Cody Spencer: Making Art and a Career of out the Creative Power of Sound

Sound, a constant and ubiquitous presence, is often overlooked. However, there are individuals who actively seek out and consciously appreciate the intricate textures of its multilayered landscape. These “active listeners” pay meticulous attention to the subtle nuances or notes within sound, recognizing their emotional impact. Among them is Cody Spencer, a highly acclaimed and award-winning sound designer of renowned Broadway productions including Here Lies Love and The Outsiders.

A Discovered Passion for Live Sound

Spencer’s journey to theatrical sound design was not a direct path, but his passion for sound has been evident since childhood. At the tender age of 12, he was entrusted with the responsibility of assisting with the acoustics at his church. In high school, many of his friends were musicians, and he accompanied them to gigs to provide sound support. During his junior year of high school, he was fortunate enough to secure a theater internship, which he completed as a work-study program for the next two years. “I just would do as much sound as I possibly could,” says Spencer. He continued touring with bands throughout college and at the age of 20, he made the decision to relocate to New York City.

A Prodigious Encounter

In New York, Spencer landed a job at Terminal 5, a prominent music venue. There, he worked concert sound systems within the rock and roll circuit while also collaborating on musical side projects for various companies. Through these experiences, he crossed paths with his mentor, Brian Ronan. Ronan suggested that Spencer assist him with work on a musical he was working on with the band, Green Day. Serving as part of the backstage audio for the production of American Idiot was Spencer’s first professional Broadway experience. After the production, Spencer joined Ronan as his associate and worked with him for the next 15 years. While Spencer has ventured out on his own over the past five years, he still collaborates with Ronan, and they maintain a close friendship.

A Different Approach to the Immersive Audio Experience

Since branching out on his own, Spencer has experimented more with live sound and brings a fresh approach to sound design for theatrical productions. “In many theater productions, you often hear the same sounds repeatedly. For instance, the sound effect of a baby crying is Sound Ideas 6032—it’s just the baby cry sound that everyone uses. But, for the shows I work on, I use a recording of a friend’s baby or the sound of my niece’s cry.” Spencer keeps a recording device on hand so he can capture a sound for later use or one that may provide some inspiration for his work. “I have a recording rig that I just have with me all the time, whether it’s a tiny one mic recorder or little portable recorders.”

The Artistry of Sound Through Spatial Audio

This passion for sound and innovative spirit toward enhancing it that led to Spencer’s collaboration with Ronan also led him to discover L-Acoustics L-ISA professional sound system. This immersive shared audio tool allows Spencer to craft incredibly precise and vibrant spatial audio. Spencer’s use of L-ISA for the Broadway production of Here Lies Love was the first time L-ISA was used on Broadway. Here Lies Love garnered Spencer and the production a Tony Award Nomination for Best Sound Design. The music, composed by the renowned acoustic artists David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, played a pivotal role in crafting the narrative. By immersing the audience in the soundscape, the music became integral to the story, enabling the audience to not only hear the music as intended but also become deeply engrossed in it. “Here Lies Love was a massive success in terms of audio,” Spencer recalls and led him to use L-ISA once again for the Broadway production of The Outsiders. For The Outsiders, Spencer, his director, and his choreographers prioritized creating spatial audio to ensure that every seat and theatergoer in attendance would have an immersive and visceral audio experience. Because of the dynamic choreography and internal voice narration, the production’s auteurs wanted the audience to perceive the sound from all directions as if the action were happening to them while simultaneously hearing the characters’ inner thoughts. This remarkable achievement earned Spencer a Tony Award for Best Sound Design. Currently, Spencer is fastidiously orchestrating the sound design for the latest production and again, spatial audio is an imperative element.

For Spencer, it’s crucial to elevate the audience experience, enabling them to feel the emotional resonance pristine, authentic sounds can impart. Whether it’s the roaring surge of an oncoming train to the whisper of a nagging inner voice, he endeavors to capture the right decibel, inflection, and vibrancy of every sound so that it’s not just heard, but just as importantly, felt. Indeed, Spencer’s unwavering dedication to his craft has transformed productions for which he designs the sound from simply hearing audio well to being immersed in the feeling of it as an extraordinary 3D shared sound experience.