Funny how easy it is to overlook one of a city's best-kept secrets. Case in point is a small audio post house that sports quite an impressive reel to date. Having been in the business since 1988, owner and sound designer (as well as mixer, director and producer), Rich Macar has quite literally been turning the city on its ear.

It's no surprise that Macar was one of the first guys in New York to embark into the world of digital production. An anomaly at the time, Macar found that his digital work approach put him far ahead of the curve in that he was able to turn work around far quicker than other audio post houses. "The biggest factor," states Macar, "is that back then no one knew how to bill my hours! The hourly structure didn't transfer well (and still doesn't) to digital technology. So in order for me to work - and to offer the best deal to the client, I had to open my own business. Buttons was based on my expertise at working efficiently - and once clients found out that I could digitally work faster than analog - I mean in half the time - the roster started to fill out." One of the biggest business challenges facing post houses of late is the changing of the client base. With agencies constantly changing people, not to mention the mergers, the challenge has been to get access to the too often overworked producers. "Collaboration is not the same as it used to be," says Macar. "Too many times under-the-gun producers come to a session and simply decide to take the path of least resistance - and that usually means taking sound for granted because it's not understood - or even more important, the nuances aren't heard." Macar notes that the effect then trickles down to the vendor - "and the funniest part of this process is that sound is normally a nominal part of the budget."

During his eighteen-year stint in the NY area, Macar has seen many exciting changes in the sound editorial process. With his roots firmly planted in music, Macar knows what he's talking about when it comes to audio. "The term alone is blurred," says Macar of the overly used phrase of 'sound design.' "Music and sound are two different things and for the past couple of years, music houses have been throwing in everything together for a strictly business angle. But music, sound, and dialogue need to be kept separate and blurring them causes the product to lose out. Sound is the feel of any commercial or film - and music is the emotion. Why would anyone want to combine the two? The best spots on the market are the ones that have both."

Agreed - and much of that can be attested to by Buttons' reel. Take, for example, the PSA spot for Operation Lifesaver. "Lora Zaretsky at Convergence got me involved in the project early on," states Macar. "What was great about doing that sound design was that I was able to provide feature film sound work on this spot. I really got to dig my teeth in and provided the client with more than enough options to choose from." The tough part for the sound designer is when he's called in at the last minute and asked to design at the mix. "That kind of experience is like pulling a rabbit out of my hat - I can do it, but spots have a far greater chance of being fantastic if I can be involved much sooner." (Macar can accomplish many an astonishing feat - take for example in 1998 when he and a crew of five delivered 52 episodes of Pokeman in five months - that project included everything from soup to nuts - mixing, ADR and sound effects.)

Nowadays, Macar and his talented crew are busy with the likes of Animal Planet, a cooking show, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello and another series for Outdoor Life Network ,Top 10 Countdown. Says Macar, "I really enjoy doing the TV shows for the sweetening aspects of sound. You know, making it work, making it pop."

Continuing to provide the fastest, highest quality, and high-value sound services possible using today's technology, Macar's quest to produce and deliver the best sound services in New York City reigns supreme. "After all," says Macar, "Achieving good sound production is successful when the target audience does not notice it, yet is immediately engaged in the production message, not the production, thus evoking a positive reaction to the product."

Yes - now doesn't that inspire a whole new way to 'listen'?