the right sound effects to bring a scene to life. I’m thrilled with Steve’s recent work on several ImageSource product videos. Check out the great SFX in the ILINX + OPEX Digital Mail Automation spot (link in the comments).

Steve and I hadn’t seen each other since before the pandemic. Here’s what I took away during our long-overdue lunch at Scott’s Bar & Grill in Edmonds:

1) It takes all elements to create “The Place.” Steve has worked on TV shows and movies where he’s the footage without post-production audio added. It’s lifeless, flat, and just sorta lays there. A good edit, great color, and the right sound all add up to creating “The Place,” as Steve calls it, making what appears on screen feel real and immersive.

2) It’s all just static in the end. Steve is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who been in local bands for 25 years. Today, he collaborates with his fellow musicians mostly online. Steve uploads chord progressions and melodic ideas, his bandmates upload lyrics and other elements, then they take turns assembling the pieces and refining. In October, the collective known as Lowbeat released their collaboration online, “It’s all just static in the end.” It’s really, really great. The band’s good taste and Steve’s audio chops result in a surprisingly polished sound (Spotify link in the comments).

3) The real reason the Beatles broke up. Steve and I spent more than a few minutes diving into our shared affection for the Beatles and Peter Jackson’s stellar audio/video enhancements for the “Get Back” documentary. Steve’s theory on the band’s breakup: when Paul became the defacto leader in the late 60s, John—who founded the band and was always seen as the leader—became less invested and decided it was time to move on. Now we know.

Steve, so great to catch up, man. Keep on rockin’ and I can’t wait to hear what sounds you come up with next.

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