Sound Teaches Us
Natsumi Hasushi (sound and stage coordination)
I love the moment when sound becomes audible: when music starts playing in a shop, when a theme song fills the space of a cinema, when music from a distant car draws closer. Since childhood I have been strongly drawn to that sensation of sound being born and reaching me as it makes the air vibrate. I felt as if sound slipped straight into my chest, and it was wonderfully comfortable. Even as a small child, I think I found it mysterious and fascinating that sound, which should be invisible, has the power to change the atmosphere of a place and my feelings in an instant. At university, I had an opportunity to talk with a professional sound engineer. Learning the behind-the-scenes process of how sound is created and delivered into a space had a tremendous impact on me. Until then I had been on the receiving side of sound, but I became strongly aware of the people who deliver it. I began to want to work at creating spaces through sound myself. I vaguely imagined joining a sound company after graduation and gaining experience on-site. At that point, Naoko said, “Why don’t you come to us?”, and I was given the opportunity to work as a staff member at Session House. That one remark became a turning point that strongly shaped my path.
At dance performances, lighting often receives specific, detailed requests, while sound is frequently entrusted to us with vague phrases like “about this much” or “make it feel good.” Sound staff often carry important decisions such as how loud to make the sound and exactly when to bring it in. For me then, without sufficient practical experience, that was a major responsibility, and I felt anxious. In those circumstances, my much more experienced sound colleague, Ueda, taught me a phrase: “Sound teaches us.” His teaching was that rather than thinking only in your head about how to bring sound correctly into a space, it is important to listen closely to the sound that actually emerges and sense what it wants you to do. Is it resonating too much? Is it still insufficient? Does it want to come forward? Would it be better to pull it back a little? I learned that listening carefully for such subtle changes is fundamental for sound staff. I realized that sound is not merely the result of operating equipment; it exists in close relation to the atmosphere of the place, the performers’ movements and the audience’s concentration.
Over these ten years, I have experienced many failures too. I have misjudged volume balance, missed timings and been uncertain about my decisions. But each experience nurtured an attitude of listening more deeply to sound. Some performances leave me satisfied; others leave regrets. I feel that their accumulation has shaped who I am today. Even now, after ten years working in sound, sound teaches me so much. Even the same piece of music resonates completely differently when the space, performers or audience change. That is why every occasion is a new challenge and a continuous learning experience. I want to keep engaging sincerely with sound, cherishing the excitement of the instant when it is born. And I want to be someone who can deliver sound that gently enters another person’s chest and moves their heart.
