Pixel Farmer Q&A: Episode 1
Zac shares his favorite music, movies, spots, and more

Creative inspiration never runs low here, but that doesn’t mean our artists don’t have go-to media that inspires them. Grab a cup of coffee and get comfy. Learn about this Pixel Farmer and what media gets him re-inspired, how he defines creativity, and more.
Zac Bates
Role: Audio Engineer/Sound Designer
Years at Pixel Farm: 11 years
Music:
OK Computer – Radiohead
“Bury Us Alive” – STRFKR (Unfortunate name, but incredible synth sound)
Generally electronic music, synthesizers
But also, Neil Young and Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billy – pretty much everything
Generally acoustic music, guitars
Movies:
Stanley Kubrick films, specifically A Clockwork Orange or 2001: A Space Odyssey
“Stanley Kubrick – definitely my favorite director in the history of the world. A Clockwork Orange features an incredible soundtrack. For all of the Moog synthesizer fans out there, I highly recommend giving ‘Switched-On Bach’ by Wendy Carlos a listen.”
Biggest Creative Breakthrough Moment:
“One of the biggest breakthrough moments we’ve had recently was done on our work with LensCrafters. This project was new and exciting because we were working with audio for a 360 video. At the time, there were very few examples of how spatialized audio should sound in a commercial, so this project allowed us to pioneer new strategies and transform traditional miking techniques into a modernized sound made for 360 video.”
Advertisement You’ve Been Inspired By:
“A commercial that sticks out in my mind is a United Airlines spot we worked on a few years back. The animation was beautifully done and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” gave the spot a musical perspective that is hard to beat.”
(You can check out the spot here)
Define Creativity:
“Personally, in my specific domain here at Pixel Farm, creativity is about removing technical barriers. A large amount of my work involves troubleshooting any problems that arise, so creativity is about facing a challenge and pivoting around obstacles so other ideas can be actualized.”