In the previous Triangle we introduced Mu Phi Epsilon’s 2006 Sterling Patron, retired sound engineer John Neal of Ventura, California. This article explores Mr. Neal’s extraordinary career in the dynamic, complex field of audio production. In Hollywood and other locations around the world, for movies, television, and live events, John Neal’s skilled hand at the mixing console has produced the finished product of sound.
His career has been so multi-faceted that it’s hard to pin down his professional title – “sound engineer” doesn’t actually appear on his résumé. Audio technician, sound mixer, music editor, scoring mixer, inventor, wizard – well, that last one isn’t on his vita, but it might as well be, given the aural magic his work has created. John was the person responsible for the groundbreaking sound in many top sci-fi and action films of the 1970s and 80s – including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark – and iconic TV shows like M.A.S.H. and The Waltons. In pursuit of ever more realistic recorded sound, he invented and patented the “time-period modulation” system, the forerunner to audio digitizing, surround-sound, and other advances that revolu- tionized how we hear recorded music and film soundtracks.
Getting started
John’s interest in sound began when he was studying music at Brigham Young University and Weber State College in the early 1940s. It grew while he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps in the mid-40s and stationed in the Los Angeles area, where he had opportunities to observe radio broadcasts. Upon leaving the serv- ice in 1947 he returned to college to seek coursework in sound, only to find that none was offered at the time. He studied a year at the Hollywood Sound Institute and then gained early expertise “on the job” as an audio technician, first in radio and then in the new medium of television. He also worked for a time in studio recording before finding his most lasting niche in film sound.
“On the job” was how most radio/television/film professionals learned their crafts even into the 1970s. John tells the story of how, when working on deadline on the Star Wars soundtrack, he noticed a young kid bringing in food and running errands. John assumed he was an enthusiastic assistant, only to learn later that the “kid” was budding director George Lucas himself, willing to do any kind of work to learn more and get the job done.
John has a strong family connection with Mu Phi Epsilon, start- ing with wife Dawn Phelps Neal, Phi Nu, Los Angeles Alumni and continuing with five Mu Phi daughters who are all professional musicians. Dawn and daughters performed together for a number of years and John recorded their first album, The Phelps Family Musicians, now in the Library of Congress.
Art and science
Audio engineering is part science and part art. Practitioners must have an understanding of how the human ear and brain work togeth- er to perceive natural sound and process its qualities – what direc- tion it’s coming from, how loud or soft it is, whether it’s harsh or pleasing, etc. – instan- taneously and uncon- sciously. They must also know – or, most often, learn through experience – how to set up and run a recording session to replicate natural sound as close- ly as possible. Everything makes a difference, from number, placement, and type of microphones to the qualities of whatever is producing sound, be it a musical instrument or a motor. John says, “We know that two pianos don’t sound the same. In record- ing sound you always have to keep in mind the difference in the properties of the instruments, how they resonate in different octaves. It’s very complex.”
The sound mixer’s role begins after a raw recording is made or a film is shot and edited. Listening meticulously to each recorded track, sometimes note by note, the technician uses sophisticated equipment to remix the tracks channel by channel into the form ultimately heard by the listener. For film, the sound mixer also edits out unwanted ambient sound and oversees the recording (or use others’ recordings) of sounds that did not occur naturally – special effects, music score, replacement dialogue – to be included in the final mix. Mixing is creative work and John is one of its top artisans. One writer raved, “John Neal doesn’t just record and mix music. He massages and manipulates sound so that it becomes multi-dimensional and seems to wrap around you.”
Always on deadline
John says the frustrations of his career are few and can be summed up in one word: deadlines. Again Star Wars provides an illustra- tive example. The film’s post-production was running behind schedule and Twentieth Century Fox had given director George Lucas an ultimatum – finish the music mix in a week or lose the proj- ect. John was called in on a rush basis and sprang into action, set- ting up a sound stage and procuring equip- ment. He then led a sound production team in a three-day, sleepless mixing marathon, working note by note through the London Symphony Orchestra’s recording of the film score, editing and remixing it into a six chan- nel music track that was then dubbed into the movie. They fin- ished the soundtrack on time. While the 72-hour session was extreme, John’s wife Dawn adds that nonstop, no-sleep, 24-hour mixing sessions were common during his career.
A good set of ears
A sound-mixing career would be a good fit for a musician with a bent for technology. John says, “The best requirement for a sound mixer is a good set of ears, which, hopefully, most musicians have.” Aptitude for electronic equipment is a plus and good teamwork skills are a must, as the audio technician works with a wide variety of other professionals in the course of a project, from recording or filming to mixing and final product. Exposure to people of many talents and skills is an intangible reward of the profession; John cites “working with tal- ented musicians and creative people” as one of his career’s greatest pleasures.
When asked what advice he would give to someone starting out in the field, John says, “Do as George Lucas did – start as a go-fer and try to learn all aspects of the business from the ground up, keep- ing your ears open and your mind alert.” He adds that, unlike when he started out, today many excellent institutions offer a vari- ety of courses in sound production with hands-on application. John contributed to the development of professional sound train- ing; while an active audio professional, he taught sound produc- tion courses at the Grove School of Music and gave lectures and seminars at numerous other universities. Many audio profession- als today count him as a mentor.
John Neal says, “Our capacity to hear is miraculous. We can hear whispers and roars, hear scores of sounds simultaneously and place them directionally, and we do it all without thinking.” John’s career in audio production has been dedicated to recording and mixing sound to be so natural that our miraculous hearing per- ceives it as real. It’s an art and science he hopes will interest some Mu Phis now and into the future.
