While the reviews for Tron: Ares are mixed, there’s one element of the new sci-fi epic that nobody can truly disagree with: the sound is amazing. Much of the attention to the soundscape of Tron: Ares has been focused on the pulse-pounding score from Nine Inch Nails, which, in terms of the theater experience, rivals the 2010 Daft Punk score for Tron: Legacy. But the sound of Tron is more than just the music. In fact, if there’s one thing that makes Ares so special, it's that every element of the soundscape has been meticulously planned and fully integrated with the score. But, as Tron: Ares sound designer Tormod Ringnes tells Inverse, good sound on a big sci-fi epic doesn’t just mean loud.
“It’s not just that the sound is very loud. It’s actually difficult to make a loud, physical sound without hurting your ears,” Ringnes explains. “We do a lot of work to take away the painful sounds and painful frequencies that hurt your ears. Part of that is to make sure there’s a lot of different dynamic sounds, and to make it immersive. We use the subwoofer, but not too much.”
