---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, what people generally call sound…"
description: "\"For me, what people generally call sound design is just one component of orchestrating a score.\" — Johann Johannsson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg"
---

#  For me, what people generally call sound design is just…

![“For me, what people generally call sound design is just one component of orchestrating a score.” quote by Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg)

> “For me, what people generally call sound design is just one component of orchestrating a score.”

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sound design is just one part of creating a musical score, not the whole piece.

**In simple terms:** Sound design is a piece of scoring.

Key Takeaway

Consider all elements when composing.

Themes

music composition collaboration

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

educational insightful

When to use this quote

- film scoring
- video game music
- advertising
- theatre productions

Key Concepts

orchestration audio design

Questions to Reflect On

- How does each element influence the final piece?
- What role does sound design play in storytelling?

A Different Perspective

Only focusing on sound design can neglect melody and harmony.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sound design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-design/)

## Related quotes

> [Being sexy is just one component. It's not a thing I am. It's a thing I can be. It's a side of myself I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/being-sexy-is-just-one-component-it-s-not-a-thing-i-am-it-s-a-thing-i/)

[Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/)

> [I know I'm incapable of orchestrating an entire film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/i-know-i-m-incapable-of-orchestrating-an-entire-film/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [I equate composing with orchestrating. I think my music in terms of an orchestra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/i-equate-composing-with-orchestrating-i-think-my-music-in-terms-of-an/)

[Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/)

> [As a young pianist in Hollywood, I began orchestrating for others, and I just felt really comfortable doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/as-a-young-pianist-in-hollywood-i-began-orchestrating-for-others-and/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [We usually start by asking the collaborators to submit a couple of ideas. Then, Larry and I will sort through all the submissions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-mcquaid/we-usually-start-by-asking-the-collaborators-to-submit-a-couple-of/)

[Glenn McQuaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-mcquaid/)

> [There's a big gaping hole in the EDM space for songwriting. It's one thing to learn how to be a great sound designer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aoki/there-s-a-big-gaping-hole-in-the-edm-space-for-songwriting-it-s-one/)

[Steve Aoki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aoki/)

> [That's the sound design. I watched it sixty times because we were constantly tweaking. The same thing comes twice, right? Once it comes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/that-s-the-sound-design-i-watched-it-sixty-times-because-we-were/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [Cinema is the most challenging art form that you as an artist can create. It's easier to paint a painting because you're very alone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baran-odar/cinema-is-the-most-challenging-art-form-that-you-as-an-artist-can/)

[Baran Odar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baran-odar/)

> [I'm really into the way sound works in film, and I did a little bit of sound design for theater in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-nef/i-m-really-into-the-way-sound-works-in-film-and-i-did-a-little-bit-of/)

[Hari Nef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-nef/)

> [I always like to do sound design, and in movies, you have more leeway with that, but I don't really notice that sound design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/i-always-like-to-do-sound-design-and-in-movies-you-have-more-leeway/)

[Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/)

> [In sound design programs now, you can literally sculpt the sound on visual graphs. Sometimes the visual programs are even more interesting than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/in-sound-design-programs-now-you-can-literally-sculpt-the-sound-on/)

[Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/)

> [Sound and sound design has always been very important to my approach to film, because it is a more subversive and allusive aspect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/sound-and-sound-design-has-always-been-very-important-to-my-approach/)

[Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/)

> [Dubstep has everything for me. Rhythm, sound design, heartfelt emotion - all in one place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blake/dubstep-has-everything-for-me-rhythm-sound-design-heartfelt-emotion/)

[James Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blake/)

> [ I would bring Patti \[Smith \] in to the editing room \[working on the Dream of Life\] and say, "This is a great moment… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/i-would-bring-patti-smith-in-to-the-editing-room-working-on-the-dream/)

[Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/)

> [Tone is always such an important thing, and that's achieved through a multitude of people. It comes through the writing, it comes through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-treadaway/tone-is-always-such-an-important-thing-and-that-s-achieved-through-a/)

[Harry Treadaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-treadaway/)

## More by Johann Johannsson

> [I am a trombone player, and that was my first instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-am-a-trombone-player-and-that-was-my-first-instrument/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I have a Yamaha YC-45D organ in my studio. It's actually Terry Riley's favorite keyboard, so if you find old clips of him on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-have-a-yamaha-yc-45d-organ-in-my-studio-it-s-actually-terry-riley-s/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I try not to obfuscate or to be to obscure or to be too cerebral. I like to work on a visceral, emotional level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-try-not-to-obfuscate-or-to-be-to-obscure-or-to-be-too-cerebral-i/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I'm far from casual. I'm a huge fan of 'Blade Runner.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-m-far-from-casual-i-m-a-huge-fan-of-blade-runner/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I very much enjoy working with talented filmmakers who have a good sense for music, who have a strong feel for music and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-very-much-enjoy-working-with-talented-filmmakers-who-have-a-good/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I think my music is a way of communicating very directly with people and with people's emotions. I try to make music that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-think-my-music-is-a-way-of-communicating-very-directly-with-people/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I always do very detailed demos. I feel that it's better to show the director a demo that sounds as close to the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-always-do-very-detailed-demos-i-feel-that-it-s-better-to-show-the/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> ['Orphee' is, for me, about changes: about moving to a new city, leaving behind an old life in Copenhagen, and building a new one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/orphee-is-for-me-about-changes-about-moving-to-a-new-city-leaving/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I'm a huge fan of Philip K. Dick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-philip-k-dick/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I am not very extreme in my life. But I'm very attracted to art that works with extremes and works with limits, that transgresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-am-not-very-extreme-in-my-life-but-i-m-very-attracted-to-art-that/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [Even when I was studying piano, I always preferred to play around with my own improvisations rather than do my studies. So I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/even-when-i-was-studying-piano-i-always-preferred-to-play-around-with/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I tend to spend quite a lot of time on the film scores that I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-tend-to-spend-quite-a-lot-of-time-on-the-film-scores-that-i-do/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [Brass has a very distinctive sound. It's delicate but powerful, but it's also melancholic and plaintive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/brass-has-a-very-distinctive-sound-it-s-delicate-but-powerful-but-it/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> [I get restless very easily; I don't like to do the same thing twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-get-restless-very-easily-i-don-t-like-to-do-the-same-thing-twice/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

> ['End of Summer' expands the way I want to express myself as a composer. It's a piece of visual music that has this narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/end-of-summer-expands-the-way-i-want-to-express-myself-as-a-composer/)

[Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

[Explore all 77 Johann Johannsson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/)

## More Design quotes

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/)

Giambattista Bodoni

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/)

[Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/)

> [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/)

[Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/)

> [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/)

[Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/)

> [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/)

[Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/)

> [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/)

[Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/)

> [“Designing posters, for me, is not only a commercial pursuit but also a philosophical endeavor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fang-chen/designing-posters-for-me-is-not-only-a-commercial-pursuit-but-also-a/)

Fang Chen

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [Users are not designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/users-are-not-designers/)

[Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/)

> [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

[Browse all 5,563 Design quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For me, what people generally call sound design is just one component of orchestrating a score.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Johann Johannsson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound-design-is-just-one-component/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Design"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound-design-is-just-one-component/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b58/johann-johannsson-8922_design_for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound_1391456.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For me, what people generally call sound design is just one component of orchestrating a score.” — Johann Johannsson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Johann Johannsson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For me, what people generally call...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound-design-is-just-one-component/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/for-me-what-people-generally-call-sound-design-is-just-one-component/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
