New Music Drop, Animals & Mixing Insight

Nathan Fields
May 09, 2025

The Rareform Rundown #61

Hello Friends,

Nathan here, this week we share some new music releases and music’s effect regarding a specific character in the animal kingdom. Lastly, we break down the mix between dialogue and music in audio post-production.

Let’s get on with it!

New projects + music we are looking for

PROJECTS

Always cool hearing something you’ve made out in the world! A sound design cue I did called “Creepy Whispers” is in the trailer for Weapons. Huge thanks to everyone involved for featuring it!

Our track Psycho by Denis Kaydalov landed in this spot for Hell of a Summer! We’ve got a few more placements in this one too—dropping soon!

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Just dropped a new track under the Rareform Audio imprint—it’s called Energy! I produced the track with vocals from Armanni Reign, and it recently landed in the campaign for Paul American—a near-future story that dives into themes of power, identity, and transformation!

“Energy” is a high-impact cinematic track from Nathan Fields & Armanni Reign—built for sync, with hybrid trap textures, tight percussion, and raw, intentional vocals.

New music drop: “Energy” by Nathan Fields & Armanni Reign

Some recent news that caught my ear—Ronan the sea lion, known for bobbing her head to songs like “Boogie Wonderland,” is still keeping time more than ten years after she first made headlines.

Now 15, Ronan just got a fresh mention in Scientific Reports, where researchers confirmed she’s still able to move in sync with music. That’s a big deal, since beat matching—what scientists call beat perception and synchronization—was thought to be something only humans and a few vocal-learning animals could do.

Ronan doesn’t fit that mold, and yet, she’s still on beat!

Sea Lion Ronan Still Proving Animals Can Keep a Beat

A new study confirms Ronan the sea lion’s remarkable ability to keep rhythm—outperforming humans in beat synchronization. Once thought unique to humans and parrots, this rhythmic skill is now linked to broader animal cognition. Researchers continue exploring how widespread this talent may be.

www.rareformaudio.com/blog/ronan-sea-lion-beat-study

One thing that’s become clear over the years regarding audio post-production—getting the balance right between music and dialogue can make or break a scene.

Both are essential to the storytelling, but if one overshadows the other, the moment can lose its weight. It usually comes down to understanding what the scene is doing and making intentional choices with sound to support that.

If you’ve ever found yourself in that situation—where the cue feels right, but something’s still off—it might be the balance!

Music and Dialogue for Film: Finding Balance in the Mix

Balancing music and dialogue is key to crafting a great soundtrack. Learn how to use EQ, compression, and careful sound design to enhance storytelling without overpowering key elements. Tips for testing your mix and choosing the right music included. #SoundDesign #AudioMixing #FilmSoundtrack

www.nathanfieldsmusic.com/blog/balancing-music-and-dialogue-in-soundtrack-design

That’s it for this week! I appreciate y’all!

-Nathan

Products

Checkout Echelon — our first cinematic sound pack built for film composers and music producers looking to level up their sound and land more placements.