Leo Chaloukian
Sound Engineer/ Sound Executive
About This Interview
In his nearly four hour interview for The Archive of American Television, Leo Chaloukian discusses his childhood and service in the Navy before detailing his long and decorated career in the sound industry. Chaloukian explains various elements of sound design, including Foley, ADR, and mixing, and describes his work on television shows such as Gunsmoke, Lassie, Route 66, Highway Patrol, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, Sea Hunt, and the pilot episode of Star Trek. He recounts his rise up the ranks from janitor to owner of Ryder Sound Services and shares tales of Ryder's founder, Loren Ryder -- a pioneer in the field of sound for film and television. Chaloukian also comments on his Oscar win for the feature film Platoon, his involvement with the Motion Picture Academy, and his time as President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Michael Rosen conducted the interview in Los Angeles, CA on March 28, 2001.
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Highlights
Leo Chaloukian on creating the underwater sound effects on Sea Hunt (02m 19s)
Full Chapter One
Full Chapter Three
On the feeling he gets from perfect sound - on Platoon (00m 26s)Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his childhood and early influences; on moving from Chicago to Los Angeles; on serving as a mine sweeper in the Navy during World War II
- On attending American Television Laboratories; on his earliest memories of television
- On wanting to work in sound/electronics at Ryder Sound Services; on working nights at Ryder and then getting the day shift and transferring soundtracks
- On impressing Loren Ryder, founder of Ryder Services
- Chapter 2
- On his family; on Loren Ryder his partnership with Nagra Recorders
- On sound production in the 1950s and working with Ziv Television Productions; On Foley sound
- On challenges of sound building for television in the 1950s
- On creating the sound effects on Lassie, and Sea Hunt; on production mixing
- Chapter 3
- On ambient noise, wild tracks, signal to noise ratios, and other sound terms
- On companies with which Ryder Sound had contracts; on his promotions at Ryder Sound Services and becoming an executive; on buying Loren Ryder out of the company
- On shows his company worked on: Lassie, Death Valley Days, Annette Funicello movies and Maverick
- Chapter 4
- Leo Chaloukian on doing sound for Highway Patrol, Route 66, Star Trek and Gunsmoke
- On mixing sound for National Geographic specials and working with Jacques Cousteau; on mixing for David Wolper's documentaries; on sound for Hanna-Barbera shows
- On taking full ownership of Ryder Sound Systems in 1976; on client relations
- Chapter 5
- On films Ryder Sound provided sound for: Two Mules for Sister Sara, Bullitt, The Graduate, Easy Rider, The Godfather, Saturday Night Fever, Smokey and the Bandit, Star Trek
- Leo Chaloukian on Ryder Sound being nominated for 6 Emmys in 1977, and for 14 in 1981; on Ryder Sound winning and Oscar and Emmy in 1986; on the shows for which he personally won Emmys - Stalin, Journey to the Outer Limits
- On generation loss; on sound challenges on the film Phoenix City and being followed by the FBI
- On unknowingly supplying Nixon with the equipment for all of his infamous Watergate recordings; on identifying the number of shots heard on an audio tape that recorded President Kennedy's assassination
- On doing sound for Platoon, for which he won an Oscar
- Chapter 6
- On working with Oliver Stone on Platoon and Wall Street; on sound for Raiders of the Lost Ark
- On his work for the Federal Aviation Administration and deciphering information from black boxes
- On his involvement with the Moon Landing in 1969; on JFK's assassination
- On going digital and selling Ryder Sound to Sound Deluxe; on electronic editing
- On some of the films Sound Deluxe edits sound for: Gladiator, Perfect Storm, and several television shows including Angel, Sopranos, and C.S.I.
- On his involvement with The Television Academy
- Chapter 7
- BOn becoming a Governor of the Sound branch of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS); on the separation of ATAS and NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences); on becoming President of ATAS
- On the state of ATAS when he became President; on acquiring headquarters for ATAS
- On suffering a silent heart attack in 1991; on current projects
- On his love of sound mixing; on advice to young sound professionals
- Chapter 8
- On genres that are difficult to design sound for - science ficition and action
- On his proudest achievement; on the key to his success
- On demonstrations of sound equipment developed by Ryder Sound
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