--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By manipulating what you hear and how you…" description: "\"By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and what other things you don't hear - you can not only help tell the story, you can help the audie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg" --- # By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and… ![“By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and what other things you don't hear - you can not only help tell the story, you can help the audience get into the mind of the character,” quote by Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg) > “By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and what other things you don't hear - you can not only help tell the story, you can help the audience get into the mind of the character,” [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. By shaping audio perception, creators guide audience empathy and immersion in a character’s mental state. **In simple terms:** Audio design influences how viewers experience a character’s mind. Key Takeaway Use sound to deepen narrative connection. Themes sound design empathy storytelling Mood immersive thoughtful Type instructional analytical When to use this quote - film - theatre - podcast production - virtual reality experiences Key Concepts psychology perception audio engineering Questions to Reflect On - How can sound alone suggest a character’s emotions? - What limits does sound have in storytelling? A Different Perspective Audio alone cannot convey complex inner thoughts without visual cues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [One of the rules of the road is that if you want to create the sense of silence, it frequently has more pungency if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/one-of-the-rules-of-the-road-is-that-if-you-want-to-create-the-sense/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Through pop music ideas, energies and resources can emerge that can help the audience release themselves from the unrelieving confinements of environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-morley/through-pop-music-ideas-energies-and-resources-can-emerge-that-can/) [Paul Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-morley/) > [Genre labels are useful only insofar as they help you find an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-jon-williams/genre-labels-are-useful-only-insofar-as-they-help-you-find-an-audience/) [Walter Jon Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-jon-williams/) > [Don't let a single comic moment pass you by; then help the audience get the laughs. Give them permission to laugh by holding for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carver/don-t-let-a-single-comic-moment-pass-you-by-then-help-the-audience/) James Carver > [As artistes, it is as much our job to entertain as to help the audience broaden their horizons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/as-artistes-it-is-as-much-our-job-to-entertain-as-to-help-the/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) > [If my story can help someone to better themselves in life, then so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/if-my-story-can-help-someone-to-better-themselves-in-life-then-so-be/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [Listen everyone's story, may be some points of their story may help you in your story to MOVE ON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yashwardhan-pauranik/listen-everyone-s-story-may-be-some-points-of-their-story-may-help/) [Yashwardhan Pauranik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yashwardhan-pauranik/) > [“A story might help you get through your life, he said, but it doesn't literally keep you alive -- if anything, most often people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hannaham/a-story-might-help-you-get-through-your-life-he-said-but-it-doesn-t/) James Hannaham > [I want my story to help others see what's extraordinary in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-carpenter/i-want-my-story-to-help-others-see-what-s-extraordinary-in-themselves/) [Kyle Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-carpenter/) > [I love how a story can help someone discuss something they otherwise would not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/i-love-how-a-story-can-help-someone-discuss-something-they-otherwise/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [No one ever tells a story to help you figure out where to go when a door closes on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/no-one-ever-tells-a-story-to-help-you-figure-out-where-to-go-when-a/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [If the only people we seek to impress are within our own ivory towers of artistic excellence or our hallowed institutions, we will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/if-the-only-people-we-seek-to-impress-are-within-our-own-ivory-towers/) [Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/) > [When I write, I keep the family audience in mind. I ensure there's no vulgarity, as families are coming into the theatres, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-shetty/when-i-write-i-keep-the-family-audience-in-mind-i-ensure-there-s-no/) [Rohit Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-shetty/) > [ I always write with an audience in mind. If I feel that \[connection\] coming back at me then I feel like I'm doing my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-always-write-with-an-audience-in-mind-if-i-feel-that-connection/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The creative process for me doesn't work as well without an image of an audience in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/the-creative-process-for-me-doesn-t-work-as-well-without-an-image-of/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) ## More by Walter Murch > [My job as an editor is to gently prod the attention of the audience to look at various parts of the frame. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/my-job-as-an-editor-is-to-gently-prod-the-attention-of-the-audience/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [One of the rules of the road is that if you want to create the sense of silence, it frequently has more pungency if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/one-of-the-rules-of-the-road-is-that-if-you-want-to-create-the-sense/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Take any writer you want in the 19th century: they wrote with quill pens, dipping a piece of goose feather in ink and writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/take-any-writer-you-want-in-the-19th-century-they-wrote-with-quill/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Writing is a process of discovery of what you really do know. You can't limit yourself in advance to what you know, because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/writing-is-a-process-of-discovery-of-what-you-really-do-know-you-can/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [As I've gone through life, I've found that your chances for happiness are increased if you wind up doing something that is a reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/as-i-ve-gone-through-life-i-ve-found-that-your-chances-for-happiness/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Film is really the one art form that can effectively use silence. Music and theater can play with silence, but they can't sustain silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/film-is-really-the-one-art-form-that-can-effectively-use-silence/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [When I'm actually assembling a scene, I assemble it as a silent movie. Even if it's a dialog scene, I lip read what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/when-i-m-actually-assembling-a-scene-i-assemble-it-as-a-silent-movie/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Film editing is now something almost everyone can do at a simple level and enjoy it, but to take it to a higher level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/film-editing-is-now-something-almost-everyone-can-do-at-a-simple/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [The word processor is a better tool than a quill pen because you can do so much more with it, but on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/the-word-processor-is-a-better-tool-than-a-quill-pen-because-you-can/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [As I've gone through life, I've found that your chances for happiness are increased if you wind up doing something that is a reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/as-i-ve-gone-through-life-i-ve-found-that-your-chances-for-happiness-2/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Blinking is some way of tabulating - a kind of carriage return, click, or save to disk - that helps the process of 'Okay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/blinking-is-some-way-of-tabulating-a-kind-of-carriage-return-click-or/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [You can always make a film somehow. You can beg, borrow, steal the equipment, use credit cards, use your friends' goodwill, wheedle your way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/you-can-always-make-a-film-somehow-you-can-beg-borrow-steal-the/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [Looking at a first assembly is kind of like looking at an overgrown garden. You can't just wade in with a weed whacker; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/looking-at-a-first-assembly-is-kind-of-like-looking-at-an-overgrown/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [If you want to freak your cat out, stare at your cat. If you want to reassure your cat, stare at your cat, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/if-you-want-to-freak-your-cat-out-stare-at-your-cat-if-you-want-to/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) > [I believe that one of the secret engines that allows cinema to work, and have the marvelous power over us that it does, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/i-believe-that-one-of-the-secret-engines-that-allows-cinema-to-work/) [Walter Murch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) [Explore all 30 Walter Murch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and what other things you don't hear - you can not only help tell the story, you can help the audience get into the mind of the character,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Murch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-you-hear-it-and-what-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-you-hear-it-and-what-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/walter-murch-20784_audience_by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-yo_2195207.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By manipulating what you hear and how you hear it - and what other things you don't hear - you can not only…” — Walter Murch", "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": "Walter Murch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-murch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "By manipulating what you hear and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-you-hear-it-and-what-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-murch/by-manipulating-what-you-hear-and-how-you-hear-it-and-what-other/#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 } } ] } ```