Spinn Creative

…Mar-Marvelous weekend!

If you’re in the Wash DC area this week, make sure to check out the amazing films . was thrilled to support the Papua New Guinea expedition with this incredible film documentary.

I’ve been using these headphones for 15 years—long before they became the go-to everyone seems to have now. At this point, it’s less about what they are and more about what I’ve learned from them. As a post mixing engineer, consistency is everything. It’s not about chasing the “perfect” or most neutral tool—it’s about deeply understanding how your tools translate out into the real world.

These headphones are far from a flat frequency curve. They hype certain areas and fall short in others, but that’s exactly the point—I know where those biases are. I’ve spent years learning how a mix that sounds “right” on them will carry over to speakers, cars, laptops, and streaming platforms. That familiarity is far more valuable than any spec sheet.

I don’t rely on them for primary mixing—I actually don’t enjoy mixing on headphones at all. For me, music and sound are meant to be felt in a space, not isolated inside your head. Speakers give you depth, air, and perspective in a way headphones just can’t replicate. But as a reference? They’re incredibly useful. They’re a checkpoint—a way to double back and make sure nothing is slipping through the cracks.

At the end of the day, the gear matters far less than the relationship you build with it. Learn your tools. Learn how your work translates. Stay consistent in your process. And most importantly, enjoy what you’re creating—because that connection to your craft is what ultimately comes through in the final mix.

Do Not Rewind has been awarded Best Overall Short and Best Editing in The George A. Romero Foundation’s Women in Horror Film Festival! It will be featured as part of The GARF’s Women in Horror virtual panel on Friday, March 20th at 7:00pm ET, moderated by Tina Romero, director of Queens of the Dead and daughter of legendary filmmaker George Romero.
has created an amazing short film! This project was more fun than any sound designer should have, loved it!

Really grateful to be part of the Cinema Audio Society and the community that surrounds it.

It’s inspiring to be in a room (and an industry) filled with people who genuinely care about the craft of sound — from dialogue and design to mixing and storytelling.

This post is for Urban park research for Quiet Parks International. This an ongoing location visit and recording of parks in/around the Washington DC region.
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The United States National Arboretum is in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. The U.S. National Arboretum, Friends of the National Arboretum is a large public research garden in Washington, D.C., offering diverse plant collections, the iconic Capitol Columns, and the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. While not directly under the National Park Service (NPS), it's a significant federal property known for horticulture and public enjoyment. The United States National Arboretum was formally established by an act of Congress on 4 March 1927

I visited this park on December 27, 2025 on a cloudy 40+ degree day. It was mostly calm wind with occasional gusts and low crowds. There were not many insects and wildlife (birds) as it was a chilly late December day. I plan on visiting in the spring and summer months after trees are in full bloom and insect/wildlife is not dormant. This park is in the heart of Washington DC, the nation's capitol, surrounded by urban landscape noise: including traffic (sirens) & public transportation. One pleasant feature of this park is the lack of air traffic as Washington has a very strict air traffic policy. Because of National government security, Washington D.C. is fairly free of air traffic overhead. While it isn't a complete "no-fly zone," it has extremely strict airspace restrictions called the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), a 30-mile ring around the city. Many of the parks benefit from this as planes do not travel near the parks.

I captured the ambience with a Sennheiser mkh8040 stereo configuration in an x/y pattern. These are original recordings with no post processing at all. There is a full SPL report and this has a general loudness (LAq) level of 47 db. While just out of the required 45db level, this park is the quietest I’ve visited to date, at least the “Asian collection” area of the park, which is built into a hillside to shield (pleasantly) from the extraneous noise pollution. I’ve been attempting to record a SPL recording while on site and this one is located on the soundcloud site. The link is below.

Enjoy these 2 recordings from different locations of this same park. The first is from an open field under an oak tree with a pleasant breeze blowing. The relaxing sound of the leaves are somewhat masking the nearby city sounds. Listen through the wind and you’ll hear the low din, around 60hz, of the city as trains move about, a couple of distant jets, some sirens, truck reverse signals and the occasional bang of neighborhood trash can or something similar.

Quiet Parks National Arboretum Washington DC / USA 27Dec25
https://soundcloud.com/chip-sovek/ambience_washdc_natarboretum_distantcity-3?si=190c698ee7764239b2f3718a8c938eb5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The second recording is from the “Asian collection” on the other side of the park. This location proved to be much sheltered from the wind as I was on a hillside garden area, down a stone path. The stereo mic config was pointed into the tall evergreen trees with subtle birds squawking, along with a lone red tailed hawk moving about. While the birds are pleasant, the average SPL is still above “quiet” range and quite present.

Quiet Parks National Arboretum Washington DC / USA 27Dec25
https://soundcloud.com/chip-sovek/ambience_washdc_natarboretumasian_distantcity-2?si=53b6ea8e36e14a9db829e68a2f4e4697&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Coordinates
38°54′37″ / N 76°58′02″W

AMBIENCE_WashDC_NatArboretum_DistantCity Listen to AMBIENCE_WashDC_NatArboretum_DistantCity by Chip Sovek on

We are excited to share that we provided sound design and mixing for every game tease of this year’s ESPN Men’s College World Series! ⚾️ Check out Game 1 intro below.

From the crack of the bat to the roar of the crowd, we helped bring the energy and emotion to life—game after game. Grateful to be part of the action and contribute to the sound behind one of college baseball’s biggest stages. Be sure to tune in to ESPN this weekend for the final games!

ESPN_Mens College World Series DAY 1 This is "ESPN_Mens College World Series DAY 1" by Spinn Creative on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Out for a day at the ! Enjoying the NY state vibes! Go

Who else is excited for the Film Festival in Washington, DC? We’re honored to work in the and space and can’t wait to attend the screening of Wild Hope Mission Impossible, the inspiring story of Pat Brown. Let us know if you’ll be there—we’d love to connect!

Mission Impossible | WILD HOPE | Nature | PBS It was a late-career epiphany that led “wacky genius” Pat Brown to abandon his academic career and commit himself to fighting global warming and